Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R,Modern Kawasaki motorcycles

The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R is a Kawasaki middleweight sport bike. It was introduced in 1995 and has been constantly updated throughout the years in response to new products from Honda, Suzuki, and Yamaha. The ZX series is what was known as the Ninja line of Kawasaki motorcycles in the 1980s and still carries the moniker in North America today.

History

When Kawasaki introduced the ZX-6R in 1995, it was the industry's first middleweight sport bike with an aluminum frame. It had a dry weight of 401.2 lb (182.0 kg), wet weight of 454 lb (206 kg), and was capable of accelerating 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in only 3.6 seconds.

With competition from Honda's CBR600F4i, Suzuki's GSX-R600, and Yamaha's YZF-R6 getting more aggressive, Kawasaki decided to make an unusual move for the 2002 model year. They increased the capacity of the traditional 600 cc (37 cu in) motor to 636 cc (38.8 cu in). For riders who needed bikes for displacement-restricted racing, Kawasaki also made available a limited production 599 cc (36.6 cu in) version called the Ninja ZX-6RR, but the 636 cc (38.8 cu in) ZX-6R would be their main mass production middleweight sport bike.

2003 brought many new changes to the ZX-6R, or ZX636 as it is often referred. The engine was now fuel injected and engine speed was raised around 500 rpm which resulted in a slight gain in power. Radial-mounted 4-piston brakes replaced the previous 6-piston brakes and the front forks were now inverted. Chassis improvements resulted in higher rigidity and less weight. An all digital instrument panel was also introduced and a larger ram air inlet moved to the center over the headlight, running through the headstock. The bike carried over to the 2004 model year with just color scheme changes. The ZX-6RR won the Supersport category award for Masterbike 2004 and placed 3rd overall. MSRP for the 2003/2004 models was $7999 USD.

In 2005, Kawasaki again revamped the ZX-6R. Engine speed increased again by 1,000 rpm resulting in 105 hp (78 kW) at 12,250 rpm. ^[1] The frame and swingarm were updated, but the main changes from its predecessor lay in the design. The aluminum frame was now painted flat black, fairings were more round, and integrated turn signals were used (euro model). The exhaust was now centrically under the seat (a configuration commonly referred to as an undertail exhaust). Most of these changes were mirrored in the 599 cc ZX-6RR. For the second year in a row, the ZX-6RR again won the Supersport category award for Masterbike 2005 and placed 3rd overall. The bike carried over to the 2006 model year with minor suspension changes and new color schemes. The 2005/2006 ZX-6Rs had an increased MSRP of $8,699 USD.

After four years of offering their 636 cc ZX-6R for street use and an entirely separate 599 cc ZX-6RR for displacement-restricted racing classes, Kawasaki offers only one ZX-6R for 2007, and it displaces 599 cc. Previous years of the ZX-6R's engines were all built from the same basic design, but the all-new engine for 2007 was redesigned from the crankcase up. In following with what their competitors had already been doing, Kawasaki's new engine features a stacked gear arrangement in which the crankshaft, primary drive and countershaft are placed in a triangular format for a shorter, more compact powerplant. It's now about 40 mm smaller in both length and width, said to yield greater cornering clearance. By using a former 125 cc Grand Prix racer as the ZX-6R�s chief development rider, Tomomi Manako, Kawasaki claims a focus has been put on track usage. Frame, swingarm, suspension, brakes, and body are completely redesigned and the bike shares very few parts from the previous model. MSRP was increased to $8,999 USD and the ZX-6R expected to carry over to the 2008 model year with just color scheme changes.

Specifications

	2003/2004 ZX-6R	2005/2006 ZX-6R^[2]	2005/2006 ZX-6RR^[3]	2007/2008 ZX-6R^[4]
Engine type	4-Stroke, Liquid-Cooled, DOHC, 4 Valve Cylinder Head, Transverse In-Line 4-Cylinder			Four-stroke, liquid-cooled, DOHC, four valves per cylinder, inline-four
Displacement	636 cc		599 cc
Bore/stroke	68.0 mm x 43.8 mm		67.0 mm x 42.5 mm
Power	125 bhp (93 kW)	130 bhp (97 kW) @ 14,000 rpm	107.5 bhp (80 kW) @ 13,000 rpm	107 bhp (80 kW) @ 14,000 rpm
Maximum torque	49.4 ft�lbf	52.0 ft�lbf @ 11,500 rpm	46.4 ft�lbf @ 11,000 rpm	42.9 ft�lbf @ 11,900 rpm
Compression ratio	12.8:1	12.9:1	13.3:1	13.9:1 / 13.3:1 (2008)
Fuel injection	EFI with Keihin 38 mm Throttle Bodies	DFI with Keihin 38 mm Throttle Bodies (4)		DFI with four 38 mm Keihin throttle bodies, oval sub-throttles, two injectors per throttle body
Transmission	6-speed
Final drive	X-ring Chain
Rake/trail	24.5 deg/3.7 in	25 deg/4.2 in	25.5 deg/4.3 in	25 deg/4.3 in
Front wheel travel	4.7 in
Rear Wheel Travel	5.3 in			5.2 in
Front Tire Size	120/65-ZR17			120/70-ZR17
Rear Tire Size	180/55-ZR17
Wheelbase	55.1 in	54.7 in	55.1 in	55.3 in
Front suspension	41 mm Inverted Cartridge Fork with Adjustable Preload, Stepless Rebound and Compression Damping		41 mm Inverted Cartridge Fork with Adjustable Preload, Stepless Rebound and Compression Damping, TiSiCN Coating	41 mm inverted cartridge fork with top-out springs, stepless rebound damping, stepless compression damping, fully-adjustable spring preload
Rear suspension	Bottom-link Uni-Trak system with gas-charged shock, stepless rebound and compression adjustability	Uni-Trak with Adjustable Preload, Stepless Rebound and Compression Damping	Uni-Trak with Adjustable Preload, Stepless Rebound, High and Low Speed Compression Damping, and Ride Height	Bottom-Link Uni-Trak with gas-charged shock, top-out spring and pillow ball upper mount, dual-range (high/low-speed) stepless compression damping, 25-way Adjustable rebound damping, fully-adjustable spring preload
Front Brake Type	Dual 280 mm Discs with 4-Piston Calipers	Dual 300 mm Floating petal-type rotors with Radial Mount, Opposed 4-Piston Calipers		Dual 300 mm petal-type rotors with Opposed 4-piston, 4-pad calipers
Rear Brake Type	Single 220 mm Disc			Single 210 mm petal-type rotor with single-piston caliper
Fuel Tank Capacity	4.8 gal	4.5 gal
Seat Height	32.5 in	32.3 in
Dry Weight	354.9 lb	362 lb		368 lb
Colors	2003: Black bearl, Candy Lightning Blue, Passion Red, Galaxy Silver 2004: Lime Green, Candy Thunder Blue, Pearl Blazing Orange, Galaxy Silver	2005: Lime Green/Flat Stoic Black, Metallic Raw Titanium/Flat Stoic Black, Candy Plasma Blue/Flat Stoic Black, Pearl Magma Red/Flat Stoic Black 2006: Lime Green/Flat Sonic Black, Ebony, Candy Flat Raw Plasma Blue/Flat Sonic Black, Titanium Silver with Tribal Graphics	2005: Lime Green 2006: Lime Green	2007: Lime Green, Atomic Silver, Ebony, Passion Red 2008: Lime Green, Vivid Yellow, Candy Plasma Blue, Special Edition: Ebony
Warranty	12 months
MSRP	$7999 USD	$8699 USD	$8899 USD	$8999 USD

Contents

History

Specifications

References

External links