KAWASAKI ZZR1400

POWER TRIP
All you really need to know about the Kawasaki ZZR1400 is that, at the time of its introduction, it was the most powerful production bike ever. Not this year or this decade. Ever. With 197bhp on tap, this is a bike more powerful than quite a few respectable sports cars. If you yearn for power - the sort of power that can corrugate tarmac and warp your eyeballs into ellipses then this is the bike for you.
Bigger and more comfortable than a 'proper' super sports replica, the ZZR1400 is aimed at more experienced riders who want unparalleled long distance performance and aren't too worried about frightening themselves every now and then. Ultimately, this bike is all about speed. Whether you view this as a socially responsible purchase very much depends on your personal standpoint but traffic cops may see this Kawasaki as a big V-sign. Be careful.
* What Does It Cost?
Those looking for a bike to wear their knee sliders out would be better advised to save a couple of hundred quid and opt for the £8,800 ZX-10R. If, on the other hand, you need a bike that compresses the horizon into easily manageable chunks, the ZZR1400's £7,999 price tag won't seem unreasonable.
That 1,352cc engine is almost worth the price of admission alone. Great detailing such as mirrors that remain clear at speed, a decent wide seat and a six-lamp headlight cluster are evidence of Kawasaki investing in the small things that matter.
* How Does It Handle?
You could be forgiven for thinking that the ZZR1400 was all about straight line speed but cornered like the Exxon Valdez. Forgivable, but incorrect. Whereas big Kwackers of the past such as the original XZX10 and the ZZR1100 were rather ponderous through the twisties, the ZZR1400 is cut from different cloth, despite tipping the scales at 215kg. Part of this is due to the bike's low centre of gravity - the seat is just 800mm off the deck - the rest is due to Kawasaki's dynamics engineers.
What this bike is really about is that almost unbelievable speed. Limited to a top speed of 186mph, it's open to conjecture what this vehicle could do without the limiter. Put it this way. Given enough room, it's easy to hit the artificial barrier in fifth gear. You've still got another cog to play with. Kawasaki have mapped the ZZR's ignition so that it doesn't deliver too much savage torque low down, instead developing its peak torque figure at 7,500rpm and peak power at 9,500rpm. The throttle action has also been finessed to offer smooth roll-on and roll-off characteristics - vitally important with this much mumbo at your disposal.
* Verdict
Extremes always capture the imagination. Sometimes they're a cheap and gimmicky way of boosting sales with little or no real merit and sometimes... well, sometimes they're the Kawasaki ZZR1400.

FACTS AT A GLANCE
BIKE: Kawasaki ZZR1400
PRICE: £7,999
ENGINE: 1352cc 16v liquid-cooled, in-line four-cylinder, four-stroke
WEIGHT: 215kg
INSURANCE GROUP: 17
POWER: 197bhp
TANK SIZE: 22 litres
8th February 2008