First Ride: 2012 Kawasaki ZX-14R

Giving the Kawasaki ZX-14R more stroke and added displacement is sort of like Dolly Parton getting breast implants, but those wild and crazy guys over at the Big K have gone ahead and done just that - adding an R and so much more to the big-bore ZX-14. They've made sickly fast even faster. And for good measure, they've thrown in more torque.

Thank God the thing comes with a bra called traction control.

Already known the world over as a perennial contender for the title "world's most powerful mass-produced motorcycle," Kawasaki engineers couldn't leave good enough alone. They had to make it better. And "better" in the case of motorcycles like the ZX-14R usually means more power. And the quickest way to that is to increase the size of the engine - thus, the inline four has been pumped up to 1441cc from the 1352cc it's had since its introduction in 2006.

The added displacement comes via a 4mm stroke increase that sees the 2012 ZX-14R at 65mm (up from 61mm to 84.0 x 65mm); it also gets a reworked cylinder head assembly with polished ports and lighter pistons - which also got stronger to handle the extra power. The compression ratio has also been bumped to 12.3:1.

To help harness all of this, the ZX-14R gets traction control for the first time - a modified version of the system currently used on the smaller sibling ZX-10R. The system features three different modes - 1, 2 and 3 - for varying conditions with 1 being the least restrictive while 3 offers up the most help for dealing with slippery conditions. And for those of you who still believe in traction control coming from your right wrist, the whole thing can be turned off.

The bike also gets a two-mode power selector that cuts power in the low-power mode down to 75 percent of full power, though this all happens at the top of the power range. Off the bottom, both modes offer full power. All the options on traction control and the power selector are changed via a switch on the left handlebar with the modes easily viewed on the bike's LCD cockpit display.

Power, torque and traction control is all well and good, but something else that should be appreciated is the fact that the ZX-14R also gets a slipper clutch for the first time - a package that is almost identical to the one found on the ZX-10R. The slipper clutch on the new bike works well, allowing you to hammer downshifts without the rear end getting out of shape. Just like it should. A very good addition to any sportbike.

The chassis on the ZX-14R has also been updated with a 10mm longer swingarm the biggest change to the new model. It also gets a new steering stem and different rigidity and flex characteristics. Working in conjunction with all that are stiffer springs and revised damping settings in both the front (a 43mm upside down fork) and rear suspension package with the suspension action now taking place higher in the stroke than on the previous model.

New wheels have taken three pounds off the bike, but it's still a big, beefy motorcycle that tips the scales at 584.3 pounds. The wheels are fitted with re-shaped petal-type discs with radial-mounted four piston brake calipers up front, though ABS still isn't an option as Kawasaki says there hasn't been much in the way of consumer demand for the system. Europe, however, does get the ABS option.

Kawasaki updated the styling on the bike, but not so much that ZX-14R fans won't recognize it. It's got a bit more aggressive look to it with its four headlights, V-shaped taillight and quadruple side fairing fins, but there's no denying that it's still a ZX. They tweaked it to make it look a bit different, but also changed it to make it more functional... i.e. a seat that has been reshaped to offer a bit more thigh support while also giving it a lower feel for shorter riders.

You'd be hard pressed to find better instrumentation than what you get on the ZX-14R. The cockpit features a large analog speedometer with an analog tach of equal size sitting next to it. The bike gets a multi-function LCD digital display that shows you everything but your bank balances: Fuel gauge, gear position indicator, dual trip meters, odometer, and clock. You can also toggle through (via the same switch that changes the traction-control settings) to find your current and average fuel mileage, remaining fuel range and external air temperature. There's also a programmable launch light and shift light. And if that's not enough, there's also an "Eco" indicator on the screen that tells you when you're getting maximum economy and fuel mileage, though we're not sure anyone who buys a motorcycle like a ZX-14R does so to avoid higher gas prices.

Speaking of your bank balance, the new ZX-14R will sell for $14,699 in the two standard colors - metallic spark black and candy surf blue - while the special-edition golden blazed green will set you back an additional $200 at $14,899. The green one screams, "I'm the fastest freaking motorcycle in the world" loud and clear.

So how does it all work? Pretty damn good, actually.

To show us just how versatile the new ZX-14R is, Kawasaki took a contingent of journalists to Las Vegas yesterday for a combination street ride/drag strip day and it was hard not to come away impressed. It's not every day that you find a motorcycle that's extremely comfortable and user friendly on a jaunt down the 1-15 freeway and through the twisties of a National Park, yet gets even a drag-strip newbie like myself through a quarter mile in 10.067 seconds at 144.89 mph. Ride it to the drag strip, kick some ass and then ride it home. Welcome to life with the ZX-14R.

My day started with the street ride that took us on a 30-mile or so jaunt down the 1-15 freeway to a desolate road that led us into the park - complete with a 35 mph speed limit - and ended with my best run of the day, the aforementioned 10.067 (drag racing hero and eight-time champion Rickey Gadson was in the 9s on the same stocker). Along the way, we tested the traction control system as best we could on the road and off it (you can set it on level three, ride it off into the gravel on the edge of the road, hammer the throttle and it churns its way along until traction is found again on the pavement). It definitely takes the edge off a motorcycle that's got plenty of it.

On the highway, the ZX-14R is all sports-tourer. It cruises along at 80 mph at 5000 rpm in sixth gear, is unbelievably stable (not a surprise with a wheelbase of 58.3 inches), vibration free and silky smooth. You could ride all day on the ZX-14R without nary a worry, eating miles and smiling the entire time. And if you feel the need to make a pass or get somewhere in a hurry... give it some stick in any gear and hold on. Torque? It's got boatloads of it.

At the drag strip, our instructor Gadson had us starting out using the ZX-14R on setting 2, giving you peace of mind and allowing you to focus your efforts on getting the launch just right and not on having to chop the throttle for over-zealous wheelies and such. With the setting on 2, you could hammer the throttle with reckless abandon once you got the clutch released just right. Piece of cake. And quarter mile times in the low 10s were fairly easy to come by. I recall my other lone drag strip experience and one run in particular coming three years ago on a ZX14-R: I got the bike lit up off the lights and it slid one way and then the other, fishtailing for the first 50 feet or so. It's fun to look back on, but was a bit daunting at the time. Traction control takes those sorts of harrowing moments away.

My best run at the end of the day did come with the setting on 1, but using the second setting made getting to that point a lot more comfortable and confidence inspiring. Of course, Gadson does his best times with the traction control turned off, but there's a reason why he teaches drag racing schools and the rest of us don't. Trust me, the non-Rickeys will be better of with traction control than without it.

It's sort of scary to come right out and say that a new motorcycle is the fastest mass-produced motorcycle ever built, but with the 2012 Kawasaki ZX-14R it's a pretty safe bet that you'd be correct in saying just that. It's difficult to imagine anything standing in the way of Kawasaki's claim that the ZX-14R is "The King Of All Sportbikes.

For more information on the new ZX-14R, see a upcoming issue of the weekly digital version of Cycle News. A sample of this week's issue can be found by clicking on the following link:

http://cyclenews.coverleaf.com/cyclenews/20111129#pg1