2018 Zx10r Se
2018 Kawasaki ZX-10R SE review
Need big brains? The ZX-10R SE can do the thinking for you!
When riders first got all giggly about the litre-bike class, the fire to which was lit was with the mental 1998 Yamaha YZF-R1 – while Kawasaki's ZX-10R was a nutcase of a bike to ride at that time.
I'll never forget the first time I rode the 2002 ZX-10R, which was determined to tie itself – and therefore me – in knots as it wheelied from one corner to the next, barely in control and shaking and shimmying its way around the then Eastern Creek. On the road, well, it was terrifying; if ever a bike needed a steering damper, it was this one.
It was fast, though, and you got heart palpitations riding it, even if it wasn't always in a good way. Fast forward to now, and you have a very different ZX-10R – and happily, the even more palatable ZX-10R SE.
Like most engines these days, the rampant peakiness of the old bike is long gone, but the real trick of the ZX-10R SE is its semi-active suspension (KESC: Kawasaki Electronic Control Suspension). Other manufacturers have plied this road for a while; BMW added semi-active damping to its insane HP4 in 2012, while the Ohlins-shod V4 Panigale S (test coming soon!), Yamaha R1M and the latest Honda Fireblade SP run the technology now.
Sensing the moment
For Kawasaki to make a dent, it needed to up the ante and is has with the ZX-10R SE, though it could have gone further, too. The SE enjoys KESC, an auto-blipper, Marchesini wheels and a fresh graphics treatment.
One area Kawasaki has nailed is the speed of the readings the system takes to ensure the bike is analysing the available grip and road conditions well enough to respond in kind. Kawasaki claims its direct control solenoid (the tech thingy that actually adjusts the suspension on the fly) responds at a mind-frying 1000 times per second. Because it directly acts on the adjustment, too, it makes for incredibly responsive real-time adjustment.
By comparison, Ducati's flash-as V4S offers 100 readings a second. Impressive, still, but not as impressive as 1000/sec… There is no way I can test this claim of course, other than to tell you the bike feels amazing on the road. Its sportsbike suspension in Road mode is sensational.
The suspension mode is independent of any engine settings, perhaps an area Kawasaki could have made things even easier for riders, but as I push this beast through bumpy road-spec turns, I simply marvel at how good it feels. This thing is plush, much more so than I expected. This doesn't come at the expense of feel or the demolition job it does on your favourite scratching road.
Other bikes steer sharper, such as the Fireblade, but the way the ZX-10R SE sits on the road is high end. Because of the controlled plushness, the bike doesn't get all cranky when you point it over road zits; it just deals with them and moves on. I know some people I wish had KESC… I put down the impressive plushness – no surprise kicks in the butt from a big bump – to the speed of those solenoids.
Travel smart
The Kawasaki's other big deal point with its suspension is the fact it has stroke sensors in the fork and shock. That's a first for a road bike, and it's a significant because the bike knows how much travel you are using and when and can differentiate between rebound and compression strokes. The more inputs read, the "smarter" the bike is.
On the road, this bike's suspension is close to flawless. Matched with the bulletproof engine, it makes for a rapid back-road mauler, something sportsbikes haven't done well for, well, ever. This one does.
I was wondering how that plushness would convert to the track, though. I spent a day at a Sydney Motorsport Park (SMP) ride day, thanks to Stay Upright, and the bike's suspension had a considerable challenge ahead of it – it is winter, SMP isn't the grippiest track in cold weather, plus the Bridgestone RS-10 rubber had already done a track day and a lot of road kays with someone else. They were close to mulch.
Nonetheless, I had a set of tyres warmers for it, so selected Track mode for the suspension, turned down the traction control, and headed out for the first session. Track mode had been a little firm for the road, but now I found it a little soft.
Steaming over the crest under the bridge, the bike feels less settled than I like it to be for a third gear blind track corner, and braking hard for turn four down the hill, I lifted the rear wheel more than once as the bike allowed too much weight to head forward to quickly. Everything else, though, was superb.
Using Manual mode for the suspension allows you to firm things up (or the opposite), but for the average track day rider, doing 2-3 track days a year and mostly road work, just sticking to the prescribed modes will work fine.
Power packed
The engine, on the other hand, is a blast from road to track. I have two memories etched into my brain from my time on this bike, the best being the exit onto the chute at SMSP, with the ZX-10R SE carrying a magnificent power wheelie out of the same corner lap after lap, touching back down as I trod gently into the next gear using the excellent powershifter.
The other was the bike's treatment of turns five and six. It is a peaky-ish engine, and the top end rush as it pulled bike and rider up and over the hill out of turn five got a giggle from me every time. That kind of frenetic activity can make the following corner awkward, however, as you try to muscle 200-off horsepower into a manageable enough shape to take turn six. Here's where the Kawasaki makes life easy.
The Brembo M50s reliably dragged down the speed, while the SE-spec auto-blipper let me push down a gear while staying able to hold myself off the tank because I didn't need the clutch. I love revving on the downchange on the road. On the track, however, not having to (you can turn it off) lets you concentrate on just getting the bike into the turn, as long as the auto-blipper works well. Which it does.
Another of the SE upgrades are the gorgeous Marchesini wheels and they feel like they help the next stage of getting into turn six. The wheels aren't lighter overall. They do, however, have their weight centralised. There is less of the overall weight in the rim section, the weight having been drawn into the centre of the wheel. This seems to help the bike feel lighter to initiate the turn, because the bike tracks into the turn with remarkably little effort for a litre-class bike.
By the time the knee is on the deck, the bike has settled and you are ready to drive out again. Getting into a corner is as fuss-free as you can expect it to be, albeit on the soft side. When you do start driving out, the engine is there to make life exciting. The road gearing isn't as long as some, I was using sixth on the straight, but out of the slower corners the bike took a little longer to get up on the boil, thanks mainly to the gearing. Another tooth or two on the rear sprocket would have made it better for SMP.
The traction control deserves a mention, too. The tyres were shot before I rode it, and the track was cold, so I had a good feel for how the bike dealt with too much power and too little traction. More than a few times the traction rolled into action on the exit to turn two and the exit of turn five, gently taming the wheelspin without knocking me into the fuel tank as everything shut down.
I really enjoyed having the traction control in these conditions, and the auto-blipper and powershifter are also world class. Electronics are making the shift from at-times annoying "parachute" safety net measures into real-world aides that let you enjoy your bike more – the SE nails that aspect.
Summing up
The ZX-10R SE is a tasty upgrade over the models below it, with the bi-directional powershifter, electronic suspension and Marchesini wheels adding to value to the package, and I loved the matte black wrap-style finish. It is a lot of coin, though.
$30,300 plus on-roads is up there in motorcycle world, more than a base-spec Ducati Panigale V4 and well more than the base ZX-10R ($23,700) – itself a real weapon! If you are a diehard Kawasaki fan who rides the road more than the track, then this bike will keep you very happy. If you do a lot of track days, a custom suspension job would keep you even happier than the Manual setting will allow you, but that's true of most machines.
The engine has been magnificent for a long time, so to have added in chassis improvements in the dynamic suspension, as well as those magnificent wheels and the auto-blipper, graphics and SE badging makes for a well-heeled sportsbike, ready to take on the best of the other Japanese manufacturers and the Euro machines.
A bit more damping and the inclusion of preload adjustment in the dynamic suspension settings would be all I ask to make this thing even hotter. And a fresh set of rubber! If you bleed green, or just want a litre-bike with bigger brains than you, the SE is a great option.
Related reading
Launch: 2016 Kawasaki ZX-10R
2011 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R ABS
SPECS: 2018 KAWASAKI ZX-10 SE
ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled, four-stroke in-line four
Capacity: 998cc
Bore x stroke: 76mm x 55mm
Compression ratio: 13.0:1
Fuel system: Fuel injection: 47mm x 4 with dual injection
PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 197.3hp (147.1kW) at 13,000rpm; 207hp (154.4kW) at 13,000 rpm (with ram air)
Claimed maximum torque: 113.5Nm at 11,500rpm
TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed
Clutch: Wet multi-disc
Final drive: Chain
CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Twin spar, cast aluminium
Front suspension: Kawasaki Electronic Control Suspension
Rear suspension: Kawasaki Electronic Control Suspension
Front brakes: Dual semi-floating 330mm diameter discs with Brembo monobloc four-piston calipers
Rear brake: 220mm disc with single-piston caliper
Tyres: Bridgestone RS-10, 120/70 ZR17 front, 190/55 ZR17 rear
DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed wet weight: 208kg
Rake: 25 degrees
Trail: 107mm
Seat height: 835mm
Fuel capacity: 17 litres
OTHER STUFF
Price: $30,000 plus on-road costs
Colours: Metallic Flat Spark Black with Metallic Matte Graphite Gray
Bike supplied by: Kawasaki Australia
Warranty: 24 months unlimited
Source: https://www.bikesales.com.au/editorial/details/2018-kawasaki-zx-10r-se-review-113502/
