Three Way Shoot out
Blade, R1 and ZX9-R

Model ZX9-R C1
1997-1999
List Price 7,495
Claimed Power 140bhp
Units sold to date (97-99) 5,145

¨ The Fastest Kid In The Class

¨ Easy Performance Gains

¨ Only One To Use Ram Air

¨ Most Underrated Superbike

ROAD TEST

I avoided this bike, it wasn't a fantastic example of the breed and I've got one as a long termer and that's set-up properly, so I let the two misfits fight over the remaining keys while I kept a firm hold of the Honda. Normally that wouldn't be the case, because there's absolutely no doubting the fact that the ZX-9R is a better bike than the Blade in almost every respect.

"It felt astoundingly agile and flexible...it's fair to say the ZX-9R has finally come of age," wrote Dan at the launch of the latest version of Kawasaki's 900cc sports king. He was spot on, the ZX had finally got a grip and realised that something else was needed other than that renowned Kawasaki horsepower. So they designed this beauty, and unfortunately it didn't take the world by storm like it deserved to. Not because of any fault of its own you understand. It was that Yamaha factory from up the road who spoiled the partly by unleashing the R1.

I feel sorry for the boys in green, because they achieved what they set out to do, which was build a better bike than the FireBlade, which if you think about it had been top banana for nearly five years. It's just that the bloody Yamaha stole all the headlines a couple of months later.

Where the ZX really shines is where all Kawasakis traditionally show strongly – in the trouser department. This bike has a fantastic motor, with something between 125 and 130bhp (at the wheel) being the norm as standard. That's a good handful more than the Blade and not so far behind the R1 as you might think. There's no smoothness like the Honda, in fact it can sound positively rough at tickover, pulsing away unevenly, rocking the bike ever so gently from side to side. It sounds mean, like it's ready to do business. Open her up and you get a spine tingling wail from airbox and she's off, screaming round to the redline at 12000rpm without the slightest dip in the power. Very entertaining, and extremely fast. I'm not sure exactly why the ZX is so much quicker than its rivals, but it never fails to blow them all away. Aerodynamically, it must work better, and quick glance at the frontal aspects of the bikes would back that up. It has more shape to it than the Blade and offers more of a bubble to get down under than the R1. If the scream from the pressurised air box is anything to go by then Kawasaki's ram-air is doing its job. And may well be responsible for those last few extra mph. Actually I don't doubt it for a second.

However, the difference between 171mph (Rl) and 174mph (ZX-9R) is academic to say the least, and it's how it handles real-world conditions that makes the ZX-9R so popular. It may have been outsold by the R1 this year, even taking into account the greater cost and limited availability of the Yamaha, but I would like to reassure everyone who's gone and bought a Kwacker that they have made the correct choice. Unfortunately everyone else in the office (apart from Bill) would disagree with me violently, which is fair enough. The R1 is the better bike in some respects, but it falls short in a number of areas that would simply destroy the ownership experience - something remember that none of the guys here have to think about, and consequently all too often forget the importance of.

The Kawasaki is a delight to live with because it offers a better combination of attributes, even if it does fail to take the outright sporting honours. Like the Honda it isn't a bad place to be for a couple of hours at a time, although having listened to Wozza whinge about it for a couple of days I'd have to say it works for everyone who hasn't been unnaturally stretched at birth. Six foot or under and it's a sofa, believe me.

Getting the Mean Greenie around corners is not a problem either. Big Kawasakis have a reputation for being too soft, and although this was definitely the case with previous models it's not so true of this one.

Soft yes, too soft no. Out of the box it has the ideal set-up for the road, and insulates you from most of the crap they can throw at you. Get a bit banzai though and it soon starts to move around too much, especially at the rear. Good news is that the suspension units are fully adjustable and there's more than enough scope for ironing out any problems for road and most trackday use. I say most because the bike is such a sweet, relatively quick steering thing that it becomes all too easy to push the front that bit too far within the constraints of a track. Throw in the wickedly effective six-pot brakes and you have a softish front end that really needs some attention before it can deal fully with all the forces being transmitted through it.

That's about it for the negative stuff though. The ZX is an underrated bike that comprehensively outshines the Blade and falls not that far short of the R1 when it comes to sporting prowess. A great bike.

TECHNICAL HIGHLIGHTS

Remarkably similar to the FireBlade really, which is no bad thing. The motor's much of a muchness, with a tad less capacity, although it's a touch lighter too thanks to shovel-loads of magnesium plastered everywhere.

On the chassis side of things the similarities persist, with an identical rake of 24 degrees but a bit more trail - sensible given the Kwackers greater punching power and the Blade's early reputation for slapping.

PERFORMANCE MODIFICATIONS

The motor responds well to basic tuning, and a race system and appropriate jetting kit will add up to l0bhp from 6,000rpm up, and could give you as much as 15bhp at peak. That's a lot of power for relatively little outlay - £4-700 for a system and a couple of hundred more for the fitting, jet kit and dyno work.

Of more immediate concern for hard riders is the suspension. At the front a set of heavier springs has got to be the way to go, and the rear, well, most problems can be ironed out by adjusting the standard unit. If you're still struggling then revalving would be the first step, but you'd have to be very picky.