Kawasaki 2004 ZX10R Road Test

2004 Kawasaki ZX-10R

The ZX-10R is one exciting ride, it’s also one of Kawasaki’s best sportbikes to date!
Normally all the hype is about the newest and fastest group of 600cc class sportbikes. Manufacturers sell more of these models than either larger or smaller displacement machines. They stay on top of this class by either making frequent changes or by introducing entirely new models. Occasionally, open-class sportbikes are the rage, though we’re hard pressed to remember the last time this happened. Yamaha’s R1 certainly set the world on fire, and Suzuki’s GSX-R1000 has dominated in racing for years, all without much of a class war developing.

For 2004, however, the focus and excitement certainly revolves around the open class sportbike category – and it’s very exciting indeed. We now have Kawasaki’s all-new ZX-10R, Yamaha’s newest incarnation of the R1, and Honda’s long promised and all-new CBR1000RR. Suzuki’s GSX-R1000, revamped just last season, seems to be overshadowed in press coverage but remains a serious contender as well.

This test focuses on Kawasaki’s incredibly powerful and quick ZX-10R. You’ve probably read quite a bit about this bike for track use, but the street is where the majority of these bikes will be ridden. We had our ZX-10 for some time and lived with the bike over thousands of street miles, both in normal local riding and on a sport-touring trip as well. We are reporting on street riding here, the type or riding most people will purchase this bike for.

The all-new ZX-10R replaces the ZX-9 rather than the ZX12. This decision puzzles us a bit as the ZX-9 is, and was, a great bike. (MN Test) The ZX-10R eclipses the speed of the 12 and the ZX-9 has superior handling to that of the 12 – why is it the ZX-9 went away rather than the ZX-12? Any way you cut it, however, we’re glad Kawasaki built this new bike as it’s about the most exciting thing you can throw a leg over. The awesome power of Suzuki’s Hayabusa regularly comes to mind when you ride the new ZX-10R.

Kawasaki developed the ZX-10R beginning with a fresh slate, focusing on maximum horsepower, good handling and overall light weight. The powerplant is a compact liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, 998cc inline four. The double overhead cams are machined from billet chromoly. The 4-valve topped cylinders and crankcase are one-piece, resulting in added strength with reduced weight. Kawasaki engineers used advanced flow analysis to optimize the machines intake tract, which begins up front with the ram air duct in the fairing. The fuel-injection features electronically controlled sub throttles to smooth power delivery. If this power is smoothed, we can't imagine the bike without this feature. Can anyone say “game on?”

The all-titanium four-into-one exhaust system features a butterfly valve to improve low-end power delivery and encloses a catalyst. One thing is certain about the ZX10, it just sounds awesome in stock trim. Between the engine and exhaust (mostly exhaust), the sound output is a riders dream. We’d never consider changing the stock exhaust system except the appearance of the stock can takes away from the overall beauty of the bike.

The clutch, which features a back torque limiter, transfers power to the close-ratio six-speed tranny, which is listed as “optimized for the track.” We couldn’t agree more, as the gearing is certainly not optimized for street use. It’s a good thing the ZX has a slipper clutch, and one that works seamlessly, as first gear revs out to a whopping 104 mph before the soft rev limiter kicks in part way through the red zone. This means you’ll be in first gear often; the slipper clutch eliminates any fear of locking the rear end entering tight corners as it works very well.

The all-new all-aluminum twin-tube chassis has a wheelbase of 54.5 ins. and arches over the engine, rather than spreading around it. This keeps the machines width to a minimum. Suspension duties are handled by a fully-adjustable inverted 43mm fork up front and a gull-type aluminum swingarm attached to a fully-adjustable single shock in the rear. Ride height is adjustable as well. We’ve ridden numerous Kawasaki’s as of late, from sportbikes to cruisers, and found many of the company’s models to have irritating (harsh) rear shocks. We can now report Kawasaki has got their act together with the ZX-10R as the rear shock displays none of the harshness experienced with many other models. The newest ZX weighs in at a remarkable claimed weight of 375 pounds.

Hauling the Kawasaki down from speed are a pair of four-piston radially-mounted calipers squeezing 300mm discs up front. In back, there’s a single piston caliper pinching a 220mm disc. The new cast-aluminum six-spoke wheels are both lighter and stronger than previous wheels, and we’re happy to add easier to clean than most.

Additional features of note include a textured lower fairing that doesn’t easily show wear from road debris thrown up from the

front tire. With this material, your bike should look new longer. The taillight features bright LEDs and the top of the 4.5-gallon tank is slightly concave for easier tucking in behind the windscreen on the track. The lackluster instruments are certainly compact and lightweight, but they still utilize the worthless circular LED tachometer display we (still) hope Kawasaki looses very soon - we’ll take the clock function however. With recent headlight technology advancements we were hoping for something special in the lighting department but we were disappointed with the ZX-10’s marginal lighting, especially when cornering.

Talking about the ZX-10R is one thing, actually riding the bike is an entirely different and mind boggling experience. On inclined onramps you can easily loft the front wheel and carry it with the throttle - the ZX is certainly lightweight and making excellent power. Oh, did we fail to mention all of this wheelie stuff is when using only the engines mid-range power. This power wheelie stuff comes long before you ever experience any of the real power of the machine.

The powerplant doesn’t make superb power just off idle, rather it likes to spin up to 3,000 rpm. Roll-on power for the highway is excellent, even though the bike is geared to the moon. If you want to accelerate with optimum speed you’ll find yourself downshifting 4 to 5 gears to be in the healthiest part of the power curve. This isn’t needed on the street, however, as the ZX makes abundant power in the 4,000 - 5,000 RPM range, then kicks in with a new dose of power, kind of the sweet spot for street riding, from 7,000 – 8,000 RPM. Above this the non-linear power curve flattens a bit before coming back in like a rocket booster. The sweet spot in the power delivery is the most likely range you’ll use for most street riding, as it’s nearly impossible to use the top end power on the street with such high gearing. The engine is wonderfully strong, smooth, and boy does the exhaust note sound good! The growl from deep within the engine is a delight, the gurgling exhaust sounds awesome for a stock system and the overall package just stands out as race inspired.

The ZX-10R's power isn’t delivered in a totally linear fashion, and in some riding situations this holds the bike back as it forces the rider to hesitate with the right wrist. Grab the throttle in a stretch of straight road, or even better at the track, and you’ll experience mind boggling yet controllable acceleration that will have the front tire skimming the concrete for long stretches. One time we witnessed the ZX leaving a mind boggling black streak on the pavement when bent over passing a car at highway speeds. Take note, for spirited sport riding situations it’ll be first and second gear all the time. For normal mellow street riding, or commuting, the gearing and engine output work just fine.

When hard on the gas, say at the track, this engine screams – it’s certainly not for the unskilled or faint-of-heart (only skilled riders need apply). The Kawasaki simply gets its accelerating business done now. The 375-pound machine simply leaps forward with incredibly quick acceleration. First gear wheelies are hard to avoid and second gear wheelies, when on a slight incline, can be controlled with the throttle – and this is only using mid-range power! Wind the engine up near redline and watch out, as an even stronger dose of power will have your eyeballs pushing back in your head as the scenery simply becomes a blur.

The ZX can’t just be about power if it’s going to be a leading edge sportbike. The chassis feels solid at all times and straight- line stability is excellent. One of the things we like most about the new ZX is the suspension package – Kawasaki got it right, at least for street riding. The ride is never stiff and never jarring. In fact, the ride is almost plush at times for a hard-core sportbike. Combined with the thickly padded seat and decent knee bend, the ZX provides for a good ride. The one thing that will get to you are the low bars which place a lot of weight on your wrists. Hustle the bike through a series of corners and it will work your wrists to the point of being tired.

As we stated, the chassis feels excellent on the ZX and it's got to be this good to handle the sudden and overwhelming power delivery. If you’re an experienced rider, the Kawasaki is pretty easy to ride right out of the crate – as long as you respect the throttle. With this said, it did take us a little time to learn the bike and feel confident pushing it hard in corners. The ZX, surprisingly, doesn’t step out easily in the rear under acceleration and it goes into corners hard, especially with the slipper clutch. To the machines credit, the front end stays planted and never sends nervous feedback to the rider. What we couldn’t do so much with the Kawasaki, is run it into tight corners and then push it aggressively through them. Scrubbing off speed by confidently bending the bike in further isn’t natural with the ZX-10R.

This may not be entirely due to the chassis makeup as much as the brakes and power delivery. With such strong power on tap and a less than linear power delivery, the rider often hesitates, if even for a split second, before screwing the throttle on. The brakes, which may be better suited for the track than the street, don’t initially hit hard or have a light pull, but rather start off a little weak until you start squeezing harder. This doesn’t provide the rider with a quick and strong initial scrubbing of speed, and it requires you to ride the brakes a little longer upon entering a corner. Shifting on the 10 is generally excellent, though occasionally the shifting would feel notchy or slightly hang up. The faster you rode the bike the better it worked.

When it comes time to return a test bike there’s an inherent feeling we get that we call the “return factor.” (Now somebody will probably go and take this term as their own for a print magazine like they did with our "Fun Factor") It’s not something you consciously think about but a feeling you get just before a bike is returned. Sometimes you’re almost happy to see a bike go away, yet with others you get a sad feeling knowing it won’t be around to enjoy. We have to rate the new ZX-10R, on a scale of 1-10, at 9.5. We certainly didn’t want to see this bike go away as its incredible performance, it’s marvelous sounds and sensations, decent comfort and sheer excitement are the types of things we want to continuously experience in life. This bikes a keeper!

Kawasaki: 2004 ZX-10R
Quick Specs:	Ratings:	Poor	Fair	Good	V/Good		Excellent
Displacement: 998cc	Acceleration						9.5
Drive: Six-speed close ratio, chain	Brakes						9
Fuel Capacity: 4.5 gallons	Carburetion						9.5
Fuel Mileage: N/A	Comfort (overall)					8
Fuel Range: N/A	Comfort (touring)			5
Susp. Front: 43mm forks with 16-way compression and rebound damping	Finish (quality)						9
Susp. Rear: Uni-Trak, gas charged remote reservoir shock, fully adjustable inc. ride height	Handling (overall)					8
Tire Front: 120/70ZR 17	Stability (handling)						9.5
Tire Rear: 190/50ZR 17	Suspension (overall)						9
Weight: Dry - 374.9 pounds	Fun Factor						9.5
Retail (US): $10,699	Overall Rating						9+

*** Ratings above are for this type or class of motorcycle. Ratings are not intended to compare against all motorcycles ***

Test suspension setting we really liked for the street:
Fork: rebound 9 clicks out, compression 7 clicks out
Shock: rebound 1 ¾ turns out, compression 3 clicks out