Issue#227 From the Ashes of the ZX-12 | Zxr, New, Kawasaki, Have, Class

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Issue#227 From the Ashes of the ZX-12

Written by John Campbell
Wednesday, 25 April 2007
One of the most anticipated new motorcycles for the 2000 model season was the ZX-12R, a machine that Kawasaki said had spent more time in the wind tunnel than any other. With six-piston braking, 43mm forks, a then-huge 200mm rear tire and a monocoque frame, the big Ninja rolled out of the factory with only one mission—to defeat Suzuki’s mighty Hayabusa. At the time, Kawasaki was reluctant to publish exact horsepower numbers, saying only that “the new ZX-12R engine produces more horsepower from its 1198cc displacement than any other machine in its class.” In reality, there was no class, there was only the 180-hp Hayabusa, even Honda’s splendid Blackbird was no match for Suzuki’s bird of prey. So, it was too obvious that Kawasaki had launched a machine in the nascent one-bike Ultrasport class and that it would arrive outputting somewhere in the neighbourhood of 178 horsepower. Subsequent dyno testing by numerous parties, including ourselves, confirmed the statistic. Kawasaki had indeed entered a brand new league and era. Unfortunately, the timing was horrific. In Europe, political pressure was intense to remove sportbikes entirely from the street, or to drastically limit their output, and the arrival of the ZX-12R generated a wave of outrage and scorn. Kawasaki scrambled against the negative reaction to the ZX-12R, going so far as to “dumb down” the blackbox and artificially limiting the bike’s top speed to 299 kmh. Sassy magazine ads boasting of the Ninja’s mind-boggling potential were pulled and replaced with more subtle language. To make matters even worse, the ZX-12R never really defeated the Hayabusa in any clearcut way—except for the odd spike now and again. Perhaps a now-meaningless victory or two with turbo-charged versions in the hands of privateer outfits on the Salt Flats of Bonneville. Despite an “unprecedented use of magnesium and titanium” in its design, the ZX-12R was failing in its primary objective, to displace the Hayabusa. Sales languished, and the bike itself became a kind of temporary embarrassment to Kawasaki and the Ninja program. The mistake may have been about putting too many eggs in one basket, and the ZX-12R never became what it should have been all along, a powerhouse sport tourer in the current vein of motorcycles such as BMW’s K1200S. In fairness, the European market of the day would have in all likelihood been quite reluctant to accept a sport touring bike that didn’t look like a BMW, but the outcome was that people saw the ZX-12R as a one-trick pony that was only number two at that one trick. It may be just conjecture, but it seems to me that Kawasaki learned a great deal from the ZX-12 experience. From the ashes of that time, has arisen a new and improved ZX-12, in the form of the ZX-14, which Bertrand Gahel reported on in our June 2006 issue (“Into the Nines”). But Kawasaki has found new work for the ZX-14, its powerplant has now found its way into the recently-unveiled Concours 14, which will arrive as an ‘08 unit. More than a simple makeover of the 20-year-old 997cc Concours, this is a completely new model that will certainly challenge anything in the category—a class that includes bikes such as the aforementioned Beemer, Yamaha FJR 1300AE, Ducati ST3 and Honda’s ST1300. With huge, but highly usable horsepower, this new-from-the-ground-up shaft-driven sport tourer will arrive with a battery of instrumentation, electrically-controlled windshield, dual balancers and hard luggage. Of course, it will be fuel-injected and, because it’s targeted toward a saftey-conscious segment, fitted with optional ABS. Ram-air induction and radial-mount calipers demonstrate its serious intent. The ZX-14 will hold its own in the unlimited class, but just in case it doesn’t, its “nine-second” motor has just found a marvelous new home. NOT A MINUTE TOO SOON, THAT WAS OUR REACTION WHEN WE heard the news out of Milwaukee. It seems Harley-Davidson has unveiled a prototype Sportster that “places an emphasis on performance and handling, with styling inspired by the legendary XR750.” (See, “Prototype unveiled,” pg. 49.) This is exactly the sort of serious treatment Sportster fans have been waiting on for a long time now. And really, as we conclude our three-part Project: Barnes Stormer feature, there is some temptation on our part to be smug. We’ve even joked that Harley-Davidson must have posted spies in our office. After all, a flat-track-inspired Sportster is exactly what we had envisioned in the Barnes Stormer. Now, out of the blue, Milwaukee pops a performance Sportster with inspiration drawn from the great XR group. And to give Harley credit, its new prototype comes very close to being as successful as our own project bike. Frighteningly close in fact. Hmm ... come to think of it, Harley’s 2006 blacked-out Night Rod bears a remarkable resemblance to Marc Frantz’s slammed treatment of his custom V-Rod which we featured in our April 2005 issue. (See, “Change is Good.) With Progressive Suspension shocks and performance pieces out of the Screamin’ Eagle catalogue, Frantz’s 2004 base V-Rod B model took on a flat black paint scheme that made the presentation absolutely lethal. So, maybe Milwaukee has been keeping an eye on us after all. But getting back to the XR1200 ... the prototype was introduced in Germany during October’s INTERMOT and “Created with the demands of the European market in mind,” according to the press release that landed on my desktop. Does that strike anyone as slightly wrong? If there’s anything in the world of motorcycling that’s more American Iconic than a flat-track-inspired Sportster, I’m not certain what that might be. Comments (0) Subscribe to this comment's feed Write comment You must be logged in to a comment. 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