SHOOTOUT
P102
2013 MIDDLEWEIGHT SPORTBIKE SHOOTOUT
The suspension lacked the road
feel and response of the Triumph
but still offered superb chassis
balance.
The Brembo monoblocs have plenty
of power and feel, but they still aren't
as capable as the set-up on the
Kawasaki (Nissin) or Honda (Tokico).
The Kawasaki's ergonomics prove
to be similar to the R6 and still
racier than the others with the
exception of the Ducati and MV.
least degree of lean angle. In the
second-to-last corner (turn 16) it
again impressed registering the
second-fastest speed at apex.
Much of the credit goes to its
fresh suspension components.
While aimed at improving handling and road comfort on the
street, the ZX suspension made
the bike devastatingly easy to
ride at the circuit, too. Despite
lacking the precise damping feel
of the Triumph's Ohlins hardware
or the Honda's new big piston
fork, the Kawi's suspension performed flawlessly, letting fast
laps come with ease. Also of
note is how improved the Ninja's
suspension performed compared to our initial test at Thun-
derhill during the 2013 Kawasaki
Ninja ZX-6R First Ride test.
Despite not generating excessive braking forces into turns 1
and 8 the Ninja's Nissin-sourced
monobloc-style calipers were
hands down the favorite of the
test, offering not only tremendous power and feel but smooth
actuation – especially during
