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/146704
RIDING IMPRESSION 1993 Kawasaki Ninja Sp_ortb_ik_es _ sis features removable downtubes. The weight of the new unit has dropped 3.5 pounds while the rigidity has gone up. The geometry of the new frame has changed; the rake and trail is different and the wheelbase is longer. The new geometry was designed to give the bike more stability at high speed. It also gets the hybrid swingarm, a larger steering stem (up from 28mm to 35mm) and larger front discs (up to 320mm from 310mm). To go along with the bigger discs, the ZX11 now features four-piston calipers, similar to the ZX-7. The rear brake features an opposed two piston design. ZR-rated Bridgestone tires (and a wider profile rear), a larger front axle, a larger fuel tank (6.3 gallons), a new coupling damper and a redesigned fairing rounds out the changes on the 1993 ZX-ll. RIDING 'EM What makes for a great race bike oftentimes is not what makes for a great street bike, and vice versa. The ZX-ll and ZX-7R prove this theory. While the ZX-ll was the least memorable (except for that turn two incident) of the four motorcycles when it came to its application on Laguna Seca's ll-turn road course, it was easily the most comfortable when it came to a near day-long ride on the twisty roads that lead from the Carmel Valley to the Big Sur area, just south of the Monterey Peninsula. It is a pure sports touring motorcycle. For the race track, the ZX-11 in its stock form proved to be just too soft, and too heavy. On the street, though, that bulk and softness translated directly to comfort. Riding the ZX-ll from here to anywhere wouldn't pose a problem - and nothing goes from point A to point B in a straight line quicker than the biggest Ninja. Likewise, the ZX-7R was just as comfortable'when it came to running it around Laguna Seca. The harder you . pushed, the better it responded. Nothing grounded, nothing shook. It's stable, well handling, and the power is situated in the perfect place for highrevving the bike around a race track. Even the gea·ring seemed close to being spot-on at Laguna. The fun stopped on the ZX-7R, however, just about the time I was trying to ride it along Carmel Valley Road. Simply put, the 7R is a pure race bike (proven over and over by Scott Russell). Riding it on the street is like taking a team of sled dogs for a stroll around the block. It's much too stiff, very uncomfortable, and it refuses to carburete well at low rpms. While you 22 damping force and a new more linear ratio. Also new on the ZX-7 is the smaller front fork (down to 41mm from 43mm in diameter), similar to the ZX-7R with preload and rebound adjustability. The ZX-7R has a fullyadjustable rear suspension with ride height adjustability. Both bikes feature 320mm dual front disc brakes, with the only difference being in the pistons. The ZX-7 uses 30mm pistons while the ZX-7R uses a combination of 34mm/27mm pistons in an opposed two-piston design. The rear brakes are unchanged on both models. Both 750s get new wider and taller fairings that feature a 6-7% increase in drag coefficiency. The ZX-7R will feature an aluminum gas tank in 1993. , ZX-ll The big daddy of the Ninja line also features a change or two for '93. The ZX-11 also features the Twin Ram Air Induction system that works in conjunction with a 20% larger air box Which contains an 8% larger element. Jetting has changed on the 11 and it now uses 150 main jets on cylinders two and three, and 160s on cylinders one and four. Kawasaki also claims a drop in fuel consumption to go along with the main jet changes. The silencers have grown some 30%, and are much Jess restrictive, according to Kawasaki tech personnel. The ZX-ll also comes with a larger, deeper oil cooler (33%). The new alumin.um frame is similar to those used on the new 600 and 750s, only the ZX-11's chas-