Friday, May 10, 2013
2012 Kawasaki Ninja Sports Bike Introduction Manual
Introduction:
[edit] ZX900 (1994)
The ZX-9R debuted in 1994. Kawasaki developed the model in response to Hondas introduction of the CBR900RR FireBlade for the 1992 model year.
Prior to the advent of the FireBlade, large-capacity Japanese sports motorcycles had become polarised. On one side were the 750 cc sport bikes, influenced by Endurance racing and the World Superbike Championship. On the other, the "big-bore" 1,000 cc-plus sports-tourers had become the natural evolution of the performance bikes of the preceding 20 years. In simple terms, the 750s had the handling, the big-bores had the power. In both categories, Kawasaki ruled. The ZXR750 offered the technology and the performance of ultra-expensive racing-homologation models from Honda and Yamaha at half the price, and it outclassed the similarly priced GSX-R750 of the time, which still featured a perimeter frame and an oil-cooled engine, while the ZZ-R1100 held the title of the fastest production motorcycle on Earth.
Prior to the advent of the FireBlade, large-capacity Japanese sports motorcycles had become polarised. On one side were the 750 cc sport bikes, influenced by Endurance racing and the World Superbike Championship. On the other, the "big-bore" 1,000 cc-plus sports-tourers had become the natural evolution of the performance bikes of the preceding 20 years. In simple terms, the 750s had the handling, the big-bores had the power. In both categories, Kawasaki ruled. The ZXR750 offered the technology and the performance of ultra-expensive racing-homologation models from Honda and Yamaha at half the price, and it outclassed the similarly priced GSX-R750 of the time, which still featured a perimeter frame and an oil-cooled engine, while the ZZ-R1100 held the title of the fastest production motorcycle on Earth.
kawasaki ninja sports bike
kawasaki ninja sports bike
Model History:
[edit] ZX900 (1994)
The first ZX-9R could be seen as a ZXR750 incorporating a number of ZZ-R1100 design features. The wheels (three-spoke cast aluminium alloy 3.5-inch x 17-inch front and 5.5-inch x 17-inch rear), front forks (fully adjustable 43 mm upside-down KYB) and unbraced fabricated aluminium box-section swingarm with fully adjustable remote-reservoir KYB monoshock were direct carry-overs from the ZXR. Importantly, the twin-piston rear Tokico caliper no longer mounted via a torque arm, and the clip-on handlebars mounted above the top triple clamp, not below. The four-piston Tokico front calipers and 320 mm front discs were common to the ZZ-R and the ZXR.
The frame was a welded aluminium-alloy dual-beam with cast steering head and swingarm endplates, but with steel-tube engine cradles and swingarm-mount endplates extending back to support the riders seat and attach the bolt-on subframe, like the ZZ-R1100.
The frame was a welded aluminium-alloy dual-beam with cast steering head and swingarm endplates, but with steel-tube engine cradles and swingarm-mount endplates extending back to support the riders seat and attach the bolt-on subframe, like the ZZ-R1100.
kawasaki ninja sports bike
kawasaki ninja sports bike
kawasaki ninja sports bike
ZX900B3 (1996) and ZX900B4 (1997)
Detail changes. Power increased from 139 to 141 hp (105 kW). The rear suspension linkage and rear spring rate were replaced, improving handling. Pillion grab rails were added, the gearboxes were made stronger, and new six-piston Tokico front calipers replaced the previous models four-piston units. The weight of the bike increased to 218 kg (480 lb).
ZX900C1 (1998) and ZX900C2 (1999)
For 1998, Kawasaki completely redesigned the ZX-9R. The basic roadgoing bias of the bike, with the relaxed riding position and generous chassis dimensions remained, but the character of the bike was fundamentally changed.
Engine bore, stroke and redline remained unchanged; everything else was completely new. The clutch was changed from hydraulic to cable-operated. The generator was moved from behind the cylinder to the more conventional location at the left end of the crank. There was now no balance shaft. The valvetrain switched to direct valve actuation, and the cylinder head was plumbed for then-new plug-top ignition coils, replacing more conventional remote coils and high-tension leads. Notably, the new engine also featured a Hall-type cam position sensor on the exhaust camshaft. Cam position sensors are typically used in conjunction with electronic fuel injection. As the ZX900C featured induction by Keihin 40 mm CVKD carburettors, a cam position sensor wasnt necessary. Its inclusion could indicate that Kawasaki had designs to include fuel injection on the engine in the future, but this did not happen until the 2003 introduction of the Z1000, which uses a bored-out ex-ZX-9R engine with a side-draught cylinder head.
For 1998, Kawasaki completely redesigned the ZX-9R. The basic roadgoing bias of the bike, with the relaxed riding position and generous chassis dimensions remained, but the character of the bike was fundamentally changed.
Engine bore, stroke and redline remained unchanged; everything else was completely new. The clutch was changed from hydraulic to cable-operated. The generator was moved from behind the cylinder to the more conventional location at the left end of the crank. There was now no balance shaft. The valvetrain switched to direct valve actuation, and the cylinder head was plumbed for then-new plug-top ignition coils, replacing more conventional remote coils and high-tension leads. Notably, the new engine also featured a Hall-type cam position sensor on the exhaust camshaft. Cam position sensors are typically used in conjunction with electronic fuel injection. As the ZX900C featured induction by Keihin 40 mm CVKD carburettors, a cam position sensor wasnt necessary. Its inclusion could indicate that Kawasaki had designs to include fuel injection on the engine in the future, but this did not happen until the 2003 introduction of the Z1000, which uses a bored-out ex-ZX-9R engine with a side-draught cylinder head.
