We tested the four baddest sportbikes on the planet, but not before first fitting some aftermarket upgrades.
Obviously Super Streetbike would never encourage riding like this on public streets, so we had a stretch of road closed down for the duration of our photo shoot and testing.
Sure, we thought of loading the latest and greatest liter bikes into a truck and going to the track with a stopwatch-but our second option involved hitting the canyons followed by a stop at a local gentlemens' club. It was a no brainer really.
Don't mistake this for a stock bike shootout, though. Instead, we wanted to incorporate real world mods alongside real world riding conditions.
We'd love to turn some laps at a track day, but we know that those outings come few and far between the typical rides to bike nights and favorite back roads. Our conclusion was to ride and live with these beasts in stock trim for a week before collectively deciding on mild mods during a round table discussion*.
High-dollar dream upgrades (wheels, brake systems, etc) were excluded simply due to price consideration. Instead, we went with the most common modifications-slip-on exhausts and fender eliminators were installed across the board. Along with those, each bike has something unique to help separate it from the pack and give it an edge (if it needs it).
*The "round table" is actually rectangular, and more commonly known as a "bar."
KAWASAKI ZX-10R
When it stormed out of the box in 2004, a number of complaints were aired regarding violent power delivery. But isn't that what these things are all about? Kawasaki relaunched the big Ninja in 2006 with softer power and rather odd styling. Expectedly, some of the fickle media decided the power was too soft and the 10 didn't get high marks in shootouts and reviews.
For 2008 Kawi went back to the drawing board and came back with yet another entirely revised version. This time Team Green got it just right almost everywhere. The "almost" consideration involves the bizarre styling cues clearly taken from the Kingdom Insecta. Funky mirror mounted indicators with a split pincer-esque snout? Weird.
HOTBODIES RACING SENT US A SMOKED SCREEN THAT ADDS A BIT OF ATTITUDE TO THE OTHERWISE ODD FRONT END. | 
THE FIRST PART TO GO WAS THE SUSPECT STEERING DAMPER. WHEN IT WAS INTRODUCED ON THE 2006 MODEL, THE OHLINS UNIT DIDN'T SEEM TO REALLY ADJUST (THOUGH IT HAS 16 CLICKS OF ADJUSTMENT). OFF-THE-SHELF OHLINS DAMPERS WILL NEARLY LOCK THE BARS WHEN CRANKED UP, YET THE ZX-10 UNITS DON'T. WE WENT AHEAD AND SWAPPED IT FOR A GPR DAMPER THAT NOT ONLY LOOKS COOL, BUT ALSO OFFERS A FULL RANGE OF ADJUSTABILITY. | 
THE STOCK PIPE LOOKS PLAIN SILLY AND WEIGHS A TON. THE SOLUTION WAS A SLIP-ON FROM TWO BROTHERS. WITH A FEW TURNS OF A RATCHET THE ZX-10 LOOKS LIKE A PROPER BIKE (IT SOUNDS THE BUSINESS, TOO). |
Apart from that, the 10 is incredible. It feels nearly as light as its 600cc sibling, yet smacks you hard with serious power. In fact, once it's wound up into the upper midrange the ZX-10 delivers the strongest kick in the seat of the four-even the mighty Gixxer can't cause the landscape to blur quite like this monster.
TWO BROTHERS SENT ALONG ITS FENDER ELIMINATOR KIT WITH THE EXHAUST, WHICH HELPED TIDY THE REAR END UP NICELY WHILE STILL APPEARING TO BE STREET LEGAL (THE LICENSE PLATE FASTENERS CONTAIN LED PLATE LIGHTS).
Aside from its hideous appearance (which can be fixed), the big ZX finally does what it couldn't quite nail in the past-go like a ballistic missile while staying totally planted and stable.
BUYER'S BOX
MSRP: $11,549
ENGINE: Liquid-cooled, DOHC, four valves per cylinder, 998cc
SUSPENSION:
Front: 43mm USD fork, fully adjustable
Rear: Monoshock, fully adjustable
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 55.7 in
Weight: 395 lbs (dry)
Tank capacity: 4.5 gal
CONTACT: www.kawasaki.com
PARTS:
EXHAUST: www.twobros.com $549.95
FENDER ELIMINATOR: www.twobros.com $139.95
STEERING DAMPER: www.gprstabilizer.com $495
ZAMORA:"With a motor just waiting to get you in trouble the ZX-10 takes the belt for the strongest punch. The Two Brothers pipe not only sounds good, but it also got rid of that hideous band-geek instrument Kawi calls a pipe. The overall package is so well put together it makes up for the Praying Mantis front end." | 
SEXTON:"The Two Brothers exhaust sounded great and the GPR steering damper worked flawlessly." | 
TEACH:"The most stable bike at high lean angles, the ZX-10 devours the corners. The Kawi isn't nearly as refined as the Honda in terms of plain ridability, but overall the performance is a cut above the other manufacturers." |