All Tests – The new GTR 1400: more comfortable and safer – K-TRC: hunting prohibited!

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The new GTR 1400: more comfortable and safer

All Tests - The new GTR 1400: more comfortable and reassuring - K-TRC: hunting prohibited!

It was on the beautiful – and wet – roads of Tuscany that we were able to test the all new version of the Kawasaki 1400GTR. For 2010, the Ninjas are offering a better-equipped motorcycle on many levels: would the Kawa be the perfect GT? ? Test !

K-TRC: hunting prohibited !

Of course, when you set sail for Italy, it’s to take advantage of good weather and pleasant and dry roads as you wish. However, at the end of October, the skies of Tuscany are gray and the coating is wet and tricky: "at least you will be able to properly test the K-TRC! "", consoles us Karim Mostafi, press relations manager at Kawasaki Europe.

A bad for a good therefore: equipped as it should to face the cold temperatures and the possible showers, we will be able to take full advantage of one of the main new features present on the 1400GTR: the K-TRC, "Kawasaki TRaction Control, our first traction control system ", specifies the head of the Greens.

Using ABS sensors, this new system continuously compares the rotational speeds of the front and rear wheels. In the event of an anomaly – "ooh there, the rear wheel turns much faster than the front!" -, the computer of the GTR moderates the ardor of the engine by intervening on three points: the ignition, the injection and the second admission butterflies. "This third point is a Kawasaki exclusive, which makes the traction control softer than our competitors", assure the Kawa engineers…

And it is clear that on these "dirty" small Italian roads, the GTR 1400 is extremely smooth. Taking advantage of the 155 hp of the "non-French" version of our test bike (160 hp with the Ram Air), we managed to surprise the rear tire … only a few tenths of a second !

Almost instantly, the engine’s power is reduced and the rubber adheres to the ground again, even when the latter is particularly slippery – pedestrian crossing strip, wet road, manhole cover, grass … – or unstable – gravel, deformed pavement, earth… -.

The orange light at the bottom of the right-hand dial then flashes, in order to warn the pilot – who would not have noticed the sudden stagnation of the engine speed – that the traction control system is active. On the new GTR 1400 therefore, "hunting" of the rear wheel is therefore prohibited! Contrary to the behavior of its engine, that of the GTR in general remains perfectly homogeneous and under control.

On Italian roads, wet and strewn with dead leaves or even oil stains, you feel safer than on the handlebars of the previous model. The proof: a copy of 2009 was also made available to us, but we did not fight for it !

A series of "extreme" tests on very small roads very gravelly in places allowed us to observe that a prolonged intervention of the K-TRC prevents the motorcycle from resuming its vigorous climbs, even once the risk of skidding has been eliminated. . To take advantage again of all the power of the 4-cylinder 1352 cc, it is first necessary to fully release the throttle before "regaining control" … A situation that the next buyers are unlikely to encounter. !

Because as a reminder, the day laborers are paid to damage their mount while the end customers pay and take great care of theirs … In "normal" use, the K-TRC will mainly be used to counter the drifts of the rear wheel. due to sudden or underestimated decrease in grip.

We also note that before setting off the famous K-TRC, the bike and its tires have to be abruptly jerked … Clear proof that the Kawa ‘and its 190 mm rear BT-021 offer excellent traction! But the GTR 1400 is made to ride in all conditions and on all types of road surface – the nature of which can be expected to change more or less well and quickly! – this new system seems very interesting to us because it is efficient, pleasant and reassuring.

"By default, at each start, the K-TRC is engaged but if the pilot wishes to perform a burn or a wheelie, he can deactivate it by pressing for more than one second on the orange K-TRC button located on the left stalk", inform the Ninjas! In this case, the light on the dashboard remains on continuously, to warn the pilot that the traction control system is no longer operational.

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