Wednesday, December 28, 2011

2012 Kawasaki ZX-14R Review

It’s neither easy nor politically correct to build the most powerful streetbike ever offered to the public for mass consumption, but that’s what Kawasaki has done with the incredibly potent new ZX-14R.

The ZX-14 has been a major player in the hyperbike wars since its introduction in 2006, becoming the only machine that could hold a candle to Suzuki’s mega-powerful (nearly 160 hp) Hayabusa that was introduced back in 1999. The ZX-14 cranked out a remarkable 171 hp on the dyno and must’ve worried Suzuki’s marketing department and engineering team, as they released a more powerful Hayabusa in 2008 with a bigger engine that produced around 165 horses.
Kawasaki surprised us with a revised ZX-14 in 2008, just two years since its debut, to meet the revitalized Suzuki challenger. While the Kawi remained the smoother and more accommodating choice, emissions regulations took a chunk out of the ZX’s top-end performance. Running excessively rich to preserve its catalyzers, the ZX spat out 10 peak horses less than the original.

his obviously didn’t sit well with Kawasaki, so they’ve now responded with the ZX-14R for 2012. Note the addition of the R to its name. Kawi’s engineers made a host of upgrades to the ZX’s powerplant, most notably by adding 4mm to the engine’s stroke that ups displacement from 1352cc to 1441cc. This 6.5% size increase plus hot-rodding tricks like hand-finished intake ports, more radical camshaft specs, a compression ratio increase and tapered exhaust headers has resulted in what Kawasaki claims is the most powerful mass-produced motorcycle engine in the world.
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Source : http://www.motorcycle.com

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