Kawasaki mencuri tumpuan baru-baru ini dengan pelancaran Ninja ZX-6R generasi terbaru yang telah dikemas kini dengan enjin Euro 5.
Kemas kini itu menyaksikan ZX-6R akan terus dijual dipasaran global berbanding pesaing terdekat Yamaha R6 dan Honda CBR600RR. Ini kerana Yamaha telah pun menghentikan jualan R6 atas faktor emisi ketat sementara CBR600RR hanya dijual di pasaran lain yang tidak terikat dengan peraturan emisi semasa.
Bagaimanapun, selain ZX-6R, Kawasaki turut memperkenalkan Ninja ZX-10RR baharu yang telah dikemas kini dengan ‘variable air intake system’ (VAI).
Dengan adanya VAI, kotak udara di dalam ZX-10RR kini menempatkan corong udara boleh gerak yang boleh meningkatkan prestasi jentera mengikut RPM tertentu. Ketika corong berada pada kedudukan atas, udara yang masuk akan memintas sistem VAI dan terus masuk ke ruangan enjin bagi menghasilkan prestasi optimum.
Ketik corong berada di kedudukan bawah, udara yang masuk akan melalui ruangan yang lebih tinggi lalu meningkatkan prestasi enjin pada rpm rendah.
Namun, bagi mengaktifkan sistem VAI tersebut, jentera perlu dilengkapi dengan ECU perlumbaan. Jadi bila dalam konfigurasi untuk jalan raya, sistem VAI tersebut tidak akan diaktifkan dan corong udara akan kekal dalam kedudukan atas.
Untuk rekod, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR 2024 ini terus dikuasakan enjin empat silinder 998cc dan berupaya menghasilkan 200hp dan 114.9Nm.
Ninja ZX-10RR ini juga dilengkapi dengan ‘connecting rods’ jenis titanium jenama Pankl dan piston yang lebih ringan berbanding model ZX-10R. Menariknya, ZX-10RR ini juga kurang satu ‘piston ring’ berbanding model standard sekaligus mengurangkan geseran di dalam enjin.
Antara ciri lain ditawarkan termasuk:
rim ‘forged’ Marchesini
tayar Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa SP
traction control
ABS
cornering management
quickshifter
stereng damper Ohlins
Ketika ini Kawasaki Malaysia masih belum menawarkan Ninja ZX-10RR untuk pasaran tempatan kecuali ZX-10R.
The dangerous trend of attempting to reach the 300 km/h speed limit on motorcycles has claimed another life in India.
There’s been several incident where YouTubers and influencers in India been trying to hit the 300km/h mark solely for content purposes.
Agastya Chauhan is a popular YouTuber in India with 1.25 million subscribers.
This time, a known Youtuber with 1.25mil subscribers, Agastya Chauhan, lost his life after attempting similar speed.
The incident occurred on the Yamuna Expressway between Agra and Delhi in Uttar Pradesh. The 25-year old was riding his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R. As he was attempting to reach the 300 km/h mark , he lost control of the bike and hit a divider on the expressway.
According to reports, the impact of the crash was severe with the YouTuber succumbed to a head injury and died on the spot.
While some reports have claimed that Chauhan was an experiend biker, others suggest that he was simply a YouTube influencer who had been riding bikes for a long time and making videos on them.
The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R is a powerful machine that features a 998cc, inline four-cylinder engine capable of generating a maximum power of 197.3 Bhp at 13,000 rpm and a peak torque of 113.5 Nm at 11,500 rpm. The bike is electronically limited to a top speed of 299 km/h for safety reasons.
Seorang YouTuber di India, disahkan maut setelah mengalami kemalangan ketika cuba mencapai kelajuan 300km/j menggunakan jentera Kawasaki ZX-10R miliknya.
Mangsa, Agastay Chauhan, merupakan pemilik saluran YouTube, Pro Rider 1000 dengan 1.25 juta pengikut.
Menurut laporan, Chauhan disahkan maut setelah percubannya untuk mencapai kelajuan 300km/j dengan jentera ZX-10R berakhir dengan kemalangan apabila motosikalnya hilang kawalan lalu melanggar pembahagi jalan.
Sebelum ini, YouTuber berusia 25 tahun itu juga pernah memenuhi dada akhbar apabila didapati melakukan aksi berbahaya di jalan raya awam pada Mac tahun ini. Dia juga dikecam kerana tidak memakai ‘riding gear’ yang betul. – Times Of India
The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R underwent a massive overhaul in 2021 when Team Green introduced a new bodywork, a new electronic package and last but not least, enhanced performance to ensure the motorcycle continues to be at the highest level, not just on the street but also at WorldSBK.
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R now gets Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) livery for 2023.
Remains mechanically identical to the 2021 model.
For 2023, Kawasaki has updated the Ninja ZX-10R with new visuals. More specifically, the class-leading supersport from Team Green sport Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) livery but is slightly tweaked to match the WSBK race bike.
However, the ZX-10R remains mechanically identical to the 2021 model, which is understandably so. Considering the motorcycle received significant updates in 2021.
That said, the 2023 Kawasaki ZX-10R continue to make 203hp @ 13,200rpm and 112Nm @ 11,400rpm from its 998cc liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, inline-four cylinder engine.
Although built as a full-blown race bike, the ZX-10R also packs a few road-focused features, including cruise control.
Meanwhile, the new generation ZX-10R is yet to be available in Malaysia as the new distributor, MODENAS, will only bring in the new motorcycle in 2023. This means we will likely get the new KRT edition next year.
Kawasaki is probably reeling in shock from Alvaro Bautista and the Ducati V4 R’s dominance in WorldSBK.
They are also upset that Ducati used MotoGP technology in the V4 R.
They’ve hinted that there’ll be a new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR for the 2020 season.
Kawasaki had kept their faith in the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR for the 2019 WorldSBK season. The bike had won four titles in a row, after all.
But the combination of the Ducati V4 R and Alvaro Bautista laid everything bare, destroying the entire field. It’s not good lose face this way so a new ZX-10RR must be in the works for 2020.
It was bound to happen as Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) Senior Engineer Ichiro Yoda told German website Speedweek.
Kawasaki isn’t happy about Ducati building a number of special, homologation models that are far removed from the “normal” V4. To them, it’s going against the spirit of WorldSBK and thus has stuck to the slightly hotted-up Ninja ZX-10R, which became the ZX-10RR.
However, one has to remember that WorldSBK rules actually encourage this route. A factory needs to build 250 homologation specials in the first year, followed by another 250 in the next. The sales price is capped at € 40,000.
The question is if Kawasaki wants to really go down this route. The superbike segment is shrinking but there are still plenty of interested parties. But Kawasaki is the only one among the Japanese Big Four who are not involved in MotoGP. Consequently, they will definitely need to respond to the Ducati V4 R in WorldSBK, and that means a new ZX-10RR.
Kawasaki has updated the 2019 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R to produce more horsepower.
Updates are centred on the valvetrain and reducing moving mass.
The updates show that Kawasaki intends to retain the World Superbike crown.
Horsepower. You can never have enough. Kawasaki has announced that the 2019 Ninja ZX-10R will receive a list of changes that will take its power output even higher.
Kawasaki may have won four World Superbike championships in 2013 with Tom Sykes, and 2015, 2016, 2017 with Jonathan Rea, while currently leading the series with the latter rider, they know that they will be under stiff competition from Ducati with the new Panigale V4 and possibly a new Honda CBR1000RR next year.
The new Ninja ZX-10R’s cylinder head has been redesigned to be more compact to aid quicker combustion. The valvetrain will now have the cams acting directly on finger followers, rather than on tappets, resulting in a 20 percent reduction in mass. It also makes it easier to install more aggressive cam profiles. Consequently, the engine can sustain high RPMs more reliably.
Finally, to mark the updated engine, the cylinder head cover will be painted in red.
There are three variants of the 2019 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R: Base, SE and RR.
Ninja ZX-10R
The base 2019 Ninja ZX-10R will have its power increased to 203 PS (200 bhp), without ram air. Expect to see around 210 bhp with ram air. It will receive the updated valvetrain and cylinder head cover. It will also feature the bi-directional Kawasaki Quick Shifter (KQS) that was previously available on the SE and RR only.
Ninja ZX-10R SE
The 2019 Ninja ZX-10R SE is considered the flagship model as the RR is a race homologation model. Apart from the valvetrain updates, it will feature Kawasaki’s advanced electronic suspension (KECS) and forged Marchesini rims. Areas prone to scratches are covered with Kawasaki’s proprietary “self-healing” paint, as with the 2019 Ninja H2. Power is the same as the based Ninja ZX-10R.
Ninja ZX-10RR
The 2019 Ninja ZX-10RR will receive Pankl titanium connecting rods that save 400g over the standard bike’s, reducing the crankshaft’s inertia by 5% and yield a 600 RPM increase. Kawasaki quoted 201 bhp peak power without ram air. It will be available only in Lime Green and production is limited to 500 units.
A “Performance” variant for all three types are also available.
The Kawasaki ZX-10R has been dominating the WSBK Championship.
It has been built with winning the championship from the outset.
The 2018 Ninja ZX-10RR revealed at EICMA seeks to continue the dominance.
There’s much to learn from the cut-throat world of racing. Almost every modern-day technology on a motorcycle available to the public was trickled down from racing. That applies not only to sportbikes and race replicas but also to all types of motorcycles from the tyres up.
Motorcycle frames, chassis, engine power delivery, materials, and the way they look, were born out of the necessity to trump the competition in races and ultimately championships.
There are two premier racing classes in the racing world, namely MotoGP and World Superbike.
The motorcycles that race in MotoGP are thoroughbred prototypes, meaning they do not share similarities with motorcycles that are available to the buying public, although the technologies may soon find their way to road-going models.
The World Superbike Championship (WSBK) on the other hand, is production based. But what does that mean?
Being production-based means the machines racing around the world on weekends must be based on bikes that are available to you and I when we visit the bike shop. To be eligible for WSBK competition, the manufacturer must produce a certain amount of motorcycles similar to the one they’d be campaigning with – this process is called “homologation”. The minimum number of homologation models to be produced depends on the total output of the manufacturer – the bigger they are, the more homologation models they have to produce.
While the racebikes aren’t 100% stock, they are much closer to production machines than one might think, since they have to conform to certain stipulations laid out by WSBK. Among them: Frame design and dimensions (therefore chassis dimensions such as rake, trail and wheelbase), the engine’s cylinders’ dimensions, throttle body size, and bodywork dimensions and look must not be altered.
Thus, in order for their bikes to be competitive on the track, manufacturers must create homologation specials that are already imbued with high performance – or shall we say, ready to race. Think of the difference between the standard ZX-10R and ZX-10RR Racing and you get the picture.
2017 ZX-10RR
It’s not only customers who reap the enjoyment of these engineering marvels. Because it truly goes both way as they are also beneficial to the riders too.
Kawasaki has won the World Superbike Championship five times times, including four in the last five years (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, plus the first in 1993).
Scott Russel
Kawasaki for one is a manufacturer who’s never afraid to push engineering boundaries.
Tom Syke’s 2013 championship-winning ZX-10RR had actually been carried over from 2011. The 2013 model is well-known for its exceptionally linear power delivery, great handling, good ergonomics and advanced K-STRIC traction control electronic package. That meant Sykes and co had something good to work on from the beginning. The ZX-10RR’s 998cc was in fact so good that Colin Edwards’ CRT MotoGP team used it in 2013 MotoGP season.
Tom Sykes in Donington Park, 2013
Sykes was close to defending his title in 2014, but ultimately losing out to Sylvain Guintoli by an agonizing six points due to a single retirement in Malaysia.
The 2015 Ninja ZX-10R wasn’t changed much in terms of hardware, testament to how well it was designed from the outset. It was this year that Jonathan Rea won his first WSBK crown, in his first full season on a Kawasaki. Rea amassed a total of 548 points at season’s end, 132 more than the next rider, Chaz Davies on the Ducati.
Jonathan Rea, 2015
Kawasaki revamped the Ninja ZX-10R in 2016, after taking cues from both factory riders Rea and Sykes. Project leader, Yoshimoto Matsuda even said that his team wasn’t looking at the aesthetics so much as improving the bike’s mechanicals.
The engine had gone on to develop 197 bhp, while weight was reduced to 205 kg. The crankshaft and primary gear were lightened to reduce inertia. The steering head was moved 7.5mm closer to the rider for better control. The swingarm was elongated by 15.8mm to put more weight on the front wheel and reduce wheelies. Both the steering head angle and swingarm pivot are adjustable.
2016 Ninja ZX-10R
Rea went on to dominate the 2016 season and successfully defend his title.
Jonathan Rea, 2015
For 2017, Kawasaki brought back the Ninja ZX-10RR in Winter Test black and single seat. The biggest change was to the engine, where the new cylinder head was designed to readily accept the high lift cams in the race kit. Only 500 units were built.
2017 Ninja ZX-10RR
On the track, Rea decimated the field to win his third successive title, to become only the second rider to have achieved the feat.
Jonathan Rea at Assen, 2017
Kawasaki has also revealed the 2018 Ninja ZX-10RR during EICMA (complete with snowflake logos). Again, because the bike is already so good, almost no changes were made except for cosmetic ones. Will Rea and Sykes dominate again in 2018? It’ll be unwise to bet against them.
2018 Ninja ZX-10RR
That’s the main appeal of the Kawasaki ZX-10RR, as it’s made to dominate on the track from the time it went out of the factory’s doors. As such, customers will get their hands on the best sportbike in the world.
