2008 Kawasaki ZX-14 - First Ride

Brute horsepower can sometimes do more harm than good, and proper power delivery poses the biggest challenge to bike builders. Racing machines can get away with a lack of user friendliness, but a mass-produced streetbike must have manners as well as muscle. When the first ZX-14 was introed it had plenty of one and not enough of the other.

The new, revised ZX-14 promised more usable power, but we were skeptical, particularly when we learned that the press introduction was being hosted by professional drag racer Rickey Gadson at the California Speedway dragstrip. It was pretty obvious what was up-Kawi wanted us to experience the bike's mind-bending acceleration without going to jail. But ultimately, the bike's real-world environment was where we'd learn if the big green machine (in this case silver, blue or red and flamey) would really perform as advertised.

Kawasaki apparently took the widespread complaint over the first generation's rather paltry bottom-end power to heart, and the new bike's low-end bite offers a huge improvement. Power has increased overall, but it's most noticeable in places where it was absent in the past. After all, anything over 150 horsepower tends to feel pretty fast when it's nailed in the power band, but oftentimes it's the lugging to get there that steals some of the pleasure

Emissions have played a major role in sportbike engine development in recent years, and if you've seen pics of the consistently muddy air in many Asian cities (and a growing number of American ones) you'll appreciate the crackdown. But, as a result of the stricter noise and emissions legislation, we're forced to deal with absurd exhaust configurations that lead to horsepower hindrances. It looks like Kawasaki is as fed up as we are, and somehow it managed to gain power while reducing the stinky stuff on the ZX-14.

To solve the emissions and noise predicament while finding more power, the white coats chose a sneak attack. Though it seems that most of a bike's racket comes from the exhaust you'd be surprised how much rattle and clank originates from up front. For this reason internal engine noise was first addressed and reduced instead of going at the more obvious option of stifling the pipes. The engine's lower noise level was achieved by revising the piston profiles and adding a urethane insulation sheet to the inside of the magnesium chain cover.

With this clever solution to reducing noise the door was open to tinker in the exhaust system (which you'll hopefully remove shortly after purchasing anyway) to gain more power over a broader rev range. Changes in flow patterns and pipe diameters ultimately helped add and smooth out power throughout the rev range and increased power at lower revs.

Playing the largest role in the retuned motor's newfound energy is a new cylinder head with revised intake porting and 20 percent larger secondary air ports to get more gas into the exhaust. Additionally, new fuel injectors have changed the lateral spray angle from 15 to 20 degrees to disperse the fuel over a wider area and make more consistent power.

The technical gobbledygook makes for nice banter over beer and chicken wings, but the true test is at the controls. While half the group of journalists ran to the hills for a twisty blitz, our band of moto-marauders hit the strip. With sights set at the 9-second mark I used all of our personal instructor Rickey Gadson's advice to better my times, but ultimately couldn't muster anything below a 10.20 @ 136 mph. My 250 pounds (without gear) simply couldn't get much more of a move on, but there were a handful of smaller jockeys who climbed deep into the 9's rather easily. Compare those times to any car on the road and it puts things into context-a million-dollar Enzo Ferrari is a second slower.