2021 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R and ZX-10RR First Ride

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Kawasaki’s Ninja ZX-10R gets mechanical and aero changes for 2021. (Kawasaki/)

When it comes to full-fat superbikes, it’s starting to feel like we’re back to the early 2000s, when model updates came thick and fast and manufacturers fought to be top dog in delivering the ultimate sportbike experience. Today, getting a bike you built into the once-exclusive 200 bhp club is no longer news. Everyone’s already in there, and if you ain’t got wings, advanced traction control, and cornering ABS, you’re going home alone.

What’s different in 2021 is that European manufacturers like BMW, Ducati, and Aprilia are joining the Japanese Big Four in pushing back the production bike frontier. In 1999, the tech world had its cables in a twist over Y2K; now the compact TFT screen on your supersport bike can play music, answer phone calls, and give you directions, all while logging every input of your ride for you to review once you get home. Sportbike tech has gone nuts.

Kawasaki’s ZX-10R has new bodywork and a host of changes in response to feedback form its Superbike racers. (Brian J. Nelson/)

So it was a breath of fresh air when Kawasaki’s launch presentation for the new ZX-10R focused more on physical changes made based on feedback from racers than just pure digital trickery.

What Is New on the 2021 Kawasaki ZX-10R?

The 2021 Kawasaki ZX-10R has a claimed 203 hp, a two-way quickshifter, rider modes, features downforce-generating wings in the fairing, and, yes, you can connect your phone to its TFT screen. It ticks all the tech and feature boxes required to get past the doorman at the supersport club. But despite this, there’s something about the new Ninja that harks back to sportbike development of 20 years ago, something raw, race focused, and, well, <i>purer</i> than just throwing electronic gizmos at a bike.

The big news in the fairing department is all about the restyling, with compact LED headlights and tunneled-in front wings. And sure, it was all painstakingly developed in a wind tunnel to optimize drag while increasing downforce on the front end by 17 percent. That gives you a warm fuzzy feeling when you’ve just read the spec sheet, and no doubt it improves front-end feel in faster corners, but the bit you’ll notice is that the screen is kicked up higher, making it easier to tuck in behind. Perfect for squeezing out a few more mph on the back straight, but equally effective at keeping a cool morning breeze off your chest when you’re up early to meet your buddies for some good times in the canyons.

Integrated winglets and LED headlights are new for the 2021 Kawasaki ZX-10R. (Brian J. Nelson/)

The pegs are set higher and farther back, which might reduce comfort but also gives more support under acceleration, giving your arms an easier time, and you won’t need to replace a set of toe sliders after every single trackday. A side effect of these higher pegs is the longest pair of hero blobs since Honda’s SP2. The handlebars are set forward and flatter, giving the rider more room to move and more leverage over the bike. All these tweaks, Kawasaki says, are driven by feedback from the World Superbike race team.

Mechanical changes begin with the swingarm, now with a 1mm lower pivot. Along with a 2mm greater fork offset and 8mm longer chain adjuster setting, the wheelbase has increased 10mm (0.4 inch) overall. Suspension has been given a rethink with a stiffer shock and softer fork spring. The powertrain has had a few mild changes, most notably shorter ratios in the first three gears to address the laziness felt in the old ZX-10R with its super-tall gearing. The combined oil/water heat exchanger has been replaced by a separate oil-cooling system with its own radiator, a much more track-spec setup which helps maintain engine performance over the length of a race. While we’re number crunching, the claimed 203 hp power figure may be nothing new, but the fact that it makes that power and gets through the latest emissions regulations is a whole heap of engineering work to net one short sentence in a press release. The engineers achieved this impressive result with a longer silencer, revised collector arrangement, repositioned catalytic converter, and more efficient cooling.

A full-color TFT screen is bright and easy to read. (Brian J. Nelson/)

Kawasaki says its chassis changes result in improved traction, stability, and agility, which sounds like they’re having their cake and eating it too. The improvements in traction are definitely a little more subtle, and difficult to determine without back-to-back comparisons. But the feedback and feel from the front end of this new bike was spot on, giving riders the confidence to push hard into turns and carry speed through the bumpy, scarred corners of the airfield track we were testing on. Even on a damp/drying track, the ability to pull the bike onto a line and thread the needle between the wet bits was impressive. In fact, that just set the tone for this bike; it’s confidence-inspiring all around.

It’s easier to get “under the bubble” behind the ZX-10R’s new windscreen. (Kawasaki/)

The new lower gear ratios give the ZX-10R a new sense of urgency and more punch out of the slower corners on a track, but this doesn’t come at the expense of the smooth midrange that has always made the ZX-10R easy to ride by literbike standards. The power delivery is slick, with enough drive to paint black lines over the exit of every corner, thanks to the S-KTRC traction control; but the bike remains impeccably behaved, never bucking or weaving even on a bumpy corner exit. As you hang on to the gears down the straight, the strong top-end hit makes you fully aware of each and every one of the 203 hp. The TFT dash gives you the option to program your own rider modes for engine power setting and traction control, so you can always have one in there set to “off” in readiness for a last-lap wheelie down the entire length of the start/finish straight. The ZX-10R is one of those bikes that revs out hard, clipping the rev limiter and demanding another gear before you know it; the extra 500 rpm made possible by the RR version’s upgraded engine internals paired with the Kawasaki Genuine Parts accessory kit ECU (without, the engine rpm is the same as the ZX-10R) is a welcome touch for track riding.

Let’s talk antilock braking—something that can be a real sticking point for riding hard on track. The ZX-10R uses the Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System (KIBS), a cornering ABS optimized for performance and racetrack use. In addition to controlling rear-wheel lift when braking hard in a straight line, it’s designed to work with trail-braking to not only prevent the wheel locking but control the bike’s tendency to stand up on the brakes. To improve rider feel, the KIBS system is designed to intervene as subtly as possible in order to avoid that horrible juddering or heavy lever feel some ABS setups suffer from.

Kawasaki ZX-10R has always been one of the easier superbikes to ride, but it used to feel sluggish off the corners. Not so anymore with revised gear ratios. (Kawasaki/)

Does it work? Absolutely, up to a point. Note that the launch bikes were on slick tires, so corner entries could be hard and fast, so we got the chance to push the ABS system hard. While braking in a straight line KIBS is very effective and only cuts in when the rear wheel kicks up off bigger bumps. Best of all, when it does cut in, it doesn’t give you an immediate heart attack in fear of not making your turn. You can feel its intervention, but the lever doesn’t go completely numb. When trail-braking deep into some of the sharper corners, the intervention was subtle, not panic inducing. That said, if you’re a rider who likes to let it all hang out on the way into the turns, or if you like to trail-brake really deep, you might find that the KIBS calls time before you’ve had all your fun. It would be nice to see Kawasaki use a track mode ABS system that ignores rear-wheel lift and speed, as you get on the Ducati and BMW. But don’t panic; you can pull the fuse for the ABS modulator and all the other systems still work, leaving you free to pull off your best backing-in stoppies for that guy with the camera at turn 4. Or you can buy the non-ABS versions offered up for the US market.

What Is the Difference Between the ZX-10R and ZX-10RR?

Who doesn’t love a race homologation special edition? If you grew up loving bikes in the ’90s, those words bring a tingle to your spine along with thoughts of Kawasaki RRs, Honda RCs, and Yamaha OWs. And while the ZX-10RR may not be quite as special as those old V-4 Hondas, it is still a proper race edition, with forged Marchesini wheels and an engine full of expensive parts. Pankl titanium con-rods hold shorter, lightweight pistons on DLC (Diamond-Like Carbon) coated pins saving more than a pound in reciprocating weight. With the rev limiter pushed up 500 rpm when using the accessory KRT wiring harness and ECU, the reduced inertia lets the motor spin up faster. Interestingly, Kawasaki made the point that the lighter, lower inertia engine helps its racers get the bike into corners more quickly, as the engine revs drop faster when you shut the gas, aiding weight transfer to the front tire.

While the ZX-10RR has just 1 peak horsepower more than the ZX-10R, it feels more like 10 thanks to a quicker-revving engine and high redline. (Kawasaki/)

With limited time available on the RR, it was hard to get a read on claims of better corner entry, but the motor immediately felt more alive. The stock ZX-10R is no slouch, but the RR rips up through the rev range harder and faster. If I hadn’t looked up the power figures beforehand, I’d swear it was 10 hp up on the stock bike. It isn’t; it makes 204 hp, one more than the standard motor. For spec-sheet warriors this may be a little disappointing, but Kawasaki says it’s because the RR has to meet the same emissions regs as the standard bike. The secret to the RR is to prep it for racetrack use with a full exhaust system and a remap; then the more free-revving engine and the stronger components will really pay dividends.

Has the 2021 ZX-10R Improved?

The ZX-10R’s special move has always been how easy it is to ride, its mild-mannered midrange power allowing you to get the throttle open off the turn before blasting you with a strong top-end once you’re on the straight. At times, that approach has made it feel sluggish in the company of bikes like the BMW S 1000 RR, but the revised gearing has gone some way to addressing that. The front-end feel is better than ever making this one of the easiest literbikes out there to jump on and push hard, whatever your level.

The ZX-10R and ZX-10RR have improved for 2021 while still keeping an easy-to-ride character. (Kawasaki/)

Where some of the more powerful and aggressive bikes use high-end electronics to make them rideable, the ZX-10R feels like you could ride it hard with all the rider aids switched off and not scatter bright green fairing panels from the first apex all the way to the medical center. It does have a bit of an old-school feel next to bikes like the BMW and the Ducati Panigale, but if you want a bike to ride hard on track, does that really matter? For road sportbike riders, the ZX-10R does make some effort to include creature comforts, with cruise control, optional heated grips, Bluetooth connectivity, and a color TFT screen. But in truth, the ZX-10R is really as pure a supersport bike as you can get in the current mainstream superbike bike class. It’s nothing super fancy. Just race-developed technology and improvements to make it go ‘round in circles faster than the last one.

2021 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Specifications

MSRP:	$16,399/$17,699 (ABS)
Engine:	DOHC, liquid-cooled, 4-stroke inline-4; 16 valves
Displacement:	998cc
Bore x Stroke:	76.0 x 55.0mm
Compression Ratio:	13.0:1
Transmission/Final Drive:	6-speed/chain
Claimed Horsepower:	203 hp @ 13,200 rpm
Claimed Torque:	82.5 lb.-ft. @ 11,400 rpm
Fuel System:	DFI, 47mm Mikuni throttle bodies w/ dual injectors
Clutch:	Wet, multiplate slipper clutch; cable actuated
Engine Management/Ignition:	TCBI w/ digital advance, Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC)
Frame:	Twin spar, cast aluminum
Front Suspension:	43mm inverted Balance Free Fork, stepless rebound and compression damping, spring preload adjustable; 4.7 in. travel
Rear Suspension:	Balance Free gas-charged shock; adjustable stepless, dual-range (low-/high-speed) compression damping, stepless rebound damping, fully adjustable spring preload; 4.5 in. travel
Front Brake:	Brembo radial-mounted Monoblock 4-piston calipers, dual semi-floating 330mm discs (w/ ABS)
Rear Brake:	Aluminum 1-piston caliper, 220mm disc (w/ ABS)
Wheels:	Cast aluminum
Tires, Front/Rear:	120/70ZR-17 / 190/55ZR-17
Rake/Trail:	25.0º/4.1 in. (105mm)
Wheelbase:	57.1 in. (1,450mm)
Ground Clearance:	5.3 in. (135mm)
Seat Height:	32.9 in. (835mm)
Fuel Capacity:	4.5 gal. (17L)
Claimed Wet Weight:	456 lb. (207kg)
Availability:	Now
Contact:	kawasaki.com

2021 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR Specifications

MSRP:	$28,999
Engine:	DOHC, liquid-cooled, 4-stroke inline-4; 16 valves
Displacement:	998cc
Bore x Stroke:	76.0 x 55.0mm
Compression Ratio:	13.0:1
Transmission/Final Drive:	6-speed/chain
Claimed Horsepower:	204 hp @ 13,200 rpm
Claimed Torque:	82.5 lb.-ft. @ 11,400 rpm
Fuel System:	DFI, 47mm Mikuni throttle bodies w/ dual injectors
Clutch:	Wet, multiplate slipper clutch; cable actuated
Engine Management/Ignition:	TCBI w/ digital advance, Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC)
Frame:	Twin spar, cast aluminum
Front Suspension:	43mm inverted Balance Free Fork, stepless rebound and compression damping, spring preload adjustable; 4.7 in. travel
Rear Suspension:	Balance Free gas-charged shock; adjustable stepless, dual-range (low-/high-speed) compression damping, stepless rebound damping, fully adjustable spring preload; 4.5 in. travel
Front Brake:	Brembo radial-mounted Monoblock 4-piston calipers, dual semi-floating 330mm discs w/ ABS
Rear Brake:	Aluminum 1-piston caliper, 220mm disc w/ ABS
Wheels:	Forged Marchesini magnesium wheels
Tires, Front/Rear:	120/70ZR-17 / 190/55ZR-17
Rake/Trail:	25.0º/4.1 in. (105mm)
Wheelbase:	57.1 in. (1,450mm)
Ground Clearance:	5.3 in. (135mm)
Seat Height:	32.9 in. (835mm)
Fuel Capacity:	4.5 gal. (17L)
Claimed Wet Weight:	456 lb. (207kg)
Availability:	Now
Contact:	kawasaki.com

 

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