2021 KAWASAKI ZX10R

THE 10R IS ONE THE MOST BALANCED LITRE-CLASS SUPERSPORTS FOR ROAD AND TRACK USE!

- ROHIT PARADKAR

Type 998cc liquid-cooled DOHC, in-line 4-cylinder

OD Rating

Max torque 114.9Nm@11,400rpm

Fuel tank 17 litres

Price ₹18.4 lakh, on-road, Mumbai

Kerb Weight 207kg

Seat height 835mm

Max power 213PS@13,200rpm

+ Agile, feels likes a 200PS litre-class bike, superb value

- Polarising front end design, tacho not as legible at speed as the outgoing model

Litre-class supersport machines are the quintessential performance icons, the flagship that every motorcycle brand shows offas their halo bike. At Kawasaki however, things are different for their flagship is usually a motorcycle that competes for the title of being the world’s fastest motorcycle — the ZX12R, the ZX14R and now the H2. These flagships have often overshadowed Kawasaki’s capable track tool, the ZX10R. But just because it is in the shadows doesn’t mean it is any less capable. After all, it is a Ninja and one that knows how and when to strike.

Design

One would naturally expect the technologies of a flagship to filter down to the smaller machines but the H2 only lends its aerodynamic bodywork to the 10R and not the supercharger because the World Superbike Championship simply wouldn’t allow it. That said, the engine and chassis of the outgoing 10R have won six championships in a row. Some might call it luck, but I would call it sheer domination. So if Jonathan Rea can achieve that feat without needing a supercharger, no one else has scope to complain about the lack of it in the new 10R.