2023 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR First Ride Review | Ultimate Motorcycling
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- Опубліковано 19 лип 2024
- We ride the all-new 2023 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR! Team Green is shaking up the small-displacement sportbike class with its 399cc inline-four-cylinder powered machine! Loaded with tech and features that put it head and shoulders above sportbikes with similar engine sizes, the ZX-4RR is the modern successor to a class of fully-faired sportbikes that we haven't seen from Kawasaki since the ZXR-400R in the 1980s and 1990s.
What makes the ZX-4RR special is its screaming inline-four-cylinder engine, capable of revving out to a lofty 15,150 redline. The Swiss-watch smooth mill spins up vigorously and delivers its linear power so that riders with any experience cannot only handle but thoroughly command. The four-banger engine is a pint-sized version of what you'd find in the ZX-6R and ZX-10R, starting with the classic short-stroke design and followed up with lightweight internals, making this rev-happy I4 a blast to ride. Wringing this engine out is only half the fun of the ZX-4RR, as there's much more to explore.
Kawasaki's Ninja ZX-4RR is equipped with a Showa SFF-BP with preload adjustment and a fully adjustable horizontal back-linked BFRC shock derived from the ZX-10R. All of that is bolted to a nimble steel-trellis frame and steel swingarm that adds up to a 414-pound wet weight and feels incredibly nimble while delivering the kind of confidence riders will find encouraging, allowing riders to carry loads of corner speed, just as any lightweight sportbike should. Stopping power is provided by 4-piston Nissin calipers and 290mm rotors in the front, which help this wee machine slow nicely.
Between the advanced I4 engine and chassis, the ZX-4RR offers much more than entry-level sportbikes typically provide riders. However, a sampling of additional premium features takes it to the next level, like an up/down quickshifter, adjustable traction control, ABS (which cannot be disabled), and a full-color TFT display.
The 2023 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR is priced at $9,699, and to find out if the new Ninja is the bike lightweight sportbike fans have been begging for, we sent Senior Editor Nic de Sena to Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, California, for First Ride.
Want the full specs and pricing? Check out our complete review!
ultimatemotorcycling.com/2023...
#ZX4RR #Kawasaki - Авто та транспорт
ZX4RR FOR LIFE!!
Inline four cylinders mind-blowing
Long-term rider on this, and I'd add or perhaps reinforce, that - short of being a real s&!thead in the streets- this bike WILL NOT misbehave on you. It takes a lot to get the KTRC light to come on. Like I really had to try. If the difference between $5k and $10k isn't gigantic to you, I think it's *thee* perfect beginner bike. Unbelievably forgiving, yet still exciting. My FTR Carbon doesn't make me grin like this does.
Also, minor complaint, when you're just piddling around town, it feels like it does not appreciate you using the KQS up in a leisurely manner. Down, its a delight. Slowing from 6 to 1, its like water, no matter what rpm. But unless you're angry with the gas, it feels like the upshifts are a bit clunky.
And, if you MUST dump more money into it, the front master cylinder could be better. Corsa Corta in 17mm and braided lines if you're seriously going to the raceway with this. It's about the same money as the tune from 2Wheel and I notice it waaaay more. I use the brakes all the time, but I'm at 15k for like half a second, a couple times per ride. Stop better first, then buy the fun parts. An exercise in self-control, if nothing else. 😊 My unsolicited advice with this specific bike and no other.
Awesome!!! 👍
Thank for the great review :)
Thanks!
A lot of internet hype for this bike. Haven’t seen one in person yet.
look up the Kawasaki Good Times Event in your area and go test ride the new line up, you'll be hooked
Really odd that they didn't offer full adjustability in the fork. It shouldn't have cost them hardly anything to add the adjustable module to the Showa SFF-BPF like the ZX-6R has.
I’m sure they’ll offer that in the later generations.
Hi Bristecom,
We asked Kawasaki staff about the lack of a fully adjustable fork and we were told that it would have impacted the final MSRP too much.
Take care!
- Nic
@@ultimatemotorcyclingThanks for that info! That's even more strange though because as far as I know the adjustment module is the same part as what's in there but with some added holes/valves/screws for adjustment. Perhaps Showa just wants to charge Kawasaki too much of a premium for the minimal extra parts/machining. That's a shame because several other bikes for less money offer full fork adjustment and the 600cc supersport bikes all had Showa BPF's with full adjusters. I can understand the Showa BFF fork costing a lot more (as on many 1000cc bikes) but not the SF-BPF. And since they advertise the ZX4 as an "RR" track bike, I think it should have at least had full fork adjustment. Oh well...
@@Bristecom Hi Bristecom,
It is true that several bikes in the 9-10k price range offer fully adjustable suspension, as do the currently available 600 bikes. However, supply chain costs are highly reflective of market prices as to when those various deals were made or renegotiated. This is a subject that I discussed with Kawasaki reps at great length, and here's the much longer answer:
All of the bikes that currently offer those features are on preexisting platforms that are being carried into another model year. In addition, while the Showa SFF-BPF cartridge is roughly the same design from each fork, we also have to remember that each fork is different (length, diameter, etc.). So, things need to be developed for each bike, though there are many similarities.
Kawasaki, like many other brands, buys parts from third-party manufacturers in bulk and the final MSRP considers those costs. In Kawasaki's case, they initially plan for 10 years of parts support for any model and adjust as the model continues down the line.
The ZX-4RR is all-new and that's an observation that cuts both ways. On one side, it's all new and breaking new ground (or rebreaking if you think about the ZXR-400R). On the other side, it's all new and reflects today's pricing.
To give this whole conversation more context, I asked a Kawasaki representative what the ZX-6R would cost if it were to receive a from-the-ground-up revision, as the current ZX-6R truly dates back about a decade. Said representative estimates that MSRP would be 14k to 16k, depending on numerous and he wagers that's a conservative estimate.
Pricing is a complicated issue that isn't made entirely clear to consumers since it has so many considerations. I, too, would like things to be cheaper and I'd like to have fully adjustable suspension. But things are what they are these days.
Hope this helps,
- Nic
@@ultimatemotorcycling Thank you for that extra insight! That does make more sense.
Really wish this bike wasnt the price of a 636
except Kawa pulled a trick on us and rose the base 636 price to 11,299 and if you even want abs it starts at 12,299 XD