KAWASAKI NINJA ZX-14

Whether it's Supercross or Superbike, the manufacturers today face a withering schedule of updating their stock motorcycles that form the basis for their racing efforts. New models are updated after two years, completely replaced after four. In other classes, like the one in which the 2008 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 runs, the pace of change is usually slower, however.
Not this time.
Just two years after it was introduced as the Kawasaki-proclaimed "most powerful streetbike in the world," the ZX-14 received a number of changes for 2008 to make it run even stronger (especially at low rpms), run cleaner, and sound better. Outwardly, the 14 looks the same. Kawasaki did the tinkering inside.
One reason for the changes was to meet Euro-III noise and emissions regulations. Kawasaki addressed emissions by adding a third catalyzer to the exhaust. The company attacked the noise issue by trying to reduce the noise you don't want to hear, while still letting you hear the engine. A urethane sheet inside the chain cover lowers the sound level and different piston profiles reduce mechanical noise.
Another reason for updating the ZX-14 (though it wasn't mentioned by the Kawasaki engineers) was to meet the challenge from the Suzuki Hayabusa, which was redesigned for 2008. The 14 never lacked power, especially at the top of the rev range, but Kawasaki set out to make the low-end torque more impressive.
Changes to the cylinder head, intake ports and fuel injectors, and a connector pipe on the header that's 75 percent larger, are among the changes aimed at making the 14's broad spread of power even wider.
Our ride on biggest Ninja starts on the dragstrip. The sun is out and the temperature hovers around 80 degrees with just a hint of humidity in the air. AMA Prostar champion Rickey Gadson is standing by to coach us, and he predicts the times will be just a bit slower than optimum.
Settling onto the ZX-14, it looks and feels like the 2006 model I rode less than two years ago, when it was first introduced. But once I start launching the bike, I can feel the changes Kawasaki has made. Throttle response is smoother and power feels available everywhere.
I can feel the increased low-end torque, but fortunately, the power is still amazingly manageable. As you run this motorcycle through its rev range, there are no surprise hits waiting to catch you off guard. Just smooth power.
With all that power, lifting the front wheel is easy but I'm trying to improve my quarter-mile time, not show off the drain plug. As Gadson points out, when the wheel comes up it's the motorcycle's way of informing me that it is time to shift gears. Do it right, and it's also the sign of a good run.
After several runs, I haven't improved my times that much, but I am having a lot of fun.
After lunch, we hit the street. We leave the track in Fontana, California, and head into the mountains. The Ninja's seat is comfortable enough for a good, long day ride and the clip-ons are high enough and the footpegs low enough to place the rider in a sport-touring position that isn't as committed as sportbike ergonomics.
As we work our way up the mountain, the fairing does a good job of managing airflow and the ZX-14 feels planted, despite the winds, which are gusting up to 40 mph. "Solid" is the word that comes to mind, even when the wind seems to be trying to blow me off the mountain.
The ZX-14 offers enough suspension adjustment to allow almost anyone to find a comfortable setting, depending on the rider's size, pace and the presence or lack of luggage or a passenger. The 43mm inverted fork offers 13-way adjustable compression damping and 11-way adjustable rebound damping, in addition to preload adjustability. The rear suspension offers stepless rebound and compression damping, preload adjustments, plus adjustable ride height, which comes in handy if you take your 14 to the strip.



Engine Liquid-cooled, double overhead cam, 16-vale inline four
Displacement 1,352cc
Bore x stroke 84.0mm x 61.0mm
Carburetion DFI, 44mm Mikuni throttle bodies
Compression ratio 12.0:1
Transmission Six speed
Final drive Chain
Tires 120/70-17 front; 190/50-17 rear
Front brake Dual 310mm petal discs, radial-mount four-piston calipers
Rear brake Single 250mm petal disc, twin-piston caliper
Front suspension 43mm inverted cartridge fork; adjustable forcompressionandrebounddamping and preload
Rear suspension Single shock; adjustable for compression and rebound damping, preloadand ride height
Seat height 31.5 inches
Wheelbase 57.5 inches
Fuel capacity 5.8 gallons
Dry weight 485 pounds
MSRP $11,699; $11,999 with Special Edition paint shown above

From its ram-air intake and distinctive, quadruple projector-beam headlights up front, to its gill-like side panels and sculpted tail with LED taillight, the ZX-14 draws as many styling cues from airplanes as from other motorcycles.
The changes to the ZX-14 for 2008 make the big Ninja's power even more accessible. More low-rpm power, on top of the ZX-14's already flawless smoothness, only adds to its abilities as a sport-touring motorcycle, if that's your mission.
But that's just icing on the cake. The ZX-14 still feels most at home staging at the end of a quarter-mile strip. Even then, the tweaks Kawasaki has made to the big Ninja will come in handy, especially if you're not Rickey Gadson and (like me) you're still perfecting the art of the launch.

The radial-mount front brake calipers and petal rotors provide great stopping power on the downhill side of those mountain roads. The brakes and suspension work well together to avoid front-end dive. Kawasaki says the damping rates on the front suspension have been tuned to be stiff in the initial part of the stroke to prevent dive.