2016 KAWASAKI ZX-10R
FIRST RIDE
P88
IT'S THE CURRENT
WORLD CHAMP, AND
YOU CAN BET YOUR
LEFT NUT KEEPING THAT
WORLDSBK TITLE IN THE
CABINET IS ABSOLUTELY
TOP OF KAWASAKI HEAVY
INDUSTRIES' PRIORITY.
massive frame perched on top
in the photos. It's actually the
first bike in a while I've ridden
that gave me a few leg cramps,
meaning two things for me: I'm
too fat and the pegs are in the
wrong place for my riding posi-
tion. I'd like them a touch lower
and back, but it's nothing a set
of rearsets can't fix.
The Brembo M50 brake pack-
age is the same as the Ducati
Panigale yet not as ferocious in
its initial braking bite, and I can't
say I was overly enthused about
the stopping power of the new
10R. Hammering the brakes at
the end of the top-speed back
sublime, turning on a dime, and
going exactly where I wanted it
to go. Memories of the old recal-
citrant 2011 bike faded fast. The
speed of direction changes was
near spot-on with the 2016 edi-
tion, especially considering we
were running almost standard
suspension settings with slick
tires. Flipping the 10R from side-
to-side was so easy, and there's
now added stability on corner
exits that allows you to point the
machine to almost any point on
the exit with the confidence that
it will take you there.
This is indeed a small mo-
torcycle – as evidenced by my
ance Free fork, but it's also the
revised geometry of the chassis
and a crankshaft that produces
less inertia to turn into a corner.
Lighter, more direct steering
is the result, so much so that I
found myself double-dipping a
few corners due to the sheer
turn speed of the chassis, which
is a good problem to have.
Kawasaki has struck a chord
here in that it's removed much
of the stubborn immobility of the
old bike without inducing the
confidence-sapping nervous-
ness of a chassis too much the
other way. The first session we
rode with ABS on and Bridges-
tone R10 tires, but it meant next
to nothing as I really didn't know
where I was going. Switching to
Bridgestone slicks and no ABS
for the second session onwards
let me really start to extend my
perception of just how hard and
how late I could push the 10R
into the corner. On fresh slick
rubber the 10R's chassis was
If you're over
feet tall, it'll be
a tight fit on the
new 10R.
