Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Posted: **Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:01 pm**

For 2013, Kawasaki has developed a new electronic steering damper for the 2013 ZX-10R ABS (pictured above) sportbike in joint cooperation with Öhlins. According to Kawasaki, it's controlled by a dedicated ECU located under the gas tank cover. This new damper reacts to the rate of acceleration or deceleration, as well as rear-wheel speed, to help provide the ideal level of damping force across a wide range of riding scenarios. The variable damping provides optimum rider feedback by enabling the use of lower damping forces during normal operation, without sacrificing the firm damping needed for high-speed stability. The result, Kawasaki claims, is a light and nimble steering feel at low speed, as well as superior damping at higher speeds or during extreme acceleration/deceleration. The anodized damper unit incorporates Öhlins' patented twin-tube design to help ensure stable damping performance and superior kickback absorption. It is mounted horizontally at the front of the fuel tank and requires very few additional components and adds almost no weight compared to last year's steering damper.

Posted: **Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:16 pm**

White nice

Got a bit of a zebra look to it

Posted: **Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:34 pm**

Can i fit another kwaka in the shed ??????. Maybe next year

Posted: **Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:44 pm**

Yep, loving the white

The dampener looks like a good bit of kit, but with all the guidos out there that are going to buy the bike, how many are actually going to ride it at a level that it will work at?

How about adjustability? If it works on its own ECU does that mean that people are going to be doing some sort of custom mapping so that the dampener can be set to the riders preferences/requirements?

Posted: **Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:49 pm**

Is good

Posted: **Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:56 pm**

Might just be time to move on from the 9s...

Posted: **Wed Jul 11, 2012 5:22 pm**

Perhaps santa will be generous in 2014 and fit this on the zx10r as standard.

Ok, maybe as an optional extra.

Posted: **Wed Jul 11, 2012 5:29 pm**

Its got to be asked...

What else are they bringing to the table besides a 'hi -tech' ( in inverted comma's ) steering damper and some pretty paint ??

How about quality suspenders each end ?
What about a seamless gearbox, map-able fuel / ignition ECU and quick shifter ?
Improved TC, less weight, more power, better balance......
get rid of that butt ugly muffler, maybe....

If the green team want to stay at the front of the pack .......

Posted: **Wed Jul 11, 2012 5:46 pm**

oldmanmike wrote:Its got to be asked...

What else are they bringing to the table besides a 'hi -tech' ( in inverted comma's ) steering damper and some pretty paint ??

How about quality suspenders each end ?
What about a seamless gearbox, map-able fuel / ignition ECU and quick shifter ?
Improved TC, less weight, more power, better balance......
get rid of that butt ugly muffler, maybe....

If the green team want to stay at the front of the pack .......

Bout sums it up nicely

Posted: **Wed Jul 11, 2012 6:08 pm**

You only need to do just enough to get noticed. Any more and I reckon they'd start loosing money. If kawa started getting too flash with their components then that would mean they would have to lift the price, which might mean that they would be trying to leap out of the base level of japan's four major food groups (yam, hon, suz, kaw) and perhaps putting themselves in competition with more expensive European brands.

Surely this would lead to a drop in sales. Better bikes for sure, but less $$$$$ for Kawasaki. We all know its all about the $$$.

I couldn't buy one of these farkin things now, let alone if they hiked the price to pay for all the REALLY flash bits.

Posted: **Wed Jul 11, 2012 8:19 pm**

dutchy wrote:......but with all the guidos out there that are going to buy the bike, how many are actually going to ride it at a level that it will work at?........

exactly. Maybe .3% would be my optimistic guess. But they will all want to make it faster ...

Posted: **Wed Jul 11, 2012 8:52 pm**

Habibi bro !

Posted: **Wed Jul 11, 2012 9:34 pm**

I probably should go out to the local dealer and take one of these bad boys out for a test-fang.......they do look the goods.

Not rated that highly in the recent AMCN shootout though ?? S1000RR seems to be the pick of the current 1l bunch.

Posted: **Wed Jul 11, 2012 10:02 pm**

Gosling1 wrote: Not rated that highly in the recent AMCN shootout though ?? S1000RR seems to be the pick of the current 1l bunch.

Mate who previously owned a zx9,a Crim, & my Bug eye, just got his Red 2012 S1000R and in his words "it's to smooth and perfect it's like it has no character". I'll have to let him know the 2013 zx10 has so much character it's got a bloody electronic steering damper which gives it 20xbillion horsy powers

Posted: **Wed Jul 11, 2012 10:30 pm**

pittster wrote:
Gosling1 wrote: Not rated that highly in the recent AMCN shootout though ?? S1000RR seems to be the pick of the current 1l bunch.
Mate who previously owned a zx9,a Crim, & my Bug eye, just got his Red 2012 S1000R and in his words "it's to smooth and perfect it's like it has no character". I'll have to let him know the 2013 zx10 has so much character it's got a bloody electronic steering damper which gives it 20xbillion horsy powers

I lol'd !!!

Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

2013 ZX10R

2013 ZX10R

Re: 2013 ZX10R

Re: 2013 ZX10R

Re: 2013 ZX10R

Re: 2013 ZX10R

Re: 2013 ZX10R

Re: 2013 ZX10R

Re: 2013 ZX10R

Re: 2013 ZX10R

Re: 2013 ZX10R

Re: 2013 ZX10R

Re: 2013 ZX10R

Re: 2013 ZX10R

Re: 2013 ZX10R

Re: 2013 ZX10R