First Ride: Kawasaki ZX-10R

When it comes to brute power, the Kawasaki ZX-10R has been bullying the competition for years now. With new contenders rolling off the production line for 2007, we were anxious to see if the big Ninja still packed enough punch to fight them off.

In a word, yes. Kawasaki has one of the best literbike engines in the business. But if you only glance at the horsepower and torque figures in the accompanying data panel, you’re missing most of the story. The 10R’s peak numbers, for example, are very similar to those of the Yamaha YZF-R1. A more in-depth examination of the power curves, however, reveals big differences: At 6700 rpm, the ZX-10R makes a whopping 16 more horsepower and an additional 12 foot-pounds of torque. That’s a huge difference, smack in the middle of the rpm range where you are likely to ride most often.

Further, bottom-end fuel mapping provides excellent all-around street manners. Revving the bejesus out of the Ninja to leave stop lights is not required; just roll on the throttle and feed out the clutch, and the bike scoots forward with authority. Add to this a positive, slick-shifting transmission and excellent slipper clutch, the latter only telling you it’s doing its job with a slight tap through the lever.

These are just a few elements of the 10R’s overall refinement that make it a great streetbike. You can dawdle along all day and never tap into the bike’s nasty nature deeper in the revs. But when you want to summon Dr. Jekyll, just crack open that throttle a little harder and you are rewarded with the most impressive four-cylinder midrange performance in the class.

Handling is crisp and responsive, while the chassis offers a lot of stability. Thankfully, the bike comes fitted with an Öhlins steering damper, as it likes to shake its head under hard acceleration over uneven surfaces.

Seating position, wind protection and comfort are very good, but we hope that Kawasaki ditches the annoying tinted tachometer in favor of the new, easy-to-read unit fitted to the ’07 ZX-6R.

Bottom line: When it comes to real-world literbike performance, the ZX-10R has to be considered a top contender.