Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

I 83 CHAssIs/HANOLING KEY CHA]IGES Revised engine position for better balance More conservative 24.5-degree rake angls Longer whoolbase (54.7-inch) Shorter swinqarm Taller l9/552817 reartir6 (instsad of rs0/502R 17) ohlins steering damper After riding the ZX-10R in Japan and then agarn at California Speedway I was really curious to see how the chassis changes would stack up ag ainst the competition. The bike's chassis was completely redesigned for'06 with a revised frame, which now carries the engine in a new position lo improve the bike's CG (center oi gravity) and make it turn better The l0f has all-new geome' try including a more conservative rake aflgle, which was changed from 24 to 24.5 degrees, and slightly more trail up from 101.6 to 102rnm. The wheelbase is n0w s ightly l0nger at 54.7 instead ot 54.5 inches. Combined with the new ohlins steering damper this really should have improved tle stabrlty ol the b,ke. whrch rl has in a straight line. Another interesting note is that while Yamaha, Suzuki and Honda have length- ened their swinqarms as much as possible, Kawasaki went the other way and made the loR's shorter Another key to the handling of the l0R is the use of a new taller 190/55ZRl7 rear tire (instead of 190/50ZFl7). We made sure that the Bridgestone rear tire that we used on the l0R at Willow Springs was comparable (190/55ZRl7), as it would change the brke's hardlng dynamrcs dramatically otherwise. ln Japan I noted that the bike steered a bit slower than the previous bike, but felt more sta- ble. HoweveL lals0 noted thatthe bikefeltlike it understeered a bit too much. At the time I didn't worry about it because I was on an unfamiliar track and on unfamiliar tires- Willow Springs proved that there is more to getting around its corners fast than just a 160- horsepower engine. All of our testers struggled to do good lap times on the l0R. The key to a good lap at Willow (like any fast track) is to go fast in the fast parts, and at Willow that means turns two, eight and nine. The biggest problem that all of us had with the loR is the factthatthe bike felt vague when on the side of the tire at full-lean angle. A lot ot our complaints \rere aifted atthe 43mm inverted fork on the bike, which svsryons seemedto have an opinion about. YAMAHA YZF-RI. , \ Ka .I trR VEAL STATlsflgS Measured wet weight: 447 lb. Peak horsepower: 159.O2 hp Peak torque: 7A.7O k.-lh. Weight+epower ratio: 2.81 lb./hp Fastest lap time: 1:27.7O [Sorensenl Euarter-mile time: 9.75 @ 147.92 mph Price: $1 1,199 ENGIN€ I(EY CHAUGES New d u a l- butte rfly 43mm single-iniector throttle bodies New airbox New intake poning New exhaust system w/ servo-controlled exhaust valves then Area P's Kerrv Brvant was f sitting on 6|e zx-i0R ioing the dyno runs, lwas watching the monitor anxio!sly awaitinq the results, and was expecting big liqht spood,' Soronsen said. The motor is quick rewing and has a nice power curve.lt's not as linear as the Suzuki, with a dip rn the power from 5000-7000 rpm. This is more noticeable on the street where it spikes a bit as you get back on the power in that rpm range. However, from 7000 rpm to redlino the Kawasaki is a missile, picking up rsvs with a voracious appetite. As a matter of fact the Kawasaki would wheelie exiting Willows turn nine and running up the straightaway and then again just past start-finish where the tracl has a liftle drop otf.crazy stuft from a stock bike. Throttle response from the updated fuel- injection system is very good, with smooth response throughout the rev range and no noticeable stuttering exiting corners, street or track. 0n tho street the Z-X-10R is a trsctor, pulling through th€ rpm ranqe with ease in almost any gear The 108 will pull away from a stoplight in second gear without any hesitation at all. The Kawasaki's power eats throuqh tiros lik8 they're going olt of style. The loF has always had a hearty appetite for tires, but the now bike trashed the rear Efldgestones we were using ridiculously quickly. The way the bike makss its power is that itt always spinning the rea. tire a bit - justtorching the rubber. one of our perennial complaints about the 108 has been its shitt action. When the bike was first introduced atthe Homestead racetrack out' side lvliamitwo years ago we complained about it, and thon did aqain during last year's shootout. This year it is much improved. "The transmission is solid," Sorensen said. "lt's much bett6r than lastyear, and at isn't clunky anYmoae." lvlost fe lt th at it is much improved but stillisn't as slick as th6 Su2uki or Honda. I Mai Pouier =i i"Mai Tdiiiue = :t1l 159.02 78:IO ' KawasaKr zx-loR !, = o L tu o 175 Engine Speed (RPM xl000) 50 00 0 50 125 15 25 T'CIBITIVEEI Killer engine Great brakes New dash NEGAT!\/EE 12 lb. heavier! Vague lront-end feel Love-it or leave-it styling MV AGUSTA F4-IOOO S SUZUK| 65X-R!OOO CYCLE NEWS MARCH 15, 2006 3l \ N I I I F,__ \ numbers. When 15S.02 horsepower tlashed up on the screen we looked at each other and Iaughed out loud. I mean the bike is a freakin' monstsr, makinq almost eight more horsepower than the next-b€st GSX-Rl000 (a beast in its own flght). Torque outpul was just as improssive, making 78.70 ft.-lb. of torque compared to the GSX-BI000's 76.10ft.-lb. What is most impressive is that on paper the engine doesn't really look all that different than last yeart model. Compared to the '05 model our l0B picked up almost 6.5 hp and 2ft.1b. oftorque. Bore and stroke remains the same at76 x 55mm with 998ccs of displacement, while the compres- sion ratio is also identical at 12.7:1. The keys to the additional p0wor are the hot- rodded intake ports, fuel injecti0n and exhaust systems. All ofthese areas were updated for'06, as was the ram-air system (which the dyno n!m- bers don't show). 0n the track and on the street it is instantly apparent that the Kawi has a mega-powertul engine. "The Kawasaki has lots of boftom-end power, a huge mid to top'end hit, it feels like its hifting a 7 "The ZX-l0R fork feltwobbly." Sorensen said. "You can feelfle bumps throuqh the bars, and it lacks teel." "l could not getthe trontto work at all- ithad no feel," l\,lontano added. The sentimentwas echoed acrossthe board. The biggest problem was thatthe bike wantsd to understeer big time heading throuqh the two most crucial corners on the track, turns eight and nine. Pan of the problem was due to a lack of trust in the front end. which was then ampli- fied by the wind hittinq the front and making h wantto run wide.ltwas really untervinq. Some noted thatthe biks felt okay in terms of turn-in, but others still couldnt come to grips r,lith it. lt seemed to turn-in fai.ly quickly. butthen when you got it pitched in it didn't otfer eoough feedbact, taking away tho dde/s confidence. The bike seemed t0 squat under power gotng thro!gh the corners, "unwsighting 'the lronttoo much. We tried to como up with a solution but never found a cure in the shon amount ol time 0n the street the Kawasaki telt a lot better, but it still didn't convey the same positive han- dlinq traits of the other bikes. Ths brakes on the K€wasaki were high on ev6ryonet list - no one had anything but positive cofiments about their stopping power or feel. The next issue was with the bike's ergonom- ics. Most testers commented that the bike lelt really biq and bulky and th6tthe tank and width ofthe frontfairing made itteeleven more so. The wind at Willow seemed to affect the 108 more than some of the other bikes. which may havo something to do with the frontal area on tho biks. 0ne improvement that we have to give Kawasaki creditfor is the dash. The newtach and speedo assembly still isnl the best ofthe group, but it is much improved and much apprsciatod. Another maior factor is that ths Kawasaki went lrom being the lights$t biks in the test to gaining 12 pounds - a considelabl€ amount in the modern-sportbile era. rl t- v / It, ^ { I.i * o

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