The Kawasaki ZX-6R

This was going to be my longterm ride for 2009, but I've finally got a safe haven in Bath in which to hide a full-on sportsbike, so I've swapped it for the Kawasaki ZX-6R. Get in.


Lucky too, because I’m already getting bored of people asking if I’m riding a Jaguar when I tell them my bike is an XJ6. Still, it makes a lot of sense as a bike about town. It’s easygoing, predictable and smooth, which is what you want when your mind is more on crossing off the first item on your to-do list than spotting diesel on roundabouts.

This is one bike that won’t get you into any trouble. And maybe that’s part of the problem. Alastair and Moby both think it's a great little bike, but I'm not convinced. The engine suffers badly from 600-itis, in that you have to crank the throttle to get your buzz on. It takes a while to wind up to speed, and isn’t exactly astonishing when you do.

If I was keeping it, I might look at freeing more power from the mill, but I’m not sure if that’s the right approach to what is essentially an urban commuter.
I have no complaints with the brakes though, which are more than up to the job of reigning in the little XJ6, so they’d be the last area I'd pay any attention to.

The XJ6 is easy to chuck around, thanks to its light weight. There’s little mass to control, giving the sensation that it flies through the bends. The suspension is soft, which is great for soaking up bumps and lumps on your daily commute, but a disaster when you try to ride two-up.

The rear squats badly, causing the front to meander all over the show, making it less of a dive for the apex and more of a wallow. It requires a lot more help than the preload adjustment affords the rear shock.

There’s nothing else that’s adjustable on the suspension, so this is something I’d have to address with aftermarket parts, pronto. It’s not about turning it into a track weapon; it's about modifying it for the road, to improve its skills.

The XJ6 looks good as a sharply styled naked, certainly more 21st century than last year’s trusty Street Triple 'termer, but I know which I’d choose for performance – and it isn’t the Yam.

The XJ6 is a capable little middleweight naked that goes well and looks good, but like most bikes in this big class, and price point, it's royally scuppered by the Street Triple's prowess.

We have a very cunning plan for the XJ6 this year though, which better reflects the likely buyers of this entry-level naked. We'll reveal all soon, so to speak.