Nowadays, "special editions" are often mere gimmicks, marketing ploys by manufacturers to beef up sales. But not so for the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R SE.
The basic powertrain setup is still the same. Kawasaki claims that it has amplified the SE’s engine performance, with a 3hp boost to 200hp without ram air and 213hp at 13,000rpm with ram air. Essentially, the SE still has the same 998cc four-stroke, liquid-cooled, inline-four engine that powers the other 2019 generation ZX-10R siblings.
A remarkable engine, nonetheless, and this has made the ZX-10R the faster-than-a-speeding-bullet dream bike for many. Some have even dubbed it the “closest thing to a WSBK Champion machine”.
But what makes the ZX-10R SE not quite a gimmick was soon revealed to me when we took it for a post-buka puasa test ride from the city via the North-South Expressway and the old Tapah twisties up to cameron highlands last week.
It was night and drizzling, and in the dark and wet, I hit a rough and uneven patch of tarmac at high speed. This Ninja showed me why it was, indeed, special.
You see, the SE is fitted with KECS, or Kawasaki Electronically Controlled Suspension.
What KECS does is to adapt to road conditions and adapt to them fast. When you suddenly hit that rough and uneven patch, for example, the KECS kicks in and does its magic.
Kawasaki claims that Showa’s all new upside-down 43mm Showa Balance Free Forks (BFF) at the front and Showa Balance Free Rear Cushion (BFRC) at the back update information “in milliseconds” and both interpretation of input and subsequent suspension adjustment is “almost instantaneous”.
This semi-active Showa electronic suspension is only equipped on the 2019 Ninja ZX-10R SE.
Getting on the 208kg 2019 SE, one will find a very aggressive seating crouch with a seat height considered "tall" at 835mm saddle height, which is even tall for this 171cm rider.
Apart from the KECS, the Ninja also receives a dual-direction Kawasaki Quick Shifter (KQS) system. Accelerating and decelerating the Ninja is quick and sharp without the need to use the clutch.
The clutchless upshifts and downshifts of the KQS system can also be used on the street above 2,500rpm. I was grinning from ear to ear as I twisted the throttle faster and further without bothering to pull the clutch.
The dual Brembo M50 monobloc calipers chomping on the 330mm discs at the front and single-piston floating caliper gripping the 220mm brake disc at the back is incredibly effective at bringing the speed down, be it abruptly or gradually.
Underneath the bodywork, the 2019 ZX-10R is a technological tour de force that incorporates the latest electronics to achieve its stellar capabilities.
A new Bosch Inertia Measurement Unit (IMU) operates all 6 Degrees of Freedom compared to the former Bosch 5-axis IMU on the Ninja.
What the Bosch IMU does is send information to Kawasaki’s proprietary dynamic modelling programme, for precise chassis orientation awareness while also assisting riders in tracing their intended line through a corner via Kawasaki’s supersport-grade high precision multi-sensing ABS brake assistance system (KIBS) and Sport Kawasaki Traction Control (S-KTRC).
Aside from the mechanicals and electronics, the SE has a few other touches that set it aside from the garden variety ZX-10R.
First off, there is the seven-spoke Marchesini forged rims which are lighter for even quicker directional changes.
Then there is the metallic carbon gray, neutron silver and lime green paint coating that is Kawasaki’s proprietary “self-healing” paint as inspired from the 2019 Ninja H2 bike. It was able to “self heal” minor scratches, said Kawasaki.
Thankfully, we did not have an occasion to test out this wonderful feature!