Size matters
Kawasaki’s new ZX-6R gets its most comprehensive test yet.
Just when you thought that the Supersport sector was falling by the wayside, thanks to most of the main manufacturers ploughing their sportsbike R&D budgets into 1000cc (and sub 500cc, if you can call them sportsbikes) models, Kawasaki have pulled an all-new ZX-6R out of their magic green hat. It’s not really an all-new model – it uses the same 636cc motor and chassis as the outgoing ZX-6R 636 – but with some clever tweaks here and there.
The decision to use the 636 motor in the new ZX-6R sparked a reasonable amount of controversy when it was announced, with die-hard racing fans arguing a 636cc engine would rule the new model out of Supersport competition. But there was method behind Kawasaki’s apparent madness. You see, with Euro 4 doing its level best to castrate smaller capacity bikes as best it can, had Kawasaki brought out a new ZX-6R with the same 600cc as the pervious 600cc version, due to Euro 4 emissions constraints, it would, more than likely, have been considerably less powerful that the previous model (a la 2017 Yamaha YZF-R6, whose claimed power, as standard, is 17bhp down on the model which it replaced). In actual fact the new 636 is 1bhp (if we are talking about ‘claimed’ power figures) down on the old model, which in the current climate, can be forgiven. Aside from the fact that Euro 4 would have stolen less power from the 636 than at would have done from the 600, a source close to FB reckons that the 636 was already ‘nearly there’ when it came to the new rules, and so cost less to get through the more stringent laws.
Which brings me nicely onto cost. The new ZX-6R starts from £9,499 (the model we tested was the slightly more expensive KRT rep which would set you back another £200). We have racked our brains at FB HQ and we can’t think of any other genuine sportsbike that you can pick up new for less than 10k. Kawasaki really seem to be making a statement with the price of their new Supersport steed. To put that price into perspective, the ZX-6R’s main competition, the current Yamaha YZF-R6 and the MV Agusta 675 F3, will set you back £11,799 and £13,140, respectively. If you ask me, that’s a good enough price to complete wholeheartedly with the used bike market never mind showroom specials. Nice one, Kawasaki.
It’s all well and good though, saving a bunch of money, but can a sub-£10k 600 (essentially) float your boat? These days, with bigger and faster (granted, less affordable) bikes in the showrooms and, more importantly in your mates’ garages, is the little 636 going to be enough of a bike to tickle an out-and-out sportsbike fan’s fancy? Has it got what it takes to keep a rip-snorting 1000cc sportsbike honest, or will it be left for dead? Well we wanted to find out, so Frodo and I packed our suitcases and headed off on an epic road trip, taking in everything from mountain roads and motorways to circuits and Spanish cities. And to gauge just how well the new Kwacka coped, we took along one of the finest measuring sticks money can buy, the Suzuki GSX-R1000R.