Kawasaki ZX-6R 636 Performance Review

Menus

• 4 cylinders, 636 cm3, 137 hp at 13,500 rpm, 71 Nm at 11,500 rpm, 194 kilos, € 13,499
• An angry engine, a precise and forgiving chassis
• Presentation
• In the saddle
• In the city
• On motorways and main roads
• On departmental
• On track
• Comfort
• Part-cycle
• Brakes
• Conclusion

4 cylinders, 636 cm3, 137 hp at 13,500 rpm, 71 Nm at 11,500 rpm, 194 kilos, € 13,499

An angry engine, a precise and forgiving chassis

If sales of sports cars have fallen sharply, under the fourfold effect of the 2009 crisis, the aging of bikers, their ever higher prices and generalized road racketeering, the 600 category is probably the one that has taken the most money in the buffet. Gone are the days when Yamaha sold R6s like hot cakes and Honda 600 CBRs like apple turnovers. It’s good, the apple turnovers.

The 600 would have worked, but it no longer works. The ranges are dying and only Yamaha had the courage to upgrade its 2017 R6 to Euro 4 standards. The 600 CBR has disappeared from the catalog, the 600 GSX-R will not be renewed anytime soon and Kawasaki still has a few ZX-6R 636s. for sale, but Euro-3 certified only. Triumph does not euroquatrify its Daytona 675 and the MV Agusta F3 675 are anecdotal.

Suddenly, it was an opportunity to take back the handlebars, on the track, during the K days which recently took place on the very beautiful circuit of Dijon Prenois and to answer a question: if bikers no longer buy (or almost) 600 sports cars, well wouldn’t the bikers be wrong? Yes, that’s it too, Le Repaire, of investigating the ground, alone in the face of headwinds. In short, it’s back to basics, since we had already tested the ZX6R more than ten years ago on this same circuit..

Note also that this test comes in addition to that carried out in 2014 by my colleague the valiant Damien, who had taken a ZX-6R as part of a complete road trip..

Presentation

Despite its few years on the clock, it still presents well, this ZX-6R 636. Pointed front, raised rear, green color and Ninja logo, we can see the family resemblance. And above all, what matters in our test today is the generous aluminum frame, the big 310mm discs clamped by radial 4-piston calipers and the solid, fully adjustable inverted fork..

On this test model, the optional Akrapovic silencer refines the line, saves a little weight, is not aggressive to the ears and, in addition, gives the bike a little racing touch, which makes it look like Jonathan Rea’s World Superbike Champion ZX-10R. And that is good for the ego.

In the saddle

Sporty position, but not extreme in terms of the pressure on the handlebars, an old-fashioned dashboard with a large central tachometer, easily readable, with a red zone which is at the Himalayan speed of 16,000 rpm mn? What more could you ask for for use on the track? That the levers are adjustable? Well, they are. That the small digital screen completes the few information that we need? This is the case, with a gear indicator engaged, the indication of the level of traction control and the power mode (here, no fuss: it will be full!).

In fact, the ZX-6R is still in the game, since the 2017 Yamaha R6 offers a similar dashboard. The little blue bomb has taken over a lot of elements from its big sister the R1, but not the instrumentation.

In the city

Not far from the Dijon Prenois circuit, there is … Dijon. Well, to be honest, we didn’t go. Nevertheless, having driven on many variations of the ZX-6R on many other occasions, we know that it would not have done too badly. Admittedly, the turning radius is not exceptional (but there is much worse) and the position is a bit typical, but the agility, the compactness, the feeling and the smoothness of the controls, the flexibility of the engine at low speed (and the first report not disproportionately long), all this makes that the Ninja can be considered on a daily basis.

On motorways and main roads

Same: memories, memories. There too, the additional displacement makes it more frequent in the usual modes than the R6, which works only close to the switch. The size and the bubble are a little more generous: we suffer less. But it’s still sporty. Sport is good for your health … And it makes it very difficult to stay at legal speeds on the long ribbon that leads to the circuit. But precisely, to let off steam, there is the circuit. And the road is not a circuit.

On departmental

If it is well coated, then here is a great moment of happiness in perspective. Contained weight, precise front axle, braking above all suspicion, we will never say how the sporty 600 is light, almost organic happiness. An engine that must be whipped, but where the link is direct between the handle and the wheel (not like on these missiles which catapult you in a few seconds and which make you arrive in catapult mode when entering a curve, standing on the brakes and with the eyes out of the sockets), an absence of inertia which makes it almost impossible to miss a point of rope, taking a sporty 600 quickly re-teaches you the simple joys of piloting.

On track

Here we are ! And what a track: the most beautiful in France, if you want my humble opinion. 3,801 meters long, 9 bends, an 11% gradient, a long straight line with too late panel braking, here is a fast, varied and very pleasant circuit to ride. Two progressive laps to heat the tires up and off we go. Cheerfully.

The advantage of Dijon is that there is a wide range of difficulties. Take the bend called "Gauche de la Bretelle", for example. It is about a left in descent, in which one enters without visibility, which requires a lot of angle at the point of rope which one takes in second and from which one can extract oneself energetically even if it means going out wide on the vibrators. . There, we can follow the academic method: enter very wide, near the white line on the right, then release late and tangent well. However, the ZX-6R 636 allowed me to use this spot on numerous occasions to overtake the retarded: stay in their ass when exiting the "S des Sablières’", shift a little to the left, "shoot a little straight "blind in the descent, then give them both the brakes and the interior, because the ZX-6R still allows you to recover the chord point. The time to pull the 2 and briefly pass the 3 and we are in the parabolic.

What a beautiful moment of bravery that this turn: you have to force yourself to go off very far, outside, then tangent to death to be as straight as possible to accelerate in this steep hill. The agility of the bike allows you to get the cone very far, then its controllable power allows you to re-accelerate early enough without getting over it. We are certainly not catapulted like on a 1000 (from which we would come out in first gear) even if, at the top of the towers and on the top of the ridge, the ZX-6R gently sits on its rear wheel. when we reach the peak of power.

And here is the left turn of the "Curve de Gorgeolles": it is in fact a double left and despite the dark spots and the bumps on the asphalt, do not hesitate to enter hard and apply the train forward to round the two turns into one. And again, it does it well. A small bump at the entrance to the corner of La Combe relieves the ZX-6R a little, perhaps we should freeze the trigger a little at the rear to have less movement when entering a curve. At this point, it is indeed necessary to be very directive with the front axle to enter hard, because the descent towards the curve of Pouas requires engagement and speed..

Out of there, we aim for the external vibrator which controls the long straight uphill line. I arrive on the vibrator at about 185 km / h, drives the fourth up to 210 km / h. It is not necessary to go for 16,000 rpm, shifting gears to around 14,500 rpm is enough. The fifth climbs to 235 km / h and I see a small 250 km / h counter when going to take the brakes just at the level of the bridge. There, I must admit that I would have liked a little more juice on the last two reports, but it is also linked to the configuration of the circuit with this long straight uphill.

Often, in the straight line, I had misfires while passing the 5 and the 6 without disengaging. A shifter would not be luxury.

Comfort

The saddle is wide enough to back up and easily get into the speed-seeking position in the straight line, even for a taller build like me. When lying down, the bubble protects properly.

Part-cycle

Rigid, precise, nothing to say in this type of use. It is largely sized for track use and shows no weakness throughout the day. So go do six sessions with a slightly sporty body like improved GTI, without preparation and you will praise the superiority of the bike. !

Brakes

Powerful and responsive, Nissin-designed 4-piston monobloc radial calipers bite down 310mm rotors with consistency. The grip remained constant throughout the day and no braking weakened this device. Top level !

Conclusion

Fashion past: it’s sad. It’s sad, because a sporty 600 remains a great tool for learning and giving a lot of pleasure. They forgive a lot of things, make it possible to tighten trajectories, to turn shorter than a 1000 and to practice the circuit with a more serene mind..

Certainly, the electronics made the 1000 more tameable, but the level of performance went up a notch and the margin of error was further reduced..

Certainly, a 600 requires that we take care of it: leaving the curve with an "above" report is prohibited, dab in a straight line is mandatory, but that’s what is good. Goodbye ZX-6R, we will miss you.

Strong points

• Punchy engine
• Ease of driving
• Chassis precision
• A sportswoman on a human scale
• Powerful and adjustable brakes

Weak points

• Box that sometimes hangs during on-the-fly reports
• Not Euro-4. Farewell ZX-6R 636 ?

Kawasaki ZX-6R 636 technical sheet

Test conditions

• Itinerary: 6 sessions of 25 minutes on the Dijon Prenois circuit during the last K days
• Motorcycle mileage: 1300 km
• Problem encountered: none

Related articles

• Kawasaki Z1000R Performance Pack test

  4 cylinders in line, 1043 cm3, 142 hp, 221 kilos, € 15,549 An old-fashioned roadster, which grows hairy and very pleasant to drive… To have or not ?…

• Kawasaki ZX-6R test

  Size question 4 cylinders in line, 636 cm3, 130 hp, 70.8 Nm, 196 kg full made, 11,699 euros While everyone agrees to put the 600 Supersport category in…

• Kawasaki VN 1700 Voyager Custom ABS review

  Kawa makes the clone …. With her very sleek lowered silhouette and plethora of equipment, this slanted-eyed American is largely inspired by the Harley…

• Kawasaki A2 range comparison

  Versys 300 and 650, Vulcan, Ninja 400 and 650, Z650 and Z900, from 300 to 900, from 5,000 to 9,000 €, 7 machines for the new A2 licenses Trail, sport,…

• Kawasaki ZX-6R 636 test

  Biker test: Nicolas Kawa’s new Supersport breaks the resemblance to the old one model but do not deny the Ninja parentage which is so dear to so many…

• Kawasaki Versys-X 300 test

  40 horses at 11,500 rpm 25.7 Nm, 175 kilos with full tank, two colors, € 5,799 An easy and sparkling little trail: what if life on a motorcycle was as…

• Kawasaki Ninja 650 test

  Evolution or revolution of the ER6-f with the in-line twin of 649 cm3, 68 horsepower for 193 kilos A more sporty look but, paradoxically, a gain in…

• Comparison customs Kawasaki VN 900, VN 1700 and W800

  Three customs for one choice Second custom seller in France, after Harley Davidson of course, Kawasaki has an extensive range. To understand the…

• Kawasaki Z H2 Supercharged motorcycle test

  200 hp, 14 mkg at 8,500 rpm, 239 kg all full, 17,099 € Put some salt ! Fifteen days of driving with the Kawasaki Z H2? I say it bluntly, it takes less to…

• Kawasaki Z 750 R motorcycle test

  The Z super Roadster version ! There are emblematic models by their distribution, the commercial enthusiasm they arouse. The Z 750 is in this vein. With…