2018 Kawasaki ZX-10R SE First Look
| November 7, 2017
Kawasaki introduces an upgraded ZX-10R SE at the 2017 EICMA show.
The highlight of the Special Edition model is the all-new Kawasaki Electronic Control Suspension (KECS). The KECS system plays host to three different riding modes (Road, Track, and Manual) that can be selected via the dashboard. Manual mode allows the rider to tune the suspension settings to their liking, with a 15-level adjustability of compression and rebound circuits. The semi-active suspension system uses what is called “Showa Solenoid technology” inside the fork, which is claimed to have a reaction time of one-thousandth of a second.
New, “built-in stroke sensors” are implemented into the front fork, and should be responsible for controlling wheelies under acceleration, rather than relying on the IMU’s data. The core suspension pieces are still Showa’s Balance Free Fork (BFF) and Balance Free Rear Cushion (BFRC) shock, which have always been a stand-out favorite in the literbike class.
Benefitting from the ZX-10RR, the SE model employs the same bi-directional quickshift unit and forged, seven-spoke Marchesini wheels. Kawasaki also claims that the ZX-10R SE will have the same 197 horsepower at 13,000 rpm as the RR model, which suggests that the engines have the same modified cylinder heads (that accepts high-lift camshafts), DLC coated tappets in the valvetrain and beefed up crankcases that separate themselves from the standard ZX-10R.
We have yet to hear when the Kawasaki ZX-10 SE will be available, but we are all hoping to score a ride on it in the near future. The Showa BFF fork and BFRC rear shocks have always impressed, but the Kawasaki Electronic Control Suspension could take it to another level. Stay tuned. Michael Gilbert