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2009 Kawasaki ZX-6R First Ride
A certified sportbike junkie, Adam likes anything with a throttle and lots of horsepower.
Adam Waheed  | http://www.motorcycle-usa.com  |  Posted December 02, 2008   Eugene, Oregon
Every year the Big Four find a way to trim weight off their sportbike lineups. This year's supersport Ninja in no different. (Photo: motorcycle-usa.com)

Great nations develop a reputation not only for its populace and distinctive culture but also for the goods it produces. For the French it’s their bubbly. The Germans are acknowledged for their precision engineered automobiles, while the Chinese are recognized for cranking out all kinds of affordable goods we use daily. The realm of motorcycling is no different; and for aficionados of affordable, quality, high-performance sportbikes there is only one country that comes to mind - Japan.

Although a good majority of motorcycles pumped out from this beautiful island country are engineered for comfort and convenience; supersport replica-racers are built for one purpose - to get from point A to point B as fast as possible - whether it’s your favorite backroad or the racetrack.

So this year, Kawasaki ups the middleweight-class ante by releasing a revamped ZX-6R designed to trounce the competition. And what better place on earth to experience Team Green’s cutting edge 600 than on the very same 20-turn, 2-mile road course which it was born on - Kawasaki’s own Autopolis International Racing Course.

Ingredients of Speed

Leaning over on the 2009 Kawasaki ZX-6R.
Every year the Big Four find a way to trim weight off their sportbike lineups. This year's supersport Ninja in no different.
Important aspects of a solid performing 600 include: lightweight, big power, responsive handling and, of course, ease-of-use. So Kawi engineers shaved off 22 pounds of mass, with the new machine weighting in at a claimed 421 pounds ready-to-ride. They followed it up with a power boost throughout its 16,500 rpm rev range, as well as integrated cutting edge chassis technology enabling the rider to put down fast laps with greater ease.

Your parents always said it’s what’s inside that counts; and apparently Japanese families are no different. Thus engineers introduced a substantially lighter, more powerful 599cc Inline-Four. Engine vitals like its 67 x 42.5mm bore/stroke and 13.3:1 compression ratio remain unchanged. What has changed, however, are the camshafts, which are nearly one pound lighter and coated with a more durable outer coating, revised cylinder porting and new friction-reducing pistons for improved performance, especially in the mid-range.

Above, cylindrical aluminum guides direct fuel spray into 10mm taller dual-bore velocity stacks that utilize inlets at two fixed lengths, thereby optimizing engine fueling during mid-and-high rpm engine loads. More powerful ignition coils are said to improve combustion efficiency.

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Adam Waheed

Motorcycle-USA.com

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