All Trials – The Ninja sharpened her blade! – Easy on the road, the ZX-6R may nevertheless lack charisma …

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The Ninja sharpened her blade !

All Trials - The Ninja sharpened her blade! - Easy on the road, the ZX-6R may nevertheless lack charisma ...

In 2009 the ZX-6R loudly proclaimed its desire to return to business in the Supersport category! Site therefore subjected him to an arch-complete program: road, track, city, duo and even a racing retest at the hands of a pro pilot.. Yum !

Easy on the road, the ZX-6R may nevertheless lack charisma…

During our test, no less than 1000 km of small roads in solo and in duo confirm the positive impressions delivered by this new ZX-6R. Of course, your other half will ask for a divorce from your exclusive wrongs even before the first revision: the passenger seat is far too far from the pilot and the lady comes to crush your parts with each braking, for want of being able to hold on to the tank … jump seat is as ridiculously narrow as it is difficult to access for those under 1.75 m !

"In fact, it’s a motorcycle to flirt with the well-rounded girl! "", laughs a biker who witnessed the – graceful, of course – leg throwing and the flexibility that our unfortunate passenger must show to get behind the pilot … A sort of natural selection with a sporty flavor ?

Obviously, the space under the said saddle is about as small as the number of free parking spaces in Paris, but the Zak ‘remains a sports car and its trick is to cut the road – quickly, preferably! And on this side, the objectives are perfectly fulfilled! There remains a major problem: despite a nice sound, the 599 cc unit is far too hollow below 6,000 rpm and if it wakes up after 8,000 rpm, the thrust is a bit disappointing because far too linear.

No kick to the foundation once arrived in the towers as on the explosive R6 or especially the 675 Dayto and its fabulous three-cylinder … No beautiful torque range as on the 600 CBR: the ZX-6R is missing cruelly presence in this restricted version, despite the many modifications made to the engine.

Kawasaki indeed claims the addition of cylindrical guides at the top of the air filter housing which would allow a "more precise atomization of the fuel from the secondary injectors", but also an extension of the injection bodies which increases"the distance between the main and secondary butterflies by 10 mm", all to the benefit of filling the engine at all speeds.

Unfortunately, in 106 hp, the Zak ‘is almost too docile and the thrust is certainly perfectly controllable, but unsurprisingly and cruelly limited between 8,000 and 14,000 rpm. There is no point in pushing until the switch placed 2,500 rpm higher: the clamping conscientiously stifles the potential flight of the Green at high speeds.

"The ZX-6R’s clamping is of the mechanical type (limitation of the throttle lift), which logically should be felt more noticeably at full load", confirms Kawasaki France. We can bet that in a free version – and therefore inaccessible to French bikers … -, the Ninja must recover colors and highlight the recognized talent of Kawa engine manufacturers !

Because if the taking of turns is indeed linear, the Zak ‘remains a formidable weapon, equipped with a mill which – even flanged – is able to take you to 166 km / h in second, to 197 km / h in third and which easily goes up to 250 km / h in fifth gear! In short, the motorcycle has nothing of a lung and does not hesitate to demonstrate it at leisure to sorrowful spirits !

Simply, Kawasaki has made the choice of ease of operation over the entire range of use. Orientation that pays off on a daily basis – the bike allows you to pull out curves with a handle in the corner without any apprehension – but which can, in the long run, generate a certain lack of sensations and therefore emotions…

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