2012 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R

The ‘R’ Designation Equals More Race Winning Power  and More Refinement for the Ultimate Open-Class Sportbike

It’s gotta be ugly competing against the ZX™-14 year after year. When it arrived on the big-bore sportbike stage in 2006, the big Ninja® blew everyone’s minds – owners, journalists and competitors – with its incredible thrust, sport-tourer comfort, agile handling and aerodynamic full-coverage bodywork. Continuous refinement has kept the 14 a step ahead of the competition, all while filling enthusiasts’ face shields with wild, ear-to-ear grins.
Fortunately for Kawasaki fans (and unfortunately for the competition), there’s no let up for 2012. Not only is the newly R-designated Ninja ZX-14R massively more powerful, it’s also almost entirely new, with more of the character, design excellence, and finesse you’ve come to expect from Team Green™ – the company that’s been building legendary open-class motorcycles for more than 40 years.

Big power delivered smoothly has always been a big Ninja hallmark, so the changes for 2012 begin in the new ZX-14R’s engine bay. First off, there’s more displacement via a 4mm stroke increase; to 65mm (up from 61mm), with displacement now registering 1441cc (up from 1352cc). Combustion chamber shapes are newly optimized for 2012, and they’re surface-milled now, not cast. Intake ports are reshaped and polished for maximum flow while working in concert with longer and more durable intake valves. Yep, the new Ninja ZX-14R really does come “ported” right from the factory.
 
The camshafts working those valves are more radical, with increased lift and revised profiles, while a stronger cam chain and revised tensioning system maximize reliability at the stratospheric rpm levels this engine is capable of. Newly designed forged pistons with thinner crowns offer increased durability and less weight, and are cooled by a new oil-jet cooling system that pumps a continuous stream of lubricant at the underside of each piston. (Testing shows the engine runs considerably cooler with this system.) There’s more: Compression is up from last year; connecting rods have beefier small ends, and are made of a stronger material; crankshaft main journals are thicker, from 38 to 40mm; a new air-cleaner element is larger and thicker, with 10% more surface area and 40 percent more airflow capability; and transmission gears have been heat- and surface-treated to be even more durable and shift more smoothly.

 Feeding this class dominating new engine is a revised fuel injection system that offers automatic idle adjustment and reduced emissions. Burned hydrocarbons exit through a heavily revised exhaust system with reshaped, larger-diameter tapered header pipes and larger-volume, reshaped mufflers, each with an advanced catalyzer to minimize emissions.

The benefits of all this hot-rodding are substantial, as there’s more power virtually everywhere across the rev range. The increases are most profound in the mid-high rpm range, with notably stronger acceleration from 4,000 rpm onward. 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.

But the ZX-14R’s new engine is more than supremely powerful; there’s plenty of polish and panache to go along with it. The engine’s dual gear-driven counterbalancer setup, for instance, has been optimized to work with the new mill’s longer-stroke dimensions and crankshaft changes. The result is smoother power across the rev range. 
 

That power is more manageable than ever, too, thanks to the addition of a back-torque limiting “slipper” clutch assembly, a three-mode KTRC traction control system and a two-mode Hi/Low power management 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’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 arguably the finest open-class streetbike engine ever built – and an engine this capable needs a similarly competent chassis in which to live and thrive. The 2012 ZX-14R is up to the job, and then some. Kawasaki engineers strove to retain the previous ZX-14’s light-handling and maneuverable demeanor, using the existing chassis design as a starting point for the new 14R and its increased power production. To maintain this sweet-handling character but also pump up the sportiness quotient, engineers modified more than half of the previous frame’s aluminum castings and forgings, all of which have different flex and rigidity characteristics than the parts they replace. So while the new alloy frame bears a distinct resemblance to the previous unit’s over-the-engine, monocoque design, it is vastly different: stiffer in some places and unchanged in others, the net result forming an ideal balance for the bike’s weight, power and cornering ability. In back, the swingarm is 10mm longer than before and features more gusseting to effectively match the new frame’s rigidity balance.

Front and rear suspension revisions help maintain this balancing act of wheel control, ride compliance and maneuverability. Both the 43mm fully adjustable inverted fork and multi-adjustable single shock have improved bottoming resistance and revised internal settings, while new lighter and beautifully machined 10-spoke wheels look great and reduce unsprung weight by a whopping 3.3 pounds, further aiding acceleration, handling and suspension action. The new ZX-14R’s triple disc brakes are updated, as well, with more rigid disc material and revised pads for powerful, fade-free stops and a progressive feel at the lever. 

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 this latest addition to a long line of sportbikes looks the part, with new bodywork tip-to-tail honoring the imposing, angular and flowing shapes that have made recent Ninjas some of the most attractive sportbikes in existence. The nose is especially imposing, with a more aggressive nose fitted with a quad-headlight assembly and a large ram-air duct stuffing cool atmosphere into the intake system. The traditional 4-fin theme along the fairing’s sides has a more pronounced 3D design this year, 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.-spec models – boosting aesthetic performance.

The body package offers functional benefits as well as aesthetic ones. The reshaped seat, for instance, offers more thigh support and makes it easier for vertically challenged riders to reach the ground. The bodywork’s venting system is better at extracting heated air from the engine bay and away from the rider and passenger. 

The new ZX-14’s instruments and controls have been reworked as well, with a newly finished gauge cluster and a new 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 dominating open-class ride – a supremely smooth, 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.