Shop Motorcycle Gear,
Parts and Apparel.

2011 Kawasaki ZX-6R Track Shootout Photo Gallery

2011 Kawasaki ZX-6R Track Shootout

Kawasaki made few changes to there trusty stead but it is always one of our favorites, see how we got it around the track in our 2011 Supersport Track Shootout.

As centralized-mass becomes more and more important the days of under-seat exhausts go away. This year the Kawasaki sees a change.

'11 Kawasaki ZX-6R has one of the most information-filled gauge clusters of the bunch while still being very readable.

Fully-adjustable shocks have become standard these days and the 2009 Kawasaki ZX-6R is following suit.

Since its last major redesign in ‘09, Kawasaki’s middleweight sportbike has reigned supreme establishing itself as the benchmark in terms of outright racetrack performance.

2011 Kawasaki ZX-6R Track Shootout

One of the highlights of the ZX-6R is its 599cc Inline-Four engine.

2011 Kawasaki ZX-6R Track Shootout

2011 Kawasaki ZX-6R dyno.

Power keeps building in a very linear curve (especially for a 600) enroute to its 43.57 lb-ft peak at a relatively lofty 11,800 rpm.

In terms of horsepower the Kawi pumps out 107.22 ponies at 14,000 rpm, which gives it title to having the most powerful 600 engine.

The Kawasaki’s six-speed gearbox performed well, changing between cogs with a high-level of precision and just the right amount of shift lever pressure.

The action of the slipper clutch was generally well received, although the calibration isn’t quite as good as the class-leading R6, or the Suzuki’s for that matter.

While there is some debate in regards to the functionality of the slipper clutch, in terms of braking the Kawasaki’s anchors proved fantastic despite not ranking the highest on our test riders note pads.

Potent engine, capable chassis and bargain MSRP. The ZX-6R is unmatched when it comes to choosing which bike our tester riders would source for some club racing.

Part of the reason why the brakes perform so effectively is the Kawasaki’s top-shelf Showa BPF fork.

Weight-wise the Ninja is right there with the competition sporting a fully fueled curb weight of 423 pounds which is identical to the Daytona 675R but still 12 pounds heavier than the CBR featherweight.

2011 Kawasaki ZX-6R Track Shootout

The Kawasaki ZX-6R produces the most horsepower of the traditional 599cc Inline Fours, with a notable top-end hit.

Considering how strong its engine is we were very surprised when the Ninja registered the lowest acceleration force readings of 0.50g and 0.43g out of Turn 10 and 13.

There wasn’t one rider who didn’t like riding the Kawasaki.

The Kawi’s rider interface also worked well for the majority of our test riders, but wasn’t quite as accommodating as the fabulous feeling Honda or the Suzukis.

Radial-mount Tokico calipers team with the Showa Big Piston Fork to deliver class-leading stopping power, though feel at the lever is lacking compared to the Brembo units.

While the 2011 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R continues to excel in areas like outright engine and braking performance, in other areas its mediocre operation didn’t elicit the same sort of praise as compared to past years.

The Kawi’s engine features excellent over-rev with power tapering off gradually before redline (15,200 rpm).

It’s hard to find any real faults with Kawasaki’s Ninja ZX-6R.