Years sold: 12 (1993-2004)
MSRP new: $6199 (1993) to $6499 (2004)
Blue Book retail value: $1865 (1993) to $3325 (2004)
Basic specs: A 599cc, dohc inline-Four making 88 rear-wheel horsepower that launched the 462-pound machine to an 11.19-second, 123.5-mph quarter-mile and an impressive top speed of 153 mph.
Why it won: Compared to the other sporty middleweights of the era, the new-for-’93 ZX-6 was the fastest, the quickest, the roomiest, the most comfortable and the most versatile. Soon afterward, 600-class sportbikes started evolving into all-out racebikes with lights, and in 1995, the ZX-6 was replaced by the racier ZX-6R as Kawasaki’s top-line 600. The ZX-6 was kept in the lineup, however, to offer buyers a more-practical, less-expensive alternative. The ZX-6 proved popular enough to stay in the mix through the 2004 season, undergoing a name change to ZZR600 in 2003. But all along, it remained the same fast, friendly performer with capabilities ranging from full-tilt backroad blasting to everyday commuting and even, with a tankbag and maybe even a set of soft, over-the-seat saddlebags, a weekend tourer. To this day, it remains one of the best all-around motorcycles ever sold.
In 2005, Kawasaki introduced a “new” ZZR600, but it was not the same motorcycle that had been making friends since 1993; rather, the ’05 ZZR600 merely was the ’04 ZX-6R repli-racer, which had been superseded that year by an even lighter, faster and racier 6R.
From the 1993 Ten Best story: “Kawasaki annexed prime Honda territory by squeezing huge amounts of power from a 599cc engine, by mounting that engine in a chassis that’s comfortable for riders of all sizes, by equipping the chassis with premium suspension pieces that yield crisp handling and a comfortable ride, and by providing the bike with the polished detail finish that Honda buyers take for granted.”
Useful resources: Quite a bit of information about this model is available on the Internet, including bikes, parts and manuals up for sale. You’ll find several forums devoted largely to this machine, and even a few ZX-6/ZZR clubs—although the material on ZZR sites often also deals with the ZZR1200, the enlarged and rebadged ZX-11 that Kawasaki sold for a few years. Since this very same 600 was known as the ZX-6 and the ZZR600, use both names when scouring the ’Net for information.
