The cockpit is revised, too, with the 4.3-inch
TFT display more commonly found on the ZX-10R,
Versys 1000, etc., taking pride of place. That dash
gives you access to the Kawasaki Rideology app,
one we've covered here many times that lets you
log your ride, change your bike's maps, change
display settings, etc. I'm not sure how many
people actually use the app, but it's a nice func
-
tion to have, nonetheless.
So, what has Kawasaki done
to keep the 636 at the forefront
of sport bike rider's minds? Aside
from the battered marketing term
"bold new styling," if you answered
something like "boost engine per
-
formance," "upgrade electronics
with an IMU," or something else,
you'd be wrong.
The 2024 Kawasaki ZX-6R is
now more road-focused than ever
thanks to slightly revised engine
internals that give less, that's right, less overall
performance than it did last year. Supersport
machines are all about top-end power. Their very
nature leans towards sending the tacho needle
into the reds, but for the 2024 ZX-6R, Kawasaki
has developed new, "high-lift" camshafts, a re
-
vised intake and a new exhaust to move power
away from the top-end and given it more low-to-
mid rpm performance.
Notice how I said, "high lift," not "higher lift"?
That's because the '24 6R's cams have less
lift and a shorter duration than last year, and it
doesn't take a doctorate in mechanical engineer
-
ing to tell you less air and fuel going into the
combustion chamber over a shorter time
means less bang and less go.
This new, err, performance characteristic
has to do with one thing—emissions. Less
fuel and air being burned means less hydro
-
carbons and allows the ZX-6R to continue to
be sold in Europe, which is the only place that
matters for spor-tbike selling manufacturers.
Europe sets the emissions rules the world
must follow, but at least Kawasaki is doing
what's needed to keep the 6R dream alive,
which is more than can be said for Yamaha,
Honda and Suzuki, although you can still buy a
CBR600RR and GSX-R600 here, just not there.
At the handlebars, the new motor feels a
little punchier off the bottom of the rev range,
but when you wring the thing out into the reds,
the 636 tapers off far too early. All meaningful
drive is pretty much gone after 12,500 rpm,
(Top) Circular rotors
replace the old
petal type. Braking
performance is
good but nothing
spectacular.
(Bottom) Although
we rode at The
Ridge on slicks,
the new ZX-6R
will come with
Pirelli Rosso IV
rubber over the old
Bridgestone S22s.
Shades of the
2003 ZX-6R can be
found in the '24 6R
with its new, sharper
LED front end.
VOLUME ISSUE SEPTEMBER , P111
