KAWASAKI

ZX-6R NINJA J1

OVERVIEW

Life with Kawasaki's ZX6R is very enjoyable and very hard to fault.  The riding position is sporty without compromising long distance comfort too much which is also an advantage for taller riders and those who use their sports bikes to commute through town and filter through traffic regularly.  The riders seat is comfortable,  large and well shaped.  The pillion seat is also quite comfortable, with nicely positioned foot pegs (for a sports bike) and useful grab handles either side of the pillion seat. The dash is well designed and clatter free along with two easy to read analogue clocks supporting a an LCD display in each clock with additional functions.  The fairing offers very good wind protection compared to other 600cc supersport rivals due to a taller screen and a well designed fairing.  At high speeds the chassis is very stable and well behaved.

The power is linear and smooth through every gear and it pulls hard for a 600.  The rev limiter comes around incredibly quickly and if you are not used to the bike its easy to find yourself ignoring the rev limiter.  I find that its best to shift up around 13,500rpm as that way you have enough room to spare for the 14,500rpm rev limit and keep the engine where it performs the best without going past 13,500rpm where the power does slowly starts to fade.  1st & 2nd gear wheelies are common place and once in a while it may lift in 3rd.  The 300mm semi-floating dual discs and 6 pot callipers upfront (220mm disc at rear) ensure that stopping the phenomenal ZX6R is quick and composed and due to the immensely powerful brakes it can be easy for some riders to lock the front wheel or experience unexpected stoppies.        

The standard chassis set-up seems to be pleasing enough for most riders but for the harder rider it can seem a little soft.  A few flicks and twists of the spanners at the fully adjustable suspension will cure this and amazingly transform the bike into a serious track tool (see Hints & Tips section below).  The D207F tyres which come as standard are good sports tyres offering good tyre life, stability and  good levels of grip for most riders.  I have personally found that the D207F tyres lack feel and as a result they don't inspire confidence at peg grinding lean angles so the harder will most likely change the D207F for a tyre that's more suited to the track and a more focused riding style.        

RELIABILITY

Reliability on the whole is very good as long as the bike has been maintained as recommended by the manufacturer.  However, the only common problem seems to be that the rear shock absorber spring can easily rust so its best to fit a quality hugger.  Its easy to get grime into the brake callipers so having the callipers cleaned once in a while is recommended.  During the winter months in extremely cold conditions its common to experience carburettor icing.

Some owners will love to wheelie their bikes, and over time with some harsh landings its common to find the head races need attention.  Bikes that are ridden hard and/or used on race tracks may suffer from warped brake discs and a worn rear shock.  The front forks are faultless but just some owners neglect to change the fork oil so its worth ensuring that the oil has been changed or change it yourself after buying a ZX6R.   

I also had a sticking gear lever linkage which initially started out as minor unreliable gear shifts and then the sticking linkage suddenly got worse which often left me stuck in gear unable to shift up or down.  The cure was inexpensive at my local Kawasaki dealer and it was simply to strip and clean the gear linkage.

MODIFICATIONS

• Carbon Lorraine SBK3 High Performance Brake Pads
• Pyramid Plastics Hugger
• Pyramid Plastics Double Bubble Tinted Screen
• Scorpion Race Can
• Anodised Foot Pegs
• Motrax Anodised Bar Ends
• Slim Line Carbon Look Fairing Indicators
• Short Rear Carbon Look Indicators
• D.I.D Racing Chain & Sprockets
• Performance Bikes Suspension Set-Up
• Datatool Alarm & Immobiliser
• Modified Down Pipes

PICTURES

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

HINTS & TIPS

To sharpen the Kawasaki's ZX-6R's steering, get more feel from the front end and transform the handling to suit track days and fast road riding, write to the following address, enclosing a cheque for £2.50 (£3.50 for overseas readers) made payable to 'Performance Bikes Magazine' and request a set-up guide reprint for March 2001 Kawasaki ZX-6R J1.

Sal at PB, Media House, Lynch Wood, Peterborough Business Park, Peterborough, PE2 6EA

Telephone: +44 (0)1733 468104             E-mail: perf.bikes@emap.com

MAGAZINE REVIEWS

Six-pot callipers grace the front of the Ninja – a bit extreme on a six hundred, yes, but they have to be to match the performance. And they work beautifully.  (MCN Jan 2002)

The chassis set-up is pretty much spot-on straight from the crate, and it, together with the Dunlop D207 tyres, copes superbly with anything the road has to throw at it.  (MCN Jan 2002)

By 14,000rpm the power has tailed off but nail another gear and revel in the hair-raising roar from the air-induction. Keep it howling and a genuine 160-plus mph is possible from this incredible motor. Enough to frighten most 750s in a straight-line showdown and it would take a brave man to bet against a well-ridden Ninja on the back lanes.  (MCN Jan 2002)

KAWASAKI has developed an almost perfect road bike in the ZX-6R. Sharp and massively fast, the ZX-6 does everything you need – well.  (MCN Jan 2002)