All Test Drives – 2010 Kawasaki ZX-10R Test: Zero compromise! – Drawing is (not) winning!

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2010 Kawasaki ZX-10R Review: Zero Compromise !

All Test Drives - 2010 Kawasaki ZX-10R Test: Zero compromise! - Drawing is (not) winning!

Lagging behind in the World Superbike but victorious at the 24H Moto du Mans and currently 4th in the French Superbike Championship, the Kawasaki ZX-10R is struggling to impose itself on the sales charts. Why ? Answers with our test of the 2010 model !

Drawing is (not) winning !

Since the 2006 vintage, the lines of the Kawasaki ZX-10R have been dividing: its look sometimes considered unflattering has hardly been called into question by the facelift it has benefited from this year..

Thus, despite its lovely black-gold color and the many accessories fitted by Kawasaki France on our test model (approved mini-indicators front and rear, wheel arch and Akrapovic silencer), Akashi’s bomb struggles to seduce the crowds. : out of about thirty bikers questioned during our journey of 600 kilometers, very few were subjugated by its plastic…

Many appreciated the dynamism of the front part, now modeled on the features of the cadet ZX-6R (read our), the new sharper fairings sides or the "racing" aspect conferred by the standard mounting of the seat cowl. passenger.

However, the assembly of these different parts lacks fluidity, or even cohesion. And if the presence of very beautiful parts such as the petal discs, the radial calipers with the polished external coating at the level of the pistons or the swinging arm pad only elicited praise from our "witness bikers", the electrical network is not always good camouflaged, the commodos dating from 2004 and the ugly plastic chocks under the tank have not escaped the most observant…

But these assessments – by definition subjective – say nothing about the real potential of the bike. Except in terms of aerodynamics, the lines of a motorcycle in fact play no role in its efficiency and in fact, Vermeulen, Sykes and others cannot decently invoke the look of their frame to explain their poor results. !

Conversely, the radical nature of the ZX-10R and its total disregard for comfort appear to be so many avenues for Kawasaki engineers to work on, both for the brand’s customers and for its pilots: contrary to certain received ideas, an efficient sports car must indeed offer a minimum of consideration to his driver to allow him to drive as quickly as possible without finishing it after two laps…

However, the ZX-10R is one of these particularly trying motorcycles: between its very high footrests, its firm and high saddle (830 mm), its narrow handlebars on which the wrists are heavily used and its pot-bellied tank on its front part (which hinders during maneuvers at low speeds, because the forearms hang up during U-turns), the Hypersport Kawa is no gift, especially as light vibrations, a heavy front axle at low speed, a poorly progressive clutch and a rough gearbox do not improve the picture.

In good sportswoman, it is in curves – preferably well coated! – that the Green expresses its enormous potential: excellent braking (as for whiskey, a finger is enough!), Akashi’s ball also benefits from a fully adjustable inverted 43 mm fork with rare efficiency. The mass transfers are absorbed like a joke and the fairly firm original adjustments make it possible to keep the brakes to the rope or to suddenly change course without any parasitic reaction.

The fact remains that the ZX-10R calls for a grip when the pace increases or the pavement deteriorates: impossible to maintain a high pace without giving a personal touch to each curve! The sway is an obligation, as the chassis with convex shapes is as uncompromising as a tax inspector: all in one, the ZX-10R does not have the agility of a CBR1000RR or an RSV4R. . but its stability when placed on the angle is simply astounding !

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