Tuesday, November 23, 2010

2011 Kawasaki Ninja 1000 - First Ride

Kawasaki clothes the naked Z1000, comforts the afflicted with an all-new Ninja 1000.

October 2010
First Ride: 2011 Ninja 1000 Sportbike

The road up Mt. Tamalpais is paved with good intentions but covered in a thick coniferous carpet of dropped foliage from the huge redwood and Douglas firs that canopy it. Hmmm, is this any place for a 50-year-old motojournalist on a 503-pound 136-hp Kawasaki? At first it seems like a terrible idea, but after slithering through a few corners, you figure out this is a really friendly, well-insured Kawasaki that’s got your back. All that new bodywork tells the casual observer it’s another one of them Ninjabikes. But with the same upright ergos as the Z1000 naked bike it’s built upon, this newest Ninja puts the rider in a position of complete control to deal with dodgy traction, flying fellow squids and all the other slings, arrows and banana peels the road throws at him. Pretty soon the smell of all that fresh pine sizzling on hot exhaust takes me right back to circa 1965, jumping in raked-up piles of pine needles just before my dad did what they all did in those pre-green days—throw on a match. Mmmm...

To go with the great ergonomics, Kawasaki gave this one full-coverage plastic designed to draw engine heat away from the rider, a three-position, manual-adjust windscreen, 10mm-thicker seat foam, rubber footpegs, etc. Not only is the new Ninja 1000 a clothed naked bike (because we Americans just like fairings, apparently), Kawasaki thinks it could also bridge the gap to its Concours 14, for riders who want a lighter, less complex sport tourer. To that end, it also gets a 5-gallon fuel tank and a bunch of available options, including hard saddlebags (still in the works).

2011 Kawasaki Ninja 1000

As to why you’d clothe such a great naked bike in the first place, Kawasaki’s research and experience tell it that’s what American riders want, and at $10,999, the new fairing only adds $400 to what you’d pay for the naked Z1000, so what the heck?

Mainly what it gets is a killer of a classic Kawasaki four-banger, just like the 1043cc unit that powers the Z1000. Power comes on smooth enough from way low in the rev band to let the rear Bridgestone BT016 find traction even on this Christmas-tree killing floor of a road. And on those rare clean stretches where the pavement briefly uncoils, the thing pulls hard from as little as 3500 rpm. This motor makes you recalibrate your internal tachometer. Kawasaki says it makes the same peak torque as its new ZX-10R, but at 7800 rpm instead of 8700. By the time the tach gets to 7000, you definitely want your full attention focused far ahead on the road, and your brain ready to deal with the 136-hp Kawasaki says it produces at 9600 rpm. Thanks to its bodywork, they also say it’ll reach terminal velocity quicker than the Z1000, and because of that, its speed is electronically governed to a mph the Kawasaki spokespeople would not reveal—an admission, to a bunch of motojournalists, tantamount to Mission Control Houston initiating countdown.

Sadly, due to traffic and lack of long straights in appropriate places, all I can say is that limit lies somewhere on the other side of 136-mph indicated on the bike’s digital display—and 136 is a speed the Ninja can dial up in a hurry. On the straights through inhabited areas, though, you can drop the engine down to 1500 rpm and 25 mph in sixth, roll the throttle back open, and the Ninja will pull itself right back up to speed with no complaints whatsoever. Way flexible. With this engine, an automatic gearbox would be redundant.

On a racetrack, a ZX-10R or any Open-class sportbike would annihilate the Ninja. Sorting through Mt. Tam’s endless junk drawer of slippery blind corners, on the other hand, the tables are turned. With its immediate, smooth grunt off the bottom and sit-up, wide-barred ergos (the grips are actually 10mm closer to each other than on the Z1000), the Ninja feels more like a big, faired-in adventure bike, with the majority of your weight planted squarely on your butt and feet, where you can feel what both tires are up to. (The rear enjoys roosting the people behind you with pine-tree shrapnel. Toothpick, anyone?) At the same time, in spite of the weight the bike gained, it steers light, quick and accurately into corners with clean pavement, and the fact that it’s narrow between the knees just like the Z1000 also helps it snap easily side to side.

First Ride: 2011 Kawasaki Ninja 1000

The 41mm fully-adjustable fork and preload/rebound-adjustable single-shock rear are on the harsh side of plush compared to the components Kawasaki puts on its more expensive bikes, but then I’m 20 or 30 pounds lighter than the typical American Ninja buyer. The BT016 Bridgestones and suspension do do a fine job keeping things balanced front-to rear and in general keeping the bike pointed in the right direction—not such an easy thing given the torque the engine doles out. Accelerating hard over truly bumpy pavement with the front wheel only marginally in ground contact, the bike always kept its composure, even without benefit of a steering damper. And radial-mount brake calipers operated by a radial-pump master cylinder don’t feel budget at all; they’re two-finger powerful, linear-feeling and nicely sensitive to trail braking.

In the most upright of its three positions, the new windshield might be nice for touring, but we never went straight long enough to find out. (And when we were going straight, we were trying to find the secret top speed.) And the new bodywork might suck hot air from the engine and away from your legs as advertised, but it was only in the 60s in Marin County that day, a place as close to Eden as you’ll find in the continental U.S., so we can’t really address that either. What we can address is, even though we only covered a couple hundred miles in our day with the new Ninja, nearly every one of those miles was hard-fought, and when the sun was setting into the Pacific at the end of it, we all would’ve been happy to keep on riding. No complaints from the old guys (which I suddenly am one of). Sportbike performance and sport-touring comfort are a tough combination to beat.

As to why you’d clothe such a great naked bike in the first place, Kawasaki’s research and experience tell it that’s what American riders want, and at $10,999, the new fairing only adds $400 to what you’d pay for the naked Z1000, so what the heck? If the fairing broadens the appeal of a bike that was already really appealing (a CW Ten Best), everybody’s happy. Its research also tells Kawasaki that lots of people who buy “performance cruisers” like the Suzuki M109, aren’t necessarily cruiser guys, but they might very well be performance guys no longer willing to assume the sportbike position the performance war left in its wake. Alrighty then, says Kawasaki. This Ninja’s for you.

SPECIFICATIONS
EngineLiquid-cooled, DOHC, four valves per cylinder, inline-Four
Displacement1043cc
Bore x Stroke77.0 x 56.0 mm
Compression Ratio11.8:1
Fuel SystemFuel injection, four 38mm Keihin throttle bodies, oval sub-throttles
IgnitionTCBI with digital advance
TransmissionSix-speed
Final DriveX-ring Chain
Rake/Trail24.5deg / 4.0 in.
Front Tire Size120/70 ZR17
Rear Tire Size190/55 ZR17
Wheelbase56.9 in.
Front Suspension / wheel travel41 mm inverted cartridge fork; adjustable for compression damping, rebound damping, spring preload; 4.7 in. travel
Rear Suspension / wheel travelHorizontal monoshock; adjustable for rebound damping and spring preload; 5.4 in. travel
Front BrakesDual 300mm petal-type rotors with radial-mount four-piston calipers
Rear BrakesSingle 250mm petal-type rotor with single-piston caliper
Fuel Capacity5.0 gal.
Seat Height32.3 in.
Curb Weight502.7 lbs.
ColorsEbony, Candy Fire Red / Ebony

Monday, November 22, 2010

2011 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R - First Ride

2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R - First Ride

Best of the breed? We’ll soon find out.

November 2010
First Ride: 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R

I just returned from Road Atlanta in Braselton, Georgia, where Kawasaki staged a press introduction
for its all-new 2011 ZX-10R. Putting in five 20-minute sessions aboard the new Ninja offered ample
time to sample its various combinations of electronic rider assists with selectable power modes, including Full, Medium and Low, along with three levels of S-KTRC (Sport Kawasaki Traction Control).
I also lapped in F-mode with traction control disabled and found the engine’s raw delivery to be impressively manageable; it feels impressively linear from basement revs to its 14,000-rpm-rev limit. There’s no debate, however, that my quickest laps came when S-KTRC was watching my back. All in
all, the system is the least intrusive and most effective TC implementation I’ve experience to date.

Early reports have the North American model producing around 170 rear-wheel horsepower in stock
tune, and while this is about 10 percent down on the European-spec 10R, our Yankee Ninja provided
an exhilarating ride around Road Atlanta’s undulating 2.5-mile road course. Our hosts treated us to an additional four laps aboard a bike equipped with the race-kit ECU and slip-on exhaust, said to unleash
an additional 18 peak horsepower. To be honest, the speed and acceleration difference wasn’t huge.

The new chassis proved very agile in negotiating the track’s esses and two chicanes, with superb feedback though the Showa suspension, now featuring a Big Piston Fork. High-speed stability
down the long backstraight was excellent, and a blessing, as an indicated speed of over 180 mph
could be achieved when tipping into the flat-out right-hand bend before braking hard for the
second-gear chicane that follows. The initial impression here is that Kawasaki has built a very
competitive liter-class sportbike that has what it takes to go head-to-head with the CW Ten Best
-winning BMW S1000RR and other class contenders like the Aprilia RSV4, Ducati 1198, Honda CBR1000RR, Suzuki GSX-R1000, KTM RC8 and Yamaha YZF-R1.

The bike ridden at the intro was the non-ABS model ($13,799), which is also the first to arrive in
dealer showrooms; Street ABS equipped ZX-10Rs ($14,799) have yet to roll off the production line.
Check back Monday for a more in-depth riding impression, more photos and a video of the bike in
action. In the meantime, have a look at the in-depth tech preview and video of the 2011 ZX-10R we published earlier, plus the first ride of the previous, 2010 model.


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001 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Top 3 Reasons To Buy Chain Wallets by Matt L

Are you tired of constantly loosing your wallet? Worried about someone stealing your personal belongings, money, and anything else that you normally keep on you? Now you can protect the things that mean the most to you when you use chain wallets. Here are the top 3 reasons why you would want to buy a chain wallet for yourself.

1. Keep Your Money Safe

You never know when someone might try to pick pocket you while your on the local bus, train, or in any other public place. Money is one very important thing that you don't want to lose, and chain wallets can help prevent this from happening because they are made so that they can be secured to your belt loop, belt, or anything else that might be firmly attached to you. When someone tries to take your wallet out of your pants, jacket, or wherever you have it stored, they'll have a hard time since it is connected to you.

2. Prevent Losing Your Wallet

When you're riding your motorcycle, riding on the bus to school, walking around downtown, or are in any other type of situation where you could easily lose your wallet, then you might consider purchasing a chain wallet that you can attach to you so you don't lose it. Wallets can fall out of your pockets or bags in situations like these, so chain wallets can prevent that from happening.

3. Great Wallet, Great Look

You can find some really nice looking chain wallets that will complement any wardrobe. Motorcyclists often like to purchase chain wallets because they look great with their leather gear. Some chain wallets also have cool looking emblems on them that can really help bring out the biker in you. The chain wallet isn't just for the motorcyclist however because anyone that enjoys high quality leather items can enjoy them just as much.


Friday, November 12, 2010

2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R Preview

2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R Preview

We discover secret info about the baddest Ninja ever!

By Kevin Duke, Jul. 13, 2010, Photography by Kawasaki

If you’ve been paying attention lately, you’ll have seen evidence of a new teaser marketing campaign in advance of Kawasaki’s upcoming 2011 ZX-10R literbike. A trickling of info, photos and an all-too-brief video have been served up at Kawasaki-Challenge.com since the site launched on June 21.

The site’s latest dollop of 10R news came last week when a race version of the 2011 ZX-10R took part in track testing at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan on July 7 and 8. The non-stock Ninja was ridden on the first day by test rider Hidemichi Takahashi, followed up on day two by Kawasaki’s former World Superbike star rider, Akira Yanagawa.

Precious little details about the bike have been officially released, but based on information we’ve recently gleaned, we’re able to shed some light on what we will see from Kawasaki this fall when the production bike is officially unveiled.

This is a race-prepped 2011 ZX-10R, but the general shape and silhouette is what we’ll see from Team Green’s literbike this fall.

First off, let’s dispel two wild rumors. The new 10R has neither a big-bang firing order nor a horizontal placement of its cylinders, despite fanciful speculation in lesser publications. Rumors of variable valve timing are also likely unfounded. Instead, we find an evolutionary literbike design of a traditional inline-Four engine wrapped in a perimeter-beam aluminum frame.

And yet, despite the apparent lack of visible innovation, we’re told to expect a seriously competitive liter-sized sportbike. It’s a total ground-up redesign. Rumors suggest a production version of the new 10R can lap Kawi’s Autopolis test track seconds quicker than the 2010 model.

Perhaps the headlining news is that Kawi’s lawyers have allowed engineers to develop what might turn out to be a class-leading electronic rider-aid package, including multi-adjustable traction control. We’re told to expect a TC system that is better than the BMW package on the S1000RR, able to be toggled through more customizable settings. A performance-based anti-lock braking system will be optional, but a BMW-like quick-shifter won’t be part of the package. The new Ninja will have comprehensive instrumentation, including the ability to switch between street and track displays.

Speaking of the S1000RR, that’s the stunning new target Kawasaki has to aim for in this revitalized market segment. The current ZX-10R is the lowest-revving literbike (aside from the Aprilia RSV4), so we’re expecting a modest increase in max revs from 13,000 to maybe 13,500 rpm. That’s still short of the S1000’s lofty 14K rev limit, suggesting the Ninja engine’s bore is less than the massive 80mm slugs in the BMW.

From what we’ve been able to gather, the newest Ninja is expected to produce peak horsepower numbers near or in excess of 170 ponies at the rear tire. The S1000 pumps out a minimum of 170 hp.

In terms of styling, it seems like the 2011 ZX-10 has the design bones that should produce the most attractive 10R yet. The shape of its bodywork is chiseled yet sleek, wrapping tightly around the mechanical bits. Large side cut-outs in the fairing add to the perception of lightness and expose the engine. A diminutive tailsection helps aid the impression of lightness.

Speaking of weight, it will be interesting to see how many ounces can be whittled away. The current 10R weighs in at 458 pounds with its tank filled, and that’s 5 more than the S1000RR and a whopping 21 pounds heavier than Honda’s CBR1000RR. The 2011 ZX will surely be lighter than the BMW, and it might even approach the CBR’s astonishingly low (437-lb) weight. Keep in mind that 20-some pounds were shed from the ZX-6R in its last redesign.

The 10R’s nose is particularly interesting. A huge centrally located ram-air duct is impossible to ignore, and it funnels cool air into a pressurized airbox via channels in the aluminum frame’s steering head. Expect some form of cat-eye headlights on either side of that gaping maw. Its sloped nose implies slippery aerodynamics, underlined by its beak that extends many inches past the front axle. A faired front fender includes leading-edge extensions for smoother flow through 180-plus mph winds.

The aluminum-beam perimeter frame appears to have abandoned Kawasaki’s over-the-engine design, looking quite conventional. This change seems to have had the side benefit of a lower fuel tank, perhaps augmented by a sub-tank partially located under the seat.

A race-spec version of the 2011 ZX-10R was tested last week at Suzuka.

A race-spec version of the 2011 ZX-10R was tested last week at Suzuka.

As has become typical for modern sportbikes, the ZX-10’s exhaust system will be another variation of an under-engine collector box and a stylized side-mount shorty muffler.

Also of note is the Ninja’s braced aluminum swingarm. It looks like Kawi has tightened up the dimensions of the main frame to allow for a longer swingarm inside of a similar wheelbase, which is known to aid traction. The suspension is also all new, with the front end using a Showa Big Piston fork like that first seen on the 2009 ZX-6R.

The left-side profile shows a longer swingarm that has a beefy-looking brace. Note how the nose fairing stretches forward to punch a cleaner hole in the wind.

The left-side profile shows a longer swingarm that has a beefy-looking brace. Note how the nose fairing stretches forward to punch a cleaner hole in the wind.

Unlike the race-prepped ZX-10R seen testing at Suzuka, Brembo brakes are doubtful to make it to the production version of the new ZX. The streetbike will be blessed with adjustable footpegs to better accommodate riders of different sizes.

Although many details remain unknown or in sketch form, a new sportbike like the 10R must already be in its near-final status, with final development currently ironing out any last-minute wrinkles. Complete information will be available when Kawasaki makes its official announcement in early October.

source : http://www.motorcycle.com

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