Rennie Scaysbrook | June 18, 2021
The bike that thoroughly dominated WorldSBK for the last half decade is getting a proper facelift for 2021. This is the 2021 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, and we headed to Fontana to smoke up some Bridgestones on it.
Take the ABS fuse out and the 10R will let you do this kind of silly stuff. However, no ABS showed how friendly the chassis was as Rennie and Zack kept doing this lap after lap.
By Rennie Scaysbrook | Photography by Brian J. Nelson
If you have even a passing interest in WorldSBK, you will have seen the podiums sprayed with green for the better part of the previous decade. Since 2012, Kawasaki has taken seven rider’s titles (one for Tom Sykes and six for Jonathan Rea) and six straight manufacturer’s crowns, proving the company’s gamble of ditching MotoGP for the production-based WorldSBK series was the right one all those years ago.
Kawasaki races WorldSBK on the ZX-10R because that’s the bike we can buy. We aren’t buying a MotoGP bike for the street, plus to race in WorldSBK requires about a 10th of the budget compared to MotoGP.
The $16,399 Ninja ZX-10R has thus become the superbike of the 2010-2020 decade. It’s gone through three major updates since 2010, the last of which was back in 2016 with the arrival of the redesigned, over-square motor. That motor is internally the same for 2021 although Kawasaki has fitted a new oil cooler, throttle valves, a new exhaust system, shorter gear ratios in the first three gears, and reduced the final-drive ratio to help get the ZX-10R off the corner in low rpm situations.
Black on black on black. The taller screen is easy to see here.
This is the base model ZX-10R and like in recent history you can purchase the ZX-10RR if you’re after real horsepower for racing uses, which comes with new cams, valve springs, Pankl pistons, steel braided brake lines and forged Marchesini alloy wheels.
Kawasaki has said, however, that they don’t intend for the 10RR to be used as a street bike, even though you can do so if you wish. In the same vein as the BMW M 1000 RR, the 10RR is designed purely for race teams as a base model they can improve upon. For the rest of us, the 10R will do just fine.
You’ve been able to buy the ZX-10R for a while now. Like, six months in some cases. Getting press units was a bit of a pain and Kawasaki had to delay the launch of the ZX-10R again and again, but it didn’t stop half the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 field from getting their hands on one long before the season started. But as they say in the classics, “it’s better late than never.”
The 2021 ZX-10R has already proved a massive hit, with Michael Gilbert taking the first Stock 1000 win of the season on his Graves-tuned ZX-10R and Corey Alexander taking his ZX-10RR to the second race win ahead of Suzuki-mounted Jake Lewis at VIR a couple of weeks ago.
On the side of the tire, slowly winding in the power, the chassis talks to the rider. It’s a wholly unintimidating superbike—if there could ever be such a thing.
Kawasaki isn’t quoting horsepower or torque numbers for the new 10R; however, we did have Chuck Graves at the press launch at Auto Club Speedway at Fontana who informed us he’d been getting “around 175 horsepower” at the rear tire before his Stock 1000 builds commenced, at which point things like stock exhausts get thrown out and he tunes the bike to his specs.
Michael Gilbert mentioned his race ZX-10R makes “over 200 hp” to the rear tire and the motor has never been touched, which are seriously impressive numbers.
Although the motor is essentially the same as before, the ZX-10R’s titanium exhaust headers have been rearranged to have cylinders one and two linked, and three and four linked, compared to one and four, and two and three. This helps the spent gasses flow through the pipe quicker and as one of the catalyzers was moved further forward with a smaller prechamber used, it allowed engineers to increase the size of the muffler to reduce overall noise.
A face only a mother could love? Opinions are divided on the looks, but if it wins races—which it has been doing with ease—history will remember it as a beautiful design.
2021 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Review | Chassis
It’s much easier for Kawasaki to make changes to the chassis rather than the engine, and that’s where we see many of the changes for 2021. The main frame is the same as 2016-2020, but the swingarm change adjuster has increased eight millimeters in length. This, combined with a 2mm greater fork offset, sees the wheelbase increase 0.4 inches to 57.09, and gives a 0.2 percent tilt towards the front end for better turning performance, especially under brakes. The swingarm hasn’t been redesigned, but it does sit 1mm lower in the frame to give better traction under hard acceleration.
Ӧhlins provides the speed-sensitive electronic steering damper, a carryover from the 2016 edition.
When I rode the 2016 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R in Malaysia for the world launch, it was my first experience with the 43mm Showa Balance Free Front Fork, which I feel is one of the best production forks on the road today. Kawasaki hasn’t fiddled with it too much for 2021, just given it a slightly softer spring rate and upped the compression and rebound damping for the base settings and given a wider fork clamp on the lower triple clamp for better turning performance.
The shock has gone the other way and used a heavier spring with slightly softer rebound and compression settings.
The redesigned exhaust headers and smaller catalyzer have enabled engineers to increase the size of the muffler and take a few decibels out.
Kawasaki hasn’t gone for the class standard Brembo Stylema front-brake calipers on the 10R, instead staying with the M50 setup that debuted back in 2016, albeit with a new front brake-pad material.
One of the obvious changes to the 10R comes in the aesthetics and ergonomics. The ride position has been completely revised with the bars moved 0.4 inches further forward, and the bend is flatter, almost more of a dirt bike stance, to give better leverage and help the rider tuck in tighter.
It’s a racier stance with the foot pegs raised 0.2 inches, the rear of the seat padding has been raised to help with the tuck and the screen is an impressive 1.6 inches taller than before—great news for taller riders.
The face of the bike has caused much chatter among Ninja enthusiasts, with Kawasaki engineers going away from the sleek design of 2016 to a sharper look for 2021. The new front fairing houses LED lights and a new ram-air intake, and the new winglets sitting either side of the cowling contribute to a claimed 17 percent increase in downforce, while giving a seven percent reduction in drag resistance.
There are only minor changes to the front end, like a slightly stiffer spring rate and beefed up compression and rebound settings.
2021 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Review | Electronics
New for 2021 are the integrated riding modes in Sport, Road, Rain and the adjustable Rider mode. This sounds odd to say, but the 2016-2020 ZX-10R only had one mode built into the ECU. Granted, this was basically the same as Rider, where you can program the power (Full, Medium and Low) and traction control levels (one to five plus off) to suit the conditions. Now you’ve got three preset modes, which brings the ZX-10R up to the same spec as the rest of the Superbike class.
There’s the ubiquitous Bosch IMU governing the electronics including traction control and launch control, quickshifter and Kawasaki’s Cornering Management Function (KCMF) system, which is the firm’s own software that governs braking when cranked over, much like Bosch’s own Cornering ABS. Working with the Kawasaki Intelligent Anti-Lock Brake System (KIBS), the KCMF helps modulate brake pressure by gently releasing some line pressure if the rider overcooks the corner and applies too much brake, which would cause a front-end tuck/crash.
Kawasaki has also given you cruise control as standard which, if you’ve ever done touring on a sport bike, is a godsend.
The 4.3-inch dash is new for the ZX-10R and similar to what you’ll get on the Versys 1000. It makes the old dash look archaic in comparison.
The crew at Kawasaki was enthusiastically pumping the Rideology app at the Ninja ZX-10R press launch, which tracks your ride performance over the course of your track day, letting you know things like gear, throttle position, speed, rpm and segment times across the course of a lap. The Rideology app was initially developed for the company’s other machines like the Versys 1000 and H2 SX where metrics like service details are more prevalent, but the ability to quickly change vehicle settings like TC and throttle maps, and see how much slower you are than your buddies, via your phone is still a cool addition for the ZX-10R.
The seat is taller at the back to push you into the race tuck easier.
2021 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Review | Flying at Fontana
We got the chance to sample the new 10R at a private day at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, about the only place you can properly wind out a superbike in sixth gear on the West Coast. Auto Club is a good mix of ultra-high-speed riding mixed with some very slow infield sections that allow the ZX-10R to show off its flexibility, and although the motor may be the least changed component of the 10R, it’s still mighty impressive.
With the power level on Full and the TC reduced to level one, the Kawasaki came alive at Fontana, giving a sublime throttle connection and allowing me to have plenty of fun on corner exits, playing with the traction offered by the Bridgestone V02 slick tires we were running. As the power comes in on the 10R, there’s hardly a dip in forward momentum—the revs climb fast and high, and from 8000-12,000 rpm, this motor hauls ass.
Nudging 170 mph down the straight, the ZX-10R was absolutely rock solid, far more so than I remember with the 2016 edition. We are in the age of downforce and Kawasaki’s imbedded winglets clearly do a good job of keeping everything stable at extreme speeds—a good thing considering we’re getting to them faster than ever before.
Fast as it is, it’s also friendly. It’s much more docile than something like the ferocious Ducati Panigale, making it much easier to live with day to day, although the reduction in final drive has made for more lively acceleration from low speed.
If it’s our money, we’re going racing on green. How about you?
It’s hard not to want to wind the 10R out because the top-end horsepower is so good, but when the revs were north of 11,000 rpm in second and third gears, I was having persistent shifting issues on the quickshifter, with the gearbox refusing to give me the next cog when under full throttle. If I backed the revs down 1000 rpm or so I could grab the next gear easily, but then I missed out on the top-end power offered in the lower gears. I will attribute this mainly to rider error, though I will add that I’ve ridden plenty of superbikes at Fontana and never had this problem before.
An area of the new 10R that I really got on with was the new ergonomics. I remember noting on my 2016 ZX-10R test that the bike would be a struggle to fit if you were above 6’2,” but this is not an issue with the new iteration. The fitment is perfect for my 6’1” frame, allowing me plenty of movement on the chassis while being able to comfortably tuck in down the sixth-gear straight.
The extra range of movement allowed me to hold a better position under braking where I was not climbing all over the front-end like the old bike trying to get comfortable. This allowed me to load up the front Bridgestone better, hold a more correct line through the corner, and get on the gas harder on exit.
Simple tweaks have made for a superb package in the 2021 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, and all for well under $17K.
Although the electronics are still relatively basic in comparison to the Panigale and RSV4, they are all you need with the 10R. Regular readers will know I am not a fan of combined wheelie and traction control systems, but Kawasaki’s made a good fist of it. Hammering the throttle out of the super-tight turn-10 hairpin down the back straight with TC on level one saw the front stay light but planted, letting the green girl eat as the revs and speed shot up in equal measure.
Kawasaki was nice/foolish enough to pull the fuse for the ABS, so we did not test out the KIBS feature of the electronics, but that didn’t really matter as myself and Zack Courts were having a whale of a time backing the 10R into turn six for BJN’s camera.
Even when doing some shenanigans such as this, the ZX-10R’s chassis was so predictable in its mannerisms I could keep pushing harder and harder on corner entry and know the bike wasn’t going to do anything silly beneath me. It’s easy to see why this has become the bike of choice for much of the Stock 1000 grids around the world, simply because the ZX-10R is ultra-fast but equally friendly, allowing a wide range of riders to get something out of it.
When you really break it down, the new Kawasaki ZX-10R isn’t all that new. And that’s a good thing. When you win WorldSBK Championships like club races, there’s no real need to totally revamp the production version of the bike, and the new ZX-10R is more a case of nip and tuck than a full facelift.
Little additions like the preset riding modes, cruise control and the taller screen make for a better street bike, and the revised gearing and excellent traction control system make for a better track bike. And considering the price, Kawasaki has made a pretty compelling argument with the 2021 Kawasaki ZX-10R. Now, if only I can convince Michael Gilbert to let me have a go on his 200 horsepower 10R.CN
2021 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Specifications
| MSRP: |
$16,399 |
| Engine: |
4-stroke, inline 4 cylinder |
| Drivetrain: |
DOHC, 16-valves |
| Displacement: |
998cc |
| Bore x Stroke: |
76.0 x 55.0mm |
| Compression Ratio: |
13.0:1 |
| Fuel System: |
DFI w/ 47mm Mikuni throttle bodies (4) with oval sub-throttles, two injectors per cylinder |
| Ignition: |
TCBI with digital advance and Sport-Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC) |
| Transmission: |
6-speed, return shift |
| Final Drive: |
Sealed chain |
| Electronic Rider Aids: |
Electronic Cruise Control, Kawasaki Launch Control Mode (KLCM), Kawasaki Intelligent anti-lock Brake System (KIBS), Kawasaki Sport Traction Control (S-KTRC), Kawasaki Engine Braking Control, Kawasaki Quick Shifter (KQS) (upshift & downshift), Kawasaki Corner Management Function (KCMF) |
| Frame Type: |
Aluminum perimeter |
| Front Suspension: |
43mm inverted Showa Balance Free Fork, adjustable stepless rebound and compression damping, spring preload adjustability |
| Rear Suspension: |
Horizontal back-link with Showa Balance Free gas-charged shock, stepless, dual-range (low-/high-speed) compression damping, stepless rebound damping, fully adjustable spring preload |
| Front-Wheel Travel: |
4.7 in. |
| Rear-Wheel Travel: |
4.5 in. |
| Front Tire: |
120/70 ZR17 |
| Rear Tire: |
190/55 ZR17 |
| Front Brakes: |
Intelligent Braking (KIBS) (ABS only), Brembo dual semi-floating 330mm discs with dual radial mounted monobloc 4-piston calipers |
| Rear Brake: |
KIBS-controlled (ABS only), single 220mm disc with aluminum single-piston caliper |
| Rake/Trail: |
25.0°/4.1 in. |
| Ground Clearance: |
5.3 in. |
| Seat Height: |
32.9 in. |
| Curb Weight (claimed): |
456.4 lbs. |
| Fuel Capacity: |
4.5 gal. |
| Wheelbase: |
57.1 in. |
| Special Features: |
Aerodynamic Downforce Generating Devices, Rideology the App Smartphone Connectivity, TFT Instrumentation |
| Colors: |
Metallic Spark Black / Metallic Matte Carbon Gray |
