2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test

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2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test
KRT

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test

12th photos

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test
KRT

1/12
Like all teams, KRT is constantly developing its superbikes (here the Evo-Kawasaki).

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test
KRT

2/12
In contrast to Tom Sykes on the superbike, David Salom roared with the Evo-Kawasaki…

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test
KRT

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Impressions from the 2014 Kawasaki superbike.

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test
KRT

4/12
Impressions from the 2014 Kawasaki superbike.

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test
KRT

5/12
Impressions from the 2014 Kawasaki superbike.

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test
KRT

6/12
Thanks to the modifications, the 2014 Kawa whistles out of high-speed corners faster.

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test
KRT

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…Kawasaki has put a lot of development work into tuning the rear suspension.

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test
KRT

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Factory swing arm, different deflection, special shock absorber from Showa including hydraulic spring preload and spring deflection sensor…

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test
KRT

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The fork, which has also been optimized, also absorbs bumps better and provides more feedback when braking.

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test
KRT

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For example, the engine turns significantly higher than in previous years.

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test
KRT

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So the technicians took a big step, especially with the engine…

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test
KRT

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…to the title in the separately rated class.

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test

Between anticipation and shit

Content of

Kawasaki loses starting number one in 2015, with new regulations coming into force. We shoo the 2014 superbike one last time and tell us how the new rules will work.

Everything looked like a safe march of the Greens. For large parts of the season, hardly anyone doubted Kawasaki’s defense of his title in the Superbike World Championship. But at the final rendezvous in Qatar, it turned out to be a fatal error. Aprilia grabbed him with two wins Kawasaki Racing Team (KRT) the world championship crown away from under your nose – ouch! The disappointment about it dug deep into the flesh of the Greens like a huge thorn. But a few weeks after this fiasco, the boys and girls at KRT are back to business as usual. At least nobody shows any more of the misery. Because despite the loss of the title, they again invited two handful of international journalists to test ride their bikes from the previous season. This has become a tradition, but this time there is a very special atmosphere in the pit lane in Aragón / Spain.

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2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test
Between anticipation and shit

2014 Kawasaki factory superbike put to the test

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Mixture of anticipation and shit

While the mechanics are still working on Sykes ‘next year’s bike, a helper asks me:” Get ready, it’s your turn! ” There it is again, this tingling sensation, this mixture of anticipation and shit. Despite some experience with strong and light superbikes – including the factory Kawa from 2012 – I’m still brutally nervous before such races. In addition, the warning words of the team boss constantly creep through the brain: “You have an introductory lap, two flying laps and one laps, don’t fall!” Only two flying laps. On such occasions a few additional laps would be helpful to get used to the bike and to focus on the track. How’s it going, dear Kawasaki Racing Team, will you donate a few extra laps next year? In any case, here and now there is no chance of a few extra parameters, the tight schedule is relentless.

A mechanic pushes the Kawasaki ZX-10R out of the box, mount it. Oops, on the Sykes-Kawa you are enthroned pretty high up. The rider sits significantly higher than on a series 10 and also higher than on David Salom’s Evo bike, which we were also allowed to chase a few laps around the Kringel (see box above). “First course upstairs, the rest downstairs. When downshifting, you don’t need a clutch, blipper function. Do you know that? ”I nod briefly, let’s go. Although the engine is already running, the mechanic pushes the Kawa a few more meters. To take care of his baby, he would probably like to walk with him all the time.

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Almost 1.5 HP per kilo – absolute madness!

But that is not necessary. It is always astonishing how tame such factory rockets hammer around the runway. Insiders certify that the world championship superbikes have around 240 hp. With a prescribed minimum weight of 165 kilograms (without petrol), this results in just under 1.5 HP per kilogram – absolute madness! According to KRT’s assurances, the bike corresponds exactly to the status of the last two races in Qatar. At least the punch at medium speeds leaves no doubt about that. The Kawasaki ZX-10R pushes so vehemently out of the corners, as if the technicians had secretly breathed 200 cubic more cubic capacity into it. The WM bike immediately implements every turn of the throttle and still works extremely friendly. Only the early onset of traction control with its clearly audible, characteristic misfires is a bit surprising. “The trick is to generate the ideal mix of slip and propulsion,” reveals a technician. “The teams are constantly working on this.” Is controlled drifting with the machine then even possible? “Yes, but for that you have to know the bike and the TC very well.”

Journalist mapping uploaded?

With increasing engine speeds, wheelies set in another stimulating, although detrimental driving state for fast lap times. “In order to avoid the front wheel climbing too much, I shift up a little earlier in the first three gears and use the thumb brake,” reveals Sykes. “We took off the foot brake pedal, I don’t use it anyway.” I prefer to leave the trick with the thumb brake on and instead open the shower fully in fourth gear. But the expected, excessive brutal thrust does not materialize. Either the KRT guys have put up a journalist mapping after all. Or, and this is more likely, the superbike delivers its performance so evenly that the driver doesn’t even realize how rapidly the load is arrowing towards the horizon. In addition, the pilot enjoys behind the mighty full fairing
excellent wind protection.

Although the Sykes Kawasaki is generally very stable, the load begins to commute on the long back straight as the aisles are loaded. At first she only stirs the handlebars slightly, but then continues to rock. “She doesn’t normally do that,” wonders the Briton. “The Kawasaki is one of the quietest bikes in the entire field. It is possible that you are holding onto the handlebars too tightly. ”As we saw in a conversation with two colleagues, the cause lies elsewhere. One, a Swede, weighs around 75 kilos like me and also complains of heavy pendulum motion. The 60-kilo man from France, on the other hand, is calm. Obviously, the superbike is designed and tuned so close to the limit that a few kilos make the difference.

"Ultimately, it all comes down to the size of your nuts"

Regardless of the tester‘s pounds, the Werks-10er is not super handy, but it is willing and extremely accurate in the corners. It also shines with great feedback in front and behind. But she is really outstanding on the brakes. “We clearly have advantages over the Aprilia”, grins Sykes and puts it in the finest racer jargon: “Ultimately, however, it depends on the size of your nuts, how late and how hard you brake!” There is nothing to add.

Kawasaki world champion

What Tom Sykes couldn’t do with the Superbike Kawasaki, David Salom did in the Evo class. The Spaniard took the title in the separately rated Evo bikes in twelfth place overall. We also shooed his equipment for a few laps around the Spanish course. The biggest difference is in the engine. Especially in the middle, it punches noticeably less than the Superbike, which means that the Evo doesn’t power out of the corners as angrily. In a direct comparison, it also lacks some pressure on the top. The very good-natured characteristics are reminiscent of a production bike, only on a much higher level. The sound goes well with it: The Salom-Kawa is nowhere near as powerful and pithy growling from the exhaust as its heavily tuned sister. In addition, the pilot has to use the clutch when downshifting because the restricted electronics do not allow the automatic shifting device to function as a blipper.

Despite these differences, there are also some similarities. Like the “real” superbike, the Evo goes wonderfully smoothly and yet directly on the gas, implementing commands from the right hand one-to-one. There is no trace of devious, beastly performance – great! Like the Sykes pedestal, however, this bike also tends to wheelies in the first three gears. It rises very good-naturedly, but if you don’t switch up early, you simply throw the box backwards. Although basically equipped with an identical undercarriage, Salom’s pedestal does not stab the corners as eagerly as the Sykes-Kawa. In addition, the pilot sits lower, and the shock absorber is slightly less damped in the compression stage. Which is surprising, because when accelerating out of corners, the Kawa does not provide such crystal-clear feedback as its faster relatives. But apparently the Spaniard copes brilliantly with it, it’s all a question of personal preference. One advantage of the Evo-Kawasaki is its stability when shooting at high speed. On the eternally long back straight, the number 44 bike, unlike the Sykes-Kawa, remains calm, no lurching, no stirring, nothing. The chassis and engine of the Salom bike form the basis for the 2015 emergency vehicles.

Interview team manager KRT

For a long time it looked like you could easily defend the title. Before the last three events in Jerez, Magny-Cours and Losail, Tom Sykes was leading with 44 points ahead of Sylvain Guintoli. Before the last event in Losail it was still 12 points. Was there a key situation where you lost the title?

No, that is due to several things. We knew Aprilia would be strong in Jerez. They won both races there and came second twice. It rained in Magny-Cours, and moisture has never played our part in our cards.
In addition, the very winding route from Losail is also more suitable for the Aprilia. The old wisdom applies that the season is only over after the last race. 

In Losail’s first race, Loris Baz disregarded the stable orders and didn’t let Sykes pass. How did the team react??

We were very disappointed, but not angry. We didn’t think it was fair that Loris acted like this because of his personal differences with Tom. After all, he was paid by Kawasaki and has learned a lot from us in recent years. That is also why he should have done what we asked him to do. 

But we fans want unfiltered racing without stall orders.

I can understand that and we want to deliver exciting races. But for us as a manufacturer, the title counts first and foremost.  

Baz ‘Roller with his starting number 76 is still standing in the paddock. You didn’t set the part on fire or shred it?

(Laughs) No, the disappointment isn’t that deep. At the moment we’re testing the superbikes for the next season, so things like new scooters have to wait a while.

The next season is a good keyword. What do you think of the new regulations, which are clearly slowing down the performance of the superbikes?

Of course we don’t like to take a step back technically. In addition, the regulations only slightly lower the costs for us as a works team, because the effort involved in development and during the races is similarly high. The biggest advantage of the new rules is that smaller teams can now catch up with the top teams more easily, as they can buy their electronics relatively cheaply. That allows for a bigger field and closer races, which is good for the show. The most important thing, however, is that the audience doesn’t notice any difference in terms of speed. From the second half of the season, David Salom only lost one to one and a half seconds on Tom’s Superbike with the Evo bike. I believe that the lap times gap will continue to shrink with the new machines, to around 0.7 seconds. 

We don’t even expect absolute figures for top performance. But could you tell us the difference in performance between the Evo bike and the Superbike?

That is around eight hp.

In addition to MotoGP, Dorna has also been managing the Superbike World Championship since 2012. Do you feel like a second class series?

Not at all. The global interest offers space for several top racing classes. We are in good hands with Dorna.

At least in Germany, interest in the Superbike World Championship is falling. Why is that? 

This is primarily due to the media presence, especially the patchy and inconsistent broadcasting on TV. Dorna actually has to get better here, but those responsible are already working on it.

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