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/1508363
RIDE REVIEW I 2024 KAWASAKI NINJA ZX-6R P114 of three and leave it there, as it gives you a little bit of slip without holding you back too much. Or you could just turn it off. The quickshifter remains active only on the upshifts with no auto- blipper downshift, another hangover from the cable throttle. The shifts are a bit slow for the track, so if you're going racing with your 6R, you'll want to upgrade it for faster gear shifts. The chassis remains unchanged for 2024 aside from new, circular brake rotors, claimed to offer better heat dissipation compared to the petal rotors of last year (not sure how that's cal - culated given there's less surface area on a petal rotor, but what do I know?). You've got the same 41mm Showa SFF-BP (Separate Function Fork – Big Piston) front fork with preload adjustment on the left tube, com - pression and rebound on the right, and a fully adjustable Showa shock out back. The chas- sis is one of the strong points of the Kawasaki. Infinitely nimble—although not quite as much as a Yamaha YZF-R6—the 6R's chassis loves going apex hunting. The ride position is a little cramped for my 6'1" frame—the 6R has always suited the shorter riders out there—but all those years of steady chassis development have made a bike that's a joy to ride through quick direction chang - es like chicanes while remaining rock solid when you're cranked over and feeding the power in. Overall, I'm a little disappointed the "new" 636 isn't more new. I get why Kawasaki did the mods they did, and they should be commended for keeping the 600 four-cylinder game alive for as long as they can. But supersport is changing and changing fast, and I wonder how much longer Kawasaki can keep giving little updates to a bike that's getting pretty long in the tooth before a full revamp is needed. The ZX-6R is an excellent blank canvas that loves a bit of performance tickling, and it's an ex - cellent machine for club-level racers who want a fast and reliable machine to go wax their buddies on. It doesn't take much shop time to get good numbers from the 6R, which has always been one of its strong points. But I seriously hope in the next year or two Kawasaki comes out swing - ing with an all-new, larger capacity supersport machine to keep riders engaged. CN 2024 KAWASAKI NINJA ZX-6R ($11,299) ENGINE: Inline 4-cylinder DISPLACEMENT: 636cc BORE X STROKE: 67 x 45.1mm VALVETRAIN: DOHC, 16-valve COOLING SYSTEM: Liquid FUEL INJECTION: Electronic fuel injection system, 38mm throttle bodies COMPRESSION RATIO: 12.9:1 EXHAUST: 4-2-1 TRANSMISSION: 6-speed CLUTCH: Wet, multi-plate, slip and assist ELECTRONICS: 3 Riding Modes, two Power Modes, ABS, Traction Control, Quickshifter, full LED lighting, TFT color display CHASSIS: Cast aluminum twin-spar FRONT SUSPENSION: Big Piston SFF-Style 41mm Inverted fork, adjustable preload, compression and rebound damping REAR SUSPENSION: Uni-Trak with adjustable preload, 25-way rebound, stepless high- and low-speed compression damping adjustment and adjustable ride height FRONT BRAKE: Dual 310mm discs with radial-mount four-piston calipers, available KIBS REAR BRAKE: 210mm disc, 2-piston, available KIBS FRONT TIRE: Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV, 120/70 - ZR 17 M/C (58 W) REAR TIRE: Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV, 180/55 - ZR 17 M/C (78 W) WHEELBASE: 55.1 in. SEAT HEIGHT: 32.7 in. FUEL CAPACITY: 4.5 gal. WEIGHT (CURB, CLAIMED): 425 lbs. S P E C I F I C AT I O N S