Back in the day
THE KAWASAKI H2 SX SE isn’t the company’s first big, crazy-fast sports tourer. Or the second. Over at Akashi HQ there’s a box of press clippings reserved for publications fretting whether the latest high-performance flagship will ruin motorcycling for everyone. ‘Is it too much?’ has been asked of the original Z1 in 1972, the Z1300, GPZ1100, GPZ900R, ZZ-R1100 and ZX-12R. Each successive bonkers Kwack trod a line between presenting an acceptable face of motorcycling to non-motorcyclists and legislators, but happily tearing apart the fabric of space/time with colossal performance for the rest of us.
In 2006, it was the turn of the new ZZR1400. With a claimed 190bhp (with ram-air; 170bhp at the wheel) and hitting 150mph in just over 10 seconds from a standing start, the ZZR arrived in time for the September issue of RIDE to ask whether, on Gatso-strewn, traffic weary, pot-hole riddled British roads, a sports-touring missile that was capable of doing 186mph in fifth gear was really necessary.
The answer was yes. Much more than just a straight-line blaster, the 1400 was an all-rounder too. Staff writer Emma Franklin was the first to sample the Kawasaki’s versatility, riding the ZZR to Edinburgh to meet a penguin (seriously): “I watched as the needle arced across the clock, almost in unison with the rev counter,” she wrote. “Time aboard the Zed passes quickly, as if it creates its own pocket of reality behind the fairing.” Overall though, she was impressed by the ZZR’S, “...time-bending speed and comfort.”
Next up was a track day at Cadwell Park, courtesy of RIDE’S fast and lairy features editor Ben Wilkins. He too, was blown away by the 1400’s power but noted it inhabited the upper end of the rev range — not what you’d expect from a large motor. He also reckoned the big Kwack was agile enough to give a ZX-10R a run for its money: “Not only is the ZZR a far better road bike than Kawasaki’s mighty but flighty ZX-10R, it’s also a far easier bike to ride on the track,” he enthused.
Next up, staffer Liisa Steele sat on the ZZR’S pillion seat for 220 miles and declared: “...the seat is enormous and comfortable, the pegs are set at a reasonable height and the wide grab rail means the rider isn’t troubled by flailing hands grabbing them,” she said. “A long trek on the back is a pleasure.”
The last test for the ZZR was a run at a drag strip; product editor Tony Hoare posted a 10.66-second standing quarter performance, commenting: “...a dragracing rookie on board shows how fast the 1400 is. A good rider could do just over 10 seconds.”
RIDE’S final verdict was the ZZR very much possessed a genuine all-round excellence; the only reservation was whether anyone would have the restraint to keep their licence.