Ready to experience performance in a way that only a Kawasaki gives. The new kawasaki ZX-14 2014 is the ultimate conflate of extreme agitation and everyday versitility. Feel at home traversing the mountain roads, or feel the eventual rush thrusting down the dragstrip...

Everything about the Ninja® ZX™-14R sportbike is huge: huge displacement, huge horsepower, huge accolades. When you make more power than any other production sportbike on the planet, as the ZX-14R does, the character of the power delivery is as important as the actual number of horses. To that end, the surface-milled combustion chamber shapes and polished intake ports provide the benefits of racing’s black art – porting –  honest from the factory. Therefore, all elements of the induction system work in a coordinated manner, maintaining the Ninja tradition of downy power delivery.

the new ninja ZX-14R’s popularity doesn’t just arrive from the brawniness of its 1,441cc inline-four. The bike is as delighted meandering two-up on a country road as it is screaming down the drag strip or dry lake bed. The secret to the new ninja ZX-14R’s broad appeal comes from embracing technologies, like rider-selectable ignition maps and traction control, that add more usability for a wide range of riders and riding styles. But yeah, the horsepower still has a lot to do with it.
The Ninja ZX-14R’s engine is more than supremely powerful; there’s also plenty of polish and refined manners to go along with it. The engine’s dual gear-driven counterbalancer setup has been optimized to work with the mill’s heavy-duty crankshaft and long-stroke dimensions. The end result is smooth power across the entire rev range. 

 
The benefits of all this hot-rodding are substantial, as there’s class leading power virtually everywhere across the rev range. The advantages are most profound in the mid-high rpm range, but incredible acceleration is still available from as low as 4,000 rpm. This translates into the sort of thrust riders can appreciate in a wide variety of situations, whether it’s powering up a freeway on-ramp to merge with fast-moving traffic or cruising along a deserted backroad on a sunny, Sunday-morning ride. On the ZX-14R, total domination is just a twist of the throttle away.

Beyond just being impressively powerful, the engine’s manners are also effectively operated by a combination of its back-torque limiting “slipper” clutch assembly, a three-mode KTRC traction control system and a two-mode Hi/Low power selector system. The first two KTRC modes are intended to maximize acceleration similar to the ZX-10R’s S-KTRC. The third mode is tuned for low-traction (wet/slippery) conditions, similar to the Concours® 14 sport tourer’s KTRC. The KTRC system can be turned-off by the rider and its settings and the Hi/Low ignition maps can be selected with the bar-mounted toggle/push switch. KTRC activity can be monitored on a seven-segment real-time bar graph in the cockpit’s LCD info-screen. The back-torque limiting clutch technology comes directly from the racetrack, and helps eliminate the wheel-hop and stability-eroding torque effects of energetic downshifting and braking while cornering, or during spirited – or emergency – stops. It also helps protect the bike’s drive train, for optimum durability.

The result of all this refined and high-tech hot rodding is no doubt the finest open-class sportbike engine ever built – and an engine this capable needs a similarly competent chassis in which to live and thrive. The kawasaki ninja ZX-14R is up to the job, and then some. Kawasaki engineers intended its chassis to deliver a light-handling and maneuverable personality. To provide a sweet-handling character coupled with real sport riding performance, the engineers designed the frame’s aluminum castings and forgings to have unique flex and rigidity characteristics. So, while its monocoque alloy frame and aluminum swingarm designs look similar to the original ZX-14, they have vastly different flex characteristics, stiffer in some places and unchanged in others. The net result creates an ideal balance for the ZX-14R’s world class power and acceleration capabilities.

Front and back suspension tuning assist maintain the balancing act of wheel control, ride compliance and maneuverability. Both the 43mm fully adjustable inverted fork and multi-adjustable single shock offer excellent response throughout a wide speed range, while the beautifully machined 10-spoke wheels reduce unsprung weight to aid acceleration, handling and suspension action.
Triple petal-type brake rotors and radial-mount front calipers help provide powerful, fade-free stops and a progressive feel at the lever. The ZX-14R is also available with optional ABS brakes, for additional rider confidence on mixed or slippery surfaces.

Of course, with this much top-shelf performance, you also have to look good. Dynamic styling has been a Kawasaki hallmark since the days of H1s, H2s and Z-1s, so it’s only fitting that the pinnacle of a long line of sportbikes looks the part. From tip-to-tail, the ZX-14R’s bodywork honors the imposing, angular and flowing shapes that have made recent Ninja models some of the most attractive sportbikes in existence. The front is especially imposing, with a highly aggressive nose fitted with a unique quad-headlight assembly and a large ram-air duct to stuff cool atmosphere into the intake system. The traditional 4-fin theme along the fairing’s sides has a pronounced 3D design, while great effort was expended to hide hooks and fasteners as much as possible. The bike’s tail section is especially well-sculpted, with faired-in turn signals and a cool rear seat cowl – standard on all U.S. models – boosting aesthetic performance. 

The fairing package offers functional benefits as well as aesthetic ones. The seat, for instance, offers excellent thigh support and helps make it easy for vertically challenged riders to reach the ground. The bodywork’s venting system effectively extracts heated air from the engine bay and away from the rider and passenger. 

Instruments and controls are fully up to the latest standards, with a multi-function switch on the left handlebar that handles all system functions. You can toggle the LCD screen using the upper/lower buttons, and easily scroll through fuel consumption, remaining range, battery voltage, external temperature, traction control, etc., choosing and adjusting functions using the ‘select’ button in the center of the toggle switch. There’s even an “eco” indicator on the LCD screen that lets riders know when they’re getting maximum economy and fuel mileage. 

The end result of all this technology and all these features is a commanding open-class ride – a sublimely soft, powerful and refined sporting motorcycle that’ll gladly go anywhere there’s asphalt and do it with an uncanny level of competence. High-aggression Sunday-morning rides? No worries. Two-up along the coast for the weekend? Easy. Commuting to and from work? Simple. Weekend bracket racing at the local dragstrip? Cake.
See? It’s difficult to compete with an open-classer this good at so many things. It’s a fact our competition knows all too well. 

SPECIFICATIONS
GENERAL
List price:	$14,899
Importer:	Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA P.O. Box 25252 Santa Ana, CA 92799 www.kawasaki.com
Customer service phone:	949/770-0400
Warranty:	12 mo./unlimited mi.
ENGINE
Type:	liquid-cooled, four-stroke, inline-Four
Bore x stroke:	84.0 x 65.0mm
Displacement:	1441cc
Compression ratio:	12.3:1
Valve train:	dohc, four valves per cylinder, shim adjustment
Valve adjustment intervals:	15,000 mi.
Induction:	44mm throttle bodies
Oil capacity:	4.9 qt.
Electrical power:	581w
Battery:	12v, 12ah
CHASSIS
Weight: tank empty	545 lb.
Weight: tank full	582 lb.
Fuel capacity:	5.8 gal.
Wheelbase:	58.4 in.
Rake/trail:	23.0°/3.7 in.
Seat height:	31.4 in.
Ground clearance:	5.0 in.
GVWR:	970 lb.
Load capacity (tank full):	388 lb.
SPEEDOMETER ERROR
30 mph indicated:	29 mph
60 mph indicated:	57 mph
FRONT SUSPENSION
Manufacturer:	KYB
Tube diameter:	43mm
Claimed wheel travel:	4.6 in.
Adjustments:	compression and rebound damping, spring preload
REAR SUSPENSION
Manufacturer:	KYB
Type:	single shock
Claimed wheel travel:	4.9 in.
Adjustments:	compression and rebound damping, spring preload
TIRES
Front:	120/70ZR17 Metzeler Sportec M5
Rear:	190/55ZR17 Metzeler Sportec M5
PERFORMANCE
1/4 mile:	9.47 sec @ 152.83 mph
0-30 mph:	1.2 sec.
0-60 mph:	2.6 sec.
0-90 mph:	4.2 sec.
0-100 mph:	4.8 sec.
Top gear time to speed: 40-60 mph	3.3 sec.
Top gear time to speed: 60-80 mph	2.8 sec.
Measured top speed:	185 mph
Engine speed at 60 mph:	3320 rpm
FUEL MILEAGE
High/low/avg.:	42/22/33 mpg
Avg. range inc. reserve:	191 mi.
BRAKING DISTANCE
From 30 mph:	30 ft.
From 60 mph:	121 ft.