Selasa, 14 Agustus 2007
2007 Kawasaki Z1000









Sonoma, CA -- It sure is nice to live in a world where most everyone can reap the benefits of someone else's smart decisions or discoveries. Penicillin comes to mind. Louis Pasteur ranks pretty high on my list of all-time greats, and I'm a fan of the establishment of the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America.
Are you still reading and wondering what this has to do with the 2007 Kawasaki Z1000? In my opinion the revamped Z is the result of two good decisions that benefit the American rider.
Whether it's simply a matter of design cycles or an earnest desire to reward the buying public, Kawasaki made a host of changes to the exciting but flawed Z1000. So many things were tweaked or replaced that the list reads like a new bike introduction.

Rap sheet or laundry list?
Team Green had some serious objectives for the '07 Z1000. They wanted to bulk-up performance, refine the chassis, revise the riding position and give it a make-over. So where did they start?
Though the engine didn't receive a major overhaul, a few key items were altered internally on the ZX-9R-derived 953cc DOHC inline-Four. In order to bias the torque curve with more low- and mid-range oomph, cam profiles were changed and intake and exhaust valves were reduced by half a millimeter from 2006 dimensions. New cylinder casings are claimed to reduce pumping loss, and an altered oil pump gear ratio allegedly contributes to reduced mechanical losses. Kawasaki has aimed these changes to improve low and mid-range performance, addressing some complaints about the previous model's relatively modest bottom-end power. I say it's torque-licious.


Down in the basement, flywheel mass was increased 7% from '06 and the final-drive gearing has been lowered ever so slightly. Work continued in the tranny package by reshaping the shift cam and adding ball bearings to the shift lever. Reduced clutch effort is provided by lower-rate clutch springs. Finally, the radiator was lightened and its cooling capacity increased by 18%.
Anything else that's changed on the powerplant is primarily external and mostly cosmetic.
Feeding the four hungry 77.2 x 50.9mm cylinders with a compression ratio of 11.2 is the job of an all-new fuel injection system. Smaller 36mm throttle bodies (from 38mm), oval-shaped sub-throttles (instead of the round units from last year), and injectors that spray an ultra-fine mist in a new pattern have been implemented in the hopes of providing a responsive and smooth feel at your right wrist.
What's left of the fuel mixture after it endures the swirling firestorm of combustion gets shuttled out through a revised "iconic exhaust system." Knowing the distinctive four-pipe look had grown on people (and grated on others) over the past four years, Kawasaki didn't want to give up the signature piece of the Z's appearance: the over-under shotgun quad exhaust system. Though it went from a 4-2-4 to a 4-2-1-2 this year, it still has the heart of the older model's look with two end caps per exhaust can. You can fool some of the people some of the time...
They may be trying to placate those quad-exhaust lovers of you out there by keeping a familiar look, but there's more than meets the eye.
Hidden away in the right-side exhaust, just ahead of the silencer, is a valve designed to "tune back-pressure waves for enhanced response in the low-mid range," according to Kawi press materials.
(And if it helps the Z pass EPA noise regulations, too, so much the better. -Ed) As if that wasn't enough, the whole system is said to be lighter than before, no matter what your eyes tell you.


According to MO's dyno last year the '06 Z wicked up 127 hp at a smidgen over 10,000 rpm with 69 ft-lbs. of torque almost dead on 8,000 rpm. Kawasaki didn't provide claimed horsepower figures for '07, but the provided spec chart boasts a torque figure of 73.1 ft-lbs at 8,200 rpm, up slightly from the crankshaft claim of 70.5 at 8000 rpm for the old model. Kawi product manager Karl Edmondson estimates that the new Z is probably down a top-end pony or two from last year due to the new focus on low-end grunt.
The biggest drawback to the Z of the past four years was the ridiculous amount of engine vibes that made their way to the rider. The previous bike had three rigid motor mounts (one in front of each outer cylinder and one near the footpegs) and one rubber mount (just above and behind the counter-shaft sprocket cover).
For 2007, Kawasaki designed a cast-aluminum engine sub-frame to relocate the forward mount from the front of the cylinder to the rear, leaving the two remaining mounts where they were. The result is an improvement in the bike's CoG of the engine and an intended reduction in chassis flex, in addition to quelling obnoxious vibration. Additional frame mods have the steering head moved forward 10mm that helps cause the wheelbase to grow from 55.9 to 56.9-inches. As part of the frame package, the new swingarm is constructed of pressed aluminum. As a whole, frame rigidity has been reduced by 15% for an improvement in feedback to the rider.
Kawi engineers also gave the suspension a once over, going to a 41mm inverted Showa fork (previously Kayaba units), with variable rebound damping and flush-style preload adjusters. Kawi says the fork is smoother in the upper half of the stroke while getting firmer as the fork is compressed. Attached to the new Bottom-Link Uni-Track swingarm is a Showa piggyback reservoir shock with twin-locking-ring preload adjustment and step-less rebound damping.
posted by Designs and Artists for Tattoo @ 12.20   0 comments
2007 Honda CBR600RR Intro Report



A quick show of hands; how many of you out there have owned a CBR600?
When that question was put to a crowd of journalists waiting to get out on the racetrack on the new Honda CBR600 at the Barber Motorsports complex in Birmingham, Alabama last week, nearly everybody thrust their hand in the air, me included. I've owned several of these machines, from a lightly-raced 1993 F2 model to a pair of salvage-titled F4is that I re-assembled for immoral purposes. All my friends have had at least one, and the plastic-encased machines seem almost an inch shorter than before -- although 2.7mm of trail is added to keep things stable.

That's the old radiator on the bottom, giving you some idea of how compact the new bike is. The old bike was hardly a pig.
The swingarm pivot is moved upwards 5mm to heighten the effect of a fashionably longer swingarm.
A smaller chassis will need a smaller motor, right? Honda knows this, and the motor has been totally re-designed from the bottom up. The crank is a whopping two pounds lighter, and it's connected to nutless con-rods that are also lighter. The slipper-type pistons are 3.5 percent lighter too, while producing a slightly-higher compression ratio (12.2:1 from 12.0:1).
A lighter crank and lighter con-rods means lighter -- and smaller -- everything else, so the entire package -- capped off with 11-ounce lighter magnesium valve covers -- measures up as 27.5mm shorter than the 2006, all the while making more power and torque and weighing in at 3.7 pounds less.
"The clutch is lighter, smaller and stronger, and the transmission gets closer ratios and a redesign to reduce driveline lash."
Engine improvements don't stop there. We didn't complain about last year's clutch or transmission, but Honda improved them anyway. The clutch is lighter, smaller and stronger, and the transmission gets closer ratios and a redesign to reduce driveline lash. There's also a new gadget called the Intake Air Control Valve (IACV), which smoothes throttle response, avoiding the jerky fuel injection-induced response some other motorcycles are cursed with.
The airbox -- which now sucks air through a hole in the front of the frame like the RC-51 -- gains seven percent of additional capacity, and the radiator is 40mm narrower, but 34.2mm taller so not too much frontal area is lost. The exhaust now has titanium baffles; they could have put that bling-bling on display like some OEMs do, but they put it inside where it would do the most good.
Too bad 90 percent of them will get sold on eBay for $30. Maybe Honda can buy them back and recycle them. It would make a great flask (please send royalty checks to MO).
"The tires stuck to the track like a remora with separation anxiety."
Suspension and brakes are standard, if effective, fare. In front, a fully-adjustable (except for high-speed settings) 41mm inverted fork and four-piston radial-mount calipers get the job done, (although Toland said the new braking components offer more sensitivity) and in the rear the Honda Unit Pro-Link is bolted to the three-way-adjustable shock. The Unit Pro Link shock linkage is GP-tech for the street; it isolates the suspension almost totally from the frame to ensure the smoothest possible ride.
A Honda Electronic Steering Damper (HESD) that's half the size (and 20 percent lighter) of last year's damper keeps the compact chassis -- with a steeper rake than the old machine's -- under control by adjusting damping force according to speed.
To wrap up the package, the Honda stylists added a thicker seat (although it's roadcourse as a DOT race tire on dry pavement would be. I say "probably" because I didn't want to be that guy who pushed it too hard in the rain and crunched a brand-new bike: I was happy at an 8/10ths pace.
The increased traction meant I could settle down and really get a feel for the machine's suspension, braking and other qualities. With a team of Honda technicians on hand to ensure a perfect set-up, the suspension felt spot-on, even though they misunderestimated my weight by 20 pounds. Although the track is very smooth, there are some pavement ripples in one high-speed braking zone (thanks, Grand Am cars!) that translated into some choppiness, but I imagine any motorcycle would get bounced around there.Accelerating off of Turn Six down the back straight, the front end gets light but the HESD damper works fine and there's no drama.

If you think Gabe's some kind of hero, be informed that those vertical stripes on the pavement aren't slippery tar strips, but a special, grippy compound the paving contractors used at Barber.
The brakes are very good, with solid feel and enough power for two-finger braking in most situations, but you can still feel those rubber lines mush and bulge. [Editor's note: Honda responded by saying that my test unit must have needed a brake bleeding; they don't think that should have happened] I've mentioned this to Honda before, but seriously, would it kill you guys to put stainless lines in there? Triumph can do it and their middleweight bike -- which they produce in far smaller numbers -- is $500 less.
"A ride on the 2006 600RR illustrates just how good the new bike is."
The 2006 was no slouch; we called it "an incredible-handling, balanced bike that has enough power to win races with a competent rider aboard". The RR always endears itself to riders by virtue of its solid, smooth, precise feel that gives the rider total confidence. But compared to this 2007, the '06 feels top-heavy and slow, with marked vibration and slightly-sloppy shifting and driveline lash. It's also less comfortable, with a harder seat and lower bars. The top-heaviness must be due to the 18 pounds the '07 has lost, and the more-precise transmission feels noticeably better as well.
Back on the 2007, I have more confidence than ever, even though the rain is heavier than it was at lunchtime and there are little puddles forming in some of the turns and a small stream in one spot. No matter; I can rail through the apexes with these tires, using the brakes and snapping into turns as if it were an 80-degree day at Buttonwillow.
A lot of that is thanks to the tires, but the CBR is still a bike that imparts great confidence to a rider, regardless of skill or road condition. If Honda does one thing well, it is imparting a consistent feel to a product over years, if not decades, even while a product improves and changes beyond recognition.
The CBR600RR is an improved product, but it's still unmistakable as the heir to the CBR F-series crown. It's a balance of high performance, excellent handling and an ease-of-use that will endear it to newbies and champion-level roadracers alike. At $9499, it's spendy for a 600, but the price isn't completely out of line with the rest of the class and the value is there, if not glaringly obvious.
Is it good enough to beat the pumped-up R6, the hot new ZX-6R or the transcendent Triumph 675? I can't say it will beat them outright, nor can I say it will be roundly defeated, as riding one bike around a smooth racetrack is a poor way to compare it to its classmates. However, I do know the Honda will have a much better showing than last year, which should make for an exciting middleweight comparison. Stay tuned.
posted by Designs and Artists for Tattoo @ 12.09   0 comments

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