Editing Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja

{{Infobox Motorcycle
|name             = [[Kawasaki]] ZX-10R Ninja
|image            = [[File:Kawasaki-ZX10R-04--4.jpg|frameless|Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja]]
|aka              = 
|manufacturer     = Kawasaki
|parent_company   =
|production       = 2004
|model_year       =
|predecessor      =
|successor        =
|class            =
|engine           = Four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder.
|bore_stroke      =
|compression      = 12.7:1
|top_speed        = 290.6 km/h
|power            =
|torque           =
|fuel_system      =
|ignition         = TCBI with digital advance
|spark_plug       = NGK, CR9EIA-9
|battery          =
|transmission     = 6 Speed
|frame            = All-aluminum twin-tube backbone
|suspension       =Front: 43 mm inverted fork with top-out springs Compression damping - 16-way Rebound damping - 16-way Spring preload - Fully adjustable <br>
Rear: Bottom-Link Uni-Trak with gas-charged shock and top-out spring Compression damping - Stepless Rebound damping - Stepless Spring preload - Fully adjustable
|brakes           =Front: 2x 300mm discs 4 [[piston]] [[calipers]] <br>Rear: Single 220 mm disc
|front_tire       = {{tire|120/70 ZR17}} 
|rear_tire   	  = {{tire|190/50 ZR17}} 
|rake_trail       =
|wheelbase        = 1389 mm / 54.6 in
|length           =
|width            =
|height           =
|seat_height      = 826 mm / 32.5 in.
|dry_weight       = 170 kg / 374.9 lbs
|wet_weight       =
|fuel_capacity    = 17 Litres / 4.4 US gal
|oil_capacity     =
|fuel_consumption =
|turning_radius   =
|related          =
|competition      =
}}

It could reach a top speed of 290.6 km/h.  

==Engine==
The engine was a Liquid cooled cooled Four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder.. The engine featured a 12.7:1 [[compression ratio]].  

==Chassis==
It came with a 120/70 ZR17 front [[tire]] and a 190/50 ZR17 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via 2x 300mm discs 4 piston calipers in the front and a Single 220 mm disc in the rear. The front suspension was a  43 mm inverted fork with top-out springs Compression damping - 16-way Rebound damping - 16-way Spring preload - Fully adjustable while the rear was equipped with a Bottom-Link Uni-Trak with gas-charged shock and top-out spring Compression damping - Stepless Rebound damping - Stepless Spring preload - Fully adjustable. The ZX-10R Ninja was fitted with a 17 Litres / 4.4 US gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 170 kg / 374.9 lbs. The wheelbase was 1389 mm / 54.6 in long.  
== Photos ==
[[File:Kawasaki-ZX10R-04--4.jpg|600px|Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja]]
[[File:Kawasaki-ZX10R-04--6.jpg|600px|Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja]]
[[File:Kawasaki-ZX10R-04--5.jpg|600px|Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja]]
[[File:Kawasaki-ZX10R-04--3.jpg|600px|Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja]]
[[File:Kawasaki-ZX10R-04.jpg|600px|Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja]]
[[File:Kawasaki-ZX10R-04--1.jpg|600px|Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja]]

== Overview ==

Kawasaki ZX-10R Ninja



















Ultimate Supersport! Kawasaki storms into the litre-class
with the uncompromising new Ninja ZX-10R, the machine everyone has been
waiting for - everyone except the competition. Boasting a category-leading
power-to-weight ratio, an awesomely powerful engine loaded with advanced
technology and style evocative of the world of MotoGP, the new Ninja ZX-10R
is the definitive expression of Kawasaki's supersport DNA
Unlike most other Kawasaki machines, the Ninja ZX-10R design started with
chassis simulations. The engineers wanted an extremely lightweight and
compact chassis that would offer superb handling and stability. The
combination of a short wheelbase with a long swingarm is a configuration
also seen on the Ninja ZX-RR. An all-aluminium frame with 600-class
dimensions mated to a long and highly rigid gull swingarm gives the ZX-10R
category-leading handling performance on track and twisty roads.
No less impressive, the powerful and incredibly compact new In-Line Four
is a showcase of advanced supersport technology. A number of considerations
were made to avoid compromising the desired chassis dimensions; use of a
one-piece cylinder/crankcase, a compact rear-mounted generator and "stacked"
transmission kept the high-spec power unit lightweight and compact. Other
engine features include a new fuel injection system, a close-ratio
transmission with a back-torque limiter clutch, and magnesium engine covers
- all of which contribute to the bike's design aim of being the No. 1
machine on the track.

Those sitting on the ZX-10R for the first time will be amazed that
despite its compact size and race-purpose ergonomics, it is by no means
cramped. Thanks to an idealised seat/pegs/handlebar relationship and a
concave tank top, which allows the rider to mould himself to the bike, the
10R puts the rider in a position to take full advantage of the engine's
awesome power and the superb chassis response


ReviewThoughts
from the formative years of my spotty youth, when flared
trousers, twin shocks and naked bikes were 20 years away from
becoming retro; a time when the ultimate motorcycle was about to
be released, the Ninja 900. Word on the street talked of wicked
acceleration and 150mph top speeds, with braking and handling to
match. Reliable, affordable and oozing sex appeal from every
sculptured body panel, how could it get any better? Twenty years
later, after a day in the hot seat of the 2004 Kawasaki ZX-10,
all I can say is: How can it get any better.?
With no end to the rain in sight, the day
was called and it was time to start heading for home. Kawasaki
had given us ample track time the previous day and I for one was
not unhappy. A recent high-speed get-off had made the thought of
the new ZX-10 as the proverbial horse I needed to remount a
little daunting. In preparation I decided; no heroics, just a
steady ride so I could return in one piece to report my
findings. Three sessions into my day, hard on the phenomenal
anchors from over 150mph, I am happy to report I was doing just
that.
The day had started out even slower than
imagined in my worst nightmares. I just couldnt bring myself to
push the bike into the corners, so I concentrated on learning
the track and getting familiar with the diminutive Kawasaki. At
170kg dry and rolling on a 1,385mm wheelbase, a very light touch
was needed on the bars to negotiate Homesteads tight infield
turns.
With 184 ram-air assisted horsepower
available at the crank, the same treatment was necessary with
the throttle. Learning a new track and a new bike always takes a
little time, so it took till my third session to start getting
things figured out. To avoid any unnecessary inputs to the
throttle or the bars in the turns, I hooked my outside leg up
under the lip in the gas tank and used my lower body to control
the bike. This was the confidence booster I was looking for, as
my initial laps were spent feeling very ham-fisted with the
throttle. With the huge amount of power available, each fraction
of a turn puts out a lot of horses, and hard over in a turn is
not the place to accidentally feed in any unwanted throttle.

I was already exploring the new engines
power by now, and having only one problem: The ZX-10 makes the
2.2-mile (3.54km) circuit seem like a go-kart track. The bike is
just so unbelievably fast it simply annihilates the straights.
No sooner had I lined myself up out of the corners to release
the trigger than it was time to get on the brakes. Even more
incredible when you consider I was coming out of first gear
corners in second to avoid any wheel spin or wheelies. Making
solid, useable power down as low as four thousand rpms, big Zs
engine just keeps on pulling, getting progressively more
powerful until it hits redline at 13,000rpm. The shift light
comes on a little earlier, but with the bike capable of 90mph
(145kph) in first gear, there were few opportunities to closely
study the rev counter to see exactly where.


As with the first Ninja 900, the ZX-10 uses
an inline, water-cooled four-cylinder engine, but here the
similarities end. The new engine is fuel-injected, computer
controlled, and uses a tri-axis transmission/crankshaft layout.
This is to optimize space and keep the motor as small as
possible to fit between the ultra narrow frame rails.

During the press briefing, we watched a
video of the aluminium frames being made by a mixture of hi-tech
robotics and human hands; it is one beefy looking bit of kit.

Out on display, a cutaway model on a
mirrored stand allowed views into the engine and body parts.
Looking into the head, the titanium exhaust valve wouldnt be
out of place as an object dart. Each of the eight valves is
25.5mm in diameter while the intakes are 31mm. The intake ports
are liquid-smooth and 43 mm throttle bodies feed fuel into the
cylinders. These have dual throttle valves and fine atomizing
injectors, technology borrowed from the automotive world. Air is
provided in large doses from the huge ram-air intake that sits
above the twin headlights. Passing through the frame tubes into
the cavernous air box, it is good for an extra nine horsepower.
Flat-top pistons maximize combustion
chamber efficiency while putting the squeeze on the mix; iridium
spark plugs provide the fire. Compression ratio is a healthy
12.7:1, and plated cylinders keep the heat down while the
pistons get their workout. On the other side of the cylinders,
butterfly valves are used in the titanium exhaust pipes to keep
the power smooth through the rev range.
The crankshaft is very light and compact,
with its position in the featherweight cases helping keep the
ZX-10s centre of gravity as low as possible. Taking the power
to the rear wheel is a six-speed close-ratio box and an
adjustable slipper clutch. I have to confess I never downshifted
hard enough to test it, but my bacon has been saved on another
occasion from a similar system, so it is definitely a good
thing.


The gearbox was the only real area of
complaint from this corner. I repeatedly missed the third to
fourth shift on the front straight and, by the end of the day,
my big toe had lost a bunch of skin.
This aggravating problem resulted in a
beautiful four cylinder howl would be heard reverberating off
the straightaways front wall through first, second and third,
followed by a loud stuttering, coughing sound as the bike
slammed against the rev limiter staying stuck in third.

I also had some difficulty trying to
short-shift out of turn seven, and had to ensure more of my boot
was under the lever to eliminate the problem. Not being the only
one having trouble, cyber space was buzzing about the situation
by the time I got home. Oh the end of the world was nigh, and
numerous experts appeared over night without ever having to
leave their keyboards.
So, to get the story straight, I put a
call in to Kawasakis Mel Moore. Well aware of the situation,
KHI (Kawasaki Heavy Industries) had already flown in parts after
our first day. It seems the problem lay in the shift detent
spring being too stiff. A softer spring was being installed as
we spoke, and Mel had heard nothing further to the negative at
the time of writing. I should take a moment to explain that we
were riding what are called pilot production bikes. These are
hand built from existing parts and, according to Mr. Moore,
some parts are going to change before the bikes get to the
showrooms.
Visually the bike appeals to my more
conservative tastes, coming to America in black, blue or green.
With no wild graphics on the aggressive looking fairing, it is
almost a little understated, while flush fit LED taillights and
an attractive inner fender help contribute to the bikes svelte
appearance.
It also shares the same 698mm width as
Kawasakis own ZX-6R, which truly makes it a 1,000cc motor in a
600cc package. Sitting on the bike for the first time it feels
nothing like a litre bike should, and out on the track flicking
it through the corkscrew instantly confirms the feeling.

As small as big bore sport bikes have
become, there is always a certain amount of muscle needed in the
turns with the extra weight, not so the ZX-10. Part of this was
due to the tyres and suspension modifications.
For our test the bikes came shod with
Dunlop 208 GP compounds as opposed to the purpose-built D218ZRs
that will be on the production bikes. Sizes are 190/70ZR 17 for
the rear and 120/70 ZR 17 for the front. Their triangulated
profile, and the fact that the forks had been raised 5mm in the
triple trees, aided the bikes short wheel base and ultra light
weight as I came effortless off my knee out of turn four into
turn five.



With three main straights at Homestead of
close to equal length, the Kawasaki was regularly topping 150mph
(240kph) pinned in fourth. giving ample opportunity to put the
brakes to the test. Lap after lap, I would get faster and deeper
into the turns, and lap after lap I was rewarded with
effortless, fade-free braking. I think the four-piston, four-pad
radial brake set up is the best I have ever used. Biting down on
two trendy-looking 300mm petal style rotors, I have to say they
are sensitive, but once my brain was dialled in to how much
pressure to use, they were as good as it gets. The five-way
lever gave me a bit of bother and only on position five was the
lever close enough to the bar for me.
Allowing the brakes to work to their full
potential is a set of 43mm inverted forks. Adjustable for the
big three, the compression damping was set to seven clicks of
16, with rebound damping at 6 clicks out. Spring pre-load was
set at 5mm and other than the rebound being slowed a little from
nine clicks, these are the settings with which the bikes will be
delivered.
The inner fork legs are coated with
Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) to reduce stiction and will be more
resistant to road debris during normal riding.
The big test was braking for the
first-gear turn eight. Turn seven is a long, fast right-hander
that has the bike entering the straight at the top end of second
or around mid range in third, depending how brave you are
feeling. Shutting down at the top end of fourth, it was time to
lose more than 100mph (160kph) quick. The back wheel would go a
little light and the bike would weave slightly left to right,
but I felt no need to add any more pre-load.
Coming out of turn eight, I used second
gear to avoid wheel spin. Here, getting on the throttle hard,
the bike got a little unsettled crossing onto the Nascar
banking. It also gave some headshake making the shift from
second to third and again going into fourth at maximum rpms; a
steering damper might be a good investment if you are going to
be doing a lot of track days.
Out back, the rear shock gave me no
problems, doing everything it was supposed to with no squat
under hard acceleration. As with the forks, we were running
close to showroom settings. In addition to the usual
adjustments, the rear ride height is adjustable by removal and
addition of shims. It also has a top out spring, as does the
front fork, and is attached to the swingarm by a lightweight
aluminium linkage.
The swing arm itself is heavily braced and
extra long as is the norm these days. Built to be highly rigid,
it looks more than capable of dealing with the extra power these
bikes are going to be making in race trim.
As the end of the first day drew to a
close, I sat out my last session. Not back to full fitness yet;
I was feeing good to have gotten through the day without
incident. The bike was remarkably well behaved for such a
fire-breathing monster and, with a restrained throttle hand,
surprisingly easy to ride. A word of warning to the unwary: This
bike is not going to tolerate fools easily, so please make sure
your riding abilities are really what you think they are.

Chatting a couple of days later with
ex-AMA Superbike Champion Jamie James about the bike, he let out
a long, low whistle when I gave him the stats. Just think; when
he was battling the worlds top riders in the early nineties,
full-blown factory Superbikes werent making numbers anywhere
close to this baby. All you have to do is head down to you local
dealer, plop down the money and have a machine Jamie could only
dream about ten years ago. How can it get any better.?

Source



{|  class="wikitable"
|- 
!Make Model
|Kawasaki Z-X10R Ninja
|- 
!Year
|2004
|- 
!Engine Type
|Four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder.
|- 
!Displacement
|998 cc / 60.9 cu-in
|- 
!Bore X Stroke
|76 x 55 mm
|- 
!Cooling System
|Liquid cooled
|- 
!Compression
|12.7:1
|- 
!Induction
|Digital fuel injection with four 43mm throttle bodies
|- 
!Lubrication
|Wet sump
|- 
!Engine Oil
|Synthetic, 10W/40
|- 
!Ignition
|TCBI with digital advance
|- 
!Spark Plug
|NGK, CR9EIA-9
|- 
!Starting
|Electric
|- 
!Max Power
|175 hp / 128.4 kW @ 11700 rpm
|- 
!Max Torque
|115 Nm / 1173 kg-m @ 9500 rpm
|- 
!Transmission
|6 Speed
|- 
!Final Driv
|Chain
|- 
!Frame
|All-aluminum twin-tube backbone
|- 
!Front Suspension
|43 mm inverted fork with top-out springs Compression damping - 16-way Rebound damping - 16-way Spring preload - Fully adjustable
|- 
!Front Wheel Travel
|119 mm / 4.0 in
|- 
!Rear Suspension
|Bottom-Link Uni-Trak with gas-charged shock and top-out spring Compression damping - Stepless Rebound damping - Stepless Spring preload - Fully adjustable
|- 
!Rear Wheel Travel
|125 mm / 4.7 in
|- 
!Front Brakes
|2x 300mm discs 4 piston calipers
|- 
!Rear Brakes
|Single 220 mm disc
|- 
!Front Tire
|120/70 ZR17
|- 
!Rear Tire
|190/50 ZR17
|- 
!Rake
|24°
|- 
!Trail
|102 mm / 4.0 in
|- 
!Dimensions
|Length 2065 mm / 80.5 in. Width 705 mm / 27.8 in. Height 1130 mm / 43.9 in.
|- 
!Wheelbase
|1389 mm / 54.6 in
|- 
!Ground Clearance:
|120mm / 4.9 in.
|- 
!Seat Height
|826 mm / 32.5 in.
|- 
!Dry Weight
|170 kg / 374.9 lbs
|- 
!Fuel Capacity
|17 Litres / 4.4 US gal
|- 
!Consumption Average
|16.1 km/lit
|- 
!Standing ¼ Mile
|10.6 sec
|- 
!Top Speed
|290.6 km/h

|}
== Videos ==
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EMXc6fNx8U|600|center}}
== External Links ==
* http://www.mcnews.com.au/Testing/Kawasaki/ZX-10R/Page1.htm

[[Category:Kawasaki motorcycles]]