Got a case of the Mondays? Don’t worry, that’s what motorcycles are for. Here, Kenan Sofuo?lu demonstrates how to turn that frown upside down, as he makes a massive rolling burnout on his Kawasaki Ninja H2R on city streets.
While we don’t condone Kenan’s choice of attire – though, those boat shoes do look rather fetching – you have to admit that it’s pretty mesmerizing to watch the H2R’s titanium pipes glow with heat, while fire shoots out of its exhaust canister.
Our man Kent Brockman (possibly his real name), sat down with Kawasaki’s Jonathan Rea, to ask him how his World Superbike season is going so far.
Rea gives an account of his season, what’s been going on inside the Kawasaki Racing Team. He talks not only about the development of the current model Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R race bike, but also about himself as a racer.
The interview is a frank and detailed insight to one of the fastest riders in the World Superbike Championship right now, and sheds a great deal about who Jonathan Rea actually is. We think you will find the interview extremely interesting. -JB
Kawasaki’s pocket-sized motorcycle, the Kawasaki Z125 Pro, is getting a recall for a faulty shock absorber, which according to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), may leak oil and lose functionality.
Since the loss of oil from the shock absorber can change the handling characteristics of the motorcycle, which in turn could lead to a crash, Kawasaki is recalling 1,282 units of the Kawasaki Z125 Pro.
The Osman Gazi Bridge in Turkey is the fourth largest suspension bridge in the world – it spans 1.66 miles, with its center span almost a mile long.
Why are we telling you this random fact? Becasue Kenan Sofuo?lu just took a Kawasaki Ninja H2R to to 400 km/h (~250 mph) on the Turkish bridge. We all know that the supercharged, fire-breathing, 300+ horsepower, Kawasaki Ninja H2R is no joke in a straight line.
And while it seems trite to just turn the throttle and hold on, anyone who has touched 200+ mph can tell you that the aerodynamic pressure hitting the rider is more than a force to contend with, if you will pardon our pun.
To hit nearly 250 mph, in less than 30 seconds, is a serious undertaking. Perhaps what is more important though, is that the media-catching run comes during a period where Turkey is increasingly trying to find its place in the world, as the magnificent country straddles the boundary between east and west.
The Kawasaki World Superbike line up will remained unchanged for the next two years. On Monday morning, the Kawasaki Racing Team announced they had signed Tom Sykes to another two-year contract for WorldSBK.
Sykes will line up alongside Jonathan Rea in 2017 and 2018, as he has for this season and last. There had been a lot of speculation that Sykes could jump ship to Ducati, after the Italian factory had handed him a de facto blank check for his signature.
Sykes preferred to remain with Kawasaki, however, despite the animosity in the Kawasaki garage between the two riders.
Kawasaki announced today that 2017 will be the last model year for the Kawasaki W800, as the retro-classic machine is going the way of the dodo, thanks largely to the advent of Euro4 emission standards.
Any hope of a model refresh down the line seems to have been squashed, as Kawasaki says that this is “the end of the iconic W series of four-stroke vertical twin motorcycles” and that the “W800 ‘Final Edition’ marks the end of an era” in its press release.
That’s an interesting move from Team Green, considering the popularity of post-authentic machines right now – bikes like the Triumph Bonneville and Ducati Scrambler.
This is as much of the death of a motorcycle line, as it is a shift of focus by one of the largest motorcycle OEMs.
I know we have mentioned before our love for endurance racing machines. The FIM Endurance World Championship just doesn’t get nearly enough play to soothe our appetite.
It is the last international motorcycle racing series that has a proper tire war; it has strong factory involvement that can see a number of brands winning on any given weekend; and it is also the only true “team sport” in motorcycle racing. What’s not to like, right?
Leading the pack so far this season is Team Kawasaki SRC, which won the season-opener at Le Mans, with riders Greg Leblanc, Matthieu Lagrive, and Fabian Foret at the helm.
Team Kawasaki SRC has always been one of the stronger teams in the Endurance World Championship, and this year it looks like thing could finally come together for “Team Verte” – though we still have a lot of racing left to do.
As the world of motorcycle racing has gone mad with speculation over who is to replace Jorge Lorenzo at Yamaha, and by extension, either Maverick Viñales at Suzuki or Dani Pedrosa at Honda, focus has also turned on the World Superbike paddock.
There has been much talk of which riders could make the transition to MotoGP, and in turn, which MotoGP riders could try the switch to World Superbikes.
The one name that was consistently raised was reigning World Superbike champion Jonathan Rea. Given Rea’s previous experience standing in for an injured Casey Stoner in 2012, there had been much speculation that Rea had both the ability and the interest in making the switch to MotoGP.
Today, Rea put an end to any such speculation. The man from Larne extended his contract with Kawasaki to remain in World Superbikes for another two years. Rea will now be racing for Kawasaki until at least the end of 2018.
The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R is a perfectly capable superbike on the track, but as with any bike available for the street, compromises have to be made. That’s why Kawasaki always makes special factory racing parts, available right from your local Kawasaki dealer.
For the 2016 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, things are no different, and now Kawasaki has released this year’s go-fast parts catalog. If you are a privateer, looking for some factory-backed performance, this should be your first stop before your racing season begins.
Tasty items include an adjustable ECU that optimizes fuel, ignition, timing, over-rev, traction control, launch control, etc. There is also an ABS dongle that can disable anti-locking brakes for one or both of the wheels.
Of course, you can also get the usual chassis adjustment pieces and engine performance parts that you would expect from an OEM racing kit…just be sure to bring your wallet, winning isn’t cheap.
The second round of the Superbike World Championship will take place this weekend in Thailand, and while Jonathan Rea has started the year in terrific form there’s plenty of reason for optimism along the pit lane.
Thailand will offer a true indication of what to expect this year in WorldSBK and while it’s unlikely we’ll see the same number of bikes fighting for the win, it’s likely that the scrap at the front will be just as competitive.
Rome wasn’t built in a day and championships aren’t won on the opening weekend of the season, but in Australia Jonathan Rea put down a marker to the field that showed that he won’t relinquish his World Superbike title without a fight.
Behold the 2017 Kawasaki Z125 Pro, Team Green’s answer to the Honda Grom. This four-stroke, 125cc, 225 lbs “monkey bike” from Kawasaki hopes to tap into the same unassuming, approachable, and fun vein that the Honda Grom exposed three years ago.
Like the Grom, the Kawasaki Z125 Pro appeals to two very different demographics. One the one hand, it is the perfect learner bike for young and green (no pun intended) riders – you can see as much in the photos at the end of this post that clearly target the millennial skateboarding young male.
On the other hand though, the 2017 Kawasaki Z125 Pro is just as much of a machine for older and more experienced riders, who are looking for a cheap and fun machine to add to their already comprehensive stable – perhaps as a grocery-getter or pit bike at the track.
If we can continue to the comparison to the Honda Grom, this dual approach appears to play out well in the market, with the unassuming motorcycle gaining attention from a surprising wide and large demographic. As such, Kawasaki is smart to jump on the trend.