2013 Kawasaki Ninja ZX10R Quick Review: A Date with the Green Goblin

PERFORMANCE: The proof of the pudding…..

The 2013 Kawasaki ZX10R is impressively well balanced and agile in its handling. Riding the ZX10R gives you that assured feel of no compromise made on the stability and control even at peak performance with the bike screaming at its redline of 14,500 RPM. As expected from the 197 bhp stonker, the ZX10R comes alive with a raucous symphony of an inline four gathering thrust in quick linear fashion. Ride an old ZX10R and the new back to back- the difference between the two is evident at ease.

The all-cast seven-piece lightweight chassis though built with the ‘rigidity’ factor in mind, offers certain amount of flex characteristics for enhanced cornering performance. Though the flex would be hard to tell in everyday riding speeds, but push the bike harder into the corners and more so while going over minor undulations- you do realize the advantage of having a minor but right amount of flex on a motorcycle frame.

Other noticeable aspect is the three level SKTRC – abbreviated for Sport Kawasaki Traction Control intelligently senses the need for the traction control to kick in- though a little tyre slip is actually a good thing for the fun factor, but the onboard computer chip is quick to assess and analyze the loss of traction calibrating the spin to regain the lost bite- all this happens in a matter of milliseconds with near pin-point accuracy. Level 1 for maximum grip on track rather for someone who’s always hard on the gas, Level 2 for intermediate and Level 3 for slippery conditions with further three different power options of Full (F), Medium (M) and Low (L) giving the rider 9 set of modes to choose from. Coming to the real world, rather in our case- the best part was riding in the rain and the ECU was working seamlessly between 60% to 75% power according to the grip levels and we could switch between modes on the fly, eliminating the need to stop and then switch to a different mode.

And that is not all, a new sports bike-tuned ABS system has been mated to the sophisticated traction control further enhancing the control and road-holding manners of the ZX10R. The Tokico 4 pot calipers might look identical to the naked eye, but the pistons in the calipers are of different sizes. Performance wise, the brakes are an absolute delight and the ABS works flawlessly well even under extreme hard braking with a pillion.

The 2013 Kawasaki ZX10R now features a new electronic steering damper developed in collaboration with Ohlins. The damper is controlled by a dedicated ECU located under the fuel tank and works in coordination with the acceleration and deceleration of the rear wheel thereby providing ideal levels of damping under varied riding conditions. Under Race Mode- the operation is so seamless, it’s hardly evident. Putting the new damper to the test, I pulled off a wheelie- and the smoothness with which the front tyre landed was amazing and void of any noticeable jerk. ‘STELLAR’ is the word.

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