Coming this weekend at Jerez, we gonna witness the crowning of a new World SBK Champion, Jonathan Rea, who rides a Kawasaki ZX-10R, so we took the 30th Anniversary Edition Ninja for a road test. 
Not much has changed on the 2015 Kawasaki Ninja, I took the Ninja straight off from Kawasaki and immediately felt the Ninja was easy to ride, power delivery in F mode, KTRC 1. After getting used to the mild torque in the usual 1st day of taking a test bike. I decided to give it a go and we like what we got under the cover, now I feel like Rea, winning his first World Superbike Championship, that’s why Kawasaki has decided to leave it alone, only added ABS and Ohlins electronic front damper.
Kawasaki didn’t want the 30th anniversary of the Ninja brand to pass without acknowledgement. So, to commemorate the occasion, Kawasaki released a special-liveried model featuring Lime Green/Pearl Stardust White paint with 30th Anniversary badges on each side of the fairing.
Key features on the aluminum-frame 2015 ZX-10R ABS include an Öhlins-Kawasaki electronic steering damper; three-spoke cast aluminum wheels (looks old school); Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC); Advanced Kawasaki Intelligent Anti-lock Braking System (supplied by Bosch); a Power Mode selector; a Big-Piston Fork; a slipper clutch (to prevent wheel hop under extreme deceleration); a titanium exhaust; race-oriented LCD instrumentation; and adjustable footpegs that can be lowered an additional 15mm.
Acceleration and Performance
The light weight of this bike helps it to achieve the class leading power to weight ratio which is also evident in its performance. The Ninja easily reaches 0-100km/hr in 3 seconds and does 0-160km/hr in less than 6 seconds. The bike gets off to a flying start and without any effort. It’s highly refined DOHC engine with an air intake which reduces the noise and improves it high speed performance. But the quiet exhaust sound can really scare up slower bikers if you zoom pass them, if we push this bike to its limits then it can reach the speed of 299kmh, but we took it a few occasions at 280km/h. Throttle response of ZX-10R amazes you on highways.
The engine lacks any kind of refinement issues and performs brilliantly. The tall gear ratios help you to get maximum power out of this engine. The heavy amount of torque plays a vital role at slow speeds and gives early momentum to this bike. I love the light clutch and gearbox of ZX-10R which requires least effort.
Mileage
This performance bike actually quite economical to ride compare to other 1 litre superbike in its class.
Suspension and Brakes
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R has inverted 41mm telescopic forks at its front which are fully adjustable while it features horizontal back-link with gas charged, adjustable mono shock at the back. The bike features petal disc brakes on its both wheels. The front wheel has dual disc brakes of 310mm and it has a rear disc brake of 220mm. The bike also features an adjustable ABS for precise braking.
Ride and Handling
The bike has a ground clearance of 135mm which improves the aerodynamics of this bike at high speeds and enables it to turn easily at slow speeds. The wheelbase of 1425mm makes it stable at extremely high speeds while you are changing lanes frequently. The bike never loses road grip thanks to its wide tyres and 3-way adjustable Kawasaki advanced traction control system. The adjustable suspension system performs as per requirement and gives you confident and comfortable rides. The electronic steering makes it easy to handle this bike accurately at the speed of 280km/hr thanks to the steering damper which also affects its handling at slow speeds. The braking system ensures safe and precise braking at high speeds. The bike is quite confident and responsive in this department.
Tyre Size
The front and rear tyre size of ZX-10R is 120/70 R17 and 190/55 R17 respectively.
Verdict
It’s a premium sports bike which features one of the best engineered 1000cc engines available. Estimated price tag of RM85,000 which definitely makes it a complete value for money for a superbike.
| SPECIFICATIONS | |
|---|---|
| 2015 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R ABS 30th Anniversary | |
| ENGINE | Liquid-cooled, DOHC, four valves per cylinder, inline-4 |
| DISPLACEMENT | 998cc |
| BORE & STROKE | 76.0 x 55.0mm |
| COMPRESSION RATIO | 13.0:1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM | EFI (4) 47mm Keihin throttle bodies, two injectors per cylinder |
| IGNITION | TCBI with digital advance and Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC) |
| TRANSMISSION | Six-speed |
| FINAL DRIVE | Chain |
| RAKE / TRAIL | 25.0º / 4.2 in. |
| FRONT TIRE | 120/70ZR-17 |
| REAR TIRE | 190/55ZR-17 |
| WHEELBASE | 56.1 in. |
| FRONT SUSPENSION / WHEEL TRAVEL | 43mm inverted Big Piston Fork, adjustable stepless rebound and compression damping, spring preload adjustability |
| REAR SUSPENSION / WHEEL TRAVEL | Horizontal back-link with gas-charged shock, stepless, dual-range (low/high-speed) compression damping, stepless rebound damping, fully adjustable spring preload / 5.5 in. |
| FRONT BRAKES | Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Braking (KIBS), dual semi-floating 310mm petal discs with dual four-piston radial-mount calipers |
| REAR BRAKES | KIBS-controlled, single 220mm petal disc with aluminum single-piston caliper |
| OVERALL LENGTH | 2075mm |
| OVERALL WIDTH | 715mm |
| OVERALL HEIGHT | 1115mm |
| SEAT HEIGHT | 813mm |
| CURB WEIGHT | 200kg |
| FUEL CAPACITY | 17 Litre |
| COLOR CHOICES | Lime Green/Pearl Stardust White Anniversary Edition |
