2009 Zx-6r: Let the Good Times...Race?
2009 ZX-6R: LET THE GOOD TIMES...RACE?
ROUNDUP
YOU ASKED FOR IT. And you'd better have meant it. Because now you're getting it. Market research and recent sales trends indicate that sportbike riders crave the raciest motorcycles possible. So with each passing year, high-end sport models become less like everyday streetbikes and more like racebikes and trackbikes. That's quite evident in the 2009 Kawasaki ZX-6R. According to Rob Taylor, the company's Curriculum Development Supervisor, the 6R was revised from the
contact patches up with the goal of making it the lightest, fastest, most racebike-like middleweight on the market. Engine-wise, the `09 6R uses the same basic cases, cylinders and heads as the J `08,
but with revised internals just about everywhere. The 67.0mm bore and 42.5mm stroke are unchanged, but the pistons have new coatings and reshaped rings for reduced friction and wear. As with Suzuki's recent GSX Rs, the Kawi has passages between the main-bearing webs to help reduce crankcase pumping losses.
Up top, both cams have more lift, revised timing and are now made of chome-moly, losing a pound in the process, and the cam-chain guides have less curvature to reduce fric tion and noise. The intake
and exhaust ports were enlarged the intake gaining a straighter entry into the combustion chamber and the exhaust port configured to mate perfectly with the optional Akrapovic racing system. The stock 4-into-l exhaust now exits low on the right side rather than under the seat, with longer Ti headpipes and a collector fitted with two small,
J 200-cell inline catalyzers-a more-efficient arrangement than a typical large, single 300-cell unit.
A reshaped airbox allows smoother flow into the oval-inlet, dual-butterfly, 38mm throttle bodies. The primary and secondary butterflies were moved 10mm farther apart to reduce turbulence, and the secondary fuelinjection nozzles were repositioned to aim directly into the throttle bodies. A separate opening at the base of each velocity stack helps air from the enlarged ram-air inlet enter the throttle bodies more easily at higher velocities. A new-gen EFI system like that on the ZX-10R has been simplified for moreefficient manufacture, reduced complexity and easier diagnosis.
When we asked Taylor how much power the engine now makes, he gave his shoulders one of those “1 don't know” shrugs and simply said “More. The factory hasn't yet told us exactly how much. Same goes for the weight. We know it’s lighter, but we don’t know by how much.”
It’s clear that the engineers had reduced weight on their minds, as pieces all around the ’09 bike are lighter. The cams, the engine covers, the transmission gears, the oil-pump and electric-starter gears, even little parts of the fuel system all have been painstakingly lightened to pare overall weight.
The frame is roughly the same shape and weight but with relocated weld joints and quicker steering geometry (24.3-degree head angle and 4.1 inches of trail vs. 25.1/4.3).
The swingarm is longer and of full “gull-wing” design for greater strength, while the pivot areas also are sturdier. The engine was rotated upward around the countershaft, raising the front .6 inch. The test riders claim this shifts the center of gravity in a way that helps the new 6R turn more easily and confidently.
Wheels, tires and brakes are unchanged aside from a lOmm-bigger rear rotor. The shock also is essentially the same as in ’08, but with relocated adjusters. All-new, though, is what Kawasaki calls the BPF (Big Piston Fork), which uses an enormous 39.6mm-diameter damping piston in each leg instead of the previous 20mm unit. This allows the fork to sense motion more easily for better response at lower damping speeds. Both compressionand rebounddamping adjusters are now located atop the fork for easy access. And the styling speaks for itself, performing a wonderful imitation of a ZX-IOR that shrunk slightly in the dryer.
“We haven’t received all of the final tech information from the factory,” said Taylor, “but I’ve given you everything I’ve got.” As it turned out, what he had was enough to hint that this latest ZX-6R promises to be one racy performer.
Just remember, you asked for it. -Paul Dean
