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The Kawasaki ZX10 remains one of my favorite Multi cylinder sports bike I’ve ever owned.
There is much to be impressed about this machine, but it is not without fault.
I used this motorcycle for every day commuting, sport riding, stunt gigs, burnouts, stoppies & wheelies over nearly 12 months, blowing countless tires & dropping it more times than I remember. Much of this time was two up with my girlfriend or kids in the back. While the rear seat is slopes forward & is slippery, I reshaped it & recovered it with gripper vinyl so I don’t loose my pillion.
Kawasaki ZX10 Suspension:
This motorbike handles so good out of the box, I seen no need to change anything at all. It steers quick & precise & soaks up every bump without any ground clearance issues. While it’s one of the only bikes not fitted with a steering damper, it never shakes it’s head or tankslaps, even on the roughest roads.
Kawasaki ZX10 Motor:
While this motorcycle has plenty power on tap, it is delivered in the most user friendly & lineal power curve. The engine management is faultless, never missing a beat & responding ever so predictably to every need. The Gearbox is slick precise with no false neutrals & shifts up or down with no need of the clutch .
Kawasaki ZX10 Brakes:
This motorcycle has the worse brakes of the bunch of 05 sports bikes. They have no bite, fade to nothing & pull into the bars & simply don’t work. It has good calipers, but shit pads & inadequate master cylinder.
TO FIX these crappy brakes, I fitted a Suzuki K6 Radial brake pump, which stopped the fade & gave better feel, but, were still not up to scratch until I fitted the “Metal Gear” full sintered brake pads.
Wheelies:
This has gota be the easiest one litre motorbike to whellie ever made by man. It can be wheelied straight of the throttle in 1st or 2nd, clutched up from stand still in 1st, or on the move in 2nd & 3rd, or with the help of a crest in any gear up to 5th if your up in the higher revs over 220K.
Just thrashing it in first will lift the front wheel straight to balance, or powerstand mode, shifting through the gears just as you catch a glimpse of the shift light. In 2nd gear, jerking the throttle at 7000rpm will also get it up easy, while 3rd gear needs 10,000RPM clutchup, & a spontaneous jerk on the bars.
To clutch the kwaka from stand still, I use one finger on the clutch, just flicking it out at about 4000RPM straight to balance, then just keep it up while guarding the rear brake.
Burnouts:
Are so too easy… Just stand on the pegs with a finger on the front brake, & don’t be shy when you drop the clutch at anything above 6,000RPM, then wind on the throttle & sift through the gears as you get the wheel spinning over 240KPH in top gear. This will blow a roadworthy tire in less than 3 minutes. Be warned…NEVER attempt any burnouts with steel belt tires, as the steel cords can take off limbs if you’re not carefull. I’ve had steel belt tires smash tail lights, ducktails & rip off inner guards & even had to remove steel wire from my arm one day.
Stoppies:
Now with my brake mods, stoppies are so easy & controllable. The front end never bottoms & the tire seldom loosing grip. One handed, two up, in the wet or turning on the front wheel is now as easy as it gets.
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