2002 ZX-12R Review
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07-23-2008 | 07:49 PM
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2002 ZX-12R Review
The new ZX-12R comes not to praise its predecessor but to bury him. Although they share the same name, the Maximum Ninja you see inhaling fine mountain swervery on this page shares few functional similarities with the bike ordained to be the fastest on the planet two years ago. This is a different time and place. The speed wars of 2000 fell victim to international detente, putting a 186-mph lid on fast sportbikes sold by those who wish to keep selling fast sportbikes. Kawasaki couldn't let the paying public cash the 200-mph check they'd written, so the ZX-12R engineers shuffled back to the virtual drawing board for a more sensible go.
That's fine with us. The 200-mph streetbike thing was an exercise in overkill, anyway. Like using a 1500-pound Kodiak bear for home protection: impressive, but potentially messy. Besides, well-heeled seekers of wretched excess ready to dispose of the requisite $10,999 ($1000 less than the '00 editi
on) don't want a motorcycle that does something they can only lie about at church softball games. If you ask Kawasaki, and we did, people want acceleration, quickness--and lots of it.
If you're all about what happens when the light turns green, pay attention. Our extra-large blue projectile covered the quarter-mile in 9.87 seconds, rolling through the lights at 146.29 mph. That, as Rickey Gadson would say, is quick, man. Especially from a motorcycle that can double as practical transportation.
OK, so maybe practical is a stretch for something with those numbers. Nevertheless, the new ZX-12R does come with accouterments such as headlights that cut a realistic swath after dark and a horn that's audible inside a Cadillac Escalade above the new Britney Spears CD, all at no extra charge. Tossing top speed as a prime directive let Kawasaki make a lot of little changes--140 by official corporate count--that add up to a much better motorcycle that still runs like stink at full wallop. Call it evolution: The feisty carnivore becomes the maximum omnivore. Whereas the old 12R was ill-suited to much beyond going fast in a straight line, the new one eats just about everything.
Obvious changes include the pleasantly menacing new ram-air maw, tastefully integrated into a shorter, wider front cowling that allegedly cuts aerodynamic drag despite a 20mm-taller windscreen. Changes behind the new bubble are more subtle: Plastic panels covering previously exposed wiring and bracketry tidy up the cockpit. Tiny numerals and a confused layout make reading the speedometer tougher than it should be. And despite slightly lower bars, the seating position feels more natural to the Editorial We than before.
The new modesty panels tidy up the cockpit, covering wires, brackets and other naughty bits. Speedo is hard to decipher at a glance.
The new modesty panels tidy up the cockpit, covering wires, brackets and other naughty bits. Speedo is hard to decipher at a glance.
A few too many of those pounds live between your knees, but the package proved eminently well mannered and quite manageable during our duly appointed urban rounds. New fork and shock internals make for a smoother, compliant ride, especially getting on and off the throttle. Remapped for more low-end and midrange push, the fuel injection makes the engine more cooperative in the morning. A heavier crankshaft and reshaped flywheel make getting off the line easier. Aside from some stickiness getting in and out of third gear, the ZX-12R's only urbane irritant is spastic on/off idle response. More muscle in the bottom of the rev range means the throttle is scarcely cracked around town, and inadvertently closing it is like flipping the kill switch.
The nicely contoured seat remains a fair stretch from terra firma at 31.9 inches. Despite an airbox and fuel tank packaged as tightly as your own viscera, the tricky monocoque frame wrapped around a bulky 1199cc four makes for one tall motorcycle. Still, weighing in at 547 pounds--complete with a full 5.3-gallon fuel payload--the '02 edition gains not a pound over last year. That's a few pounds lighter than comparable liter-class ueber GTs and an embarrassing 10 pounds less than Honda's new VFR800 Interceptor.
From MotorCyclistOnline.com
That's fine with us. The 200-mph streetbike thing was an exercise in overkill, anyway. Like using a 1500-pound Kodiak bear for home protection: impressive, but potentially messy. Besides, well-heeled seekers of wretched excess ready to dispose of the requisite $10,999 ($1000 less than the '00 editi
on) don't want a motorcycle that does something they can only lie about at church softball games. If you ask Kawasaki, and we did, people want acceleration, quickness--and lots of it.
If you're all about what happens when the light turns green, pay attention. Our extra-large blue projectile covered the quarter-mile in 9.87 seconds, rolling through the lights at 146.29 mph. That, as Rickey Gadson would say, is quick, man. Especially from a motorcycle that can double as practical transportation.
OK, so maybe practical is a stretch for something with those numbers. Nevertheless, the new ZX-12R does come with accouterments such as headlights that cut a realistic swath after dark and a horn that's audible inside a Cadillac Escalade above the new Britney Spears CD, all at no extra charge. Tossing top speed as a prime directive let Kawasaki make a lot of little changes--140 by official corporate count--that add up to a much better motorcycle that still runs like stink at full wallop. Call it evolution: The feisty carnivore becomes the maximum omnivore. Whereas the old 12R was ill-suited to much beyond going fast in a straight line, the new one eats just about everything.
Obvious changes include the pleasantly menacing new ram-air maw, tastefully integrated into a shorter, wider front cowling that allegedly cuts aerodynamic drag despite a 20mm-taller windscreen. Changes behind the new bubble are more subtle: Plastic panels covering previously exposed wiring and bracketry tidy up the cockpit. Tiny numerals and a confused layout make reading the speedometer tougher than it should be. And despite slightly lower bars, the seating position feels more natural to the Editorial We than before.
The new modesty panels tidy up the cockpit, covering wires, brackets and other naughty bits. Speedo is hard to decipher at a glance.
The new modesty panels tidy up the cockpit, covering wires, brackets and other naughty bits. Speedo is hard to decipher at a glance.
A few too many of those pounds live between your knees, but the package proved eminently well mannered and quite manageable during our duly appointed urban rounds. New fork and shock internals make for a smoother, compliant ride, especially getting on and off the throttle. Remapped for more low-end and midrange push, the fuel injection makes the engine more cooperative in the morning. A heavier crankshaft and reshaped flywheel make getting off the line easier. Aside from some stickiness getting in and out of third gear, the ZX-12R's only urbane irritant is spastic on/off idle response. More muscle in the bottom of the rev range means the throttle is scarcely cracked around town, and inadvertently closing it is like flipping the kill switch.
The nicely contoured seat remains a fair stretch from terra firma at 31.9 inches. Despite an airbox and fuel tank packaged as tightly as your own viscera, the tricky monocoque frame wrapped around a bulky 1199cc four makes for one tall motorcycle. Still, weighing in at 547 pounds--complete with a full 5.3-gallon fuel payload--the '02 edition gains not a pound over last year. That's a few pounds lighter than comparable liter-class ueber GTs and an embarrassing 10 pounds less than Honda's new VFR800 Interceptor.
From MotorCyclistOnline.com
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