I chose some twisty country roads and a very fast section known as the Tamworth mile,traffic was heavy so no knee down playing today
Let's start with the heart of a bike the engine,I've read bad reports saying it's got no midrange and poor for the road.Well compared to my rc8 it definitely lacks grunt but my god it goes apeshit mental at 10,000 revs and all manner of hell breaks loose .The fueling is peach perfect smooth much like the 1000sx I rode the other day
10/10
Handling ,coming from the rc8 it feels small and very pointy,the front doesn't feel as planted but it steers quicker which is a good thing.I couldn't tell what the rear shock was doing but it was a lot softer than the shock on the rc8 which was very stiff.Overall it feels like a 600 to sit on and I feel it would be amazing when set up properly and on track.i got no head shakes at full beans and it felt planted hard on the throttle coming out of corners
8/10
Brakes,not anywhere near as good as the rc8s brembos,they lacked feel and felt a bit wooden but that could be the pads
7/10
Equipment,the dash is ace and hoorah it has a gear indicator,you can toggle through power modes really easy via a single button which is great.I love the Rev counter watching it zing up and across the Rev range is great
8/10
Gearbox,I'm changing bikes because the rc8 gearbox is so poor,the kwack box is smooth and quiet and goes into every gear easily.Sorry ktm but you can't build a 15 grand super bike and fit it with a gearbox from a 1970s tractor it just ruins the whole experience for me.I do agree with blade though the zx10 is utterly crying out for a quick shifter
9/10
Build quality,the fit and finish is very nice not Honda like but very good.All of the black components are in a nice satin finish,time will tell but the the build quality on Kawasaki is now on par with Yamaha and close to Honda imho
9/10
So is it good enough for me to part with my hard earned cash,no brainier really yes.I pick it up in two weeks time
Overall 9/10 lower gearing and some suspension set up will give it 10/10
Let the induction roar rave on..................
