Bigger Bore, Larger Intake Valves, and an all around Engine Revamp that is

almost as large as the ZX-10R!

In sportbike comparison, only the finest of lines separate a winner from an also-ran. The epitome of these indistinct distinctions surely must reside in the ultra-competitive four-cylinder 600cc class. In our 2008 Supersport Shootout, the Honda CBR stood at the head of the class for its light weight and mondo-midrange motor, while the Gixxer Suzuki finished close behind for its nearly complete lack of foibles. Ya-maha’s R6 excelled at the track. Meanwhile, the ZX-6R took class-leading votes in the more humble catego-ries of brake and slipper-clutch performance and was

Each sportbike has it’s own benefits and disadvantages, but the Kawasaki ZX-6R 2009 has undergone a major makeover, cosmetically and internally, since the last year.

Page 11

let down by an engine that felt strangled at its upper end. As such, it’s no surprise to see this new edition of ZX-6R with several tweaks to its modest motor. It begins with several modifications to the intake system of the injected engine. From the airbox, Kawi fitted new double-bore intake funnels that are a simpler form of the variable-length intakes on Yamaha sportbikes. These velocity stacks have inlets at two different (but static) heights, with the taller inlet boosting midrange power while the short stack maximizes top-end production. Com-bustion efficiency is aided by new cylindrical guides at

Written by John Doe

Page 12

www.sportrider.com

“The Ninja feels most impressive in it’s upper

middle range.”

(continued on page 35)

the top of the air cleaner to direct more accurately sprayed fuel from the secondary injectors. The dis-tance between the dual throttle plates of the 38mm oval-bore throttle bodies has been length-ened 10mm for a smoother transi-

tion through to the revised cylin-der-head porting. Other engine upgrades include more powerful stick coils for the ignition, revised piston profiles with a molybdenum coating on their skirts and lower-friction piston rings. The titanium exhaust system begins with its four header pipes using crossover tubes for lower-end scavenging before it

Leo Vince Exhaust

Motorcycle exhaust systems are the number one upgrade in the motorcycle industry. At Motorcycle Superstore, we have a wide selection of after-market street exhaust systems from top brands like Yoshimura, Vance & Hines, Akrapovic, Jardine, Leo Vince, Scorpion and more. When you need a motorcycle pipe, slip-on muf-fler or complete street exhaust system, shop right here at Motorcycle Superstore.

Kawasaki leads theindustry in best

original parts from thestore floor.

the top of the air cleaner to direct more accurately sprayed fuel from the secondary injectors. The distance between the dual throttle plates of the 38mm oval-bore throttle bodies has been lengthened 10mm for a smoother transition through to the revised cylinder-head porting. Other engine upgrades include more powerful stick coils for the igni-tion, revised piston profiles with a molybdenum coating on their skirts and lower-friction piston rings. The titanium exhaust system begins with its four header pipes using crossover tubes for lower-end scavenging before it flows to a four-into-one collector. A catalyzer-equipped under-engine chamber eventually flows to a stylized side-mount muffler.

It adds up to a claimed 124 crankshaft horsepower (116 previous) at 13,500 rpm, and 130 hp with full ram-air effect. It’s now down just 2 hp from the Euro model, and we expect about 105 horses at the rear wheel. More to the point is Autopolis’ half-mile long front straight. The new ZX pulls itself strongly from the top of second gear entering the straight, followed quickly by third gear and the rest of them in the smooth-shifting six-speed cassette transmission. The Ninja feels most impressive in it upper middle range, with revs climbing swiftly from 9000-15,000 rpm. And it sounds mega coming down the main straight at Autopo-lis, with a menacing intake howl followed by the scream of strato-

Bigger Bore, Larger Intake Valves, and an all around Engine Revamp that is

almost as large as the ZX-10R!

In sportbike comparison, only the finest of lines separate a winner from an also-ran. The epitome of these indistinct distinctions surely must reside in the ultra-competitive four-cylinder 600cc class. In our 2008 Supersport Shootout, the Honda CBR stood at the head of the class for its light weight and mondo-midrange motor, while the Gixxer Suzuki finished close behind for its nearly complete lack of foibles. Ya-maha’s R6 excelled at the track. Meanwhile, the ZX-6R took class-leading votes in the more humble catego-ries of brake and slipper-clutch performance and was

Each sportbike has it’s own benefits and disadvantages, but the Kawasaki ZX-6R 2009 has undergone a major makeover, cosmetically and internally, since the last year.

Page 11

let down by an engine that felt strangled at its upper end. As such, it’s no surprise to see this new edition of ZX-6R with several tweaks to its modest motor. It begins with several modifications to the intake system of the injected engine. From the airbox, Kawi fitted new double-bore intake funnels that are a simpler form of the variable-length intakes on Yamaha sportbikes. These velocity stacks have inlets at two different (but static) heights, with the taller inlet boosting midrange power while the short stack maximizes top-end production. Com-bustion efficiency is aided by new cylindrical guides at

Written by John Doe

Page 12

www.sportrider.com

“The Ninja feels most impressive in it’s upper

middle range.”

(continued on page 35)

the top of the air cleaner to direct more accurately sprayed fuel from the secondary injectors. The distance between the dual throttle plates of the 38mm oval-bore throttle bodies has been lengthened 10mm for a smoother transition through to the revised cylinder-head porting. Other engine upgrades include more powerful stick coils for the igni-tion, revised piston profiles with a molybdenum coating on their skirts and lower-friction piston rings. The titanium exhaust system begins with its four header pipes using crossover tubes for lower-end scavenging before it flows to a four-into-one collector. A catalyzer-equipped under-engine chamber eventually flows to a stylized side-mount muffler.

It adds up to a claimed 124 crankshaft horsepower (116 previous) at 13,500 rpm, and 130 hp with full ram-air effect. It’s now down just 2 hp from the Euro model, and we expect about 105 horses at the rear wheel. More to the point is Autopolis’ half-mile long front straight. The new ZX pulls itself strongly from the top of second gear entering the straight, followed quickly by third gear and the rest of them in the smooth-shifting six-speed cassette transmission. The Ninja feels most impressive in it upper middle range, with revs climbing swiftly from 9000-15,000 rpm. And it sounds mega coming down the main straight at Autopo-lis, with a menacing intake howl followed by the scream of strato-

spheric rpm raising the pulse of all motorheads within earshot. The Ninja piles on speed at a clip worthy of what seems to be class-competitive power, keeping in mind Autopolis is located at an elevation of about 3000 feet, reduc-

ing performance from the thicker air nearer sea level. The ZX feels much livelier than last year’s bike, considering the track’s altitude. Power eventually tapers off by an indicated 15K, so there’s no need to take it to its 16.5K redline. Further evidence of this was the top speed indicated on the front straight registered 152 then

Leo Vince Exhaust

Motorcycle exhaust systems are the number one upgrade in the motorcycle industry. At Motorcycle Superstore, we have a wide selection of after-market street exhaust systems from top brands like Yoshimura, Vance & Hines, Akrapovic, Jardine, Leo Vince, Scorpion and more. When you need a motorcycle pipe, slip-on muf-fler or complete street exhaust system, shop right here at Motorcycle Superstore.

Kawasaki leads theindustry in best

original parts from thestore floor.

Page 11

“The Ninja feels most impressive in it’s upper

middle range.”

Bigger Bore, Larger Intake Valves, and an all around Engine Revamp

that is almost as large as the ZX-10R!

Each sportbike has it’s own benefits and disadvantages, but the Kawasaki ZX-6R 2009 has undergone a major makeover, cosmetically and

internally, since the last year.

In sportbike comparison, only the finest of lines separate a winner from an also-ran. The epitome of these indistinct dis-tinctions surely must reside in the ultra-competitive four-cylinder 600cc class. In our 2008 Supersport Shootout, the Honda CBR stood at the head of the class for its light weight and mondo-midrange motor, while the Gixxer Suzuki finished close behind for its nearly complete lack of foibles. Yamaha’s R6 excelled at the track. Mean-while, the ZX-6R took class-leading votes in the more humble catego-ries of brake and slipper-clutch performance and was let down by an engine that felt strangled at its upper end. As such, it’s no surprise to see this new edition of ZX-6R with several tweaks to its modest motor. It begins with several modi-

fications to the intake system of the injected engine. From the airbox, Kawi fitted new double-bore intake funnels that are a simpler form of the variable-length intakes on Yamaha sportbikes. These velocity stacks have inlets at two different (but static) heights, with the taller inlet

boosting midrange power while the short stack maximizes top-end production. Combustion efficiency is aided by new cylindrical guides at the top of the air cleaner to direct more accurately sprayed fuel from the secondary injectors. The distance between the dual throttle plates of the 38mm oval-bore

throttle bodies has been length-ened 10mm for a smoother transi-tion through to the revised cylin-der-head porting. Other engine upgrades include more powerful stick coils for the ignition, revised piston profiles with a molybdenum coating on their skirts and lower-friction piston rings. The titanium exhaust system begins with its four header pipes using crossover tubes for lower-end scavenging before it flows to a four-into-one collec-tor. A catalyzer-equipped under-engine chamber eventually flows to a stylized side-mount muffler. It adds up to a claimed 124 crank-shaft horsepower (116 previous) at 13,500 rpm, and 130 hp with full ram-air effect. It’s now down just 2 hp from the Euro model, and we expect about 105 horses at the rear wheel.

More to the point is Autop-olis’ half-mile long front straight. The new ZX pulls itself strongly from the top of second gear enter-ing the straight, followed quickly by third gear and the rest of them in the smooth-shifting six-speed cassette transmission. The Ninja feels most impressive in it upper middle range, with revs climbing swiftly from 9000-15,000 rpm. And it sounds mega coming down the main straight at Autopolis, with a menacing intake howl followed by the scream of stratospheric rpm raising the pulse of all motorheads within earshot. The Ninja piles on speed at a clip worthy of what seems to be class-competitive power, keeping

Kawasaki leads theindustry in best

original parts from thestore floor.

Written by John Doe

Page 12

Leo Vince Exhaust

Motorcycle exhaust systems are the number one upgrade in the mo-torcycle industry. At Motorcycle Superstore, we have a wide selection of aftermarket street exhaust systems from top brands like Yoshimu-ra, Vance & Hines, Akrapovic, Jardine, Leo Vince, Scorpion and more. When you need a motorcycle pipe, slip-on muffler or com-plete street exhaust system, shop right here at Motorcycle Superstore

in mind Autopolis is located at an elevation of about 3000 feet, reducing performance from the thicker air nearer sea level. The ZX feels much livelier than last year’s bike, considering the track’s alti-tude. Power eventually tapers off by an indicated 15K, so there’s no need to take it to its 16.5K redline. Further evidence of this was the top speed indicated on the front straight registered 152 then 151 when letting the bike rev out in fifth gear. When upshifting to sixth, speeds climbed continu-ally to 154mph. It’s notable that this info is easy to read on the bike’s new digital instruments that include a handy and legible gear-position indicator. Installation was a breeze and everything fit perfect-ly, meaning our mechanical skills weren’t tested, nor our vocabular-ies. We did notice a couple things to keep in mind. First, the mounting bolt where the midpipe attaches to the

subframe is too short. As cool as the titanium stuff is, we decided to stick with the stock bolt because

it grabbed more thread and actu-ally protruded less than the one provided by LV. Second, if you want

to install the riveted, metal decals, then make sure to do it before installing the mufflers. If you’re willing to shell out the considerable coin for this system, install the decals for that extra cool factor. Click on the photo gallery for a brief installa-tion overview.

The performance levels felt great on the trail, with a cleaner power delivery and better response.

Things weren’t so spectacular on the dyno, as we saw a gain of just 1.5 ponies, and the additional amount of torque was even less. However, that’s still nearly a 10% increase, and the bike now revs out much further than with the stock exhaust. The stock compo-nents generate more power up until around 5,300 rpm, but from then on the Leo Vince unit starts to gather momentum, carrying more power all the way through the rev-limiter. Our stock pipe topped out at 33 horsepower at 11,100 rpm while the sexy LV system reached 34.5 at 11,000. The stock exhaust starts to fall off the pipe as it nears the 13,100-rpm rev-limiter where it recedes to 31.5 hp. Meanwhile, the carbon/Ti pipe holds strong in the 34-hp range until 12,600 and signs off at 33.5 hp, still above the stocker’s peak number. This bike revs like

(continued on page 35)