Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128233
The cutaway shows some of the ZX·10R's intimate details. / The zx..10R replaces the ZX·9R in Kawasaki's sportbike line up. By W it h a b or e and stroke of 76 x 5 5mm, th e ZX -I OR engin e ' s o ne- B LA KE C ONNER tr acts have been redesigned for better m ach in ed from chro moly-stee l bi ll et , w h i le f o ur va lves pe r c y l i n de r i mp ro ve h i gh -r pm bre at h ing . Th e forged li gh tweight pi ston s offer h ig h f low. A ram -air duct l oc at ed at the fr o nt o f th e fair i ng p rovi des t h e coo lest ai r po ssible. Ex ha ust is han dl ed by an ultre liqhtwelqht titan ium four -i nto - o ne ex ha ust syste m a nd inco rpo rate s a butte rf ly va lve at the co ll ec t o r t o i m pro v e o v era ll power c hara c te ris t ic s. It als o has a nonre- heat resista nc e to furth er enha nce the bike 's power -t o- weight ratio . Th e ZX - I OR has an all- new elec tron ic fu el- injection syste m w ith elec tron ica ll y controll ed subth rottle b utt e rflies, w hile t he en gin e ' s in t ak e K aw as ak i is finally rep la cing the ZX-9 R. The 9R has always been a g reat all - ar ou nd sp ortb ik e, but it had fa lien beh in d the co m pet it io n in t e rm s of o ut r ig ht p er f orm an ce an d styling. So just in time to jump on the 10 0 0 c c b a n d w a g o n , t h e co m p a n y has introd uced it s new Ninja ZX- IOR t o c o m p e t e w ith n e w bik e s fr om Yama ha, Ho nd a and th e cla ss- lea ding Suzuk i. Add it ion al ly, Kawa saki has mad e upd ates t o the ZX -6RR ( t he 600cc ve rsion), in an effort to m ak e th e b ike fu rt her co mpe t it ive in t he ar en a of Sup e r s p ort r ac i ng. T he Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 M ean Strea k also receives refi nem ents , including a new , larger 160 0cc moto r. T he comp any has also go ne down the "b igger is better" aven ue and introduced the 2000cc Vu lca n 200 0 c ru iser. str i ctive h on ey c o mb c a t a l y ze r to reduc e ex ha ust emissions. A mu lti p l a t e we t c l u tc h w i th a back -to rqu e limiter transfer s pow er to a six -speed , close -ratio transm issi on . Th e c has si s feat ures an a ll -a lu - piece cy linder and crankcase asse m bly red uce weight and increa se rig idit y . Th e d o uble -ov erh ead cams a re NIN.JA ZX·1 OR T he ZX-.1OR combines high tec hno logy with th e latest in novat io ns, includ ing a new hig h-outpu t engine , ul tranarro w aluminum fram e and a fr ontal area smal ler than t h o s e of most 600c c sp o rtbik es. Th e e n g in e i s c a lle d a " st a c k " design, refe rri ng to the liquid -cool ed 998 c c i nlin e f ou r -c ylind er eng ine 's ex t reme ly co mpac t layo ut. T he crank ax is , input sha ft and o ut p ut shaft of the ZX -I OR engi ne are pos iti on ed in a triangu lar layo ut to reduce en gin e length , while t he hi gh -speed generator is pl aced behind th e cy li nd e r ba nk to r edu c e e ng i ne w i d t h . 20 S EPTEMBER 2 4 . 2003' eye The ZX-6RR was updated for 2004 in an effort t o improve its Supersport racin g ab ili t ies. I e n e vv s min u m t win -tub e .b a c kbone fra me t hat arches over th e engine, rather than around it, as w it h conventio nal sp ortbike designs. The frame is co nstructed of th in-w alled castings and presse d a lum inum she ets welded to gether fo r o ptimal lig htn ess. Fro nt suspensio n d ut ies are hand led by a fully adj ustable 4 3mm fork, while a g u ll -ty pe alu minum swi nga r m con nect ed to Kaw asa ki's UNI-TRAK linkage and a fully adj usta ble shock .h an d ie rear sus pension duti es an d also fea tu re adjustable ride height. The ZX -IOR fe atures all -n ew sixspo ke , ca st -alu mi n um w hee ls shod with a 120 j7 0ZR 17 front tire and an ultra wid e 190 j 50ZR17 re ar t ire. A pair o f 300mm peta l-s h ape d front r o t o r s a nd n ew rad ia l -mo unt fo u r -p i st on c a lipers ha nd le b rak in g u p fr o nt ; a singl e 2 2 0 m m rear di sc handl es things ou t back . Th e bo d y w o rk o n th e ZX- 1OR is de sig ned to reduce drag w ith a fro ntal area tha t is sma ll er than tha t of a ZX-