If you want a good cc A1P model from though and why wouldn't you? Be aware that not every plate is an A1P — there were plenty of J2s registered late. The same applies to the A1P - don't limit your search to registrations, as quite a few A1Ps were registered well into It's a supersport , so it's never going to be pulling tree stumps for fun, but having said that, it's nowhere near such a screamer as, say, an R6 or CBR-R of the same era.
The has that kind of loose feel in the midrange, carried over from the ZZ-R and other smaller Kawasakis, as if there's a bit of elastic in the throttle cable, so you wind it on further, wait a bit and then 'ping' - it all arrives in a rush. That means for serious fast riding you need to keep the revs high to avoid that lag, but the rest of the time it's forgiving of clumsy throttle inputs, where fuel injected bikes are often jerky from a closed throttle, for example.
The cc A1P model has a similar feel, and very similar top end, but there's a useful extra lump of torque lower down, which is just what you want on the road. The engine's tough - very tough. Treat it right and it'll still be running sweetly when the rest of the bike's thoroughly worn out. The only regular problems are worn camchains and tensioners causing top end rattles although often that turns out to be poorly balanced carbs rather than a mechanical issue — the ZX-6R is very sensitive to this and possibly camshaft pitting if the bike's been left unused for a long time and then thrashed from cold oil drains away from the right hand end of the cams if the bike's left on its sidestand.
Otherwise the biggest problem you're likely to have is carburettor icing in the cold and damp — often a problem on older Kawasakis.
There's a heater circuit for the carbs which can easily become blocked, so that needs flushing, but even so it's a problem, and made worse by modern unleaded, especially cheap supermarket stuff with high ethanol content. The gearbox is slick and positive, and just as reliable as the engine. Many owners fit aftermarket silencers, but you really need to get the fuelling sorted by a skilled dyno operator, or you'll risk screwing up the midrange in particular.
Thrash it and you'll be down in the low 30s, but in daily normal use it's easy enough to get 45mpg or more, giving you a decent range from the litre tank. You've got an old-school manual reserve tap to access the last four litres or so, and it can be fiddly to operate on the move, especially with winter gloves — even the owner's manual warns that you need to practice operating the tap to avoid fumbling when it starts spluttering mid-overtake As with the carb icing issue, you may find that using posher fuel repays the investment with better mpg as well as better throttle response.
Suspension's not the plushest out there, but it was always praised in road tests for its accurate steering and relative composure on bumpy roads. The weak point has always been the rear shock, which is a bit basic although the cc A1P model had a much better-quality rear shock. Twenty years on if it's still got the original shock it's going to be pretty baggy by now. A budget replacement from Hagon or YSS, along with a fork rebuild and new oil, will transform the handling, putting it back to its sweet-steering best.
Six pot Tokico calipers were the mutt's nuts back in well, we thought they were - actually they didn't give any more power than conventional four-pots.
But they quickly got a reputation for being prone to corrosion, and hard to bleed properly. The corrosion can be slowed by frequent and meticulous cleaning on the bike, but you still need to completely strip them at intervals, and clean out the grooves where the seals sit. Some owners reckon that removing the master cylinder from the bars and placing it lower than the calipers while bleeding helps encourage any air to escape naturally.
Others swear by reverse bleeding using a big syringe to force fluid into the system from the caliper end. The best bet, though, is to ditch them and fit four-pots — there are several fitments from other Kawasakis as well as various Suzuki versions with the same bolt spacing. There's always been a bit of an issue with the charging system on these — the alternator in particular. The problem is the clearance between rotor and stator — if it's out by a tiny amount it causes problems.
Simply removing and replacing the alternator cover can put it out of tolerance, and you'll need to fit a new gasket to get it happy again. We've heard a few reports of fuel pumps failing at high mileages too. Otherwise there are few fundamental problems but with advancing age we'll be seeing more problems with corroded connectors, poor connections and failing minor components.
The sidestand switch is a common culprit - exposure to road crud leads to corroded contacts, which leads to intermittent starting problems and then no start at all — shorting the wires to the switch is a get-you-home fix.
Those were a sketchy three or so laps, but after that the 14s had to be praised as a real scratcher's tyre. You could really push on, the feeling being that the front was being pushed the hardest, but it never felt close to breaking away even when things started grounding out around Clearways.
Meanwhile, the 15s could be pushed after just the one lap of warm up. They offered comparable grip but felt just a bit more composed, the benefit of stiffer sidewalls. Both had excellent brakes. There was never any question over the performance of the radial Tokicos on the Perhaps the new Nissin radials had an advantage of being brand new and four-pads-for-four-pistons in design , and they were certainly just that wee bit better in feel and strength.
On the road there's very little in it, it was almost uncanny how similar the engines felt. And given that you're hard pressed to belt along doing the wrong side of 12,rpm for any prolonged periods the had a hard time asserting any real advantage. You could tell yourself the was pulling stronger off the bottom and through the midrange, but look in the mirrors and the was always right there.
You'd be a bloody fool to think that 2. Curiously, when it came to handling, you liked best what you just got off. The would feel fiendishly quick steering, too much so, until you swapped to the - only to register that the newbie felt too ponderous. In reality neither are slow or bad handling, we're just talking relative nths here. Where we found a real measurable difference was in lap times.
We set a baseline lap with the '07 bike of 58s. We have to say it felt utterly crisp: turn-in, mid-turn, hooking up, revving out. You could totally understand the euphoria that accompanied its world launch. Then we took the out and for three laps it felt the worst bike to ever venture onto a track. Then it transformed. The tyres came in and the rocketed. It wasn't as measured as the ; the bars would noticeably shake when accelerating hard out of Clearways and that rapid steering wasn't always easy to work, input-wise.
But the surprise was the lap times. A full two seconds a lap quicker at 56s, and this on the Indy circuit too. So we took the '07 back out and batted it that bit harder. We closed the gap to a second, but that next second wasn't going to come without an incomparable extra level of effort.
No, ridden like for like the was a full second a lap quicker. Kawasaki have called the new look MotoGP inspired and that's as maybe.
But the truth is they've made the into one of the sleekest, most together-looking machines in the class. Just look - they've painted it bright orange and it still oozes class.
The old 'un simply looks blocky and flat sided by comparison. And the redesign has gone deeper than the flesh. Kawasaki have at last abandoned the techy but utterly illegible digital dash.
This year it's a neat white faced analogue tacho and an easy read digi speedo. Simple, effective. And they've managed to hide the shitty cats and lamdas in the belly pan too. Good job. Some might lament the considerable withering in the passenger accommodation, but Kawasaki have been unabashed as labelling the ZX6R 'the ideal class circuit machine', 'the ultimate middleweight track tool' - yeah, we get the message.
It beats it on power, weight, speed and lap times. That's almost a full house. Does the '07 bike's wins on aesthetics and 'feel' really count for much? Well, here's the thing. Honestly, Kawasaki have done a good job on making the new ZX-6R as good as it is. This Euro3 business is far harder to satisfy than any of us give credit to.
Kawasaki didn't make the new bike five kilos heavier because they could. No, they went about lightening the bike, working on mass centralisation, doing everything they possibly could to mask the fact they were having to strap kilo upon kilo of emissions gubbins - effectively deadweight - onto what should be a superlight no-nonsense machine. And given that cats suck power as effectively as an stone rider, then it's a triumph that combined with a 36cc capacity reduction Kawasaki have got as close as they have to the performance of the old bike.
Once any self-respecting owner has put on an exhaust and Power Commander, the gap between the two bikes will be all but closed. It goes everywhere you want it to go, at your speed. It's not too scary. I went for a test on a ZXR but the sales guys said I should ride this. I came back with such a big grin on my face - that was it. It's actually very comfortable and on the seven hour run to Magny Cours it was fine.
As the ZX-6R still runs carbs, ensure the bike ticks over nicely or you will be looking at spending a few quid to get the carbs balanced and also inspect the fuel tap for leaks as these can fail and may require a rebuild. If it has an aftermarket exhaust fitted most bikes will ask if the bike has been set-up via a carb kit to suit. In terms of the chassis, it is general wear and tear issues so check the bearings head stock, wheels, swingarm as well as the consumable items such as brake pads, chain and sprockets etc.
Overall, the ZX-6R is a solid bike, but it is also quite old now so do be on your toes when checking it over. Featuring a radical new look, the B1H also came with a cc motor but it was significantly modified to boost its performance and had a slipper clutch as standard. Which is great news if you are after a well-priced practical supersport machine. One of the most active is www. To learn more about what the spec sheet means, click here for our glossary.
Looking for motorbike insurance? Get a quote for this bike with Bennetts motorcycle insurance. By Jon Urry. What to look for: The first thing to check when buying a ZX-6R is the fact it is actually the cc model! Basics over, move onto the bike… In the early s, Kawasaki relied on Tokico six-piston calipers to add some bite to their brakes and these are quite frankly terrible when it comes to seized pistons.
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