(Kawasaki Release) For the
2008 NINJA® ZX™-10R, Kawasaki engineers aimed for an ideal superbike with engine
and chassis performance capable of satisfying professional racers, combined with
top-notch streetbike qualities for mainstream riders. It’s a delicate balance,
but these aren’t your average engineers. They’ve been directly involved in the
development of every 600 and 1000cc supersport machine since the 2003 Ninja
ZX-6R, plus Kawasaki’s factory Superbike racing efforts, so they have the
know-how to deliver the goods.
The result is an exceptionally communicative machine that provides the
clean two-way rider and machine dialog demanded by professional racers. Placing
the ZX-10R in the racing crucible and applying lessons from that unforgiving
environment resulted in an ideal balance to satisfy the most demanding of
riders. Kawasaki engineers relied on the assistance of a professional Superbike
rider to push the new ZX-10R’s engine and frame components to the limits in
actual competition. Parts that met with the racer’s approval were then tried on
the production test bike, tweaked, retested on the race bike and adjusted again.
This process was repeated throughout the development cycle for the all-new 2008
Ninja ZX-10R. 2008 Kawasaki Ninja® ZX™-10R Specifications: Engine: Four-stroke, liquid-cooled, DOHC, four valves per cylinder,
inline-four Displacement: 998cc Bore x stroke: 76.0 x 55.0mm Compression ratio: 12.7:1 Fuel injection: DFI with 43mm Keihin throttle bodies with oval sub-throttles,
two injectors per cylinder Front tire: 120/70 ZR17 Rear tire: 190/55 ZR17 Front suspension / wheel travel: 43mm inverted fork with DLC coating,
adjustable rebound and compression damping, spring preload adjustability and
top-out springs Rear suspension / wheel travel: Bottom-Link Uni-Trak® with top-out spring,
stepless, dual-range (high/low-speed) compression damping, stepless rebound
damping, fully adjustable spring preload Front brakes: Dual semi-floating 310 mm petal discs with dual four-piston
radial-mount calipers Rear brakes: Single 220mm petal disc with single-piston aluminum caliper