1994年Kawasaki ZZ-R 1100 D

Kawasaki ZZ-R 1100 

In which we meet the new ZZ-R1100, honed to a sharper edge and faster than ever. Unfortunately riding it in winter is like grubbing for truffles in a bicycle shed. Test by Rupert Paul.

Predicting the future, says an old Chinese proverb, is very difficult. But predict it you must when you when you ride a motorcycle that can hit l00mph in six seconds. Underlying every word in this test is the ZZ-R's unbelieveable, awe-inspiring, horizon-grabbing acceleration: not because it runs away with you, or is out of balance with the rest of theiike — it doesn't and it isn't — but because it is so hugely fast. Unfortunately 1 remember reading superlatives like that in 1980 as the hacks of the day raved about CBXs and GSX1100s, bikes we now know as slow old dogs. I also remember thinking, What do they mean? What's it really like to ride the fastest production bike in the world? I couldn't imagine. My Yamaha step-thru did 44mph downhill. My description may not be any more help but, if you're reading this in the bath, then riding a tanked-up ZZ-R is like the bath ripping loose from its moorings and propelling you, 60 gallons of water and any plastic ducks to 127mph in the length of a 50-house terraced street. Striding towards a gleaming '93 ZZ-R is as pleasing an experience as before; more so if you prefer the new, slimmed-down look. The differences between the '92 and '93 models are in the launch report (Jan P PB) and though they are many, they have a subtle effect. The bike feels smaller, less imposing (it's actually 111b heavier); the bars slightly lower. Instruments and warning lights are perfectly laid out in a Honda-like console. The paint is thicker than Jim Bowen's glasses. A grab handle under the right of the seat helps you paddle the bike uphill backwards. The choke, less refined than a CBRl000's, nevertheless allows a gentle early morning tickover, and first snicks in quietly. Voom voom.

Motor internals are identical to last year's and give more or less the same 125bhp as the best ZZ-R we've dynoed (1990). Getting the same blurred frenzy of acceleration is even easier now thanks to a revised gearbox: single finger pressure on the clutch is all you need to slice smoothly and quietly through six gears in a row — until the cush drive compresses, which on our bike occurred at 2,500 miles. As this happened on the original ZZ-R it is no longer funny. Carburation is almost perfect. If you hold the motor on a steady load it sometimes hunts almost imperceptibly; otherwise it's larger than life everywhere in the rev range. The throttle gives total control for instant bursts of speed to slam past whatever's in front, shut off, bring it all down to one point as you apex a corner, and wind it on again without a glitch. Between 5 and 8,000 the combustion takes on a smoothness and surge that is addictive. Above 8,000 is just mental. The bike's at its absolute best rolling on

and off the throttle gobbling up very fast, smooth, switchback roads. Short, violent, B-road blasts deliver huge euphoria but leave you shattered from the intense concentration of riding something so big and fast in a confined space.

Given the bike's immense speed range I guess I shouldn't complain about the rear suspension but it's firmer than last year's and boneshakingly uncomfortable on slow, greasy lanes. As soon as the roads dry out, or even when rain washes away the salt, the ZZ-R feels planted and taut, but that rules out most of winter. The front end is far more positive and feelable than last year's, and braking deep into bends hardly disturbs the steering. This, the taut suspension, and the more centralised mass have shifted the ZZ-R several degrees nearer the sporty end of the market. Specially-developed, sticky Bridgestones are well suited (wet or dry) for this new role but are probably responsible for the bike's tendency to run wide at full lean. Try and tighten the line and the front twitches; it won't have it.

And it's still a big bike. Riding with Kenny P from Cambridge to Peterborough in a scary crosswind I suddenly realised I was pushing on the inside bar as hard as I could — my whole arm was locked solid. You can't put this much countersteer on the front tyre on a slippy road, which is why the ZZ-R is a holy terror in wet, windy conditions.

Despite all that power and the potential fuel range of the new tank a 540 mile, nine hour ride to Devon and back in February was rarely anything but painful and unpleasant. lOOmph ticks up at a half-awake 6,100rpm but it's of academic interest in fog. The riding position is roomy in every direction but ultimately painful at more than 100 if the wind's tugging at a bulky oversuit — at the end of the day my neck and shoulders ached and me poor old wrists were sore after 400 miles. On minor roads the hard suspension increased fatigue but motorways were worse: the steady wind blast tightens shoulder muscles into knots. A-roads are best, keeping you warmer and more active. Towards the end I was so tired I gave up going over 6,000rpm — the acceleration was too violent.

But that trip was an extreme test; in summer the same effort would have covered 8 or 900 miles at least. The airflow over the screen is clean and quiet and, with a fraction of the drag of an oversuit, one-piece leathers would boost an easy cruise to 130. The mirrors don't vibrate much, stability is superb and this year's fairing is, if anything, slightly better than the old one.

What you'd still see in summer is a design cock-up as big as the original flashing fuel lights. The fuel gauge does nothing before 60 miles, then plummets to empty by 120 miles, and the fuel tap needs reserve after 18 litres — typically 170 miles. So, despite the extra fuel tank volume where the sidepanels used to be, you never get at the last four or five litres.

In general the bike was better when the sun was out, something that doesn't happen often in February: after 1,500 miles the rear tyre had worn a big flat across the middle and was well past its best.

The demon front brakes lost their edge after something evil got on the pads early in the test — probably a one-off from the appalling test conditions. (The rear is also excellent and on a long, heavy bike like this it needs to be.) The wheels are tragically prone to corrosion. Dirt and brake dust on the spokes centrifuges out and fills up a groove in the rim that you could grow cress in. Kev's 18,500 mile ZZ-R has the same groove and far more exposure to salt, yet after two weeks and three washes the new bike's wheels were as badly pitted, as his. If you ride fast with a pillion you'll need more rebound damping (hard to adjust) and ideally more preload (nearly impossible). And finally, a bike this quick needs a much louder hoooter.

Everyone loved the curved switchgear. Even after eight months I find it hard to get to my Exup's dipswitch in a hurry; on the ZZ-R you don't even think about it. It's a tiny detail that makes a huge difference.

The lockable box on the left of the fairing inner appears to be designed to hold four fishfingers side by side. The bay in the tail unit is better but still not big enough for a serious lock. It's hard to get at the chain to oil it because the silencer's in the way — you have to get uncomfortably close to the rear sprocket.

If you're a pianist, get someone else to do it. The pillion position is much as before: to get better you'll have to start looking at BMWs and STll00s. Kawasaki hope they've got a faster, more eager handler without losing any of the old ZZ-R's luxury, and that's about right. It's still the best and only all-round sportsbike but is it any better than last year's? Time for an outrageous oversimplification. If you want a comfortable Exup, yes. If you want a fast BMW, no. If it had been my bike I wouldn't have taken it out of the garage

yet. Rupert Paul

Source Performance Bike 1993