What's it like to be a "middle" brother?
Written: May 07 '01 (Updated May 08 '01)
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Pros: Awesome power, great ergos, comfortable ride, well designed and excellent value
Cons: Carburetion a big ragged and "NINJA" image unappealing to many would-be buyers
The Bottom Line: Try it, you'll like it.
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| dsinned's Full Review: 2000 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-9R |
Middle brother? That's right. 9 comes after 6 and 7, but preceeds a 12. What does the "R" stand for? Why, RACING, of course.
Actually, amongst the latest competition, Kawasaki's ZX series sportsbikes are not the fastest on the track. But don't let that overly influence your decision to buy a new Kawk. All "NINJAs", (a brand name that may appeal to younger wannabee riders, but certainly fails miserably as a marketing ploy to lure in more affluent buyers), share a common bond. They are very powerful and wickedly fast motorcycles. They also share similar styling cues, paint and graphic schemes (including the Ninja badge engineering) Best of all, Kawasaki sportbikes are the most "comfortable" as most Japanese sportbikes go.
In the 750cc to 1000cc scope of available sportsbikes, the ZX-9R has no rival in this regard. The riding position is sensible, and seat certainly bearable for a few hours at a time. Rider comfort is often sorely lacking in other brand sportsbikes and most, if not all, make for a very punishing ride. Not so, the Kawasaki ZX-9R, et all.
Among the (89)9's other attributes, I would be remiss if I did not compliment Kawasaki for a truly great engine design,
arguable the most powerful in its class at approximately 130 rwhp and 70+ ft-lbs of torque at the top of the each chassis dyno curve. I'm not an authority, but I suspect it makes more peak power than its closest rival, the Honda CBR929RR with 30 less cubic centimeters of displacement. By the same toke, it offers nearly as much in overall rideability as Honda's often praised super-refined VFR Interceptor, a sportbike for the masses.
Very high praise, but let's not stop there. The ZX-9R is capable of turning a quarter mile in the low 10s (and there is at least one motorcycle publication that got clicked off a 9.99). If that's not enough, the 9R when wound out to the max, can leave almost everything else in its wake at a a lofty top speed just shy of 170 mph.
Other virtues of the mighty ZX-9R, just to name a few, are
its world class brakes, fully adjustable suspension front and rear, and best in class ergonomics. The windscreen offers better than average protection and the cockpit instruments are a good example of form follows function engineering. Although, the analog speedo seems rather dated on a modern sportsbike these days.
The headlights are very stylish and throw a swath of illumination almost as wide as directly ahead at night. Safety and sportsbikes are not often used in the same sentence, but this bike genuinely comes through with its ZR rated Dunlop D207 17" tires, further adding to rider security with a large 5 gallon total capacity fuel tank with 1.2 gals held in reserve.
Furthermore, extra wide mounted rear view mirrors are not as easily block by the rider's arms and shoulders. And how about those nifty hazard warning lights; just push a button on the left side of the handlebar and you'll light up the bike like a christmas tree. A lockable, storage compartment is at your disposal for more than just the owners manual and emergency tool kit under the passenger pillion. Heck, there is almost enough room in there for a picnic lunch for
two.
Don't get me wrong, the ZX-9R is not anything as plush as a modern cruiser or a well padded sports tourer. Just not lacking in this area as much as most other sportsbikes.
In actuality, the ZX-9R has kind of a dual personality. It combines the best of both worlds. On the one hand if you wanted to take a long ride and arrive at your destination not dead on your feet, the kawi is your pack mule. It can cruise all day at the freeway speed limit, (200+ miles between fill ups), but when the mood strikes you, you can light it up like the Saturn V moon rocket with just a flick of the wrist. Make no mistake this baby is as close to a bonafide "cruise" missile as any street legal motor vehicle on the planet.
Overall, I highly recommend Kawasaki's entire line of well engineered sportbikes, whether the model number designator end in a 6, 7, 9 or a 12. Just don't forget that they also end in "R". Frankly, those model numbers also secretly represent the underground motorcycle industries fun factor rating system. Next year let's hope for the return of a 10 to the current lineup and then we should have exactly the right blend of beauty, grace and poise, not to mention blistering fast performance.
Keep up the great work Team Green.
P.S. The official Kawasaki MSRP selling price for a new 2001 ZX-9R is currently $9999, reduced from $10,299 at the beginning of the model year. However, some dealers want to sell them like hotcakes and are discounting Y2K leftovers to the unbelieveably low price of $8599.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 8499
Condition: New
Model Year: 2000
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Epinions.com ID:
dsinned
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Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Californian born, SF Bay Area native. College graduate. 55 years young.
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