Comfort and speed are features of elite business aviation aircraft. CEOs of multinational corporations, royalty and drug lords, presidents and tyrants, rock stars and wholesalers of human organs fly in these personal air limousines. As an alternative to painfully uncomfortable superbikes, similar-purpose equipment began to appear in the world of motorcycles.
The design of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 makes it unlike any other motorcycle
Turn the key in the ignition, and the animated “cockpit” of the Kawasaki ZX-14 instantly catches your eye. The dial speedometer is calibrated to 340 km/h, the same
The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 dashboard displays all the necessary information
a dial tachometer with a limit of 13 thousand rpm and a red zone starting two thousand below, an LCD screen of the on-board computer... Even with the ignition turned off, they looked like a brazen statement of the bike’s enormous potential. When the hands synchronously ran across the white dials with bluish backlighting, and the engine
Two Brothers mufflers add character to Ninja
deceptively quietly purred at idle through the tuning “direct flows” of TwoBrothers, the realization of the seriousness of Kawasaki’s intentions makes you break into a cold sweat, like an inexorably polite invitation to visit the parents of a seventh-grader who became pregnant from you. It's time to decide: go to Honduras now, or pay the bills for the rest of your life.
Externally, the “heavy” Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 handles on the move almost like a purebred sport bike
The range of dashboard functions is as rich as its appearance. There is an odometer, two intermediate mileage counters, a voltmeter, a clock, an indicator of the gear number, coolant temperature and estimated flight range data in three modes: average, instantaneous, and cruising. The LCD panel, like a good flight attendant, can communicate in English and French, as well as use different units of measurement of fuel consumption: “Do you want to record your drink in kilometers per liter, in liters per 100 km, or in miles per gallon?”
You can ride the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 to work and hit the 400m on the weekends
Multi-colored indicators complement the informative instrumentation. In addition to the standard turn indicators, neutral, high beam and low oil pressure, there is a light on the tachometer dial with an unusual purpose. When accelerating, it helps not to oversleep the optimal moment of upshifting. When decelerating, it will also indicate to the pilot the need to depress the clutch - when the speed drops below the value programmed in the menu. The last feature is definitely overkill. But this is precisely the essence of the luxury of personal jets.
The engine speed of the big Ninja rises and falls very quickly. An acute reaction to gas is a sure sign of using a lightweight crankshaft and other lightweight engine parts. This is usually characteristic of purely racing machines and road superbikes of the latest generations, and not of almost one and a half liter bumpkins with an airplane appearance. It seems that the designers went out of their way to make the insides of the ZX-14 engine as light as possible and its character as vicious as possible.
Electronics thoroughly “stifled” the potential of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 engine at low speeds
Contrary to fears that the high-tech 1400 cc “in-line” engine would tear your arms out of your shoulder joints from the very first meters of acceleration, acceleration up to 5000 rpm turned out to be very soft. There was an incredible impression that at low speeds someone had halved the displacement. Unfortunately, the sensations were spoiled by a slightly slurred response to the gas under load. Instead of the clear sound of rising revs, the engine coughed as if non-existent traction control was kicking in. Perhaps the reason for this was the installation of racing direct-flow mufflers without the corresponding reconfiguration of fuel injection. Probable evidence of this was the loud bangs when the gas was released. But, most likely, the designers, using electronic settings, skillfully disguised the supersonic fighter as a civilian airliner.
The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 engine comes to life after 5000 rpm.
On the other side of 5000 rpm, you feel with your entire being that not a single cubic centimeter of displacement has actually gone missing. The engine produces a colossal, dense stream of power, and the hyperbike accelerates deceptively smoothly to super-legal speeds. But even at high speeds there is not the slightest concern that the pilot does not have enough experience or physical training to cope with the motorcycle.
The character of the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 is closer to drag racing than to the “ring”
The gearbox operates smoothly under heavy load conditions, without causing an ounce of concern that it might not engage. In addition, it is not necessary to use it aggressively. The elasticity of the engine characteristics is so high that in almost any conditions it is enough to use second gear. The comfortable speed range starts at 30 km/h and ends somewhere after 160 km/h.
The ZX-14 corners only slightly worse than liter superbikes.
The ZX-14's handling was a pleasant surprise. Compared to the character of the Suzuki Hayabusa or Honda CBR1100XX , the Hyper Ninja handles almost like a purebred superbike, its weight does not become a burden either at high speeds or when crawling at 30 km/h. The chassis geometry is such that at maximum acceleration the motorcycle remains stable and shows almost no tendency to wobble. The long wheelbase further calms the Meganinja, preventing involuntary separation of the front wheel.
A rare place where you can still feel “laziness” in reactions to the pilot’s actions is when shifting in S-shaped ligaments. Here the weight of the bike and especially the rather massive and seemingly very durable rims make themselves felt. In other cases, the pilot will have to show superhuman willpower in order to refrain from taking turns “with a knee”.
Relatively soft suspension improves comfort and at the same time reduces feedback
The fully adjustable fork and monoshock absorber handle heavy loads and keep both wheels firmly in contact with the asphalt at factory settings in almost all conditions (1). If you compare the ZX-14 with the Hayabusa, the Kawasaki’s suspension will be much softer and more comfortable than that of the sportier Suzuki, which strongly claims to be related to the GSX-R family. But despite the road nature of the Kawasaki suspensions, they retain high information content and provide the pilot with confidence when cornering.
ZX-14 front brakes with radial calipers and petal discs
The picture is completed by excellent brakes with petal discs, slowing down the flight of 350 kg of metal, plastic, meat and bones without a hint of overheating and loss of efficiency. Even despite the standard rubber brake hoses, the feeling of the brake in any conditions made it possible to dose the force with sufficient accuracy and not worry about the lack of ABS.
The comfortable saddle on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 makes it easy to travel long distances
But the strongest side of this extremely successful motorcycle is the comfort with which the pilot can lose the right to control it for a very long period. The Kawasaki ZX-14 is one of those bikes that is very easy to ride too fast. Excellent saddle, beautiful and at the same time effective mirrors, obedient engine with bottomless power, high clip-ons, perfect
Long-range enthusiasts are guaranteed to appreciate the high clip-ons
wind protection, a comfortable riding position and a lightweight hydraulic clutch almost completely free the rider from the hard work of steering one of the most powerful production bikes at exorbitant speeds.
It is noteworthy that the developers managed to find a middle ground between comfort and sensations of speed, without depriving the owner of emotions, as sometimes happens with purebred “tourists”. At 8-9 thousand, the sound of the engine merges with the roar of the exhaust and the noise of the wind, fills the helmet and resonates in it, flatly refusing to fly out. For those who find the character of the engine a little soft up to 5000 rpm, it will be enough to carry out a little tuning by installing the TRE module (2) and thus “suffocating” the 1400 cc monster.
“Airplane” fairing “Ninja” ZX-14
The appearance of the bike cannot be called bland. An aggressive and at the same time respectable fairing with a central air intake, “biting” the front wheel, wing and mirror housings of an effective aerodynamic shape - all this is reminiscent of business jets, where behind the appearance dictated by physics lies the comfort of moving their owners over vast distances with no less impressive speeds and inversions followed by pure envy.
On the road, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 will give few people a chance to see its “face”
Like luxury personal jets, this motorcycle does not shine with practicality and efficiency. You can go on a long journey on it, but it will not be the best “tourist” due to its healthy appetite and lack of luggage capacity. You can attend a track day and not embarrass yourself. But it is unlikely that you will be the first to reach the finish line. The ZX-14 may be a great starting point in building a drag bike, but it's the path for 400m maniacs . However, the big ninja will unexpectedly cope well with the role of a bike for every day for lovers of comfortable speed who do not experience financial difficulties.
Anton Barsukov, photo by Viktor Akilov and the author.
The author thanks Oleg Yagotintsev for providing the motorcycle for testing.
(0) Personal jet. (1) For pilots weighing approximately 85 kg. (2) The “Timing Retard Eliminator” block is designed to remove power restrictions in lower gears and maximum speed restrictions in higher gears.
Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 resembles an underwater monster The shape of the mirror housing is designed for enormous speeds. A brake disc of a “petal” design is also installed at the rear
Technical specifications
General data Model Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 Model year 2006 Weight with fuel and oil 261 kg Dimensions, mm 2170*760*1170 Wheelbase, mm 1460 Seat height, mm 800 Gas tank volume, l 22
Engine Type 4-cylinder, in-line, 4-stroke timing DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder Displacement, cm3 1352 Dimensions, mm 84 x 61 Compression ratio 12.0 Max. power hp at rpm 193 /9500 Max. torque Nm at rpm 154/7500 Power system Fuel injection Liquid cooling system Starting system electric
Transmission clutch , oil bath Gearbox 6-speed Main drive chain
Chassis frame , aluminum Front suspension: inverted telescopic fork Front wheel travel, mm 117 Rear pendulum suspension , with monoshock Absorber Rear wheel travel, mm 122 Brake system : hydraulic Front brake: 2 petal-type discs with a diameter of 310 mm, 4-piston radial calipers Rear brake 1 petal type disc with a diameter of 250 mm, 2-piston caliper Front tires 120/70-R17 Rear tire 190/50-R17
Hello again everyone. I’m thinking of adding information about this motorcycle, since I see that almost nothing is written about it anywhere, but I’ve already been friends with it for 3 years and have ridden all variations from stock to tuned.
We have 5 of them in our garage.
N1) Zx14 2007. Mileage 9000 km.
was completely stock. That's where I started. The moped is not damaged, clean, beautiful, very neat. Later, when choosing the next zx14 for friends, he was the guide in all respects. A sort of standard ):)) Also later GlPRO was installed on it. A stray that tricks the brain by opening the damper in the intake manifold so that it starts going from the bottom. BUT it did not give the same effect as brain programming. The moped lags significantly when accelerating from the move. This year everyone installed the stock muffler from the 2012 model. Everything can be done without modifications, you just need to buy an exhaust manifold. And so everything fits onto the standard fastenings. :)) N2) Zx14 2007. Mileage 11000 km. It was purchased at the end of the season from resellers who were unable to sell it during the season. The price was fair and the bike was restored from a slight slip. The condition was excellent. Even the original slider remained on it. But no one bought it, since it had a long rear swingarm - for dragging. It has Muzzy Titan mufflers on it, and it drove right from the bottom, even though it didn't have any GLpro on it. It was mysterious... So next we had a test of all the motorcycles... we even changed the brains in them... and the results were quite interesting... N3)zx14R 2012. I was kind of stunned by these motorcycles and decided to take this option for myself.
I bought the moped in the states with a mileage of 1300 km. At first it seemed to me that he was more confused compared to his early years. It makes turns more confidently. The slipper clutch is already installed, I took it apart and it’s really different from before 2012. There is traction control. In reality, in mode 3 it will not allow you to start from the traffic lights and will close your throttle at the beginning of the front wheel lifting off. In mode 1, driving is very exciting - you just open the gas and don’t care... The wheel is 10 santa off the ground, and you accelerate confidently. Just recently I noticed in a video that the instrument panel also shows how hard the traction is working :)) It’s a pity there was no ABS... It’s not enough during extreme braking. I've been thinking about a steering damper for a long time - but nothing is definitely written about it anywhere. Yes, the steering wheel is light when unscrewing... A friend caught the wobbler, and there he had a critical situation, there was simply an impact in a large hole that the wheel came apart and the disk was bent. BUT after a couple of seconds the wobbler itself stabilized without developing. It's just that no one caught him anymore. The motorcycle has a long wheelbase and that is why wobbling is probably not inherent in them. I somehow didn’t really want to buy a damper for $600, realizing that it’s just a shock absorber and its price is a maximum of $100 at a stretch. Well, this option appeared in China... Without thinking twice, it would have been bought for an experiment... I can say that the motorcycle has become completely different. It's just an electric train that rides as if on a rail, and is steered by the power of thought. It would be more accurate to say - light counter-steering. A month later, four mopeds already had this device, and unscrewing everything became simply difficult. In turns, the gas used to open evenly, but now with this Miracle thing, it was possible to bludgeon like a liter with a damper. It’s very strange that they don’t come with a damper from the factory. It really just improved the handling and feeling of confidence. And it didn’t worsen the appearance of the motorcycle, and installation was a matter of ten minutes and there was no need to drill anything. So I advise everyone - price quality - GOOD :)) It runs stock at the level of a charged N2 N4 N5. We all ride with the Scalarider all the time, so we stand in a row, engage a certain gear, and on the count of three everyone unscrews the knob (usually speed 80-120 and gear 2-3). The 2012 N3 actually moves away from the N2 in 5th and 6th gear, that is, in the lower ranges. YES and the programs in 2012 are shorter. Well, the coolness at the bottom will be seen to be higher than before 2012. BUT this is all nonsense. In fact, a motorcycle before 2012 is practically indistinguishable in terms of engine from a new one... Well, in terms of handling, as I wrote above, the difference is 15 percent. N4) ZX14 2007. It was bought from a huckster who was trying to make money, but realized that he would not succeed. Externally, the moped looked poor, antifreeze was leaking from the pump and there was one more important BUT... These kavatchas have a BUT... the knocking of the engine, which does not affect anything. Nobody knows what kind of IT it is, but I have already found the reason. It worked to our advantage. And the seller has apparently already lost all hope of selling it.):) So the price was lowered to the minimum with the expectation of bringing it to completion. It was all disassembled and damaged. And a bunch of spare parts have been ordered. A couple of months later HE turned into this miracle. :)))
WE DO everything ourselves, since there are no people to whom I could entrust this equipment. Wow, it’s nice to tinker with it :))) It’s not like lying under a dirty car :)))) It drives simply brutally. There is no power limit. The needle easily approaches 300 and creeps on as if nothing had happened. Well, at the bottom it constantly tries to throw you off... Very sharp response to the gas. It’s very strange that we assembled it, but didn’t go in to see if there were any dampers in the intake manifold... I’m sure they simply won’t be there :))
N5) zx14 2009. They took a broken one in the states. restored. Was drag. BUT they managed to put 18 thousand miles on it on the drag strip. He looked very tired. BUT the engine in it runs quieter than everyone else's :))) We got the impression that they are running in at this point ):)) He rarely drives, due to certain circumstances... And so he is also choked with brains and rushing like crazy the entire range at levels N2,N3,N4. There is no PHOTO of this moped... but it will be further on in the photo and video.
Here are some more photos: Kawasaki zx14R 2012 all plastics have sharp lines...
Kawaski zx14R 2012 dashboard
With numbers
Chinese damper... the photo is not very good :) BUT it works very WELL :)))
Stock muffler, which fits this motorcycle very harmoniously and is combined with all its elements. And it just looks like Rocket Launcher.
Five tanks......:)))
Halt
It's me.
Friends... Fun bunch :))
And THEY again...
Riding the ZX14 is comfortable even with my height. I won’t talk about wind protection - it’s there... There’s enough power. It stands rooted to the spot on the road, especially with the Chinese damper. Handling is worse than that of a sports liter, but at the same level. Ultra brakes - neither add nor take away. Appearance - YAAAAAA, especially when there are five of them :))))))) I don’t even think about changing it for something... YES, and my friends are just delighted too. You can't imagine anything better!!! Everyone who just rode this motorcycle understood that they needed to sell liters, six hundred, cruisers, and buy this option. And these are not just words :)) So GO FOR IT :)) Here is another video from 2013.
Kawasaki zx14r 2012
FOR 2014 I think it will appear here soon :))
Motorcycle Kawasaki ZX-14R Ninja 2021 review
Description of the Kawasaki ZX-14R Ninja 2021 motorcycle is in the queue for publication of the article. Announcement: Today, for almost every new motorcycle that comes into being, marketers strive to carve out their own niche. This one is a road sport, this one is a recreational enduro. But what class should we include a motorcycle that has a little bit of everything? A good bike should have a reliable engine, comfortable ergonomics and simple controls...
Kawasaki ZX-14R Ninja is a motorcycle not sold in Russia, equipped with a very powerful 149 hp engine. Despite the fact that good models of motorcycles have a very respectable price, and the season for their use is relatively short, the motorcycle market is developing rapidly. And if you believe the words of dealers, then some models of recently released motorcycles are selling like hot cakes at the beginning of the season, and the models brought to Russia are clearly not enough to fully satisfy consumer demand.
A motorcycle has long ceased to be an alternative to a car, and the times when this equipment was bought only because there was not enough money for a full-fledged car are forgotten. Nowadays, two-wheelers can be called technological marvels in many cases, and their cost can be compared with that of prestigious cars.
Many people have started buying motorcycles for hobby purposes as riding or even collecting them has become a good pastime for many people. Many motorcycles, for example the Kawasaki ZX-14R Ninja, whose technical characteristics make it possible to call the model a prestigious brand, are in demand among both beginners and experienced motorcyclists.
Motorcycles with an engine capacity of 1441 cc / 87.9 cu-in. see, appeared as a result of long work of inventors who sought to create a model that was not inferior in characteristics to other versions of the motorcycle. In some cases, these models are not only not inferior, but also ahead of other motorcycles, as they have minimal fuel consumption and other excellent parameters.
Motorcycles with an engine capacity of more than 400 kb. see, which includes the Kawasaki ZX-14R Ninja - this category of motorcycles simply cannot claim the title of “motorcycle for a beginner.” On the contrary, this is already a serious technique that requires certain control of motorcycle equipment with a smaller engine capacity. Yes, she attracts more attention, she is the most beautiful, fast, interesting and there is a huge selection of models. But as power increases, the weight of the motorcycle inevitably increases. In this class you are unlikely to find motorcycles lighter than 180 kg, unless they are the latest motorcycle models.
Go to the entire range of Kawasaki motorcycles, on this page you can find Kawasaki ZX-14R Ninja motorcycles of other years and information about them
Test Drive Kawasaki ZZR 1400 / ZX14
So, for reference: at the moment, this particular model is the flagship of the Kawasaki company, the face of the company, demonstrating a hitherto unheard of level of performance parameters and characteristics, presented to the general public in 2005 and released in 2006 to replace.. ahem-ahem.. to replace .. The fact is that for the Japanese, European and Oceania markets the motorcycle is produced under the ZZR 1400 brand, while for the American market it is ZX14. In fact, this is one motorcycle, differing slightly in the power characteristics of the engine due to legal restrictions, as well as the presence or absence of external reflectors, a passenger seat cover, a central stand, a plastic tray under the pendulum, a handle under the left tail unit and perhaps some other little things , completely unworthy of mention
