The ZX-9R was either in the shadow of the FireBlade or R1, but that doesn’t stop it from being a top ride
The 1990s were the decade that redefined what litre bikes were and could be. While it was Honda, and then Yamaha that set out the narrative with the FireBlade and the R1, and of course Kawasaki had a solid presence with the ZX-9R. Where would the world of big and brutish sportbikes be without an offering from Kawasaki?
First to arrive was the B series in 1994, their 899cc engine derived from the ZXR750 with ramair based on the ZZ-R1100. The chassis was similarly inspired by those two. However the models we’re talking about here are the second generation, starting with the 1998 ZX-9R C1 and ending with the 2003 F2.
Honda’s 1992 FireBlade had caught everyone on the hop. Remember the ZX-9R would have been well in development by the time the Blade appeared, so the B1 was somewhere short of the benchmark set by the Honda. It took Kawasaki some time to respond with a more compact, lighter and more powerful iteration of the ZX-9R.
The C and its successors used the engine as a stressed member in the extruded aluminium beam frame to get rid of the steel frame downtubes. A new extruded swingarm brought the wheelbase down from 1440 to 1415mm. 46mm rwu forks replaced heavier 41mm upside-downers. Front discs were 296mm and the calipers Tokico six-pots. Wheels were among several components that lost weight. The C1 was 183kg compared to the B’s 215kg.
An all-new engine was more oversquare and had larger, directly actuated valves. By copying the shaft centres from the ZX-6R, the whole unit was more compact.
Weight was saved through magnesium engine covers and a titanium end-can, as well as a by shifting the alternator from the rear of the cylinders to the end of the crank. Power was a claimed 143bhp@11,000rpm.
However by the time the C1 appeared it too was somewhere behind the cutting-edge as the game had been moved on again by Yamaha’s R1.
Still, not everyone needed the lightest, flightiest sportsbike and the 9R was a thoroughly modern motorcycle with more than enough for most road riders. Above all the ZX-9R had a useable balance between power and handling.
The E1 model that followed the 1999 C2 for the 2000 model year got a whole new look with a twin-headlight fairing with a separate ram-air scoop. There was an extra horsepower or so from a higher compression ratio, larger diameter headers and Keihin CVRD 40mm carburettors.
The engine was now a closed deck design putting more material between the bores and the outside of the block. It was more rigidly mounted to contribute to greater overall stiffness, also helped by larger diameter wheel and swingarm spindles.
Shorter, lighter forks got more offset to reduce trail for quicker steering. Fr
