Kawasaki ZZR1400

TWEAK is such a great word. Anything and everything can be improved with a tweak.

In my job, I spend a lot of time tweaking headlines, but in the motorcycling world the tweak technique is more commonly applied to engines, chassis, suspension and the like. The whole point being to end up with a bike that’s not a new bike, but that feels like one.

While the sports touring ZZR600 has remained pretty much unchanged over the decades, Kawasaki’s top end hyper sports machine has seen a variety of different guises. Starting life as the 170mph ZZR1100 way back in 1990, the bike I’ve always affectionately referred to as ‘the barge’ (not just because of its dimensions, but for its ability to barge past everything else on the road) has seen more than its fair share of revamps and overhauls. It’s also gone up in engine capacity, increasing like middle-aged spread from 1100cc to a belt-loosening 1200cc and now on to a distinctly portly 1400cc, each time with the aim of wringing out more grunt, more power, and in this increasingly competitive sector, more top speed.

Don’t get me wrong, last year’s model was still more than enough for most mortals, but for 2008 the ZZR1400 has been tweaked again, and this time in all the right places. Many felt more could be done with the motor to make it more tractable, more usable in the real world, so now changes have been made to the pistons and intake ports and Kawasaki have revised the fuelling system to really unleash the hidden power. The pressure was on with the appearance late last year of the new Suzuki Hayabusa, the bike which has dominated the hyper sports section for many years and gained cult status in the USA. So has Kawasaki done enough to convince the nay-sayers and win back the hearts and minds of those riders who simply have to have the most awesome motorcycle out there?

Visually, the ZZR1400 is a leviathan. Its road presence is huge with more lights on the front than your archetypal UFO. The big round silencers on either side are distinctly old school, while the comfy seat and relaxed riding position make for a machine to cross continents on at warp speed. The Hayabusa is a much more sporting bike to ride, where the ZZR has more of a touring demeanour with your weight spread evenly between seat, pegs and bars. But just check out those aerodynamic mirrors. If you’re going to cut through the atmosphere at figures approaching 200mph, you need all the help you can get.

Kawasaki’s reputation for building enormously strong engines has never been in question, but last year’s ZZR1400 suffered from a bit of over-engineering. It was felt Joe Public wouldn’t be able to cope with its awesome delivery in the lower rev section, so power was intentionally curtailed low down, only to be fully released as the bike hit the upper echelons of the rev counter. But of course that’s the very essence of these bikes, gargantuan acceleration from any revs in any gear. Sports 600s are for revving out, not hyperbikes. In all honesty, you can’t get this type of bike anywhere near the red line unless you’re on a track or an autobahn, so to strangle its output low down is missing the point, and in fairness it hasn’t taken Kawasaki long to realise this. So, for 2008, full power is back, and it really is phenomenal.

On the move, the ZZR’s weight is forgotten and, with gentle use of the right hand, its road manners are impeccable. The aluminium monocoque frame copes well with the thunderous levels of torque, while the 43mm USD forks and Uni-trak rear suspension provide for a millpond-smooth ride. Sixty mph is achievable in three seconds flat, while the ton comes up in just 5.6 seconds from take-off. ABS-assisted four-piston calipers bite on petal discs at the front to provide the ZZR with deceleration that’s as remarkable as its acceleration. Reaction time aside, 70 down to standstill can be achieved in a smidgeon over 54 metres. Just don’t try it on a full stomach.

With white dials that are easy to read and a comprehensive digital onboard computer, the ZZR is both practical and easy to use, making it a joy to live with. Whether it’s quicker or not than the Hayabusa turns out to be immaterial. They cost the same, you’d struggle to tell the difference on the road in terms of performance, and they both bludgeon every other bike into submission. What separates them is the styling and the riding position. And only you can make the final call.

The Kawasaki ZZR1400 was kindly loaned by George White Motorcycles of Swindon.

Article written: April 19, 2008

OUR STEER ON THE ZZR1400

Price: £8,995

Top speed: 181 mph

Engine: 1,352cc inline four

0-60: 3.06 seconds

0-100: 5.63 seconds

Power: 169 bhp @ 9,300 rpm

Torque: 105 lb ft @ 7,000 rpm

Weight: 224 kg

Seat height: 800 mm

Fuel capacity: 22 litres

by Jon Bennett