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Kawasaki’s new ZX-6R is a bike that is certain to split opinions, because it’s a step away from a traditional Kawasaki character.
Traditionally, ZX-6Rs come with screaming motors that need to be thrashed like crazy because there is next to knob-all midrange. Any decent forward motion is usually accompanied with a wailing engine and valves that are pumping harder than a randy bull in a field of cows.
After a brief period of experimentation with extra capacity, Kawasaki decided that it was too much hassle to build two different capacity engines for racing and road and returned the ZX-6R to its roots in 2007 with a 599cc engine that thrived on revs and was flatter than the world economy anywhere else.
This was a bike pitched at the trackday enthusiast and despite it being a finely honed circuit tool, when it came to riding on the road was a massive pain in the arse. Compared to the discovered midrange, riding an import 400 with a two-stroke power-band at about 14,000 rpm. Entertaining on track, but who wants to pop down the shops on a bike that needs to be constantly screaming like a mentally deranged gibbon?
Kawasakis are traditionally a bit on the mad side, but this was too much and owners of the bigger capacity ZX-6Rs weren’t impressed, criticising the lack of grunt. and they were joined in their criticisms by the World Supersport racers, although it’s doubtful that Katsuaki Fujiwara was using his bike to pop down to Tesco on. Kawasaki has now done something about this.
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