The best step between an entry-level sportbike and literbike? Enter the 2024 Kawasaki ZX-6R, Kawasaki didn’t need to reinvent the wheel when it came time to update the ZX-6R. So why is it so important to even keep around? In this first ride we take a look at what has changed and why Kawasaki says it's integral to its lineup.
Check out the story at https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-reviews/kawasaki-ninja-zx-6r-first-ride-review/
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Check out the story at https://www.cycleworld.com/motorcycle-reviews/kawasaki-ninja-zx-6r-first-ride-review/
Read more from Cycle World: https://www.cycleworld.com/
Buy Cycle World Merch: https://teespring.com/stores/cycleworld
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SportsTranscript
00:00 What is up guys? We are at a very wet Ridge Motorsports Park with a bike that
00:05 a lot of people probably thought wouldn't even exist at this point. That
00:08 is the Kawasaki ZX6R. It's one of very few inline four 600s still on the market
00:16 and it is new for 2024. The question is why does Kawasaki still build this
00:21 motorcycle and what are the changes that they've made mean for the supersport
00:26 rider?
00:39 We can't talk about a Kawasaki ZX6R without talking about that 636 engine.
00:45 This is the same engine that Kawasaki has used since 2013 and the reason why
00:50 they're using it is because it offers so much more for the street rider, a lot
00:54 more mid-range. But there is a thing called the Euro emission standards and
00:59 that has really put manufacturers into a corner. With this model Kawasaki has made
01:04 some updates to ensure that this bike meets those regulations. The changes are
01:09 relatively minor. There is a new cam profile, the exhaust headers are new for
01:14 2024, and there are a couple of changes in the airbox. Really the only difference
01:19 there is that the two middle intake funnels are just a little bit longer.
01:24 Most of those changes are for compliance sake but it's also changed the power
01:29 curve on this bike a little bit. So power is going to be shifted even more into the
01:34 mid-range. There's a little bit less peak power, it's not making such strong power
01:39 up top. Kawasaki says it's peaking out right at about 13,000-13,500 rpm. You still
01:46 have that really strong mid-range character that this bike has kind of
01:50 always been known for. So we've been talking about power curve since this
01:55 engine was introduced in 2013. It is a shocker how much that extra 37cc
02:01 displacement makes a difference out on the racetrack or even if you go out and
02:06 go on a street ride. This thing jumps off the corners in the way that a 600cc
02:11 bike just doesn't. It's got so much mid-range grunt, it just makes it an
02:14 easier motorcycle to ride on the track. That top end, it does feel a little bit
02:20 softer than before. The bike just kind of signs off a little bit earlier, not
02:24 having that extended rpm range up top and with it making peak power right
02:29 there at about 13,000-13,500 rpm. You're kind of into that rev limiter pretty
02:34 quick so that is something that you have to really think about when you're out
02:37 riding. There is a little bit more of a challenge because you got to make sure
02:40 you get that upshift as you're getting out of the corner, not bump into that
02:43 rev limiter because on a 600 that really does kill your drive. But overall this is
02:47 a really flexible engine. It makes going out to the track, doing a track day so
02:52 much easier because you're not worried so much about spooling the thing up. You
02:57 can carry that corner speed, you're not fighting any extra gear shifts, maybe
03:01 even having to go down a first gear in tighter corners or things like that, that
03:04 you might have to do on a 600. This is just a really friendly package for the
03:11 guy who wants to go do track days or even if racing. I think it's a great
03:14 platform to go out and go amateur racing.
03:19 And of course we have to mention that it's so cool just hearing this inline
03:23 four scream. We're starting to see so many of these parallel twins work their
03:27 way into the market and kind of be a little bit of a replacement for some of
03:30 the bikes that were in the super sport category but there is nothing quite like
03:35 hearing a 600 at full song out on the racetrack and I think a lot of people
03:40 really appreciate that and so it's really still nice to have a package like
03:43 this available and out on the market. Another big change and probably one of
03:47 the bigger changes for 2024 is going to be in the electronics. The biggest thing
03:53 there is a new 4.3 inch TFT display and we've been asking for some of the
03:57 Japanese manufacturers to bring a TFT display into this category for a long
04:01 time and it really does make a difference from a visual perspective. If
04:05 you're buying a brand new bike in 2023-2024 it just makes sense to have
04:10 that TFT. We're seeing it everywhere else in motorcycling. Really good to see
04:14 Kawasaki moving that direction and having it here. Really no big issues. It's
04:18 a very simple system. It's nothing too advanced. Not a lot of modes to go
04:21 through. This bike actually has integrated ride modes. That's not
04:24 something you had before. There is a sport, a road, a rain, and a customizable
04:30 rider mode. You can adjust the power delivery so you have a full power option
04:34 and a low power option. And then on the traction control side you've got three
04:39 modes plus off. So one, two, three, and off. I do want to mention that that traction
04:44 control is not IMU based so it's not lean angle sensitive. It's just using
04:48 wheel speed, gear position, throttle position, and RPM. Now the system works.
04:54 This is essentially the same system that was on the bike before. We rode for the
04:58 most part on our dry sessions yesterday in level one and it's it's not overly
05:02 intrusive. I mean it's it's a quick cut to it. Now it's I think the difference in
05:06 this system and some of the other more modern systems that you're seeing in
05:09 other parts of motorcycling is the the newer systems, the newer more advanced
05:14 systems, they really help modulate traction and help with that drive grip
05:18 more consistently. Where this is just like hey we're gonna throw a blanket
05:21 over this real quick, make sure you're not losing grip, and then boom you go on
05:25 your way. So could you go faster around a racetrack with a new more modern system?
05:29 Maybe so, but what this thing does is it just makes sure you have that safety net
05:34 and it does so without really overly hindering your drive or just your ride
05:39 experience. It's a really nice system to have. You have that safety net. I never
05:43 felt like any cuts were so aggressive that I wanted to turn the system off so
05:46 great to have it here on the ZX6R. Lastly as it pertains to electronics, got to
05:52 talk about that quick shifter. It's not an auto blip up and down like you might
05:56 see elsewhere in motorcycling. It's just a traditional quick shifter for upshifts
06:01 only. It works as you'd expect it to. Nice to have because you're gonna be
06:05 shifting quite a bit on a 600, so works well. Nothing really to complain about
06:10 there. Would it be nice to have an auto blip down? Sure. Would it help you go a
06:13 little bit faster around the racetrack? Yes, but you've got some electronics here
06:18 and that's really what matters. So those are all the updates from a performance
06:22 and mechanical standpoint, but you'll also notice that this bike has some
06:25 updated styling. The biggest difference is in this front fairing. It's a little
06:30 bit more sleek, a little bit more stylish, and better aligned with what is in the
06:34 rest of Kawasaki's sport bike lineup. Now you'll notice all LED lighting that it
06:38 now includes LED turn signals. The side cowl is gonna be a little bit different.
06:43 No changes to the tank or the tail section, so just enough to give it a
06:47 little bit of a fresh look. A little bit of a performance advantage, maybe from a
06:51 aerodynamic standpoint, but overall just a really good sleek looking motorcycle.
06:57 Now what I do want to say when we're talking about looks and feel and
07:01 ergonomics here is that it's still a very tight cramped motorcycle. I think
07:05 that's probably even more cramped than some of the other 600s on the category.
07:08 Hey, it is what it is. No differences in the riding position compared to before,
07:13 so if you've sat on a ZX6R before or just a sport bike in general, you kind of
07:17 know what you're getting in this case.
07:21 There's really not a whole lot to talk about in terms of chassis because this
07:25 is the same perimeter frame and Showa suspension that Kawasaki has used since
07:30 the bike was introduced in 2013. It's got the Showa separate function big piston
07:36 fork on it and a piggyback shock out back. The only really new items here is
07:41 that the bike is going to roll on Pirelli Diablo Rosso 4 tires and the
07:45 front brake discs, while they are still a 310 millimeter disc, they're now round
07:50 versus the old pedal style. Now when Kawasaki introduced the 636 in 2013, they
07:56 talked a lot about how this was going to be a better bike for the street rider
07:59 because of that engine displacement and that extra mid-range, but that's not to
08:03 take away from what this bike is capable of around a racetrack and a lot of that
08:08 does boil down to the chassis itself.
08:15 This is still a very aggressive and race-tuned chassis. It's a bike that
08:21 works well around a racetrack and wants to be pushed and that is really cool to
08:26 see and feel because that's what makes a 600 so great. It's a bike that's not
08:30 overwhelming in terms of power but allows you to grow and develop as a
08:35 rider because it's got that really good chassis underneath you that can be
08:38 pushed. Now in terms of just outright handling, it's very nimble, it's not very
08:43 sluggish or slow steering, especially in some of the tight corners here at the
08:47 ridge, which there are a few, but you also have some stability. There's also some
08:52 really high speed longer corners here at the track and the bike feels really
08:56 planted and stable. Now as for that Showa suspension, admittedly it's not my
09:01 favorite suspension package ever. I've never really been a huge fan of that
09:05 separate function fork. You kind of get into the corner, kind of off-throttle, and
09:09 you start to get a little bit of a movement to it. It's really hard to dial
09:12 that out. Now I will say that the kind of softness that's built into this bike
09:17 with through that suspension does help it, you know, around town and when you're
09:21 riding on the street, maybe some of those rough roads that you're gonna experience
09:24 up in the canyons and things like that. Is it the best suspension package ever? I
09:28 don't think so, but there's enough there to still go out and have some fun. The
09:33 same thing is true with the brakes. Now it doesn't have that really aggressive
09:38 initial bite or a lot of power through the pull. They just work, they get the job
09:42 done. I wouldn't mind having a little bit more braking performance, but that might
09:46 just be asking a little bit too much.
09:49 So early on I asked, you know, why does Kawasaki continue to build this bike
10:00 when we're seeing such little interest from other manufacturers in this space?
10:04 And I was able to talk to some of the folks here at Kawasaki, and they had some
10:07 really interesting points. They've seen so much interest and so much success in
10:12 their Ninja 400 and smaller displacement sport bikes, and it's really important to
10:16 get people from that small displacement bike up into their leader bike. And
10:21 having a modern, stylish ZX6R is a really important part of that equation.
10:28 Another big storyline here is in the price. It's really important for them to
10:33 keep that price down. So that means they can't throw all of this technology at
10:38 that bike because that's just gonna make it too expensive for people. What they've
10:42 done here is they've tried to build a bike that, yes, meets Euro emission
10:46 standards, but also really still accommodates someone who just loves
10:50 super sport styling, who wants to go and do track days, and wants a bike that has
10:55 enough performance to grow into and have some fun with. I think Kawasaki has
10:59 accomplished everything that they've wanted to in building this bike.
11:05 Now for us, the biggest thing is having that 6.3L 6-cylinder engine. It is so nice
11:15 having that extra mid-range grunt. We love 600s, always have the sound, the
11:20 feeling of pushing one around a racetrack, but having that little extra
11:23 mid-range grunt and power just makes such a difference out on the racetrack
11:27 and on the street. It makes it such a fun package to ride. We love the fact that
11:32 Kawasaki is continuing to invest in this package and keep it around. You may have
11:37 thought the ZX-6R was going away, but it's not. It's here. It's here to stay. It
11:41 looks good as ever, more technology, we've had a lot of fun riding this bike. As for
11:47 us, we're gonna hit the road. Hope you enjoyed watching this video. Be sure to
11:51 hit the like button, subscribe, and if you've got any questions about the ZX-6R,
11:56 drop them below and we'll try to get you some answers.
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