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Kawasaki ZZR-1200 – Viagra on wheels
By Dave Abrahams The ZZ-R1200 is the successor to Kawasaki's mind-altering ZZ-R1100, for nearly a decade the fastest standard bike money could buy. That crown has since passed to the Suzuki Hayabusa, but the ZedZed retains the best features of its predecessor, while adding a few of its own.
It's one of the few musclebikes still around with carbs instead of fuel injection, which is another feature the fortysomething born-agains will appreciate. The downside is a flat spot around 4000rpm, accompanied by some unpleasant secondary vibration. It runs rock steady right up to terminal velocity, other than a distinct headshake on full-power upshifts, largely because any contact between front tyre and tarmac at that point is purely on a courtesy basis. The clutch on the test unit had a slight but distinct judder; it remained predictable no matter how much we abused the drivetrain in heavy traffic or on the test track and never compromised performance, becoming just another foible on a bike with a lot of character. A short ride on another, somewhat younger ZZ-R confirmed that it's peculiar to that specific bike. Kawasaki has a corporate policy of machining more clearance into its transmissions than other bikemakers. This induces extra play and noisy shifts but the result is a very positive and extremely robust action – missed shifts on KHI products are rare. The test 1200 was no exception; it's one of the few big bikes I've ridden that delivered better upshifts with the clutch than without. In either mode the first-second change was noisy enough to startle nearby car drivers but always firm and predictable. Kawasaki places much emphasis on marketing its products in the United States where they take life a quarter mile at a time and acceleration is king; its transmissions are configured accordingly. Hybrid chassis All this heavy-duty engineering is housed in a hybrid chassis with alloy spars and detachable steel lower members; the sub-frame is also steel but the swing-arm is neatly crafted in extruded alloy. The rest of it is standard Japanese big-bike stuff, with 43mm conventional forks and Kawasaki's familiar uni-trak rear end, adjustable at both ends for preload and rebound. The factory's median settings are on the firm side of sporty; one might argue that this is necessary to keep 236kg of high-powered motorcycle under control but the bike suffered a little on our bumpy test road and the front end felt vague when pushed really hard. It was more a warning to back off than a stability failure - so I backed off a little. 236kg is also the important number when it comes to braking – that much bike takes a lot of stopping. The four-pot Tokicos have all the power you need, but without the intimidating initial bite of the race replicas; once again, the design is aimed at older riders who aren't used to modern brakes at their best (or worst!). The handling parameters of this big bruiser are much the same; the steering is predictable and reassuringly slow, with no surprises on the turn-in. Even in heavy traffic the bike is nimble enough to grab any gap that will accommodate its bulk and it's stable down to walking pace; the ZZ-R makes a better commuter than you'd expect. On decent roads at any speed this side of insanity it will hold its line like it's on rails; right near the limit it becomes difficult to gauge what the front end is doing and it gets a little skittish over bad ripples. Read the road and ride accordingly – not a bad mantra for any powerful bike. Smooth styling The styling of the almost fully-enclosed body panels is smooth and clean, if a little bulky, with the quadruple free-form headlights melting into one big polycarbonate moulding. The most startling aspect of the design is the way the twin tail lights and rear indicators do the same; it's unexpected but really pretty. The front fairing is fully lined, neatly enclosing the pale grey instrument panel, although fit and finish leaves something to be desired. The flight deck comprises four round dials with red needles for revs, speed, fuel and engine temperature – the only liquid crystal display in sight is the clock! Ergonomically the bike is nowhere near as sports-oriented as it looks; the seating position is well forward of vertical but pleasantly relaxed and the seat is broad and flat for moving old bones around on a long ride. Adequate ground clearance is ensured by keeping the lower engine plates (and thus the foot-pegs) well tucked in, and the pillion seat has superbly designed grab rails with built-in bungee hooks. The low screen provides adequate protection, although anything over 160km/h requires a crouched attitude to avoid mild head-buffeting. Born again The ZZ-R1200 is clearly aimed at born-again bikers, riders who have come back to the road after many years of kids and car and can now afford the big bruiser they could never aspire to as hard-riding youngsters. The smooth styling, analog instrumentation, reassuring handling and relaxed seating position all point to adult riders with enough maturity to treat a quarter-ton guided missile with respect – most of the time. It's the bike we all dreamed of riding during the seventies, only better; maybe that's why I like it so much. Specifications: Motor: Liquid-cooled four-stroke transverse four. Capacity: 1164cc. Bore x stroke: 79.0 x 59.4mm. Valvegear: DOHC with four overhead valves per cylinder. Compression ratio: 10.6:1. Power: 101kW at 9900rpm. Torque: 109Nm at 8300rpm. Induction: Four 40mm Mikuni CV carburettors. Ignition: Electronic. Starting: Electric. Clutch: Hydraulically actuated multi-plate wet clutch. Transmission: Six speed constant-mesh gearbox with chain final drive. Suspension: 43mm conventional cartridge forks adjustable for preload at front, rising-rate monoshock adjustable for preload and rebound damping at rear. Brakes: Twin 320mm discs with four-pot opposed-piston callipers at front, 240mm disc with twin-pot opposed piston calliper at rear. Tyres: Front: 120/70 - ZR19 tubeless radial. Rear: 180/55 - ZR17 tubeless radial. Wheelbase: 1505mm. Seat height: 800mm. Dry weight: 236kg. Fuel capacity: 23 litres. |
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