VOL. 50 ISSUE 32 AUGUST 13, 2013 P101
2013 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R
our smallest test rider voicing
similar concerns as experienced
with the Ducati and Yamaha.
"It was a hard bike for me to
ride," complains Dunstan. "It sits
so tall and felt a little top heavy.
Ergonomics are so important
to me and didn't have the confidence to move my body around."
As Dunstan notes, the Ninja
feels more top heavy at a standstill, however, in motion it is more
athletic than you'd assume based
on its 421-pound, fully-fueled
curb weight. This gives it title to
third-lightest bike in the contest
behind the CBR and GSX-R600.
Although it didn't serve up the
sheer agility of the Honda, it
wasn't far off, especially through
turns 8 and 9 where it logged the
fourth-fastest flick rate score.
Of all the bikes in this shootout
the Kawasaki offered the most
linear handling, with it transitioning into corners in a predictable
and linear manner—an area which
Honda's CBR historically shines.
Through turn 4 the Kawasaki held
a corner speed that put it toward
the back of the field. Conversely,
in the fourth-gear Bowl turn it carried the most mph with the fourth-
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