Kawasaki Zx-14r
Kawasaki ZX-14R
Everything else is officially slow
NICK IENATSCH
HISTORY WILL SHOW THAT Cycle World's first ride on Kawasaki’s ZX-14R happened at a dragstrip. Think back to the HI and Z1 of the 1970s, Team Green’s first pacesetters, for the pattern this company has developed: big horsepower, industry-leading acceleration, physics-defying speed.
The two-stroke Hl Mach III and four-stroke Z1 shocked us with their amazing performance back in the day, and Kawasaki has done it again with this elegant een monster.
Within the first five minutes of the press introduction, world champion dragracer Rickey Gadson reeled off an effortless, uncorrected 9.64-second pass at 149 mph—stock ride height, 42 pounds of air in the rear Metzeier, pump gas in the tank. An hour later, I clocked a 9.91 at 149. This is a mind-blowing terminal speed from a stock production bike.
When I stayed in the power all the way through fifth gear—shutting off only because the dragstrip pavement was ending—the speedo registered 175. This motorcycle did an indicated 175 in just a half-mile, with a gear to go. When we let Road Test Editor Don Canet loose to top-speed test the 14R, he was stunned: “It was absolutely amazing how quickly and easily the bike reaches its electronically limited 185.1 mph top speed. The ZX-14R doesn’t roll over on
top and eke out the last few mph like most production bikes do; it bangs into the rev limiter and begins to lurch—at 185 mph—as if it’s letting you know the 200-mph club would be well within its capabilities if it weren’t for the gentlemen’s agreement among manufacturers to keep speeds under 186.”
Kawasaki makes no apologies. “We want the 14R to be the fastest, hardestaccelerating production bike in the world.” Read any equivocation in that?
Ask an HI or Z1 owner about handling and they’ll probably laugh while mentioning anemic brakes and speed wobbles that rival the Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders. Notice the “R” immediately following “14,” a designation that wasn’t on the first-gen 14: It’s there to let us know Kawasaki focused its considerable resources on the chassis, too.
Thank you, Lord.
We thank the Lord and Team Green for the R designation because, let’s face it, 2012 motorcycles are an increasingly sophisticated group. Running nines at 149 is amazing and terrifying and stimulating, but after those three feelings fade away, we still want to get to work, ride to breakfast on Sunday, do track days, cross the country, get home in the rain. The press intro gave us a small and tempting taste of the 14R on the freeway and backroads, but it wasn’t until we got it back to SoCal that we realized how usable this rocketship is.
Don’t be misled. The 14’s power dominates like King Kong in a parakeet cage. None of us can ride this thing and not be blown away by the massive thrust. The more riding talent the rider has, the more enjoyable this bike proves
to be. Newbies were shocked and scared
and shocked and scared, and that was just the first two gears. They got more panicked after that.
Kawasaki stroked last year’s 1352cc engine 4mm to get a 144lee powerplant with a 12.3:1 compression ratio. Redline is 11,000 rpm. All told, you’ll see 192 rear-wheel ponies on top, but the number you’ll feel with every throttle movement is the 113 foot-pounds of torque. For the experts on our staff, it’s the closest thing to a turbo bike we’ve yet experienced. Addicting? Yes! Frightening? Yes! For less-experienced riders, it was the closest thing to a Grizzly attack.
But controllable, too, and in various ways. We’ll begin with the most important: killer brakes. Radially mounted Nissin calipers up front clamp 310mm petal-style discs, and the 58.3-inch
wheelbase is long enough to make the rear caliper extremely useful, as well. Power and feel are outstanding on both ends, though we did fade the front brakes slightly during an extended, high-speed, stop-and-go photo session. The lever came back toward the bar noticeably, but power stayed strong and progressive, important on a 545-pound bike that pulls with only slightly less urgency than John Force’s NHRA Funny Car. Antilock braking is not an option this year, but Kawasaki plans to listen to buyers to see if ABS should be included on future l4Rs. We think ABS is always welcome on a streetbike.
Back to controllability: Human throttle control is assisted by three distinct modes of KTRC traction control (four modes if you count Oft). Modes 1 and 2 we described in depth during our testing of Kawi’s ZX-10R, but think of them as safety nets willingly blunting wheelspin and wheelies. Mode 2 is more conservative, but Gadson still ran a 9.98 with it engaged. Even on a leash, this thing is beastly—until Mode 3 (borrowed from
the Concours), which enables the rider to navigate the most slippery conditions with no drama whatsoever. Several of us spent time trundling around gravel parking lots and on dirt roads with the 14R’s throttle wide open, and the Mode 3 electronics always saved our stupidity.
Kawi moved the KTRC switch to the left handlebar, and the bike remembers the mode previously selected when you restart it, except the Off position. Mode 1 probably got the most use around here, but on roads we know and love, the TC was switched oft' for maximum enjoyment of this bike’s best attribute. Have you ever ridden a Yamaha YSR50 with a lOOcc two-stroke motocross engine stuck in its frame? A bike with nitrous? A turbo? If so, you’re getting the idea behind this bike with no TC engaged. Something is happening all the time, and there aren’t many riders in the world who won’t be impressed with how this bike gets up and goes. Maybe Larry “Spiderman” McBride....
While KTRC jumps in to help the rider when opening the throttle, a back-
torque-limiting (slipper) clutch sits in the cases to help smooth sloppy downshifts and soften the effects of highrpm throttle closures. And speaking of clutches, this one is tough, tough, tough, with nary a problem when subjected to our severe beatings at the dragstrip. In fact, Gadson told CIV that he had more than 100 runs on a single clutch with no drama. There’s no lockup mechanism or anything super-drag-racing trick to help the clutch hook up, but the slipper makes any decel issues smoother.
Kawasaki engineers also made a big deal about improved idle control and offthrottle fueling, and their bragging was proven in our testing: The bike fuels (we used to say carburets) wonderfully and gives the rider every chance to feel the grip of the rear 190mm-wide Metzeler.
Kawasaki gave a single slight nod to political correctness with another choice offered to the rider: the ability to select Full Power or Low Power Mode. Both modes run the same off the bottom, but the horsepower chart begins to differ at
6500 rpm, and Low Mode finally delivers three-quarters of the output of Full power mode. Why? No, really. We’re asking. Why? Is it for your friend to try this bike? Don’t let your friend try this bike.
The third arm of controllability Kawasaki offers 14R owners is a chassis Scan for more revised significant-
photos and video Gen 0ne
The monocoque
frame is 50 percent brand-new, the swingarm is 10mm longer and, most importantly the front and rear KYB suspension wears firmer springs, with revised damping to match. We completely closed the fork’s compression and rebound damping at the strip, and ran standard settings during our backroad flogs.
Handling is impressive for a bike this
heavy (545 pounds dry on the CW scale). Steering is neutral, stability excellent and the 14R is definitely in its element through smooth, fast sweepers. On a tight road, you’ll never forget you’re on a big un’, but it is really easy to ride fast and rolls down to full lean with little effort.
We also really like the 14R’s lowspeed handling feel. It’s quite a contrast to the higher-effort Suzuki Hayabusa at parking-lot speeds. Shift action is also tops, and it’s super-easy to make fluid gear changes up or down. Drivetrain lash is close to nil.
Our metallic-green 14R states in no uncertain terms that the glory of performance motorcycles continues. A year after Chevrolet introduced the overpriced, under-powered, coal-burning Volt, Kawasaki launches the ZX-14R with all the political correctness of a jab to the nose. The engineers used phrases like “leapfrog the competition” and “total domination,” subtleties like that. For just under $15,000, Kawasaki has once again produced the hardest-accelerating mass-production vehicle on our planet; included in that price is all the equipment needed to stop and turn. Team Green has come a long way since the Mach III. □
KAWASAKI NINJA ZX-14R
GENERAL_
List price_$14,899
Importer:
Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA PO. Box 25252 Santa Ana, CA 92799
_www, kawasaki. com
Customer service
phone_949/770-0400
Warranty 12 mo./unlimited mi.
ENGINE_
Type liquid-cooled,
four-stroke, inline-Four Bore x stroke 84.0 x 65.0mm
Displacement_1441cc
Compression ratio 12.3:1 Valve train dohc, four valves per cylinder, shim adjustment Valve adjustment intervals _15,000 mi.
SUSPENS10N/TIRES_
Front suspension: Manufacturer KYB
Tube diameter 43mm
Claimed wheel travel 4.6 in. Adjustments compression and rebound damping, _spring preload
Rear suspension: Manufacturer KYB
Type single shock
Claimed wheel travel 4.9 in. Adjustments compression and rebound damping, __spring preload
Tires:
Front 120/70ZR17
Metzeler Sportec M5 Rear 190/55ZR17
Metzeler Sportec M5
PERFORMANCE
Induction 44mm throttle bodies
Oil capacity 4.9 qt. Electrical power 581 w Battery 12v, 12ah CHASSIS Weight: Tank empty Tank full 545 lb. 582 lb. Fuel capacity 5.8 gal. Wheelbase 58.4 in. Rake/trail 23.073.7 in. Seat height 31.4 in. Ground clearance 5.0 in. GVWR 970 lb. Load capacity (tank full) 388 lb. SPEEDOMETER ERROR 30 mph indicated 29 mph 60 mph indicated 57 mph
Vi mile 9.47 sec. @ 152.83 mph 0-30 mph 1.2 sec. 0-60 mph 2.6 sec. 0-90 mph 4.2 sec. 0-100 mph 4.8 sec. Top gear time to speed: 40-60 mph 3.3 sec. 60-80 mph 2.8 sec. Measured top speed 185 mph Engine speed at 60 mph 3320 rpm FUEL MILEAGE High/low/avg. 42/22/33 mpg Avg. range inc. reserve 191 mi. BRAKING DISTANCE from 30 mph 30 ft. from 60 mph 121 ft.
