2008 Kawasaki ZX-6R Shootout Photo Gallery

Photos of the 2008 Kawasaki ZX-6R Shootout. 2008 Supersport Shootout VI.

This year the 2008 Ninja ZX-6R returns to the fray with no significant updates but it has a nice trophy to stick on the mantle and a permanent place in the AMA record books.

2008 Supersport Shootout - Kawasaki ZX-6R

Two-time AMA Superstock champion Jimmy Moore rode a factory-prepped ZX-6R for the Aviva/MSS Discovery Kawasaki team in last year's Macau street race.

Moore: This is the sleeper bike in the bunch in my opinion. This bike is really fun to ride and feels as though it has loads of potential. I was lucky enough to have ridden the AVIVA full factory version of this bike, from the British National Championship, at the Macau street race in China.

Considered on its own, the Kawasaki ZX-6R is an amazing motorcycle that feels lighter and faster than it actually is.

Brakes and suspension are decent and it looks good, especially in the Kawasaki Lime Green livery of our test unit.

The Kawasaki ZX-6R will be turns competitive AMA Supersport laps at the Infineon circuit.

The Ninja also scores high in fit and finish with its nifty instrument cluster, attention to detail and the blacked-out treatment on the levers, footpegs and exposed brackets combining to make this one of the most-clean designs in the test.

Subjective rider scoring reveals that the majority of the testers feel the Ninja's chassis, in regards to both turn-in and stability, is one of the strong suits the Kawasaki has in its arsenal and, as you can tell, the big daddies of the group all feel the ZX fit them the best.

Out on the open roads, the roomy ZX-6R was one of the favorite bikes for our taller riders.

During our Superpole session, the Kawasaki finishes at or near the bottom on both of our rider's lap charts, 1.8-seconds behind the Suzuki on Earnest's list but fifth-fastest and only 0.33-seconds behind the speedy Gixxer Six on Hutch's.

The Kawi continued to struggle during the drag races.

The Kawasaki rated low on our timed Superpole laps.

The Ninja motor is down on horsepower.

$Honda gets nipped by a fraction of a second to the quick GSX-R on Hutchs lap chart but it falls to fifth in Earnests lap list 1.5-seconds behind the R6 and GSX-R.$
Honda gets nipped by a fraction of a second to the quick GSX-R on Hutch's lap chart but it falls to fifth in Earnest's lap list, 1.5-seconds behind the R6 and GSX-R.

Rumor has it that the ZX-6R is one of the few bikes in the comparison that meets current sound emission standards, so we performed an unofficial sound test using the techniques implemented by California Highway Patrol to determine if there is any truth to the paddock gossip.

Kawasaki brings to the shootout one of the most neutral chassis in the middleweight class with a great transmission and spacious ergonomics for our taller riders.

As Roger Hayden and Jamie Hacking proved in the AMA Supersport class last year, the Kawasaki ZX-6R is a very fast machine with plenty of podium potential.

After running these six sleds on our Dynojet 200i, the Ninja finishes last in outright horsepower production with 101.6 hp at 12,700 rpm, eight ponies down on the R6 but a mere three ponies down versus the popular 675 mill.

In stock trim the Kawasaki left us wanting more in the motor department, although the Ninja cranks out over 100 horsepower at the rear wheel! We're jaded.

One of the high points in the ZX-6R package is turn-in and stability while cornering.

A reoccurring theme with the track performance of the Ninja Six is that it is a competent motorcycle with a high-revving powerplant that feels down on power compared to the other bikes in this test.