2008 Kawasaki ZX-10R First Look - Motorcycle.com

Not much is yet known about the changes in the engine room, but we can affirm that it retains its 12.7:1 compression ratio and 43mm Keihin throttle bodies with oval sub-throttles and two injectors per cylinder. The new megaphone exhaust outlet combines with a pre-silencer section behind the transmission, likely with an exhaust powervalve.

Kawasaki hasn’t supplied chassis geometry specs, but we’ll guess the rake, trail and wheelbase numbers aren’t drastically changed from the previous model’s respective 24.0 degrees, 4.0 inches and 54.7 inches. An Ohlins steering damper again resides behind the upper triple clamp. Last year’s bike had a stated dry weight of 386 pounds, and we expect this version to be slightly lighter.

Braking performance should be slightly improved, as the front calipers appear to be of a one-piece monoblock design and the wave rotors have increased in size 10mm to 310mm. Suspension appears relatively unchanged, with Diamond-Like Coating (DLC) on the inner fork tubes and a fully adjustable single shock out back now with separate adjusters for high- and low-speed compression damping.

In 2007 the ZX-10R retailed for $11,249. Our crystal ball predicts a new MSRP in the mid-$11,000 range.

Kawasaki’s press release follows.

For the 2008 NINJA ZX10R, Kawasaki engineers aimed for an ideal superbike with engine and chassis performance capable of satisfying professional racers, combined with top-notch streetbike qualities for mainstream riders.

It’s a delicate balance, but these aren’t your average engineers. They’ve been directly involved in the development of every 600 and 1000cc supersport machine since the 2003 Ninja ZX-6R, plus Kawasaki’s factory Superbike racing efforts, so they have the know-how to deliver the goods.

The result is an exceptionally communicative machine that provides the clean two-way rider and machine dialog demanded by professional racers. Placing the ZX-10R in the racing crucible and applying lessons from that unforgiving environment resulted in an ideal balance to satisfy the most demanding of riders.

Kawasaki engineers relied on the assistance of a professional Superbike rider to push the new ZX-10R’s engine and frame components to the limits in actual competition. Parts that met with the racer’s approval were then tried on the production test bike, tweaked, retested on the race bike and adjusted again. This process was repeated throughout the development cycle for the all-new 2008 Ninja ZX-10R.

2008 Kawasaki Ninja ZX10R Specifications: