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/128306
2004 Kawasaki ZX-l OR - - - - -- - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (Left) An optionol 5010 cowl is available from Kowasaki's accessories cata log. (Right) The combinotion of the radial·mount calipers and 300mm petal.shaped rotors offer awesome stoppmg capabilities. (Below) This cutaway of the motor shows how compod it is; it also gives a good view of the rela~onship between the transmission's stacked input and output shafts and the crankshaft, (Right) The cylinders ~nd cronkcase are a e ne-pieee design to save weight and make the motor as eempact as possible. (Above) The l OR features a concave fuel tonk that allows the rider to tuck in low er beneath the windscreen at speed. to argue with the Kawasaki's impressive top-end performance from the qu ickrevving motor.There were three places in particular on the t rack where co rne rs were exited in eith er first or second gea r, making fo r a t ire -sp inning E-ticket ride.The most entertaining had to be entering the infield's first short st ra ightaway while picking the bike up from a slight left-ha nd kink. Spinning the tire all the way through sec o nd gear and most of th ird wh ile getting the bike up onto the fat part of the t ire makes you feel like a hero. By the end of the day our group had painted the tarmac a deeper shade of black - talk about fun. I never came close to explo ring the bike's top speed because the Homestead t rack's short st ra ights never let me get out of fourth gear, but that was good enough fo r around 140 mph on the back straight. One area that I was disappointed with is the transmission . The transmission is a "stacked" tri-axis design with the input shaft and output shafts stacked on top of each other to reduce the length of the motor, which is great fo r packaging the motor in the frame more efficiently. The problem that many of us at the track were having was shifting the bike smoothly under high-rpm load, especially between third and fourth gears. T he bikes that we were riding we re preproduction models, and after spending time on multiple bikes throughout the day, I realized that some we re better than others - but all were a bit difficult to sh ift. I really don 't think that it will be a prob lem dur ing everyday street riding,but trying to shift without the clutch nearing the 13,000 rpm redline proved at times to be a daunting task . I was eventually forced to start using the clutch or drastically backing off o f the throttle to shift clean ly. Another solut ion was to short shift the bike, but it was frustrating, to say the least. Hopefully, Kawasaki will be able to fix th is niggling problem, because to be ho nest, it's one of the only flaws t hat rears its ugly head on the lOR. We tried to get in a seco nd day of rid- ing the following day, but the weather didn't cooperate. However, after logging six hours o n the bike , I wa lked away impressed. The combinat ion of the excel lent chass is, quick-revving motor, and 600like weight makes this one of the best Kawasakis ever produced. The bike will be available in fou r colors including: Lime Green, Candy Th under Blue, Metallic Spark Black, and Pearl Blazing Orange. The ZX-I OR will be available in dealerships sometime in February with an MSRP of $10 ,999. The bottom line is th at this is an incredible open-class weapon that should be a serious th reat in our upcoming op en-class shootout. So stay tuned. eN SPECIFICATIONS You're 50 Vain 2004 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-I OR The first thing that you notice when you see the lOR for the first time is that the bike has been completelyrestyled for 2004.There is virtually no resemblance to the bike it replaces, which in this case is a good thing .The lOR features au-new bodywork,headlights. ram-airdesign and a tail section featuring LED taillights. It looks likea waifsupermodel.lt looks as tinyas it feelswhen LIST PRiCE DISPLACEMENT ENGINE TYPE riding it. Kawasaki offers an optional passenger seat cowl. which looks really nice for when you're flying solo, which further improves the look of the sleek tail section, BORE x STROKE COMPRESSION RATIO Another beautiful elementis the bike's new concave-topped fuel tank. Not only is the look unique, but it'sshaped to allow the rider'skneesto be perfectlypositioned on the racetrackfor aerodynamics.It also works asa placefor the kneesto digin and hang on while cornering Addi. tionally, the concave shape allows the rider to tuck in lower beneaththe windscreen on fast CARBURETION straights. I thinkthe stunt guys who like standing on the tank will be happy becausethey won't have to smash the top of their tanks in anymore to (arm a stableplatform.Sorry, I didn't try it out. Visually the bikeshould capture a ton of fans. It looks great, especially in orange. 52 JANUARY 14 , 2004 • CYCLE NEWS IGN ITION TRANSMISSION STARTING SySTEM FUEL CAPACITY WHEELBASE RAKE/TRAIL SEAT HEIGHT FRONT TIRE REAR TIRE FRONT SUSPENSION FRONT·WHEEL TRAVEL REAR SUSPENSION REAR·WHEEL TRAVEL FRONT BRAKE REAR BRAKE FINAL DRiVE CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT 40th Anniversary $10,999 998cc Liquid-cooled, Io-volve, DOHC in-line four·cyIinder four·stroke ..76 x 55mm 12.7 : 1 EFI w/(4143mm throHle bodies Digital Six-speed Electric .4.42 gal. 1385mm 24 ' /102mm 33 in. 120/70·17 190/50·17 Fully adjustable 43mm inverted fork 4.8 in. Fully adjustable lower link Uni·Trak piggy·bock unit 5 in. DuaI300mm petal discs w/rodial·mount four'piston colipers Single 220mm petal disc w/single' piston caliper Choin 374 Ibs.