RIDE REVIEW I 2021 KAWASAKI NINJA ZX-10R
P96
rpm and segment times across
the course of a lap. The Rideolo-
gy app was initially developed for
the company's other machines
like the Versys 1000 and H2
SX where metrics like service
details are more prevalent, but
the ability to quickly change ve-
hicle settings like TC and throttle
maps, and see how much slower
you are than your buddies, via
your phone is still a cool addition
for the ZX-10R.
FLYING AT FONTANA
We got the chance to sample
the new 10R at a private day at
Auto Club Speedway in Fontana,
about the only place you can
properly wind out a superbike
in sixth gear on the West Coast.
Auto Club is a good mix of ultra-
high-speed riding mixed with
some very slow infield sections
that allow the ZX-10R to show
off its flexibility, and although the
motor may be the least changed
component of the 10R, it's still
mighty impressive.
With the power level on Full
and the TC reduced to level
one, the Kawasaki came alive at
Fontana, giving a sublime throttle
connection and allowing me
to have plenty of fun on corner
exits, playing with the traction
offered by the Bridgestone V02
slick tires we were running. As
the power comes in on the 10R,
there's hardly a dip in forward
momentum—the revs climb fast
and high, and from 8000-12,000
rpm, this motor hauls ass.
Nudging 170 mph down the
straight, the ZX-10R was ab-
solutely rock solid, far more
so than I remember with the
2016 edition. We are in the age
of downforce and Kawasaki's
imbedded winglets clearly do a
good job of keeping everything
stable at extreme speeds—a
good thing considering we're
getting to them faster than ever
before.
Fast as it is, it's also friendly.
It's much more docile than
something like the ferocious
Ducati Panigale, making it much
easier to live with day to day,
although the reduction in final
drive has made for more lively
acceleration from low speed.
It's hard not to want to wind
the 10R out because the top-
end horsepower is so good,
but when the revs were north of
11,000 rpm in second and third
gears, I was having persistent
shifting issues on the quick-
shifter, with the gearbox refusing
to give me the next cog when
If it's our money, we're going racing
on green. How about you?
