The Great Zx-10r Challenge
THE GREAT ZX-1 0R CHALLENGE
MASTER BIKE 2004
Kawasaki's new performance king takes on the world
DON CANET
ANY SPORTBIKE MANUFACTURER WOULD KILL TO have its all-new model raise the class performance bar. Doubly sweet, when achieving such a feat in a category where your presence has not be felt lately.
I returned from Kawasaki’s ZX-10R press intro held last December at Homestead, Florida, proclaiming Team Green was back in the ring with a fighting chance this year. The new Ninja went on to take top honors in our recent liter-class comparison (CW, June, 2004) edging out the reigning Suzuki GSX-R1000 and outgunning Honda and Yamaha’s latest models in the process.
Even so, a few eyebrows furled when we later declared the ZX-10R as Best Superbike in Cycle World’s annual Ten Best Bikes of the year ceremonies-you may recall our testbike's then-unresolved shifting problems (see sidebar, page 48).
Glitch since handled, perhaps this would seem a prime time for Kawasaki to bask in the glory and ride the tide, reaping sales rewards bom out of hard work and innovative development? If only life at the top were so secure...
No rest for the wickedly good, though, not with motorcycle mags the world over looking to fill pages for sportminded readers.
And so the ink had hardly dried on our Ten Best issue when I landed in Barcelona, Spain, to participate in “Master Bike,” Europe’s most prestigious track test of the year’s leading sportbikes. This marked my fourth year representing CW and the USA in the annual affair organized by Spain’s leading motorcycle magazine, Motociclismo. This year’s edition took place at Circuit de Catalunya near Barcelona and attracted the participation of 15 different publications from all comers of the globe. Also on hand as in years past was former GP standout Randy Mamola, Master Bike DVD master of ceremonies and ace photo model. Randy didn’t run for lap times, but judging by his tire-smearing antics aboard the ZX-10R, the man can still bring the heat.
The logistics and cost of conducting such an operation are colossal-with nearly 100 people involved in the five-day flog, the register rang to the tune of $97,000, sans travel and lodging! The seven manufacturers/importers fielding bikes set up shop in neighboring garage stalls along pit lane, with the Japanese Big Four grouped together and the Italian district composed of Aprilia, Benelli and Ducati at the other end. Each brought factory technicians and PR types dressed in company attire to tend to their respective machines. Stock rubber was replaced with new Dunlop D208 RR radiais, putting everyone on equal footing, and during the early half of the first day, factory test pilots cut hot laps and fettled with chassis and suspension adjustments to suit the circuit and tires. Once a baseline had been established, the bike was made available for magazine testers eager to get acquainted with the circuit and variety of machinery. Our feedback was also considered in determining a bike’s final suspension settings, which due to tight time constraints would remain unchanged throughout the 15-rider rotation scheduled to begin the following morning.
Being a Sunday, activity ground to a near-standstill to catch the live TV feed of MotoGP taking place in Le Mans, France. And a proud day it was for our hosts, with Spanish riders claiming a pair of wins and three additional podiums across three classes. An added point of interest was 22-year-old Hungarian, Gabor Talmacsi, lead rider on the Malaguti factory team in the 125cc class. Following the race he flew directly to Barcelona to represent his home country’s magazine, Motor Revu, in Master Bike. Not so shocking really, because, as in previous years, the majority of the publications taking part this year had enlisted hired guns to do the riding for them. Only six of us, counting myself, were full-fledged magazine hacks.
Being a former racer, I appreciate the competitive air that arises when reputation and national pride are on the line-even when running against the clock rather than wheel-towheel. A transponder-based timing and scoring system is used to ensure accuracy, and in an effort to maintain performance parity throughout the entire 13-bike, 15-rider rotation, times are kept secret and only announced after everyone has ridden each machine.
Bikes were split into three categories: Supersport comprised the Japanese 600cc inline-Fours and a lone 749cc Ducati V-Twin; in Superbike, a classic matchup saw a pair of liter-class Twins and a Triple-Ducati 999S, Aprilia RSV and Benelli Tornado-taking on Suzuki’s 750cc GSX-R inline-Four;
and in Superstock, the familiar quartet of lOOOcc inlineFours from Japan lined up once again. The bike turning the quickest single lap time in its category advanced to a finalround, three-bike showdown between class winners. Only the six quickest riders were allowed to participate in the final, adding a bit of competitive flavor to the festivities.
With a platoon of photographers and video crew capturing the ambiance and on-track action for use in print and on DVD, Master Bike timing got under way Monday morning. Plans called for riding all Superbike and Superstock bikes the first day; however, the belated arrival of Ducati’s set-up pilot put us behind schedule as the a.m. hours were spent dialing-in the red machines. The organizers had to trim the timed sessions to a single familiarization lap followed by three timed hot laps on each bike. It was like running a series of World Superbike Superpoles with a different bike each time!
The order of rotation posted on the garage wall listed Cycle World sitting out the first six sessions. Then it was time to get to work as I saddle-hopped eight back-to-back sessions, beginning with the Superbike category, riding the bikes in alphabetical order.
What a treat getting my first ride on Aprilia’s RSV1000R Factory at the very track where I rode the RSV Mille when it was introduced to the press back in 1998. I was impressed with the original 998cc V-Twin then and am even more so with the current model. Power delivery is very broad and tractable, giving a good feeling of a direct connection between throttle and rear tire. The engine felt strong on top as well, underscoring the need for an indicated red zone or larger shift light on the tachometer. The back-torque-limiting clutch didn’t fully release when making multiple downshifts at the end of the two fast straights, causing the gearbox to feel notchy in those hard braking zones. Shifting was slick in all other areas of the circuit. Steering effort is a little high, but the chassis felt extremely stable.
Coming into this test I hadn’t ridden a modem Benelli either, and looked forward to sampling the 900 Tomado TRE RS. Earlier in the day the Italian exotic had a circlip pop loose in its gearbox, allowing a gear to float free on the shaft. The rear wheel locked when two ratios engaged simultaneously, tossing Bike magazine’s Christer Lindholm on the ground in Turn 1. Fortunately, the Swedish racer was uninjured and a backup bike was waiting in the wings. If you’ve ever ridden a Triumph Triple, then you already have a pretty good sense of what the Benelli feels like. While the engine is quite tame compared to the competition, the 898cc inlineThree’s distinct intake roar and exhaust note drew praise from all who rode it. Unlike the British Triple, however, the Tornado has a slipper clutch that maintains rear wheel composure when hurrying downshifts entering a corner. The Tornado feels narrow in the waist, much like a Ducati, however its seat is awkwardly high (to accommodate its underseat radiator). Also, the seat pad had been cleaned with a silicon-based product, making it slick and difficult to avoid sliding forward under hard braking. As a result, I can attest
to the fuel tank’s unique rear shape offering good support and relief in just the right area! Steering is fairly light with just a hint of chassis weave under hard braking and during initial turn-in. The sensation suggested that there might have been some steering resistance from the damper or the head bearings may have been overtorqued. Once in the corner,
the bike tracked very well with excellent stability. Cycle World has recently tested many of the bikes present at Master Bike, so I’ll be skimming the surface here and only looking a bit deeper at the more significant players.
Ducati’s 999S was a solid performer with its broad and smooth spread of power. Even though the stock gearing didn’t agree with a couple of comers at Catalunya, there was enough midrange power to run a gear taller and not lose drive. The chassis is exceptional with an even better sense of stability than that of the rock-solid Aprilia, but lighter in handling, lts Öhlins fork allows full use of the Brembo brakes, allowing very heavy braking and a good feeling when diving down into the apex with the front wheel loaded. I found the Ducati’s seat shape more effective than any other bike at holding my body position when accelerating hard out of comers, allowing a loose hold on the bars for improved stability.
I also had not yet ridden the new Suzuki GSX-R750 on a circuit before now. And wow! Razor-sharp handling, absolute stability and eye-popping brakes all had me wanting more power from this 749cc Four. Not that it’s slow, but the overall package works so well that it makes it feel so. Easily my favorite ride of the category and the bike on which I turned my personal quickest lap, the Gixxer also edged out the Italian trio and advanced to the Master Bike final. There could have been no better machine to ease the transition into the Open-class Superstocks than Honda’s CBR1000RR. As we’ve stated before, the CBR’s balance of power, handling and refinement makes high-level performance accessible to a wide range of riders. But in the end, not a single rider logged a personal best time in category aboard the Honda. Holy Kaw! Even after several stateside track sessions aboard the ZX-10R, 1 still wasn’t prepared for the green machine’s high-strung, nervous nature. This is about as close to a racebike as it’s possible for a street machine to be. No other bike here put the hurt to the 190 rear Dunlop as did
the 10R, and as luck would have it, my ride came the last session before fresh rubber was mounted. ZMZ-AMP;AMP;BBIKEÍ Wonderful! When my mind wasn’t 3004 100 percent occupied with monitoring rear-tire grip, it was processing my self-preservation instincts aroused by the Ninja’s harsh suspension setup and headshake. While I found the Suzuki GSX-R1000 more to my liking, nine others set a personal best time aboard the Kawasaki, including the overall quickest time in category earning the ZX-10R a berth in the final. Chalk it up to familiarity, fresh tires or the fact that I preferred the more compliant suspension settings Suzuki had settled on for this circuit, but I found the big Gixxer a much more agreeable dance partner. Perhaps it’s all relative, but having just come off the twitchy 10R made the GSX-R seem less potent than it truly is, giving me that added confidence to screw the throttle open an instant earlier and run it in a bit deeper.
Breakfast had not yet settled when I rode the Yamaha YZF-R1 the following morning-time ran short on the Monday’s Superstock rotation, forcing a spillover to Tuesday. Results here mirrored our own Open-class comparison back home, with the R1 clocking third-quickest in category. Once our times had been printed out and distributed, it came as little surprise that my personal best was on the GSXR1000, followed by the Honda, Yamaha and Kawasaki.
The premise of Master Bike is that the quickest bike wins the overall prize, so the inclusion of Supersport 600s seems a formality. Maybe not. The time laid down by Motor Revu's MotoGP jock aboard the Kawasaki ZX-636 was downright astounding. Thirdquickest overall while topping its classmates by more than a second! It goes to show the capability of today’s middleweights, even on a circuit that doesn’t particularly favor agility over speed. Speaking of agility, many favored the nimble Yamaha YZF-R6 and were stunned when it didn’t win the category. While Honda’s CBR600RR didn’t raise any particular complaints, it also failed to set anyone’s hair on fire. As for myself, I wasn’t surprised to learn that my best lap came aboard the GSX-R600. So, my quickest times in each class came aboard GSX-Rs. God, I love this chassis!
A low point came on (or getting off) the Ducati 749R. It costs twice that of any other machine in its category, so you can imagine how it feels to spill a carbon-fiber and titanium beauty such as this. The details are rather interesting, however, as I tend to hang off less and lean the bike over a bit more than most riders. The 749’s rearsets were mounted in the lowest of three positions and its shift lever was pointing down very steeply. So out I went for my first-ever ride on a 749R in this pseudo-Superpole exercise. It took no time at all to gain trust in the Öhlinssuspended chassis’ superlative feel entering corners. I ran it into the left entering the stadium section, banked over hard and grounded the shift lever. No problem until I cracked the throttle, taking deceleration load off the gear dogs, which allowed the dragging lever to backshift the gearbox. Yeowl Sudden enginebraking is not ideal while heeled over at full-tilt lean on the tire’s very edge. The rear skidded out from ☺under me quicker than I could say, Oh @#& */ Fortunately, the resulting low-side caused minimal damage to the bike. The boys in the Ducati garage promptly raised the footrests to a higher position and shortened the replacement shifter’s toe tang with a hacksaw before sending me back out. The best dressing for that wound was learning that I’d made it into the Master Bike Final. Polished and prepped, the ZX-636, GSX-R750 and ZX10R were rolled onto pit lane the following morning for the grand finale. Lap times were announced following the scries of four-lap sessions and none of us topped the times
set by Talmacsi-the young Hungarian being quickest on all three mounts. There was also no match for the ZX10, its brutish power, rigid chassis and firm suspension offering the most performance potential of the lot
when tapped by a world-class racer. While the final offered reaffirmation of the results we had already achieved, it also provided a bit of pomp V fanfare complete with trophy girls and champagne-sprayin’ podium fun for the finalists. Master Bike trophy cups were awarded to the winning manufacturers and cameras were everywhere. When it was all said and done, the Kawasaki ZX-10R had been named Master of all performance bikes. But then, we knew that going in... □
