I booked a ZX-6R but ended up buying a Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R instead

Given a choice I might have probably looked at a striking red and blue CBR1000RR-R Fireblade or a white S1000RR MSport too.

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Living an evolved dream? Or did the evolved dream evolve to include the original dream? (The Ninja 1000 gets another 1000cc Ninja sibling)

Sport bikes have always been a lot of fun for me, they have always been part of my petrolhead childhood dreams (read as wall posters and scale models). It has been no surprise then that there were always times that I indulged in acquiring a fun sports bike that the wallet could permit, at various stages in life. Back in 2015, I wanted a Daytona 675R but my wallet could only afford a RC390. In 2018, I wanted a sportbike that could even tour with the better half, and thus we ended up with the Ninja 1000, and with this ownership review's title line. What an ownership experience it has been, over ~6 years and 35,000+ km of exploring our part of the country on a sportbike!

In 2023, I got myself an energetic pocket rocket with the Ninja 400 and had a lot of fun with that bike over the past year. When news of the ZX-6R launch came out early this year, once again the itch to own a fun, inline-4 middleweight supersport bike started. This was accelerated by a constant thought in my head "If not now, when?", considering the petrol guzzlers are slowly dying a painful death over successive iterations of emission norms getting tightened, and the threat of EVs taking over the industry and killing these purist enthusiast vehicles when companies eventually find it illogical to invest in any more of these dying breeds of fuel guzzler rockets.

I had initially booked a ZX-6R after quite a bit of research and convincing myself about how a 124PS middleweight supersport has way more enjoyable power than what I can ever use, and all that jazz, but after three months of waiting, there was still no clarity on when their next supplies would arrive. Upon discussing with the dealership staff, I came to know there was ready stock of its scarier elder sibling though - the ZX-10R. I know that with my limited skills, I probably wouldn't even be able to scrape the surface in terms of exploring this machine's real abilities but anyway, sometimes a wish is a wish, and I thought, to hell with it, maybe I'll eventually go to the grave a happier man, so why not try? Surprisingly, some stars aligned, HDFC approved a superbike loan with favourable terms and conditions, the numbers added up, and the better half also approved and helped with the purchase, and lo and behold, I was soon staring at the invoice and keys of an MY2024, 213PS Ninja ZX-10R, lol! More on that later in a full-fledged ownership review.

Did I consider anything else in this segment? I would have loved some more brand variety in the garage instead of another Kawasaki. Given a choice, I might have probably looked at a striking red and blue CBR1000RR-R Fireblade or a white S1000RR MSport too. However one is discontinued and the other is 35% more expensive than the 10R for somewhat similar specs and includes a 4-month waiting period, so I settled for the 10R itself. As for the Panigale V4S, it is almost double the price (again, I felt somewhat ripped off for relatively similar specs) and was out of budget anyway, so I didn't have any other viable options apart from the 10R at this price point (I didn't want to go the preowned route).

Long story short, one childhood bucket list item ticked off, with a full-blown litre class superbike replacing the middleweight supersport plan.

Earlier this month, we took delivery of the ZX-10R, along with some regular BHPian biker friends who were there to celebrate this tiny occasion with a dinner after the delivery.

Yours truly and the better half with the superbike missile

None of these would have been possible without my ever-supportive partner-in-crime.

Back at home, the litre class sport tourer got a litre class supersport for company. Both of these will happily co-exist in the garage, with the Ninja 1000 continuing in a sport-touring role, while the ZX-10R will complement it by offering solo thrills and some track action when time and money permit.

Litre class double trouble firepower!

The ZX-10R is almost equal in heft and dimensions to the Ninja 1000 but is marginally more nimble at parking speeds due to ~30kg lesser weight. The ergonomics on the 10R are extremely committed though, and need a fair bit of getting used to, as well as me needing to get fitter to be able to enjoy this missile properly. No auspicious or superstitious connection with the number, but since I had a choice I took the same number as the N1k, which was easier to remember for me!

The KRT Ninja 400 meets the KRT ZX-10R! Sadly though, while I would have liked to retain the N400, there is neither space in the garage to keep a fifth bike nor will I be able to do justice to its presence even if I retain it. Unfortunately for me, the baby Ninja will have to make way for the big daddy Ninja, so it will soon be goodbye time for the baby Ninja.

I did just one ride so far (because there were other touring plans made with other vehicles in the garage for the past few weekends), and the ZX-10R ride experience can be described in one word as - Terrifying!

It is happy to potter around in low and mid-range RPMs just as its sibling the Ninja 1000. Open the throttle a bit more, it emits a loud growl and the thrust after say 5000-6000rpm is brutal and fearsome.

A full-fledged ownership review will follow in due course of time, so I'll end the rambling here and go back to the Ninja 1000's updates in the next post. Until then, Thanks for reading

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