The announcement marks one of the biggest developments in modern off-road motorcycling, combining the lightweight simplicity and explosive performance of a traditional two-stroke with modern electronic fuel injection technology.

Read our motocross news here…

At the heart of both models is a new 327cc fuel-injected single-cylinder two-stroke engine featuring electric start, a specially designed exhaust valve system and selectable power modes. Kawasaki says the engine delivers strong low-rpm traction, crisp throttle response and a smooth, linear torque curve while maintaining the lightweight feel that has made two-strokes a favourite among serious off-road riders.

The new platform has been built around a lightweight aluminium perimeter frame paired with KYB suspension and hydraulic clutch operation, creating what Kawasaki describes as the next generation of two-stroke off-road performance.

The motocross-focused KX327 features a five-speed close-ratio transmission, smartphone connectivity, slim bodywork and race-focused ergonomics aimed at motocross and closed-course competition.

For riders looking beyond the motocross track, Kawasaki has also developed the KX327X, a cross-country and enduro-focused version featuring a six-speed gearbox, ultra-low first gear, larger 8.3-litre fuel tank, hand guards, skid plate, side stand and a 21-inch front/18-inch rear wheel combination.

The arrival of the KX327 range is significant enough that Kawasaki has also revised its model naming structure, with its four-stroke competition bikes now carrying an “F” designation.

KX450F and KX250F updated
Alongside the new two-strokes, Kawasaki has updated its four-stroke motocross range for 2027. The KX450F and KX450FX receive revised intake and exhaust systems designed to improve low-end response and mid-to-high-rpm performance. Chassis updates include a redesigned swingarm and longer wheelbase aimed at improving traction, stability and overall handling.

Meanwhile, the KX250F and KX250FX continue to evolve following their major 2025 update, with refined suspension settings, enhanced clutch performance and improved mass centralisation.

Mini’s & Junior
Kawasaki’s junior motocross range, including the KX112, KX85, KX85L and KX65, returns for 2027 alongside the KLX300R, KLX230 S and KLX230R S trail bike models.

Australian pricing and final specifications will be announced closer to launch, with Kawasaki expecting the new 2027 off-road range to arrive in Australia and New Zealand during the first quarter of 2027.

2027 Kawasaki off-road range gallery

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Fans and media attending the international racing weekend can see a broad selection of Kawasaki’s latest and most iconic motorcycles on static display, spanning hypersport, supersport and heritage-inspired road models.

At the heart of the exhibit will be Kawasaki’s performance machines, including the supercharged Ninja H2 and the high-performance Ninja ZX-10R, a model with deep links to WorldSBK racing and recent global updates reflecting its track-borne pedigree.

The Kawasaki lineup also features well-rounded sport and roadster models such as the Ninja ZX-6R, the retro-styled Z900RS SE, and the accessible middleweight Z500 SE, offering something for a wide range of riders and enthusiasts.

Complementing the Kawasaki machines, the display will also showcase several Bimota models, a marque closely associated with Kawasaki through shared engineering and racing ties. Among these are the striking Tesi H2 and its TERA variant, along with the KB4 and KB998 Rimini, the latter reflecting Bimota’s blend of Italian design and Kawasaki-derived performance.

The WorldSBK Australian Round is a highlight on the global racing calendar, bringing elite motorcycle racing to Phillip Island’s fast, flowing 4.445 km layout each summer. Kawasaki’s presence on paddock and display underscores the brand’s strong connection to performance culture in both competition and road-going motorcycles.

Kawasaki welcomes visitors to check out its full display throughout the WorldSBK weekend, with social media channels set to share event highlights and behind-the-scenes content. See you there!

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As a key stepping stone to the premier Superbike class, the Supersport series continues to develop the next generation of elite riders.

Several top contenders in the 2025 Superbike roster, including Broc Pearson, Cameron Dunker, Tom Toparis, and Jonathan Nahlous, honed their skills in the Supersport category before making the leap to the premier class. The series provides an essential platform for riders to refine their race craft without the challenge of managing extreme horsepower.

The 2025 Kawasaki Supersport Championship will kick off at the season-opening round of the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) at Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit on February 21-23.

With Kawasaki’s backing, the Supersport class is set for an electrifying season, reinforcing its reputation as a crucial proving ground for future Superbike champions.

Since the debut of its Ninja ZX-6R in 1995, adorned in Kawasaki’s signature lime green livery first seen in 1968, the brand has been a dominant force in the Australian Supersport Championship, securing its first title in 1996 with Kevin Curtain, followed by Damon Buckmaster in 1998 and Andrew Pitt in 1999.

In 2025, Kawasaki’s Supersport campaign will be led by the BCperformance team, featuring Hayden Nelson and new recruit Olly Simpson, competing in a highly competitive field of veterans, rising teenage stars, returning Aussie internationals, and promising graduates from the Supersport 300 class, including last year’s Kawasaki-mounted champion, Josh Newman.

Gina Costello, Lead Brand Marketing Specialist, Kawasaki Motors Australia:

“Kawasaki is incredibly proud to extend the support of the ASBK Championship and become the naming rights sponsor of the Supersport category.

“Production-based racing has been a cornerstone of Kawasaki motorcycle development for decades and is an integral part of the iconic Ninja’s DNA.

“The Ninja ZX-6R is an exceptionally competitive platform for riders to challenge for the championship and, through this partnership, Kawasaki is enthusiastically contributing to the future of racing in Australia.”

Peter Doyle, CEO, Motorcycling Australia:

“It’s great to see Kawasaki committing to the ongoing success of the Supersport category and, more broadly, the continued growth of the ASBK Championship.

“Kawasaki’s motorcycle racing pedigree is legendary, and to have such an iconic marque joining the ASBK paddock is a major boost.

“The Supersport class has delivered superb racing over the last few years, and I fully expect we’ll be witnessing more of the same in 2025.”

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The all-new Kawasaki Ninja and Z500 models are LAMS approved and set to arrive Down Under next month. The 451cc parallel twin-cylinder models make 33.4kW@9000rpm and 42.6Nm@6000rpm. With the Ninja priced at $7544 + ORC, we expect the Z500 to come in somewhere just above $7k + ORC. The new models are welcome additions to the ever expanding Kawasaki road range, where you can just about find any motorcycle to suit your needs, particularly in the LAS category.

Both bikes feature revised styling, LED headlight and taillight, a newly designed LCD dash and smartphone connectivity. You can read the full details on the Ninja 500 here, and the Z500 here.

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Having showcased remarkable potential during his debut year in the Supersport, Hayden made headlines with an impressive pole position at Morgan Park in the 2023 season. Despite being his first year in the championship, Hayden secured an admirable 8th place overall. Now, with BCperformance making a bold return to the Supersport category after a hiatus since 2018, the anticipation for the upcoming season is palpable.

Hayden Nelson expresses equal enthusiasm for this new chapter, eagerly embracing the challenges that come with riding the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 636. The young rider is poised to make waves in the Australian Supersport Championship, and BCperformance Racing Team is confident that Hayden’s skill and determination will contribute to a thrilling and successful season.

“I’m really excited to join BCperformance for 2024. Although the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 636 has not been raced in ASBK before. Its Australian debut at the Sydney Summer Night Series has shown it to be a competitive bike. I can’t wait to ride the bike and continue the development process with the team. I will be working hard to get up to speed with the bike and tyres as quickly as I can and pushing to be ready to achieve strong results from round 1.”

Using Kawasaki machinery for a 12th year, BCperformance will be throwing all their weight behind Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10RR mounted Paris Hardwick, who rejoins the team for a 2nd term after finishing his debut season as the Superbike Rookie of the Year and is also eager to get back to business…

“2024 will be my second year with BC Performance, I’m feeling really settled in the team and really appreciate Kelvin and the team helping me learn my way around the superbike. I’m looking forward to my second year in ASBK and really want to make the move up to be in the mix of the top ten.”

Team Manager Kelvin Reilly is looking forward to getting things underway… “It’s going to be a busy and challenging year with 2 riders in 2 different classes and I am keen to get started, we are excited to have Hayden onboard and looking forward to seeing what we can do with the new ZX-6R 636. Paris has been working really hard in the off-season and with his rookie season behind him, I feel he will start to show his speed. Thanks to Kawasaki Motors Australia, Landscapesupplies.com.au, Australian United Timbers, Maximair, and New Holland for their continued support”

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We haven’t seen the likes of a bike like this since the ZXR400 production stopped in 1999; sure, you could buy a CB400 in Australia up until 2012, but nothing could compare to the fully-faired high-revving machines of the ’90s.

Even when the ZXR400 finished production, it was pumping out 48kW@13,000rpm (homologation model) and a top speed of 225km/h! In 1999! The inline-four 398cc wasn’t a popular choice. Many people opted for the larger counterparts, but if you owned a 400, the chances are you knew how to really extract the most amount of performance a motorcycle can give.

Back then, the mini supersport models got all the cool bits. The ZXR400 had a 16v head with tiny 32mm flatslides, adjustable cams and a rev limit of 15,200rpm on the homologation models. The frame was fitted with adjustable front and rear suspension, a single seat and a lighter rear sub-frame.

They didn’t make these bikes as an affordable entry into the brand; they were a race bike with premium equipment for the road. In a world where the lower capacity motorcycles get some average, low-spec suspension and dismal powerplant, Kawasaki has said “screw that” and made the Ninja ZX-4RR.

” In a world where the lower capacity motorcycles get some average, low-spec suspension and dismal powerplant, Kawasaki have said “screw that” and made the Ninja ZX-4RR.”

I have a tremendous amount of love and respect for these bikes, having raced in the PCRA on multiple CBR250RR MC22s. There’s just something so rewarding about keeping a low-powered bike up around the 20,000rpm mark that forces you to carry some outrageous corning speed.

Not only would I be able to embarrass litre bikes (who think that just because their bike makes 200hp, it qualifies them for the race group) through the corners, but I would also be able to give the Supersport 300 riders a run for their money.

These bikes are simply the best sort of bikes to learn how to be early on the brakes and then quickly off them, diving the bike into the corner and not relying on torque to correct your mistakes, at least since the demise of two-stroke 250s. When Kawasaki released the ZX-25RR in 2020, I was distraught at the fact it wasn’t coming to Australia, so I held my breath with the announcement of the Ninja ZX-4RR.

But here we are at Morgan Park with a green machine in front of me that surely promises to be one of my favourite bikes of the year, and what better place to see if it stacks up to its ’90s predecessors than on a race track.

Let’s chat styling first. The Ninja ZX-4RR is just a slightly scaled-down ZX-6R; it’s the opposite of a sleeper, which is what we so desperately need in this category. For those who don’t know what a sleeper is, it’s something that looks slow but is extremely quick. The headlights have been enlarged over the ZX-6R, but it still features that gorgeous and sharp fairing with the Kwaka ram-air intake.

The Ninja ZX-4RR comes in the KRT livery, while the ZX-4R will land in Australia in a sleek black. The KRT livery is the only thing that separates the RR from the R in terms of styling. LED lighting all around and a surprisingly solid tail section with no aero, sturdy mirrors mounted to the fairing and integrated indicators round out the look.

The Ninja ZX-4RR is deceptively small; it looks like a big bike from the outside, and my 183cm frame feels cramped almost instantly after throwing a leg over the bike for the first time. The bike is made to feel smaller than it is due to the choice of seat position; the bike feels a lot shorter and doesn’t have that typical tail rake that the 600cc Supersport and 1000cc bikes have. It’s actually a lot closer to a nakedbike rider triangle.

What’s the difference between the RR and the R? The RR gets a quick-shifter, preload adjustability on its SFF-BP Showa USD Forks (both models get SFF-BP forks), and a fully adjustable BFRC shock over the preload adjustable only on the single R. Other than that, the bikes are identical.

You’re met with a gorgeous 4.3in full-colour TFT dash that can be connected via Bluetooth to your phone for the typical Kawasaki Rideology app. You can access the two power modes (Full and Low), KTRC levels and rider profiles. The TFT can also be switched into a track mode, which includes a lap-timer and only shows you the tacho above 10,000rpm.

“Making its peak torque of 37.6Nm@12,500rpm, you can bet it has a seriously forgiving nature if you accidentally give it too many revs while releasing the clutch.”

The closest chance I have to testing how the ZX-4RR handles daily road riding is how well it takes off from a standing start in the pits. Making its peak torque of 37.6Nm@12,500rpm, you can bet it has a seriously forgiving nature if you accidentally give it too many revs while releasing the clutch. Riding through the pits proves the new Ninja easy to ride at slow speeds, and the throttle input is plenty smooth at speeds of 40km/h and lower!

Exiting the pits for my first ever time at Morgan Park, and the ZX-4RR is set on Full Power and KRTC set on 1 (the lowest intervention), it’s time to hear this thing scream. Winding the throttle on, there’s that familiar feeling that reminds me of my first ever time on a racetrack on my MC22, zero feeling of torque and a smooth application of power as the tacho climbs until it reaches a whopping 16,000rpm.

Half a lap scrubbing in the tyres, I already have the Ninja cranked with my knee on the ground. There have been very few bikes in recent years that have inspired me with so much confidence to instantly put the hammer down and start pushing the bike to its limit. In fact, the last bike that did this to me was the little Yamaha YZF-R15M.

“There have been very few bikes in recent years that have inspired me with this much confidence to instantly put the hammer down and start pushing it to the limit.”

This bike isn’t scary by any standards. The four-cylinder 399cc powerplant is more than happy to be ridden way below the redline or bouncing off its max rpm. Early on, I realise that the ZX-4RR does feel like it’s lacking a few ponies compared to its claimed 56.7kW@14,500rpm, this most likely due to the deceptive nature of a high rpm torque and power peak, but it’s further away in feeling to a 600 Supersport than initially thought.

Bouncing it off the limiter, the bike feels like it has more to give in terms of power. I’m interested to see what can be done with these on the dyno if the limiter was raised another 1000rpm and the timing changed. I can’t wait to hear one of these with an aftermarket exhaust.

There are glimmers of that four-cylinder symphony, but that Euro-regulated muffler heavily muffles it. It whispers one of the loveliest sounds of a sub-700cc bike on the market at the moment.

The ZX-4RRs were fitted with Dunlop Sportsmart TT and had tyre warmers thrown on in between sessions as opposed to the Dunlop Sportmax’s that are fitted from factory. I’d say this is an essential upgrade for anyone looking to extract the most performance out of the RR on the track; it helps keep up with that sporty suspension and get the most out of that side grip.

After a few more sessions, I begin to get my eye in and push the Ninja ZX-4RR to its limit; this is when I find a few things on the suspension that need to be changed to suit my riding style. The factory settings compressed far too quickly under hard braking, which causes the bike to lift the rear wheel and become unstable into the corner.

We click the front preload up two steps harder, then four more after that when I begin to see some further stability whilst entering the corner.

On the RR, the rear shock felt suitable for my 85kg frame. A lack of torque helped limit the corner exit squat coming back onto the throttle. With these small, high-revving machines, you need to be on the throttle as soon as possible when you reach the other side of the corner.

I notice the TCS light flashing on corner exits, so some changes to the shock settings to help that rear tyre grip up better may have helped me get on the throttle earlier.

“You can tell they’ve taken some design queues from the ZX-10RR with the frame; it’s just excellent. Everything feels so planted, the ZX-4RR just goes precisely where you tell it to go.”

As the day heated up, I’m still pushing the RR as much as my body will let me. I find the bike getting unsettled while lifting slightly through the long turn three sweeper. A possible revision of the rebound setting helps with the rear tyre losing grip while releasing some of the weight off.

You can tell they’ve taken some design queues from the ZX-10RR with the frame; it’s just excellent. Everything feels so planted, and the ZX-4RR just goes precisely where you tell it to go. The side changes are lightning fast thanks to a wheelbase of just 1380mm, but it also maintains its mid-corner stability well with some of those 170km/h corners at Morgan Park.

The brakes are excellent. After riding those ’90s 250s for so long, I’ve become accustomed to squeezing the brakes as hard as possible, coming into a corner to try and slow up a little. The ZX-4RR, on the other hand, encouraged me to use fewer brakes and come off them much earlier than I would with other bikes.

The initial bite is plentiful, I feel more confident to squeeze them on all the way than I would on other bikes. They’ve matched the weight and size of these with an excellent brake package that isn’t going to send you over the ‘bars when you grab them. It should also be worth noting that at no time did I feel the brakes begin to fade or lose any braking power throughout the day; this is on factory brake pads!

The quick-shifter is excellent on the upshift with the RR; it helps you focus on your line and stay in that top-end powerband. The downshift is average in terms of an up-and-down quick-shifter; it needs a slight blip to really smooth out the shift.

In terms of gearing, I didn’t find my way above fourth gear on the Morgan Park circuit. I feel like it’s much of a location thing if you’re taking one of these on track, across the board, it could use an extra tooth on the front and rear sprockets; the acceleration feels a little lazy with someone like me on board.

Just quickly touching back on those ergonomics, while in a slipstream position, my elbows do touch my knees, making me feel claustrophobic on the bike and out in the breeze. I could have hit 195/200km/h if I could have tucked in properly. The seat height and footpeg location would be the first on my list to change, but for people under 177cm, it would work really well. I can see this rider triangle working really well for street riding.

Ninja ZX-4R
After a few sessions on the RR, I decide to try the single R for a few laps. The single R was fitted with the standard Dunlop Sportmax hoops, so I ride with a little more caution than I was with the RR. It turns out there’s no need, as the R provides just as much instant confidence to put the hammer down.

I almost feel like the stiff nature of the non-adjustable SFF-BP forks and the simple shock suit my weight and riding style better than what the RR was set to. There’s less dive in the front, and the rear feels planted despite not having the same grip level with the road bias tyres.

The road tyres make the R even twitchier and easier to change direction on than the RR on the TTs. Off the showroom floor, this thing is ready to boogie through your local twisties. The lack of a quick-shifter on the R is enough to make me want to throw myself back on the RR though. You can’t extract that same level of smoothness out of this engine without having those lightning-fast gear shifts.

ZX-4RR vs ZX-4R
I would opt for the Ninja ZX-4RR every time. You get an excellent level of equipment straight out of the factory for a price of $13,194 + ORC, but the single R is undoubtedly worth considering at $11,794 + ORC if you can’t get your hands on a RR or just don’t like the green. If it comes down to it, you can always add the quick-shifter as an accessory and possibly even buy that fully-adjustable shock later.

Kawasaki Australia have said they’ve only bringing in 80 of the RR and R combined for their first MY. You’re going to want to hit your local dealership before people realise they don’t need 200hp to have fun on Australian roads. But be quick! 

This has been one of the only bikes in 2023 that I have seriously considered buying. The engine is so much fun and easy to ride, I see potential in the suspension being set up to my liking, and it’s a future classic. Kawasaki has done a fantastic job providing a base for a pocket rocket, and I’m praying that we will get to see an Australian race series for these. I’m also hoping that the other major manufacturers will soon follow this path of bringing back high-revving, low-capacity sportsbike for the general public.

For our full Tech Talk Details on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR, head here…

2023 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR [ZX-4R] Specifications

kawasaki.com.au/en-au/

Price: $13,194(+orc) [$11,794 (+orc)]
Warranty: Two-years unlimited km
Colours: KRT Lime Green [Spark Black]
Claimed Power: 55kW[75hp]@14,500rpm
Claimed Torque: 37.6Nm[43ft-lbs]@12,500rpm
Claimed Fuel Consumption: N/A
Wet Weight: 188kg
Fuel capacity: 15L

Engine: Liquid-cooled, in-line four-cylinder, four-stroke, 16-valve, DOHC, 399cc, 12.3:1 compression, 57 x 39.1mm bore x stroke, 4x34mm throttle bodies, wet sump.
Gearbox: Six speed with Kawasaki QS
Clutch: Wet, multiple disc slipper

Chassis: Trelis frame
Rake: 23.5°
Trail: 97mm
Suspension: 37mm USD Showa SFF-BP top out springs, preload adjustable [not adjustable on R] (f), Horizontal Back-link, BFRC lite gas-charged shock with piggyback reservoir, compression and rebound damping and spring preload adjustability, and top-out spring [Horizontal Back-link, gas-charged shock with spring preload adjustability] (r)
Brakes: Dual semi-floating 290mm discs, radial-mount, monobloc, opposed four-piston calipers (f) Single piston caliper, 220mm disc (r)
Wheels & Tyres: 120/70ZR17M/C (f) 160/60ZR17M/C (r) Dunlop Sportmax

Dimensions:
Wheelbase: 1990mm
Seat height: 800mm
Ground clearance: 135mm
Overall width: 765mm
Overall Length: 1990mm
Overall height: 1110mm

Instruments & Equipment: 4.3in TFT Dash, KRTC, Power Modes, LED Lighting, Kawasaki QS, ABS.

The post Review: 2023 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR & R, Track Test! appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

Haruki Yokoyama (MX2 rider and all-Japan motocross champion) and Cambell Williams (MX3 contender), the team owner and mechanics will share their experiences and insights into the world of racing. Hear firsthand stories about their plan to take it to the top in 2023, the challenges they will face, and the triumphs they have already achieved.

Learn about the upcoming racing at Appin, NSW, the preparation behind the KX250 bikes, and the strategies that go into winning a race. Head down to Kawasaki Australia HQ!

Key Info

• Location: Kawasaki Head Office, Unit Q, 10-16 South Street, Rydalmere, NSW, 2116
• Date: Friday, 17th March 2023
• Time: 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm

The post Meet The Empire Kawasaki ProMX Team In Sydney! appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

He simply asked me if I was interested which didn’t need any consideration at all and all I needed to do was make sure I was free on the 17th or 18th of November for the two available days on track for the journalists at Motorland Aragon. Of course it was going to be Jonathan Rea’s hotly anticipated breakout test on the 2015 ZX-10R.

Check out our other racer tests here…

Since I was at Almeria on my standard ZX-10R for the four days leading up to the first day on track I pushed Martin to get me out on track on day one just so everything fitted together a bit better for me and not having to wait around for a full day. He kindly obliged and got me third on the list on day one. 

Pulling the curtains back in the hotel room on Monday morning revealed that it had poured rain all night and was continuing to piss down. Upon arrival at the circuit the KRT team manager Guim Roda informed us all that everything would proceed as normal and there would be no waiting or trying to get moved to the second day because they had their own things to test which also meant that under no circumstances were we allowed to crash either of the two bikes.

Guim apologised for not being able to control the weather and after a technical briefing with one of the Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) technicians it was time to get suited up. Holy shit, I thought because rain hadn’t really ever entered my mind because it just doesn’t rain in Spain and since I stopped racing you can very happily choose to simply not ride in the rain. The benefit of retirement my mate Neil Hodgson and I always say to each other, and to make matters worse I only had a dark visor.

Tom’s Crew Chief Marcel Duinker was calling me over and the warmers were off and it was time to go out on the Number 1 Kawasaki ZX-10R Factory World Superbike. It brought me back to my days racing for the Factory Kawasaki team in World Supersport and later Motogp although this time the Germans running out of Bavaria had been switched to Spaniards out of Barcelona.

“Just as I was about to pull the clutch in and nudge it into gear Guim lent over and told me in no uncertain terms, ‘Do not crash this bike’.”

Just as I was about to pull the clutch in and nudge it into gear Guim lent over and told me in no uncertain terms, ‘Do not crash this bike’. With that ringing in my ears I headed out with a quick thumbs up for encouragement from my mate and new KRT rider Jonathan Rea who was present in pit lane.

The moment I got onto the track I had a slight issue because Marcel had forgotten to tell me how to get the pit lane speed limiter off so I rode around the first 3 corners pressing every button I could find until it cleared and went off. Only later did Danilo (Tom’s Electronics and data guy) tell me all I needed to do was change into second and it switched off automatically. Finally up and running I had to remind myself not to use the clutch on the downshift  because the ride by wore system took care of all of that which is an absolute pleasure to ride once you get used to it.

“The first thing you notice though is the smoothness in the way the bike comes off the turns when you open the throttle.”

The first thing you notice though is the smoothness in the way the bike comes off the turns when you open the throttle. The No 1 Superbike almost feels like a cross between a V engine and the big bang Yamaha. Danilo has worked some real magic with the electronics and the fuelling to certain cylinders and when he opens to butterflies to all four cylinders to create the bottom part of the power and the early throttle opening towards the characteristics of a V engine while keeping the advantages of the inline 4 screamer engine once it starts stretching its legs up top. The early part of the throttle opening when it feels like the M1 Yamaha is hard to tell if it is related to lean angle or throttle percentage opening or rpm or a combination of all those things and more, and I am sure they are more than happy to keep their strategy to themselves.

Added with the lighter crankshaft effect on the corner entry and the extra confidence and stability you get running into the turn the bikes actually makes you want to ride it more and more. Even in the wet I would have been happy to do another 20 laps even if my teeth were chattering. I would have taken the extra big piece of foam Tom has on the back of the seat I assume to hold him in place simply because personally I like a bit more room to move around on the seat and the bike. Tom typically brakes really hard and late, he stops the bike to turn it, then gets the bike up and accelerates as hard as possible out of the turn. Even in the wet I could see the bike is set up to be very stable on the brakes and very stable on hard upright acceleration. Tom would explain in a little more detail later on when we chatted why this was the case. 

I had one little moment on the gas when I was accelerating onto the long back straight from low rpms in second gear when I was almost upright and again like David’s bike I thought I was past the risky point and I was able to safely keep opening the throttle when suddenly it stepped out really quickly. My feet stayed on the foot pegs on tom’s bike but still I had to close the throttle and take a little more care next time around. You get to around 40% throttle it you feel like you are hooked up and maybe the suspension is reaching a hard point or the link even reaching a hard point but the tyre can’t manage it anymore and it lets go. 

Being a factory Superbike I expected some really big hit of power at the top end and the bike to really take off but we all know that is not the best way to keep a tyre consistent over race distance and the smoothness in the way the bike builds power is very impressive. You go from the big-bang style early part of the corner exit through the seamless transition onto full power of all four cylinders while quickly going up through the gearbox without any real surge but all the while knowing the bike is pulling really strong. You certainly notice how the Superbike keeps pulling in the higher gears just as strong whereas the Evo bike flattens off ever so slightly in the last couple of gears. There are no noticeable flat spots or dips in the power curve and it keep pulling strongly to just over 15,000rpm.

“You certainly notice how the Superbike keeps pulling in the higher gears just as strong whereas the Evo flattens off ever so slightly in the last couple of gears.”

I really like the way Tom’s bike came into the apex while trail braking and the stability on the brakes while downshifting quickly at the end of the straight was simply amazing but most of all fun to see how much later each time you could rush into the turn and still make it around. The only negative was it took some pressure on the lever each downshift to get each gear to go in. More of a mechanical thing but  and something you needed to be conscious of because once I went down three times only to realise it hadn’t gone down the last gear and I had to kick it down a bit firmer next time. A bit notchy is the term I think best describes it. I overheard Jonathan Rea talking about the same thing later in the day when he got out on the bike for his first couple of runs.

Again the front feeling was great on the brakes and corner entry and being able to trail brake into the turn in the wet is something I don’t remember doing that often when I raced. I have never ridden on Showa before but I have always heard that if it is the proper factory Showa material it is about as good as it gets and the feeling I had straight away in the wet was pretty confidence inspiring.

It certainly is a testament to KHI, the whole Kawasaki Racing Team and of course Tom Sykes who has been there from the start of this current ZX-10R, that they have been able to deliver such a competitive Superbike over the last three seasons only to miss out on three world titles in a row by six and half points to the almost prototype Aprilia RSV shows how good the base bike has been. This is obviously back up by the fact that Salom won the Evo class and the Stock 1000 European title should have also been claimed by the ZX-10R only for the Perdercini rider to crash on the last lap of the race in Magny Cours while in the lead and throw it out the window.

I ended up going five seconds faster on Tom’s Superbike than the Evo bike but I know probably only half of that is relevant because I was getting better each lap with the conditions and getting my brain up to speed again but I felt much more in control at a faster speed. Unfortunately I got the ‘IN’ board but one of the few times in the wet I wanted to actually keep going because they have done such a great job with the bike.

I had managed to bring both bikes back in one piece and therefore Guim would probably invite me back next year to hopefully ride another Championship winning Kawasaki but for now it was time to grab a quick chat with Tom and his side of the garage.

Team Interview

Danilo Casonato (Data Electronics)
AP: I asked Danilo about the effect he has created with the Drive by Wire system to smooth out the throttle opening.

DC: This is just the effect of the Drive by Wire system where you can manage cylinders 1 and 2 and cylinders 3 and 4 in a different way. Like you said you felt it we can use 2 cylinders with more power and 2 cylinders with less power. On the corner entry we have only one cylinder burning and therefore less engine brake and it is easier to control rather than all four cylinders.

AP: How do you guys compare to your competitors on the electronics side?

DC: Of course we try to watch what the other guys are doing and take notice but mostly we are always learning and our aim is always to react to what the riders are asking for so I suppose it is the riders that drive the direction of development. 

Marcel Duinker (Chief Mechanic)

AP: Where do you see the team in terms of competitiveness/strengths and weaknesses?

MD: I think at this level everyone is pretty equal in the end it is just each bike has different concepts and different strengths for example we have an inline 4 screamer so for the last few years we have worked very hard to come as close as possible to the positive concept of the softer V engines and I feel really proud that we were able to do this with our type of engine. Our speed over the whole season in terms of race pace was amazing. The slight changes in the rules didn’t affect us so much this year with engines limited to 8 because the Kawasaki is a strong engine and we lost no power at all.

Tom Sykes (World Champion)

AP: Well mate I have just taken your bike for a ride so firstly thanks for letting me out on her and I must say I really enjoyed it. What impressed me the most was the smooth connection when started to open the throttle and the ride by wire system on corner entry. The first part of the throttle opening though is really impressive has this been a big point that you guys have worked on from day one?

TS: Well yes because being an inline 4 it certainly is going to be more aggressive on the initial throttle opening and acceleration so we needed to create something where our competitors have strengths. We also wanted to keep the advantages of the inline 4 and I suppose masked some of the difficulties with the nature of this bike. I feel we have managed to do that very well and we have a very good base to start from every time we roll out on the bike but saying that we still have some limitations especially in the wet on the side of the tyre at full lean angle.

This is more from the suspension side of things and most particularly the rear. The electronics give you the confidence to open the throttle but then when you get to about 40% throttle opening on full lean angle you arrive at the physical limit of the traction and then you can’t keep opening the throttle, which then stops you running the lean angle you want or feel you should be able to have and hence carry the correct corner speed.

AP: So you kind of get to that point and just have to wait until you can get the bike up and onto a safer part of the tyre. You can’t keep building speed?

Tom: Exactly and a perfect example of that was the second last round at Magny Cours when leon Haslam rode around the outside where if I had made just a few more degrees of lean angle and increased the corner speed I would have had a highside. It’s unfortunate really because other than that the bike is real nice to ride. That problem that I have just mentioned in the wet is still ever so slightly present in the dry too and we can sometimes find a way around it but place like Qatar and Jerez and Magny Cours where you are on the side of the tyre for long periods of time is hurts us. Our advantage with this bike is there it works pretty well in all departments and that was my goal from day one to make a very usable bike.

AP: Chassis wise are they trying to address this and Showa are they coming with ideas?

TS: Yes Marcel has been picking his brain and coming up with ideas and thankfully both KHI and Showa have come here with some new parts and ideas to try so I am quite positive and hopeful we are going to get there. Without elaborating we have plenty of parts to try and we know what we need and now testing away from the race weekends we can get through it all and get it sorted.

Tom Sykes 2013 WorldSBK Kawasaki ZX-10R Specifications 

ENGINE: Inline four-cylinder, liquid-cooled, DOHC 16-valve, 998cc, 76mm x 55mm bore & stroke, Magneti Marelli Ride-By-Wire EFI with 47mm throttle-bodies and oval sub-throttles, electric motors fitted to throttle-bodies for RBW, lightened crank, KHI camshafts, conrods, pistons, cylinder-head, gearbox, clutch all top secret! Akropovic Ti exhaust system, KHI wiring loom

CHASSIS: Stock ZX-10R frame with bracing around the head stock and an insert for head angle changes. Swingarm pivot point adjustable, factory swingarm, carbon-fibre sub-frame, KHI rearsets, ‘bars, levers and controls, Showa factory suspension, Marchesini wheels, Brembo brakes, SpeedFiber carbon-fibre bodywork

PERFORMANCE: Approximately 220hp@15,000rpm, 165kg

Owner: KRT. Currently based in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Tom Sykes 2013 WorldSBK Kawasaki ZX-10R Gallery

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Friday
A full day of practice for all classes in the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK) from 8:30 am with clear skies, bright sun and near-perfect conditions for getting out on a racing motorcycle with some good friends/mortal enemies.

Alpinestars Superbike
In Superbike FP1, Josh Hook hit the top of the sheets when he completed the first flying lap of the day as 30 Superbikes made their way out on track. The Thriller Motorsport trio of Hook, Shrötter and Miller were very keen to bank as many laps as possible on their untested machines.

It was soon business as usual; Maxwell, Herfoss and very-keen-to-perform-at-home Arthur Sissis the top three early. Other early fast guys included West, Allerton, Jones and Waters. Jack Miller was into the top ten, a very good sign that his Thriller Motorsport bike was good out of the crate and an ominous sign for the regulars.

Fellow Thriller Motorsport rider Josh Hook and Marcel Shrötter were not unreasonably down in the mid-teens for the session, along with Moto3 regular Joel Kelso having his first hit out on a Superbike. Troy Herfoss was fastest for the session with a late fast lap of 1:51.737, narrowing the gap to the lap record of 1:50.972 and pole record of 1:50.520. It was very solid for a first practice.

At the very start of FP2, Josh Hook crashed on his out lap at turn 12 due to an electronics issue that resulted in a high side. He was icing his wrist in the paddock ahead of FP3, but indicated he would not join that session and see how he pulled up Saturday morning to decide if he would participate in the rest of the round.

While Hook was picking himself up, Maxwell went back up to the top with Arthur Sissis again second. Cru Halliday sorted out earlier issues to push into third with FP1 fast man Herfoss close. Jack Miller spent some time at the top of the timesheets before Cru Halliday delivered for the regular ASBK competitors and took P1 ahead of Sissis and Herfoss.

Earlier in the morning, Sissis had bemoaned the number of times he had been P2 during practice sessions at The Bend over the years and it had happened again. Jack Miller was an outstanding fourth with Wayne Maxwell fifth. Championship leader Mike Jones was down in eighth, but ahead of second-in-the-championship Bryan Staring who was 12th and Jones was close enough to third placed Wayne Maxwell to be justifiably unconcerned.

Higher track temperatures appeared to take some of the pace out of the field early in Free Practice Two, but they apparently worked it out and Halliday’s 1:51.518 was 2/10ths quicker than Herfoss’ time from the morning, still working towards the lap record of Maxwell from 2021 of 1:50.972.

In FP3, Herfoss was again up top early. Mike Jones responded brilliantly to all the pressure and other things from this weekend to go to the top with 15 minutes to go. Arthur Sissis – as he had done in every other session- was in the top three with Cru Halliday and Wayne Maxwell fourth and fifth respectively.

Jack Miller was down in tenth with 12 minutes to go and was a second slower than his best FP2 time. We all waited for him to let loose something special. At ten minutes to go, Cru Halliday put his Yamaha first for a YRT 1-2 with he and Jones at the top of the standings. Bryan Staring’s tough practice day got worse with crash at turn six, but the timing screens indicated “rider up” to the relief of all.

With six minutes left for the day it was Halliday, Jones and Herfoss on top. Maxwell (4th) was followed by two of SA’s finest in Sissis and Falzon in that order. DesmoSport Ducati’s day got even worse when Broc Pearson went down at Turn 12 and again we were pleased to see “rider up” but it was shaping as a rough evening for the factory Ducati squad with two bikes off in ten minutes.

The red flag came out with 4:57 left, perhaps effectively ending the session as a useful exercise. While they recovered the Pearson Ducati, riders went back to their garages to reset and that’s when we found out Miller had crashed as well; somewhere late in the lap and had ridden back to the pits. He was unharmed and the damage to his bike didn’t look severe, but it was also not minor. Screen gone, left winglet gone and some work to do to get the Thriller Racing Caterpillar machine back to race-ready.

When the session restarted, everyone was there at the end of pitlane ready to go. It was like a race start with riders desperate to get a few flyers in ahead of the chequered flag. Sissis put in his fastest lap of the session to go to P2, then Jones, Herfoss and Allerton were up in sector one as the chequered flag came out. At the end of the session it was again Halliday from Sissis with Mike Jones third. Maxwell was fourth with Herfoss in fifth.

Overall for the day result saw Halliday top dog and the only rider in the 1:50s with Arthur Sissis in P2, Mike Jones third and Maxwell and Herfoss completing the top five.

Superbike The Bend Merged Practice Results (Full Results Here)

1 Cru Halliday – Yamaha YZF-R1 1:50.969
2 Arthur Sissis – Yamaha YZF-R1 1:51.122
3 Mike Jones – Yamaha YZF-R1 1:51.191

Michelin Supersport
Ty Lynch set the agenda for the Michelin Supersport crew with he and Tom Bramich going 1-2 in first practice while John Lytras was back in seventh, just adding a little warmth to the ingredients for the title fight in that class.

The points situation sees Lytras able to not have to win this weekend, simply keeping Lynch and Bramich in sight will see him take the title. In the second session, Harrison Voight- the only Supersport racer from the Thriller Racing stable -went P1 early and stayed there. Lynch and Bramich were two and three while Lytras slipped back to ninth. In the final session for the day Scott Nicholson went down early in Turn 13 after 6 laps.

Tom Bramich managed to pip Thriller Motorsport’s Harrison Voight for P1 with Ty Lynch in third. Lytras was sixth, but comfortably close to the leaders to avoid any panic stations vis a vis the title situation.

Supersport The Bend Merged Practice Results (Full Results Here)

1 Thomas Bramich – Yamaha YZF-R6 1:56.182
2 Harrison Voight – Yamaha YZF-R6 1:56.403
3 Ty Lynch – Yamaha YZF-R6 1:57.142

Dunlop Supersport 300
In FP1, 2021 OJC Champion Cameron Swain stepped up to P1 with a small but useful gap to Sam Pezzetta and Hayden Nelson. Championship leader Cameron Dunker was sixth and a second off.

By FP2 however, Dunker apparently made some changes and immediately leapt to the top of the standings to assert himself. Pezzetta worked his way past Dunker to P1 late in the session and Dunker responded, posting his fastest lap – good enough for P2- on his final lap. Taiyo Aksu was third with Henry Snell fourth and Brodie Gawith fifth.

The final practice session of the day saw Hayden Nelson bounce back and post the fastest time and ensure that he isn’t forgotten in the title chase. Cameron Swain was second and Dunker rounded out the top three.

The overall results for the day saw Hayden Nelson first, then Cameron Swain, Cameron Dunker, Sam Pezzetta and Taiyo Aksu fifth. Third in the title chase, Henry Snell did not post a time in the final practice of the day.

Dunlop Supersport 300 The Bend Merged Practice (Full Results Here)

1 Hayden Nelson – Yamaha YZF-R3 2:10.604
2 Cameron Swain – Yamaha YZF-R3 2:10.783
3 Cameron Dunker – Yamaha YZF-R3 2:10.885

R3 Cup
If Dunker was going to play it quiet in the R3 Cup while he focussed on the Dunlop Supersport 300 title, then he sure messed up when he was sure not playing it right as he was at or near the top in multiple sessions. In FP1, Cameron Dunker was top of the table from Glenn Nelson and Cameron Swain.

Cameron Swain was able to place his R3 up top in FP2 from Pezzetta and Gawith. Dunker was down in sixth, but was safe (for now!) with second overall Glenn Nelson in ninth while third in the title chase Hayden Nelson was seventh.

In the final practice session of the day, Dunker was on top by .2 of a second with Hayden Nelson second and Marcus Hamod third. Sam Pezzetta was fourth with Taiyo Aksu fifth to setup a fascinating weekend in the currently tied R3 Cup!

R3 Cup The Bend Merged Practice (Full Results Here)

1 Cameron Dunker – Yamaha YZF-R3 2:10.675
2 Hayden Nelson – Yamaha YZF-R3 2:10.909
3 Marcus Hamod – Yamaha YZF-R3 2:11.199

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup
Ryan Larkin was at the top – or near enough – in both early practice sessions and showed a real affinity for The Bend layout, comfortably out front with a second over the field at times. The interest remains with championship leader Harrison Watts who just needs to be thereabouts in qualifying and then ensure he buys a ticket on the leading group train come race time.

In FP2, Cameron Rende – currently second in the title chase – was 10th, while third overall Hudson Thompson was 14th.  In the final practice of the day -FP3, it was that Ryan Larkin fellow again and this time by an unimaginable 1.4 seconds to Hamod and Fleming in third. For the current Championship 1-2-3, Harrison Watts was in 12th, Cameron Rende fourth and Hudson Thompson in eighth.

OJC The Bend Merged Practice (Full Results Here)

1 Ryan Larkin – Yamaha YZF-R15 2:29.878
2 Marcus Hamod – Yamaha YZF-R15 2:31.317
3 Teerin Fleming – Yamaha YZF-R15 2:31.434

Sureflight Superbike Masters
One of the popular-for-a-look-in-the-paddock classes, the Superbike masters were on track for three practice sessions. In FP1 it was local rider Strugnell on his Suzuki 750 who was P1 against higher capacity machines, but showing how good his machine was at The Bend.

In FP2 it was David Johnson on another Suzuki- an 1100 this time who was top of the table. The final session late in the day saw Aaron Morris finally push his Suzuki 1200 into the top spot and take the fastest lap honours for the day.

Superbike Masters The Bend Merged Practice (Full Results Here)

1 Aaron Morris – Suzuki 1200 2:02.108
2 William Strugnell – Suzuki 750 2:03.134
3 David Johnson – Suzuki 1100 2:04.276

Horsell Sidecars
The pairing of Underwood and Vercoe abord their F1 class Suzuki were dominant all day with some 12 seconds (not a typo!) between them and the field in the first two sessions. Harvey and Marshall were the best of the rest in FP1 with Gorrie/Gorrie second fastest in FP2 and fastest in the F2 class.

In the final session of the day, it was… Underwood and Varcoe again on top, this time by under 2 seconds as Harvey and Marshall got down to business in the F2 class- and overall. For the day it was Underwood Varcoe from Harvey/Marshall with Clancy/Bonney just .8 behind. The earlier outrageous advantage enjoyed by the leaders was now under two seconds..!

Sidecars The Bend Merged Practice (Full Results Here)

1 Phillip Underwood/Tristan Vercoe – Suzuki 1000 2:10.991
2 Des Harvey/Stephen Marshall – RHR 1000 2:14.800
3 Patrick Clancy/Stephen Bonney – Suzuki 1000 2:15.681

Saturday
Of course, there was some rain in the mi-bike Motorcycle Insurance Australian Superbike Championship presented by Motul (ASBK), and we even had oil on the track at one stage, but The Bend refused to fall into the weather trap we found ourselves in at Phillip Island.

Alpinestars Superbike
In Qualifying Two the top three go through to the final Qualifying and effectively back into the main game. At the end of the session, it was Daniel Falzon back in after clocking the fastest time with Senna Agius and Jed Metcher for company. Both DesmosSport Ducatis were again absent with Bryan Staring fourth and .147 from third place, while Broc Pearson was seventh. Of the one-round riders, Thriller Motorsport’s Marcel Shrötter was fifth and Livson’s Joel Kelso sixth.

So to Qualifying Two and the last qualifying session of the year. Just 12 riders were present and so plenty of clear track was available. Billy McConnell had progressed from struggle town to the top nine and was now into this all-important final qualifying session. Jed Metcher and Daniel Falzon were busy turning their bikes around from Q1 and were not on the circuit at the session’s start.

Wayne Maxwell ran wide early at turn six just to ensure he was placing himself under maximum pressure to either produce a diamond or find himself further back. Arthur Sissis and Mike Jones posted fastest laps early to take some pressure off and Jack Miller banked a top two “safety” as well. Herfoss, McConnell and Maxwell were in the pits and yet to complete a flying lap with seven minutes left in the session. The lap record seemed safe at six minutes to go with the order Jones, Miller and Sissis.

While Jones and Miller were in the pits, Herfoss and Maxwell were out on track trying to respond. Maxwell was eleventh at three minutes to go and you had to wonder what the plan was. At two minutes to go the leaderboard was awash with riders on target for the fastest lap of the day.

Halliday suddenly went P1, and Waters to P2. Miller stuck it into provisional pole. Maxwell pitted without a fast lap and with that went any hope for the championship. Jones put his YRT R1M on pole with seconds to spare just to underline his justifiable claim to the title for 2022. Jack Miller was an outstanding second and Cru Halliday ensured the YRT squad would be well-represented on the front row of the grid.

In fourth was the outstanding Glenn Allerton who was not favourited to be this close to the front based on earlier results and fifth was Arthur Sissis who would be disappointed after beingg second in basically every other session Senna Agius pipped teammate Troy Herfoss for seventh with Billy McConnell ninth, Daniel Falzon tenth, and Jed Metcher eleventh.

Incredibly, Wayne Maxwell was 12th and the last finisher in this final qualifying session of 2022 and indeed his Australian Superbike career, some 2.753 seconds behind Jones sitting on pole.

Superbike The Bend Front Row (Full Results Here)

1 Mike Jones – Yamaha YZF-R1 1:50.644
2 Jack Miller – Ducati V4R 1:50.805
3 Cru Halliday – Yamaha YZF-R1 1:50.864

Michelin Supersport
The first qualifying for the Saturday Michelin Supersport Squad was an early one and the man of the session was Harrison Voight who just went bang, bang, bang. To play that out, he went fastest on lap two (1:56.908), lap four (1:56.337) and lap five (1:56.058). No one else got a look in.

Tom Bramich made life difficult for himself and his team, crashing halfway through the session. Passfield also went down. Dallas Skeer was able to work his way to second, surprising even himself while a somewhat fortunate Bramich was third, the clearly injured Ty Lynch fourth and Scott Nicholson fifth. Championship leader John Lytras was back in eighth, but that spot still comfortably delivers the championship if replicated in the race.

In Qualifying Two it was a session split by both rain and a serious crash requiring a red flag after Luca Durning went down at turn 10 with 18 minutes to go. The results from the second qualifying reflect the rain situation with Morgan McLaren-Wood P1, Scott Nicholson second and the unfortunate Luca Durning third.

On combined times, the grid for tomorrow reflects the results from First Qualifying with Thriller Racing’s Harrison Voight on pole from Dallas Skeer, Tom Bramich, Ty Lynch and Scott Nicholson.

Supersport The Bend Front Row (Full Results Here)

1 Harrison Voight – Yamaha YZF-R6 1:56.058
2 Dallas Skeer– Yamaha YZF-R6 1:57.225
3 Thomas Bramich – Yamaha YZF-R6 1:57.230

Dunlop Supersport 300
In race one, Dunker led as he is want to do, but had Hayden Nelson and Sam Pezzetta for company.  On lap one, Port and Rende came together at turn one and both crashed out of the race. Cameron Swain pitted with his gear lever hanging off. Glenn Nelson was found to have jumped the start and there his slim titles ended.

On lap four, Pezzetta and Hayden Nelson got past Dunker, but he returned the favour before the lap was done. Into the last few laps and the hard racing began in earnest. Any thoughts Dunker had about a solo break were quelled when he was shuffled down to fourth while Pezzetta and a resurgent Aksu took the top spots with Hayden Nelson third.

With two turns to run Aksu ran wide and found himself down in fourth while Dunker set himself for the run to the line.He was unable to slip past and a deserving Sam Pezzetta saluted for first with Hayden Nelson second.

Cameron Dunker was third at the line and this points haul saw the baby-faced assassin take the Dunlop Supersport title for 2022. Dunker paused at the entrance to pit lane to don the traditional champion t-shirt and a gold helmet to boot. His crew- including superbike rookie Max Stauffer- posed for a pic and he headed to the podium. At the post-race presser, he sat next to Jack Miller, drank it all in and perhaps dared to dream. As he ought.

Supersport 300 The Bend Race One Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Sam Pezzetta – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Hayden Nelson – Yamaha YZF-R3 (+0.131)
3 Cameron Dunker – Yamaha YZF-R3 (+0.153)

Yamaha R3 Cup
Tension was mounting just at the start it was the perfect run into an exceptionally eventful race. Straight off the line Dunker, Aksu and Pezzetta were at another level until Pezzetta was squeezed back to sixth place down the main straight. This wouldn’t be the only time Pezzetta would find himself on the sharp end of some pointy racing.

Not giving up, Pezzetta clawed back to third place over Snell, Hamod and Aksu through lap three and then Pezzetta was again back into fourth. He was not to be denied, however, and a late charge saw him back up to second at the line. But today was Dunker’s to savour. Fresh from winning the Dunlop Supersport 300 title, he was the smooth operator and was dominant throughout the entire race posting his fastest lap of 2:11.144 on lap two.

It may have been Dunker’s Day, but Sam Pezzetta never gave up to take second place in the R3 Cup.

R3 Cup The Bend Race One Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Cameron Dunker – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Sam Pezzetta – Yamaha YZF-R3  (+1.723)
3 Taiyo Aksu – Yamaha YZF-R3 (+1.888)

bLU cRU Oceania Junior Cup
In race one, fastest rider Larkin was not on pole after incurring a six-grid spot penalty from the Phillip Island MotoGP support race round. It mattered not, he was at the front of the pack by the end of lap one after lapping seconds ahead of the field and then just danced off into the distance. Thanks to consistent, clean and fast laps, it was never in doubt.

Terrin Fleming and Bodie Page battled on and were second and third with championship leader Harrison Watts down in tenth, leaving the door open to the title challengers Rende (5th) and Thompson (6th) who will need a lot more tomorrow to bridge the 20 and 22 points deficit they face.

OJC The Bend Race One Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Ryan Larkin – Yamaha YZF-R15
2 Teerin Fleming – Yamaha YZF-R15 (+5.391)
3 Bodie Paige – Yamaha YZF-R15 (+5.488)

Sureflight Superbike Masters
In race one, the riders jumped away with a couple a little too keen and race direction placed the start under investigation. Aaron Morris jumped over Dave Johnson for the lead, only to have his bike expire a few laps later. Johnson went back into P1 with Strugnell and Coote for company.

And there they would remain to the line, with Johnson aboard his 1100 Suzuki taking the win by 2 seconds over William Strugnell on a 750 Suzuki with another 11 seconds back to the third place Honda 750 of Aiden Coote.

Superbike Masters The Bend Race One Podium (Full Results Here)

1 David Johnson – Suzuki 1100
2 William Strugnell – Suzuki 750 (+2.071)
3 Aiden Coote – Honda 750 (+11.683)

Horsell Sidecars
Patrick Clancy and Stephen Bonney continued their reign taking out the fastest lap with a 2:09.661 on lap six. Underwood/Vercoe held second for the entire race and looked to be able to finish in second until the charge of Harvey and Marshal caught them in the final lap making sure they settled for third.  

Work was done early with Harvey and Marshal jumping into third place on lap one of the race chasing down and planning a successful attack on Underwood and Vercoe. The race was largely incident-free, with only mechanical issues striking a few victims in the race. Jones and Boggiano were 2 of these such victims stopping on turn 13, halfway through the race and the Turner/Turner machine stopping on turn 6 but being able to resume.

The last race of the day- race two for the sidecars- was eventful with multiple mechanical and other issues facing the field. We lost Watson/Hegarty, then Rayner/Warne with plenty of smoke and excitement. At the finish, it was Patrick Clancy / Stephen Bonney from the formerly unassailable Underwood/Vercoe second with Harvey / Marshall in third.

Sidecars The Bend Race Two Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Patrick Clancy/Stephen Bonney – Suzuki 1000
2 Phillip Underwood/Tristan Vercoe – Suzuki 1000 (+2.006)
3 Des Harvey/Stephen Marshall – RHR 1000 (+27.374)

Sunday
Sunday Sees All Our Champions Crowned: Jones, Lytras, Dunker and Watts! Of course, there was talk of rain in the Sunday edition of the Australian Superbike Championship, but it never materialised. Instead, we saw some of the best racing of the season with all the things that make motorcycle racing brilliant.

Superbike Race One
Sissis just sent it from the line and jumped away into the lead while Miller slipped back to fifth. Allerton was second with Jones in third. Maxwell, Herfoss and Starting got great starts. Halliday was caught napping and was 12th.

Sissis worked up a small gap over Allerton and Jones and no one who had been watching the Unitech Yamaha with Sissis aboard all weekend were surprised. Jones tried a move into turn one of lap two and it cost him a place as the wry contender Miller pounced.

As our eyes were rightly on Miller, Staring and McConnell came together and both went down at turn one and that brought out the red flag. The riders went to the grid for another go at the starting caper. Staring was allowed to rejoin (McConnell excluded) and Halliday would be thanking the racing gods, having been given another chance after his first start nightmare where he was 12th at the red flag.

Agius was missing with a clutch issue and Staring went late from pit lane. An electrical issue would end Staring’s charge shortly after.

At the restart, it was Sissis all over again with Glenn Allerton again second. Herfoss was faster this time and third, while newly minted SBK champion Jones was fourth. Miller did a better job off the line this time and yet was only fifth. Halliday would perhaps have been happier with sixth at this point and Maxwell settled for seventh from his 12th on the grid. Miller pulled up with a chain issue and did not complete lap one, but was able to circulate to pit lane. His long face in his pit box told the story.

Meanwhile, Herfoss got past Allerton and Arthur Sissis was up the road a little, just .6 ahead. In a fascinating and potentially explosive situation, teammates Waters and Maxwell were upon Mike Jones who was sixth. For all the potential of this situation, both riders passed the championship-leading #46 Jones without incident. It was apparent that Jones was indeed happy to ride for the points needed to take the title.

Up front, the sentimental local favourite Arthur Sissis was doing his best work of the season with Herfoss for company. Waters was up to third, Maxwell fourth while Glenn Allerton found himself down in fifth. Maxwell had an easy pass on teammate Waters, but for those who thought there were team orders, Waters nearly repassed the #1 Ducati shortly after. he would later reveal it was just due to a hot tow down the straight from his teammate.

At half distance, Arthur Sissis was putting his speedway skills to good effect and was sliding here and there. Maxwell was now second on a huge charge and we could only ponder the tyre life on the Pirellis. Lap six, and Maxwell took the lead and pulled out to a .4 second gap. He was riding like a man possessed and some consideration really had to be given to tyre life for the powerful Ducati.

Marcel Shrötter was doing the job for the Thriller Motorsport Team in tenth with West ahead and Metcher behind him. Herfoss had Maxwell down to under .4 but it was clear there were some tyre degradation issues for some more than others as Sissis dropped to fifth. Shortly after, Herfoss took the lead into turn one of lap nine.

We now had a group of three with Herfoss, Maxwell and Allerton battling on. Waters could see them, but was just a little further back. The last lap and Herfoss was hungry for his first win of 2022. Maxwell needed the 25 points and Allerton was similarly keen to salute for a win in a winless year. As we headed to turn 17, the most likely passing point for The Bend, Herfoss did all he could to get a gap. Maxwell looked to be too far back. Allerton and Maxwell were briefly out of their seats and so were the crowd. Herfoss’ gap was enough. He took his first win of the year at the second-to-last race of 2022.

That would be enough cause for an enormous celebration but for one factor. By finishing fifth, YRT’s #46 Mike Jones was now the 2022 Alpinestars Champion.

Superbike The Bend Round Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Mike Jones – Yamaha YZF-R1
2 Wayne Maxwell – Ducati V4R
3 Arthur Sissis – Yamaha YZF-R1

Michelin Supersport

Race One
With the championship still live, it was the non-championship players who were well involved with Dallas Skeer taking the holeshot with Harrison Voight close by. Championship challengers Bramich and Lynch were thereabouts, but Lytras- the heir apparent- was back in 10th early.

Voight pulled out a sensational opening lap and took a second-plus lead into lap two. Bramich and Lynch were dicing for fourth, but really needed to push to the front to put Lytras under any pressure. Scott Nicholson was in third, three seconds behind second-placed Dallas Skeer who was feeling rejuvenated at the 4.95km Bend International Circuit. Lynch got past Nicholson on lap four and pushed on towards Skeer, while Thriller Motorsports Harrison Voight just scooted away. On lap five he was four seconds up and the interest then remained with Lynch, Nicolson and Bramich.

Despite the race being just a nine-lap journey, tyre life was going to feature so some riders were just holding back a tad to ensure they could run to the finish. Lynch set his fastest lap of the race to date to cement his third place and Bramich realised he had to chase and set off, passing Nicholson as the fight was on for third place for the race and second for the title. Lynch responded and pulled another fast lap and was 3.6 seconds ahead while Tom Bramich in fifth fell away from Nicholson in fourth. Meanwhile, Lytras was up to seventh, but not enough points to take the title with a lap to go.

Harrison Voight sensibly backed off a little on the run to the line and the Thriller Motorsport racer took a four-second victory to post the first win for the team for the day. The title championship would require just one more race to be decided.

Race Two
Harrison Voight came to play and was out of the gate fast and loose and looking to escape. Thanks to an epic and fast lap two, the 16-year-old worked his way up the road lap by lap, leaving the championship regulars in his wake.

Lynch set after the Thriller Motorsport Yamaha, but by lap five, the gap was 4 seconds. Skeer was third, some 2 seconds further back. And so it was for multiple laps. Voight was on the edge and yet in control and you could not help but be impressed. In the title race, Bramich was sixth and out of the hunt, while Lytras was eighth and on track to take the title. Lynch was in second, but would need to get the win and have Lytras DNF.

Meanwhile, Lytras had his hands full with Farnsworth challenging, but Lytras wisely let him go. All he needed was some points as a safety barrier for the title and Lynch was now six seconds behind Voight. Voight went over the line for the win, Lynch in second, Skeer third. John Lytras crossed the line in ninth, but rightfully took the 2022 Supersport title..!

Supersport The Bend Round Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Harrison Voight – Yamaha YZF-R6
2 Ty Lynch – Yamaha YZF-R6
3 Dallas Skeer – Yamaha YZF-R6

Supersport 300 The Bend Round Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Cameron Dunker – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Taiyo Aksu – Yamaha YZF-R3
3 Hayden Nelson – Yamaha YZF-R3

R3 Cup The Bend Round Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Cameron Dunker – Yamaha YZF-R3
2 Sam Pezzetta – Yamaha YZF-R3
3 Taiyo Aksu – Yamaha YZF-R3

OJC The Bend Round Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Teerin Fleming – Yamaha YZF-R15
2 Bodie Paige – Yamaha YZF-R15
3 Ryan Larkin – Yamaha YZF-R15

Superbike Masters The Bend Round Podium (Full Results Here)

1 David Johnson – Suzuki 1100
2 William Strugnell – Suzuki 750
3 Murray Clarke – Suzuki 1100

Sidecars The Bend Race Two Podium (Full Results Here)

1 Patrick Clancy/Stephen Bonney – Suzuki 1000
2 Phillip Underwood/Tristan Vercoe – Suzuki 1000
3 Des Harvey/Stephen Marshall – RHR 1000

The post ASBK Weekend: All The Action From The Bend appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....

The ZX-6R is an excellent little road or track day bike. The extra capacity gives it broad, useable torque for daily road riding and the overall chassis set-up provides comfort and stability on even the worst of our Aussie roads. While the styling is definitely 2021, the rest of the bike is slightly old school, despite having traction control, ABS, a quickshifter and ride modes, in terms of electronics the systems are a few years old now. However, at $15.199 + ORC, you are getting a lot of motorcycle. Anyway, check out the video review for all the info and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel!

2021 KAWASAKI ZX-6R KRT EDITION VIDEO REVIEW

TECH TALK, 2021 KAWASAKI ZX-6R 636

The Kawasaki ZX-6R 636 was an early adopter of a range of rider aid technologies, including power modes, traction control and their own ABS system, which continue to be found on these machines. The updated Ninja ZX-6R ‘636’ features gearing aimed at delivering stronger low-end response, making the new model even more fun on the street and winding roads, and goes from 43/16 to 43/15, in a move that no doubt mirrors the choice of many owners on the previous edition.

KQS (Kawasaki Quick Shift) is standard equipment, complementing advanced support technology like three-mode KTRC (Kawasaki Traction Control), Power Mode selection and KIBS (Kawasaki Intelligent Braking System). New styling also offers the next evolution of Ninja design, and gives the new Ninja ZX-6R strong family looks to the brand’s highly successful WorldSBK winning machinery, with a revised front fairing and the adoption of twin LED headlights. The tail has also been revised and now also incorporates an LED taillight.

Kawasaki are also boasting improved performance with the 636cc liquid-cooled, four-stroke in-line four-cylinder engine, which offers greater performance across the rpm range, particularly for low and mid-range torque for usability in everyday riding situations. Updates also ensure emissions clear Euro4.

Shorter gearing care of the revised final ratio works alongside race-inspired clutch technology offering both a back-torque limiting function as well as a light feel at the lever. In addition to the standard fit assist and slipper clutch, other rider friendly features include a handy 12V power outlet.

The race-developed perimeter frame is the key to balanced flickable handling, mid-corner composure and an ability to change lines on command, along with excellent chassis feedback. SFF-BP forks (Separate Function Fork – Big Piston) offer both racetrack performance and everyday usability, while preload and damping (rebound and compression) are separated, facilitating setup to suit owner’s needs. Adjustability for the rear monoshock includes preload, rebound damping and compression.

A two-piece rear frame is an aluminium die-casting consisting of a front and rear section. This layout enables a very lightweight construction, which is also very narrow, allowing the rear of the bike to be very compact and slim. Bridgestone’s Battlax Hypersport S22 tyres are also standard fitment, to contribute to lighter handling, while offering superior grip in both dry and wet conditions, which translates to greater rider confidence and enjoyment.

Large 310mm petal rotors, radial-mount monobloc calipers and a radial-pump front brake master-cylinder complete the front brake package. A 220mm rear petal rotor and lightweight caliper slow the rear wheel.

The LED dash feature a large analogue tachometer flanked by warning lamps on one side, and a gear position indicator, fuel gauge and remaining range function and multi-function LCD screen on the other.

2021 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 636 KRT Specifications

Kawasaki.com.au

Price: $15,199 + ORC (Click here and add your postcode for R/A pricing)
Claimed Power: 95.4kW[130PS]@13,500rpm (136hp with ram air)
Claimed Torque: 70.8Nm@11,000rpm
Wet Weight: 196kg
Fuel capacity: 17L

Engine: Liquid-cooled, four-stroke, four-cylinder, DOHC, 636cc, 67 x 45.1mm bore x stroke, 12.9:1 compression ratio, EFI, KRTC, Ride Modes, KQS
Gearbox: Six-speed, return Clutch: Wet multi-disc, slip and assist

Chassis: Perimeter pressed-aluminium tubular diamond frame, two-piece die-cast subframe
Rake: 23.5° Trail: 101mm
Suspension: 41mm Showa SFF-BP forks, rebound, compression and preload adjustable, Bottom-Link Uni Track rear shock, piggyback reservoir, compression, rebound and preload adjustable
Brakes: KIBS, semi-floating 310mm stainless-steel front petal rotors, radial-mount four-piston monoblock calipers, radial-pump master cylinder, 220mm rear rotor, single-bore pin-slide caliper
Wheels & Tyres: 120/70 – 17, 180/55 – 17, Bridgestone S22.

DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 1400mm
Seat height: 830mm
Ground clearance: 130mm
Overall width: 710mm
Overall Length: 2025mm
Overall height: 1100mm

Instruments & Electronics: Analogue tacho, digital multifunction display, KQS, Dual Throttle Valves, A&S Clutch, KIBS, ABS, KRTC, ECO Mode, Power Modes

The post Video Review: 2021 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 636 KRT Edition appeared first on Racing, Riding, Motorcycle Reviews, Race bikes, Tech Tips, Rider Training....