Menus

• Pneumatic hammer

Driving report Kawasaki ZX-7R

Pneumatic hammer

Kawaski‘s ZXR 750 already had a lot of smoke on the rear wheel, now it gets even better. Inflated over two huge Ram-Air scoops and an engine radically trimmed for high performance, the new ZX-7R with the first name Ninja is ready.

Right in the middle, in the apparently oh-so-miserably slack business with super-sporty torture chairs, one manufacturer after the other is unpacking its surprise packages. And what’s the result? Lots of super sport torture chairs. Despite the high handlebar boom, the aluminum stubs are still clamped deep down in the cockpit basement. But apparently the crowd of sports weirdos doesn’t really care. Because they simply enjoy indulging their passion without compromise. With the new Kawasaki ZX-7R for example. Even if the number combination is new, it still has the same thing in mind as the ZXR 750: winning superbike races. In addition, it serves in a thousand, slightly modified version of the pure pleasure of brisk motorcycling on winding roads and the no less exciting pleasure of superlative racing technology, which can be in every garage for 18,990 marks. If that’s not enough for you, you can add around 5,500 marks and enjoy the exclusive “RR” copy. Racing gearboxes, flat slide carburetors and single humps are some of the striking differences. Kawasaki, the only Japanese manufacturer that has stubbornly stayed out of Grand Prix racing, has dedicated itself entirely to superbikes. And with success. Not only can the Greens book a world championship title on their account, countless national champions and winners, right down to the B license level, sit in the saddle of a Kawasaki. And that’s exactly why the technicians from Kobe have equipped their new ZX-7R in such a way that the chassis and engine can continue to withstand the stress of racing. With the result that the 1996 model is a good 20 kilograms away from the slimness ideal of a new Suzuki GSX-R 750 or Honda CBR 900 RR. Because for the Kawasaki technicians, the stability and resilience of their new super sports car – even in the event of a fall – take priority over the fragility of the lightweight construction. So on the open 122 hp and extremely short-stroke engine (71 x 44.7 millimeters instead of 70 x 47), the gear-driven alternator sits behind the cylinder, protected from falling as usual. Elaborately hollow-cast aluminum molded parts hold the swingarm and motor on the frame, the axes and bolts of which sit in stress-free but weighty threaded spindles. If one excludes such technical necessities, the Kawasaki engineers could very well have created a diet plan that would have prevented a few bacon rolls without restricting functionality. For example, plastic shades on the slit-eyed headlights instead of heavy glass. Or a light aluminum shell instead of a sheet steel silencer. But it doesn’t matter what it is, 229 kilograms are ready for the first test drives on the Spanish GP circuit in Jerez. Sit on it, start it up and be amazed. Nothing left of the rough-legged and rattling ZXR 750 drive. The rigorous measures to reduce noise are having an effect. In the new engine, low-maintenance bucket tappets replace the rocker arms previously used, rubber dampers on the engine block and nuisance structure-borne noise in the voluminous frame profiles. A secondary air system on the super sports car ensures that emissions levels are greatly reduced so that future, more stringent emissions regulations do not push the ZX-7R to the siding with a driving ban. According to Kawasaki technician Ingbert Rohrbach, the efficiency of the afterburning is on the level of an unregulated catalytic converter. Cold starting with choke is now possible without annoying juggling between dying and roaring engines. Click – go into gear, roll off, straighten your racing suit. You sit great, everything is round, the hard, soft tissue-gnawing edge on the tank of the ZXR is gone, handlebars and levers fit perfectly. New tires, cold and slick, force you to get to know each other cautiously in the Schorsch Meier style. Kneel on the tank, let it roll, just ride a motorcycle again. The low-vibration four-cylinder is followed by a soft transmission and drive train without nervous jerking and a direct, full shift. Has the new Kawasaki lost its tough, sporty style? She did not. ZX-7R remains ZXR 750. Only better educated and, above all, easier to handle. So far, the Kawasaki ZXR 750 has not been able to collect any plus points from the MOTORRAD testers in terms of handling. Now it can work. Despite its impeccable driving stability, the ZX-7R folds from one lean angle to the other without cramping, willingly bends into the tight radii and bends of Jerez even hard on the brakes. Only the fork stamps shakily and only calms down when the driver pulls up the gas with silky smooth effort. Damping adjustments – and there are plenty of them – turned out and in have no effect. The ZX-7R conceals its slight excess weight with its perfect balance. The front wheel stays clean on the ground when accelerating, the hind quarters without any noteworthy flight inserts when braking. “Balanced” is probably the correct term for such virtues. And that goes for the whole concept of the new Kawasaki. The wheel has not been reinvented this time either, there is nothing sensational, but the package of stable chassis and powerful, high-torque motor harmonises better than ever before. The new six-piston brake calipers stretch when required, but can be dosed more elegantly than the old four-piston biters. Only after countless relentless laps does the initially clear pressure point become slightly spongy. Even the standard Dunlop Sportmax II radial tires cannot keep up with real racing speed in the long run. There is grip for four or five laps, then the gas should be turned up a little more cautiously when accelerating out. The desire of the Kawasaki technicians for less tire wear simply does not allow a softer, more grippy sport compound, and so one makes do with a lower air pressure for the racetrack (2.3 and 2.5 bar instead of 2.5 / 2.9 bar). Hot grip and self-damping can thus be clearly corrected in the direction of sports tires. But even better: You mount a real racing rubber. The Dunlop Sportmax II in a sticky »GP« mixture seems just right for the warm asphalt of Jerez. So up on the thick six-inch rim and out of the box. Now the ZX-7R finally gets to the point. Mercilessly obliquely she peppers around the course. Exhaust and rest, with the standard rubber seldom run aground, rattle loudly over the grippy asphalt. It gets fast, faster and faster, but the Kawasaki remains unmoved except for the problem of the brake stamping. A really well-trained athlete, no question about it. How well the Kawasaki stands against the new GSX-R 750 and Yamaha’s YZF 750 is now the question. And that is what the notorious motorcycle test riders are looking for immediately. On the race track, the country road and the test bench. The answer can be found in MOTORRAD 1/1996.

Buy complete article

Driving report Kawasaki ZX-7R
Pneumatic hammer

–

€ 2.00

Buy now

Related articles

• New Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R (2016) in the driving report

  Kawasaki 18 pictures Kawasaki 1/18 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R. Kawasaki 2/18 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R. Kawasaki 3/18 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R. Kawasaki 4/18 Kawasaki …

• Driving report Yamaha XVS 650 Drag Star

  Driving report, Yamaha XVS 650 Drag Star Yamaha XVS 650 Drag Star After the fat Royal Star, the little Drag Star appears in the chopper firmament. A XV …

• Indian Scout Bobber in the driving report

  Indian 25 pictures Indian 1/25 Indian Scout Bobber. Indian 2/25 Indian Scout Bobber. Indian 3/25 Indian Scout Bobber. Indian 4/25 Indian Scout Bobber ….

• MV Agusta 800 Dragster in the PS driving report

  MV Agusta 24 pictures MV Agusta 1/24 MV Agusta Brutale 800 Dragster MV Agusta 2/24 MV Agusta Brutale 800 Dragster MV Agusta 3/24 MV Agusta Brutale 800 …

• Bimota BB3 in the driving report

  Bimota 35 pictures Bimota 1/35 Bimota BB3 in the driving report. Bimota 2/35 Bimota BB3 in the driving report. Bimota 3/35 The handlebar of the Bimota BB3. Bimota 4/35 Bimota …

• Kawasaki Z 900 PS driving report

  Kawasaki 20 pictures Kawasaki 1/20 Kawasaki Z 900. Kawasaki 2/20 The new display has all information compact and clear – including gear indicator and free …

• Driving report Honda NSR 250 and NSR 500

  Driving report Honda NSR 250 and NSR 500 Tightrope walk Achievement is not always a blessing. MOTORRAD test boss Gerhard Lindner experienced this…

• Driving report Kawasaki Z 900 RS

  Kawasaki 35 pictures Kawasaki 1/35 Kawasaki Z 900 RS. Kawasaki 2/35 Kawasaki Z 900 RS. Kawasaki 3/35 Kawasaki Z 900 RS. Kawasaki 4/35 Kawasaki Z 900 RS ….

• Driving report KTM 990 Super Duke

  Jahn Fahrbericht KTM 990 Super Duke Facelift With its head held high, the Super Duke is slipping into its second term of office. A newly contoured nose that …

• Driving report Superbike-Kawasaki Tom Sykes

  Kawasaki 20 pictures Kawasaki 1/20 Kawasaki 2/20 Kawasaki 3/20 Kawasaki 4/20 Kawasaki 5/20 Kawasaki 6/20 Kawasaki 7/20 Kawasaki 8/20 Kawasaki 9/20 pic …