KWAKA-JACK: THE NEW ZZR IS JUST AWESOME

ABOVE: Mark powers the Kawasaki down the autobahn

THIS is me enjoying Kawasaki’s mighty ZZR 1400 on one of Germany’s finest roads.

It’s deep in the Black Forest and every evening it comes alive to the sound of bikes. It’s like a public test track.

And the ZZR1400, with all of its 180bhp, was the tool for the job. It crucifies gradients and sucks itself to the road like a two-wheeled Hoover.

It’s unbelievably fast and so easy to ride despite its enormous power and near-200mph top speed. Let’s get it in perspective. The average saloon or hatchback puts out about 100bhp.

It probably weighs around 1,200kgs with just you, the driver, in there. The ZZR weighs about 300 kilos full of fuel and with a rider on board.

That’s 180bhp pushing 300 kilos as opposed to just 100bhp pushing 1,200 kilos.

That’s a big, big difference. It’s like sitting on an Exocet missile. The ZZR1400 reaches 100mph from rest in about 200 metres.

But you don’t have to use it like that all the time. We did about 700 miles and the turbine-like power delivery of this monster engine makes motorway cruising a doddle.

Just stick it in sixth gear and let it pull like a shire horse while you watch the onboard computer tell you you’re getting more than 50mpg at 90mph. In Germany, of course.

There may be no cup holders or ten-speaker sound systems and the crumple zone is just your body ... but that’s half the appeal.

And check out the price. Six-figure supercar performance for the price of a Ford Ka. No wonder Kawasaki have been flogging every one they can build.

Unlike a fast car, to go quickly you have to work really hard. You concentrate like never before and use more physical input than a visit to the gym.

But while the penalty for getting it all horribly wrong is severe, the rewards are even greater. Riding a bike like this is the greatest  sensation ever.

The ZZR1400 won Bike Magazine’s group test last week, beating Suzuki’s infamous Hayabusa into second place.

You can find out why in the next issue. Available  from all good newsagents etc.

Price: £9,499

» MORE 'MOTORING' HERE...

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