Kawasaki is trying their best to dominate the high-end supersport market in the 2019 and for that, the company has chosen its World SBK winner the ZX 10R. They are going to upgrade the current ZX10R and divide it into 3 variants for the upcoming year. Before we begin, let's recall a quick history about the bike. Kawasaki has won the World SBK championship 3 times as a Manufacturer and its riders have won 5 times. Jonathan Rea, with 59 wins tops the WorldSBK charts while Tom Sykes is not far behind either. For the last 3 years, the company and their riders have dominated the WBSK as they managed to finally beat the Italian champion, Aprilia in 2015. While Ducati has won the WBSK the most times, they haven’t been the same since 2011. The bike Ninja ZX10R is extensively used in the championship by both Jonathan Rea and Tom Sykes. They have managed several impressive lap times with it on the track as well.
Now, why did we tell you this? Because the Ninja ZX10R has literally evolved on the track. It is born and bred in international circuits throughout the world and its above-stated history stands as a proof. That’s the reason to be even more excited for the upcoming 2019 ZX10R, which will feature track focused technologies on road bikes, essentially making them road legal track machines.
The ZX10 series is divided into 3 series this time, the ZX-10R, ZX-10 RR, ZX-10R SE (Special Edition)
Let’s begin with ZX-10R-It is the base model in the company’s high-end range. In this year’s update, the bike has received Balance free front fork and BFRC, Ohlins electronic steering damper to prevent tank slappers. Finger follower valve actuation for precise combustion and more than 203 PS of power, while the bi-directional quick shifter is already present on the bike.
Coming to ZX-10 RR- which shares its spiritual position with Ninja H2R by being a mid-range model. It features a track-focused single seat, titanium con rods that are exclusive to this model only, it helps in increasing the top revs of the bike by 600 RPM, thus delivering 204 PS of power. The bike is limited to only 500 units worldwide.
Finally the ZX-10R SE- The overlord among beasts. It is the top model in the new ZX-10R series. It is equipped with electronic suspension from Showa with 3 configuration Track, Road and Custom. It also has a highly durable paint, whose impact we shouldn’t underestimate.
Besides these edition specific features, all bikes are equipped with a bunch of electronic rider aids including KCMF cornering management, KLCM launch control, KIBS ABS, Slipper clutch, and traction control via S-KTRC.
This new range of Ninja also comes with several official accessories like:
-Carbon Body Exhaust from Akrapovic
-Pillion seat cover for ZX-10R
-Engine sliders (kind of like frame sliders)
-Knee pads
-Tyre warmer sets
-Front axle protectors
-Bobbins
The entire series of the bike may launch at the end of this year in India but at this time, these are only speculation. Until then, stay tuned to BikesMedia.
By: Yetnesh Dubey
