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zxhoya

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Posts: 631

posted January 02, 2007 06:37 PM

SuperBike mag; 04 vs. 06 ZX-10R (long)

English magazine, SuperBike, did a comparo test between the 04 and 06 ZX-10R's in the latest issue. Here go's.

OLD Vs. NEW:
Kawasaki ZX-10R C1 vs ZX-10R D6:
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Kawasaki got back with the litre bike frontrunners in 2004 with its mad ZX-10R.
With some madness ironed-out of the 2006 model how do they compare?
WORDS: Chris Moss
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When the ZX-10R hit the streets in 2004 it certainly grabbed the headlines with its huge performance. But many thought the Japanese firm had gone a bit too far by producing a bike that could become a vicious and volatile beast if it was ridden anywhere near its maximum. It looked like Kawasaki thought so too when it brought out a slightly calmer version of the bike just a couple of years later.
The question is; how different are the pair, and by taming the beast a little did Kawasaki get the job right second time round? we tested a couple of them back to back to find out if the tranquilisers have worked.
I must say I'm one of the critics of the original model's over-the-top performance. When I first rode one a couple of years ago I couldn't believe just how mental it was. I didn't think it had too much power as such, it's just that it came in with such a bang that if you weren't really ready for it, you were doing impromptu AC Farias impressions everywhere. And when the front wheel was on terra firma, with no steering damper and what felt like the geometry of a MotoGP bike, it was no surprise to find the bars could slap out of your hands if you weren't wary. Every ride on the Kawasaki was an artery flushing experience. Out on track later on, the ZX made a lot more sense, but on Queens Highway, My verdict on this Kawasaki was "just a bit too bonkers" and that I wasn't quite man enough for it.

BONKERS
Bearing that in mind it was with fairly mixed feelings that I approached this test. I might have been keen to learn whether the Kawasaki engineers had sorted the job and produced a more refined and usable animal with its version. But I was a bit bothered by having to put that view in context by having to ride the benchmark bonkers bastard original first. As the test began on some less familiar roads in the Peak District I was being sensible with the throttle (ab)use, for once at least. Riding the 2004 ZX-10R in this more measured way makes it feel more like a cat than a tiger, and I was quite impressed with it's manners. Sampled at 7/10th's at least, The Kawasaki felt quite manageable with it's soft bottom end power delivery and light flickable handling. And with more than decent brakes and suspension to keep things in check, at first I thought I was riding a different bike to the one that had bothered me so much the last time I had a go on it.

HOME TURF
But with the autumn light failing as fast as it does, and the chance of getting the test finished as likely as Bill Gates flying Easy Jet, we had to leave it for another day.
And when that day dawned so did my sudden realisation that this bike is actually as mad as I once remembered it to be. It's all down to how hard you ride it.
Harder riding wss all the easier second time round because I was now back on home turf, and knowing where I was heading a bit better allowed me to get the throttle open earlier and for longer. Though when I did do that, my sphincter size synchronised itself with that of those fueling devices. Ridden more aggressively, the original ZX-10R is so fucking mad it makes Hollywood hell-raiser Russell Crowe look like a tea-drinking nancy boy.
It might have a soft but quite flexible delivery down the bottom end of it's rev range, but once those revs climb and you get to around 9-10,000rpm the thing just takes off in a proper serious scenery blurring fashion. The climb up to this zone of madness is quite friendly an linear, but there's no getting away from it, if you're not right on your marks when the in-line four gets into the meat of it's power, then the ZX can start becoming a real handful. And that's even considering this test bike had a Scorpion end can fitted (which is claimed to smooth things out and give a bit more midrange). Can or no can though, unless the road you're whizzing down is flat, or better still downhill, the bike rarely stays horizontal. And if it's surface isn't as smooth as Anna kournikova's flesh, then the front end can flap itself into a blur.
Ride the bike on stuff resembling the tennis star's epidermis and you'll be OK. But racetracks aside, chances are you'll struggle to find such a perfect surface on UK roads and will always run the risk of having to deal with a bit of front end epilepsy. Don't get me wrong though, there's a reason why SuperBike voted it the best 1000cc track weapon in 2004. It's still one hell of a bike and can generate a serious rush which rivals like the Firelade (CBR1000RR) can't match.
That more elitist attitude is not the case with the new bike and it's calming measures have given it a chance to be used hard by more people, more of the time. First off, the steering fits have been sorted by nothing more than, wait for it....................a steering damper. The Ohlins unit on the new bike is such a complete and obvious answer to the earlier bike's instability issues you have to wonder why Kawasaki didn't lob one on in the first place. Another change to make life on board slightly more sane and manageable is the one made to the engine power delivery. Overall, the way horses reach the rear tyre isn't radically different, but the extra mid range guts the newer engine has makes the delivery fuller, smoother and more progressive. It's still a mad bugger when you get on the gas and rev it harder, but the badness of the sudden rush of wheelie-prompting bhp has been contained more. And the Kawasaki is so much better for it. Neither bike has the same sort of grunt as a GSX-R1000, but at least the transition from soft to hard power on the new bike isn't as light switch-like on the newer model.

MILD MANNERED
The milder-mannered 2006 motor also helps the handling. Although it's a tad heavier than the old one the geometry is more relaxed and so doesn't always feel quite as agile but, as a consequence of the way the motor now makes it's power it puts the chassis under less stress. Combined with the firmer forks, helping to reduce dive under braking, the shock being a little bit softer, allowing the rear end to track bumps better, and a 5mm longer wheelbase the handling of the new bike has to be voted an improvement thanks to it's predictability.
Style is an all-important issue to many and when it comes down to that, the new bike simply can't match the old one. It didn't help that our 2006 bike was finished in black making it look more of a sombre sports tourer than a full-on superbike.
The shape of the new bike causes most concern. It's rounded, bar of soap, styling makes it look around 20-30 kilos heavier than it actually is. And though it's been shaped to cut through the air more easily, its porky and bulbous lines are not easy on the eye. Those underseat exhaust cans look far too hefty too. Compared to the 2006 bike, the previous version appears positively anorexic, and all the better for it. SB

THE FINAL ANALYSIS
Choosing which bike suits you best is quite tricky in this case. The newer bike is, dynamically speaking at least, the better of the two, simply because you can use more of what it's got. But lets be honest here, 'using more' can equate to riding at such a frantic pace that unless you're keen on sampling prison food, you're better off restricting to the track. So sampling more of what the new bike has might be considered as academic by many.
At more realistic speeds the old and new ZX-10s are a lot closer, though the extra mid-range grunt of the latest version does allow you to be lazier with gear changes and revs to get a similar result in acceleration. Fitting a Power Commander would probably bring a bit more grunt to the old bike. But only by altering its internals (exactly what Kawasaki did) would you really get the old motor to match the new one's more usable delivery.
Getting the handling of the old bike up to speed wouldn't take as much effort though. And even the stability of the 2006 model is a very welcome bonus, a couple of hundred quid spent on a damper would bring the older bike into line perfectly while retaining its inherent excitability and attitude.
So in essence there's very little in it, despite the differences. The final decision, therefore, may well rest on the opinion of your eyes. Each is shaped and styled very differently but I can't think of many who'd opt for the new bike's aesthetics over the old. So that's it then. When it comes to deciding who's top dog between these two, show is more important than go. Whether that makes it better than the old bike is a question the answer to which will depend on your own preferences. Personally I go for the newer, faster, better handling albeit slightly more compromised machine.

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bovinespongiformencephalo

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variant Kreutzfeldt-Jakob
Posts: 1060

posted January 02, 2007 07:20 PM

The new one is kinda painful to look at. I'll stick with my 04.

Lucky Lo

Moderator
I gotta go....
Posts: 677

posted January 02, 2007 08:24 PM

quote:
The new one is kinda painful to look at. I'll stick with my 04.

and I my '05

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FP 10R

Expert Class
Fast Learner
Posts: 212

posted January 02, 2007 09:50 PM

You have to wonder what this guy was on (drug wise) If his riding skill or lack of it has him so shit scared of a bike like the ZX10R 04/05 or 06 then what the hell is he doing offering a supposed educated opinion like the above.

Any of the litre bikes offer race like performance straight off the showroom floor these days Kawi has always been noted for their motor and for me this is part of the appeal, while my bike is heavily modified it is one of the most rideable bikes i have ever owned in any situation and is only changed by the right wrist.

Try 172 rwhp and a 15 degree GP quick throttle and this bike is still as managable as you want or not, the trick is ride within your capabilites and applies to any bike. My comments relate to road going ZX10's, race bike versions are a completely different matter.

But like the above this is just my opinion.

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TedG

Moderator
Posts: 8222

posted January 03, 2007 01:32 PM

I like a brute, unmanagable is perfect. Front wheel in the air all the time... sign me up. Head shake just reminds me to gas it. Anyway at altitude it is too slow.

technic