Kawasaki ZX-14

WHAT WE LIKE

NOT SO MUCH

Despite a musclebike heritage stretching back to the legendary Z1 of 1973, Kawasaki had not had a model with class leadership in the unlimited sports-tourer category since the ZZ-R1100 of 1990 - that is until the ZX-14 sportstourer arrived for 2006.

"Even with our impressive three-bike line-up (ZX-10R, ZX-12R and ZZ-R1200), I felt something was lacking, as though our performance image was diluted across three different models," said the ZX-14 product planner at the model's release.

"I wanted to offer all those hard-core Kawasaki fans something to get excited about - something big, bad and loaded with Kawasaki attitude.

"It didn't have to be the fastest, but it did have to be the most powerful, a flagship model, a new Ninja."

Surveys were carried out in the three main markets for the new ZX-14: the USA, Europe and Japan. European riders wanted a touring machine with shaft drive and standard touring luggage. Americans wanted the fastest bike in its class. And the Japanese wanted heaps of undiluted attitude.

The engineers decided on a mix of US and Japanese qualities, and the result is the ZX-14.

 "Getting big power from the engine was not terribly difficult," said the ZX-14 Project Leader. "But getting easy-to-use, feel-good power across the rev range required a lot of work. We wanted to make sure that the bike was not intimidating when riding in the rain or at low speeds.

"Our ultimate goal for the ZX-14 was a 200 horsepower, 215kg motorcycle that offered high controllability and was also really fun to ride."

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
Kawasaki has an enviable record of building powerful motorcycles so there's no surprise when Kawasaki claims 190hp (140kW) maximum power at 9500rpm for the ZX-14 - or 200hp (147.1kW) with Ram Air. That's serious grunt.

The ZX-14 powerplant, like the ZX-10R's, uses forward slanted cylinders that are integrally cast with the crankcases, along with a compact tri-axis shaft arrangement for the gearbox. Kawasaki claims the result is a compact power unit that is no wider than the Ninja ZX-12R's.

The ZX-14 uses smaller-diameter (44mm) throttle bodies than the 12R along with 33.4mm intake valves and 28.3mm exhaust valves to speed up flow in the intake tracts for better throttle response.

But the differences don't stop there. The ZX-14 gets twin engine balancers whereas the 12R uses a single balancer and partial rubber mounting for the engine. The ZX-14 runs rigid engine mounts in pursuit of a stiffer, more rigid chassis.

Like the ZX-12R, the ZX-14 uses an aluminium monocoque frame. Kawasaki says the ZX-14's frame has 230 percent the longitudinal rigidity and 90 percent the torsional rigidity of the monocoque frame used on the 12R.

At 1460mm the wheelbase of the ZX-14 is shorter than that of the ZZ-R1200, but longer than that of the Ninja ZX-12R. The fuel cell is located at the rear of the 'tank' and extends below the seat, contributing to the centralised mass and the low 800mm seat height.

The ZX-14's cockpit is well appointed. In addition to the white-faced analogue dials for speedo and tacho, there's a multi-function LCD display which includes a fuel gauge, gear position indicator, odometer, clock, dual trip meters, current and average fuel consumption, remaining range and battery voltage.

Additionally, programmable shift and clutch engagement lamps illuminate at a pre-set rpm to let you know when to shift.

A centrestand is listed as an option, although to fit it means losing the small deflector cowl in front of the rear wheel.

Two colour options are offered for the 2010 model year - Metallic Black and Candy Red. Previous colours have included metallic blue - in two variations.

The ZX-14 is priced at $19,999.

ON THE ROAD
A long weekend in New South Wales means one thing - double demerit points. And here I was with the key to the world's most powerful mass-production motorcycle in my clammy paw.

I might as well have walked to the nearest police station, torn up my licence, and saved all the red tape and paperwork.

"Excuse me officer, can you lock me up for the night - I think I'm about to get into trouble."

While the ZX-14 can claim to be one of the world's most powerful motorcycles, with top speed limited these days by agreement between the major manufacturers to 299.9km/h the ZX-14 can't claim to be the world's fastest. Equal fastest perhaps. But top speed is pretty irrelevant, even on restriction-free German autobahns.

While the ZX-12 feels brutal and raw, the ZX-14 feels refined and polished. The engine is turbine-like smooth, building progressively through the range until a noticeable rush kicks in from 6000rpm all the way to the 9500rpm redline.

Don't expect the Big Zed to burst from the blocks with top-gear roll-ons low in the rev range. A radar-attracting 120km/h registers 3800rpm on the easily-read analogue tacho, and any roll-on below that is measured by steady forward progress rather than eyeball-flattening acceleration.

Kawasaki reckons there's 98Nm of torque available at 2000rpm, so perhaps the lowdown 'softness' is only relative to the top-end missile launch. I owned a ZX-10 back in 1988, and it too suffered the same criticism. Roll-ons against the opposition soon put things back in perspective.

There's not the trademark induction roar of earlier Kawasakis - the ZX-14 is a quieter and more refined package in this regard, especially compared to the ZX-12R.

That feeling is amplified further by the user-friendliness of the powerplant at sane (ie: legal!) velocities. The use of smaller-diameter throttle bodies than the 12R and the subsequent effect on gas flow gives the ZX-14 an amazingly smooth and progressive throttle response that belies its performance bent.

The gearbox too is a step-up over some past Kawasaki units, which are heavily undercut for positive shifting, but then somewhat clunky as a consequence. There's no gearlever linkage on the ZX-14, but a direct connection, so maybe this helps. Clutch action too is light.

Of course there's a lot more to the ZX-14 than just the engine. First off, the looks are distinctive. The styling is long and low with a protruding snout, the four headlights up front giving the ZX-14 a face like no other. And an ability to roast a wombat at 100 metres!

The ZX-14's fluted sides are reminiscent of a mix of Suzuki's RF900R and BMW's K 1200, and although the 14 looks beefy across the mid-riff it's actually quite narrow to sit on.

There's an easy reach to the bars, and the back of the false tank is narrow. Seat height is a low 800mm, but that meant for my 187cm I found the seat to footpeg distance a bit cramped over longer distances. Those with shorter legs won't have the same concerns.

The 14 isn't as aggressive as the ZX-12R in either its power delivery or its handling - which no doubt explains why Kawasaki didn't add an R suffix to the 14's model designation as it did with the 10 and 12.

The ZX-14 steers particularly well, and was easy to swing from side to side through a series of S-bends. The ZX-14 is certainly sportier than Honda's CBR1100XX, and is closer to the GSX1300R Hayabusa in feel than it is to either the CBR-XX or superseded ZX-12R.

Brakes are a lift from the ZX-10R, and cope well with the 14's extra bulk. There's plenty of feel and power - which is what you'd expect when they've been borrowed from the model that won three consecutive Master Bike 1000cc hypersport crowns.

There's good fairing protection, which gets better and better as speeds rise. I experienced no annoying helmet buffeting.

Another component that worked better as speeds rose was the rear shock, which felt a tad harsh over bitumen joins and concrete blocks at city speeds. But just like the ZX-12R, the faster the speed the better the chassis works.

In that sort of usage expect fuel consumption to drop to around 10km/lt rather than the 14.5km/t average that steady touring will return. Fuel tank capacity is 22 litres.

Refined and sophisticated are the two words which spring to mind when I think of the ZX-14. It oozes quality in both its build and its performance. It's a modern-day missile, albeit missing that raw Kawasaki edge of the ZX-12R.

High-speed stability is rock solid. I got to sample that first-hand on the less-policed roads of Europe, where my ZZR1400 (aka ZX-14) testbike was able to stretch its legs. Although there's a 70mph speed limit (112km/h) on UK motorways, the police tend to turn a blind eye up to 100mph (160km/h) if you pick your time and area for opening the taps. So I did. And what a difference it makes to the ZX-14 enjoyment factor.

Get the revs of the ZX-14 - or ZZR1400 as it's known in Europe - up above 5000rpm and hit the zone of Ram Air effect and things start to happen a lot quicker. Open the throttle in top gear at 180km/h and the ZX-14 literally takes off.

The 14 tracked like an arrow at a steady 200km/h - and that was with my monstrous Alpinestars gearbag hanging off the pillion seat. Plenty of attachment points to ensure it remained attached too.

I can't help thinking it's a sad state of affairs when I have to use a trip to an over-populated UK to sample the ZX-14 in its intended design brief, rather than on the wide open spaces of Australia's speed-camera infested roads.

The ZX-14 is fast, stable and an amazingly competent motorcycle over the widest speed range imaginable - from 0-300km/h in fact. It's an iron fist in a velvet glove.

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed
Final drive: Chain

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame type: Monocoque, aluminium
Front suspension: 43mm inverted fork, 13-way compression, 11-way rebound, fully adjustable spring preload
Rear suspension: Bottom-link Uni-Trak, stepless compression damping, stepless rebound damping, fully-adjustable spring preload
Front brakes: Dual semi-floating 310mm petal discs with radial-mount, four-piston, four-pad calipers
Rear brake: Single 250mm petal disc with twin-piston caliper
Tyres: Bridgestone BT-014 120/70ZR17M/C (58W), BT-014 190/50ZR17M/C (73W)

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Dry weight: 215kg
Seat height: 800mm
Wheelbase: 1460mm
Rake: 23 degrees
Fuel capacity: 22lt

PERFORMANCE
Max power: 190hp (140kW) at 9500rpm
Max power with Ram Air: 200hp (147.1kW) at 9500rpm
Max torque: 154Nm (15.7kg-m) at 7500rpm

OTHER STUFF
Price: $19,999
Colours: Candy red or metallic black
Bike supplied by: Kawasaki Motors Australia, www.kawasaki.com.au
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres