Niall's Spin: 2005 Kawasaki ZX-6R review
The two-year development cycle the Japanese manufacturers all follow for their sports bikes means previous models can quickly be forgotten and the ZX-6R is a case in point
Click to read: 2005 Kawasaki ZX-6R owners reviews, 2005 Kawasaki ZX-6R specs and to see the 2005 Kawasaki ZX-6R image gallery.
I've seen some recently at bargain prices and with tempting finance deals, and you could do a lot worse than snap one up as the ZX can still live with any of the opposition in the 600 supersport class. With the 600cc ZX-6RR reserved for supersport racing duties, the ZX-6R gets a useful 36cc capacity advantage over the R6, CBR600RR and GSX-R600.
This obviously helps in the straight line department, but when it comes to stopping, handling and - my favourite bit - the high pitched, high rev induction howl, the Kawasaki is tops. Even with those extra ccs the motor reminds me of a quick revving two stroke. That's the exact opposite of the new 675 Daytona (see over the page) but, as with the Triumph, the ZX-6R does have excellent mid-range power.
The chassis and sorted suspension work together well but, that said, I have had the odd heart-stopping moment on occasions. The current model's stability will have you thinking you can do no wrong, but hit a drain cover, pothole or cats eye when accelerating hard and the front can flap and buck momentarily. The easy answer is to fit a good quality steering damper, an item that all quick-steering sports bikes should have been fitted with as standard for at least the last decade or so.
The, er, challenging front-end looks of the 636 are not my cup of tea but it looks great from every other angle. I also have a love-hate relationship with the dash and its LCD rev counter, a triumph of form over function. I love the fact that it's neat, compact and minimalist but I hate it because I can't read the info it's displaying - well, not at a glance anyway, and certainly not in bright sunshine. Perhaps I should have gone to Specsavers.
