Zx-9r
ZX-9R
New Rides 2002
Kawasaki comes off race pace
MARK HOYER
AFTER A LONG RIDE ON THE ZX-9R AND A thoughtful look at the performance numbers, a liter-class sportbike fan is left with a lot of questions. Like, where’s the fuel-injection? Where’s the inverted fork? Why is it that while competing manufacturers add horsepower and shave pounds off their big-bore flagships, Kawasaki lays a heavy massage on its Niner and ends up with a bike that is heavier and produces nominally less horsepower than the previous model?
These questions lead you to the biggest one: Should this bike even be directly compared to the offerings of other Japanese manufacturers in the Open repli-racer class?
The short answer is no. That isn’t to say the work Kawasaki did to the ZX-9R-stiffer frame, braced swingarm, revised suspension and new carbs-was for naught, but it hasn’t moved the bike much closer to the big-bore flyweight offerings from Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki. The class-overdog GSX-R1000, for instance, weighs 407 pounds dry, while the ’02 Kawasaki scales 440 pounds (6 more than our last testbike). The Kawi also makes 16 fewer horsepower than the big Gixxer. If you’re trying to be a track god, this probably isn’t the bike for you. Heck, Kawasaki itself doesn’t even race the thing in Formula Xtreme.
Okay, so you get the point. What are we looking at, then? The mother of all 170-mph sport-tourers? Or perhaps sort of a supersport standard? Actually, a bit of both.
That’s because the main characteristic that holds this bike back in outright performance terms lends it many advantages in real-world street riding. While the ZX-9R’s wheelbase is similar to or slightly longer than other liter-classers, from its comfortable saddle the bike feels much more spacious and larger overall. The above-triple-clamp clip-ons are low, but the seat also feels relatively low (although it’s higher than before thanks to the more upswept, redesigned tailsection and subframe), so there isn't too much pressure on your wrists. Add the large, protective fairing and you’ve got a nice place to sit on a sporty long haul.
Even with fairly aggressive rake and trail figures of 24 degrees and 3.9 inches (.1-inch more than before thanks to a 2mm decrease in fork offset), turn-in response is slower than that of other liter-bikes. Additionally, the Niner doesn’t like tightening its line mid-corner, and resists turning while trail-braking, so you’ll want to be reasonably sure of your line when you commit to it. But what the Ninja gives away in turning response it gains in stability. There was never a hint of headshake in aggressive street riding, and once we firmed up the fully adjustable suspension from its couch-like as-delivered settings, mid-comer bumps were efficiently absorbed, with a negligible effect on line.
Kawasaki says it recalibrated suspension settings front and rear, while the new braced swingarm and revised shock-linkage ratio have helped plant the rear end. The aluminum perimeter frame was also stiffened in part by a change in engine-mount location. And as suggested above, tweaking on the new clickless damping adjusters brought about a meaningful change in suspension response. While the 9R never feels plush-even with the screws backed way out-it doesn’t feel as harsh over sharp-edged bumps as our last 9R.
KAWASAKI ZX-9R
$9499
Ups New low price! Sport-tour comfortable Great brakes
Downs Gained weight Feels big Where's the cutting-edge racer-replica?
The 899cc inline-Four is essentially the same carbureted powerplant as found in last year’s bike, and so rips off 128.4 bhp and 68.5 foot-pounds of torque on the dyno, numbers a titch lower than those recorded by our last ZX-9R testbike. Don’t get too worked up about the drop; the Niner still wheelies with ease in the bottom gears. For the rest of the time when you aren’t trying to hoist the front end, a rack of new semi-flatslide 40mm Keihin carbs and a revised exhaust have improved throttle response when first cracking the butterflies, although there is still some stumble that unsettles the bike mid-comer. Power below 4000 rpm has increased slightly and been smoothed, making launching the bike in normal street riding easier, a characteristic at least partially attributable to the 10-percent increase in crankshaft mass.
Four-piston calipers replace the previous six-pots, and squeeze new 320mm discs. These are great brakes, sensitive to the lightest touch without being grabby.
The best new feature of all, though, may be the $9499 suggested retail, a $700 drop from last year, making it the only bike in the class under 10 grand.
Of course, it’s still fitted with a conventional fork and carburetors, weighs more and makes fewer ponies than the more expensive big-bore Multis offered by other manufacturers (excepting the $10,999 Triumph Daytona
955i, which is comparable performancewise). But even if the changes Kawasaki has made to the big Ninja won’t win it any racetrack shootouts, they have nonetheless improved this motorcycle. It has both better handling and a smoother ride, better low-end engine response and stronger brakes. The ZX-9R also serves as a reminder that full-on sportbikes can be about as livable as a standard and, with a set of strap-on soft luggage, as travel-ready as a purpose-built sport-tourer, just with a sharper edge. Leave the racetrack heroics to others, save some bucks and revel in the Niner’s broader riding scope. That’s a trade-off that’s easy to live with.
