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/128620
Cycle News BOOcc Sportbike Shootout 2000 The new k ing?: Oh m a n . Kawasaki' s re· t o ole d ZX·6R is a lmost as demure as the Honda F4 or T riumph TT on the st r eet , and yet it m at c he s the Yamaha VZF·R6 stride for stride on the track. What more could you want? All-new Asphalt Assassin KAWASAKI NIN~A Z X -6 R FEATURES Engine • Al l-new lighter. closed-deck, Iinerless, elec troplate d. alloy cylinder block • N ew hemispherical combustion chambers produce high co mpression ratio • New crankshaft. camshaft sproc kets . clutch plates and intake valves reduce w eight & frict ion • Stronger transm ission wi less fri ct ion • A11.magn esium e ngine covers Chassis/Suspension/Wheels • • • • • Stronger. lig hter hexagonal sw ingerm w / lntemal ribbing Wider for k pitch for improved stabil ity Improved aerodynamics Alum inum perimeter frame Large r tire s Controls Wh at's hot? All -new engine and chas sis make it a serious contender Handling that nurtures the less -talented as we ll as the experts White Brothers R&D Dept. 90 80 70 CD ~ I:"-,lo·· x T RQ~' ER 52. l- M kl 8X 92 ~ 1= I-' ~ l- 0- Il) I,.., jj Wh at's not? 90 : 80 : 70 - I 60 . (J) 60 fi; ot 50 ..a STREETCREC TRACKSAVVV Co m ing off th e t rac k a n d ~ 50 o 1= : c: o nto th e highwa y revealed o ne I Hustli n g aro u n d t he ra c e CD : 1/ W 40 track on the newest Ninja 600 jvi 1'\ 40 ~ m o re l it tl e hicc u p in th e « ~ (J) : Ka wa s a ki's power de live ry. J us t "ris pure jo y . Like the Honda , the 30 g 30 as in past inc a rn a t io n s o f the Kawi 's motor is d e f in it e ly I1/ 20 20 bike. there is a tendency for the authoritative from pretty lo w \: p o we r t o go fla t for a coupl e re vs , with an added bonus as it l10 10 : hundred revs during the transiwa ils like a b a n s he e on top . , I... I,.. t I 1"111 o f" , , " o tion from th e fat middle to the S e ve ra l of our testers charac 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 e ye -watering top en d . O n e te rized the redes ign ed mill as a RPM (x1000) tester fam ilia r with pr actic a lly sort of m idd le ground (not to be confused with comprom ise; it g ives away noth- every Ninja model that has ev er been built claimed in g) betwee n t h e Hond a C BR600F4 's m id ra n g e that thi s time around the flat spot seemed to be fa r p unch a nd th e stra to s phe ric re vver that is th e Yama- less not ic ea b le than th e same sensation that was fe lt h a YZFR6 . Th e re wa s a hi t ch , h owever , as some in previo u s generat ions . Nonetheless , it was s till tes te rs wer en 't too s ure if th e 6R wa s carbureted a ll the re , ultima tely rob bing the Kawasaki of only a few th at we ll from right off th e bottom and into th a t e ar ly points in the s treet portion of our te stin g . Oth e r th an tha t, th e Kaw a sa ki felt ve ry co m pos ed m id-range s na p. Th e six -spe ed g ea r~ox and cl utc h a ction were faultl es s , and the Ka wasak i's bra kes o n th e stre e t eve n th ough it lo o k s and fe e ls a s we re noth ing s hort of authoritativ e , e s pec ia lly whe n though it clearly fall s more towa rd th e racer end of yo u re a lly h ad to jump on th em for th e few t ight th e s pectrum th an do th e Hon da or th e Triumph. A little co ld- blooded in the morning (c a rbure tion, carright-handers that wer e on our co urse. T he Kaw a sak i' s p eri m et er -f ram ed a lumi n u m buretion , c arburetio n) , th e ZX6 -R co u ld , probably c ha ssis is as willing to tu rn a s any bik e in th e te st, mor e th a n a ny other bike he re , rea lly ben efit fro m a perhaps ma ybe coming up just a bit shy of th e roller- switc h to EFI. Then it would be perfect. r- f! II ... 28 J U LY 5 , 2000 ' c ue I .. n e III vv s Carb woes agai n Dude. It' S green! ~m Line: A long with the Triumph TISOO. the ZX -SR rep resents an all-new entry for the 600cc supersport class in 2000. The changes were definitely for the better. and the Kawi is a serious co ntender for top honors. Specificltius DISPLACEMENT . _ ENGINE TYPE BORE x STRO KE COMPRESSION RAllO CARBURETION _ 599cc Liquid-cooled 1&valve in-line fo ur-cyli nder DOHC fou r-stroke 66 x 43 .8mm N/A (4) 36mm M ikuni BDSR wi forced -air induction IGNmON Dig ital w / Kawa saki Throttle-Responsive Ignition Control TRANSMISSION _ _ 6-speed 8ectric STARTING SYSTEM _ FUEL CAPACITY A .8 gal. WHEELBASE 55 .1 in. 23 .5' /g1mm RAKEITRAIL SEAT HEIGHT 32 .1 in. FRONT TIRE _ 120/65-17 180/55-17 REAR TIRE FRONT SUSPENSION . . _ _ A6mm cartridge con ventional fork w/4 .7 in. trave l REAR SUSPENSION . . .. . .. . • . . .. ...Bottom -link Uni -Trak single shoc k w / 5.3 In. travel FRONT BRA KE . • . .Hydraulic Tokico wI dual discs & opposed. multi -dimen sion 6 -piston calipers REAR BRAKE Hydraulic Toki co w / single 220mm disc FINAL DRIVE Chain CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT 379 Ibs. LIST PRICE $8099