The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R is a superbike from Kawasaki. It was launched in 1995 and is still on sale. Superbikes are the fastest, most powerful road-going sports bikes. With a 636 cc engine it sits in the middleweight 450–800 cc class.
Power comes from a 636 cc 4-cylinder liquid-cooled fuel-injected engine that makes 124 PS at 13,000 rpm and 69 Nm of torque at 11,000 rpm. Peak torque comes high up, at 11,000 rpm, so it rewards revving. Its bore is wider than its stroke (67 mm x 45.1 mm), a short-stroke layout that generally favours higher revs. Divide power by kerb weight and it has about 626 PS per tonne; by that measure, its performance is at superbike level and rewards an experienced rider. The claimed top speed is 250 km/h. It has electric start.
It has a 6-speed manual gearbox with a 1-down, 5-up shift pattern, and a chain carries drive to the rear wheel. Its slipper clutch lightens the lever and stops the rear wheel hopping when you downshift hard.
Its frame is perimeter, aluminium. Suspension is by telescopic fork at the front and Uni-Trak swingarm at the rear. Braking is by twin 310 mm discs at the front and a 220 mm disc at the rear, with dual-channel ABS. ABS on both wheels keeps either tyre from locking under hard braking. It rides on 17-inch alloy wheels with tubeless tyres — 120/70-17 at the front and 180/55-17 at the rear.
The seat is 830 mm off the ground, which is on the tall side, so shorter riders may want to try it first. It weighs 198 kg ready to ride, which is on the heavy side, so moving it by hand takes some effort. Ground clearance is 130 mm — low, so take speed breakers and steep ramps slowly. It is 2,025 mm long, with 1,400 mm between the axles. It carries 17 L of fuel.
Equipment includes a digital instrument console, an LED headlamp, turn-by-turn navigation, call and SMS alerts, distance-to-empty readout, gear position indicator, quickshifter, daytime running lamps, real-time mileage indicator and service due indicator, among others. Safety equipment includes engine kill switch, hazard light switch, traction control, low fuel indicator and malfunction indicator. It has three riding modes: Rain, Road and Sports.
The manufacturer's warranty is 30,000 km or 2 years. For the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R, Mechiee offers a fixed ₹11,999 doorstep service.
It is best suited to riders who want performance and sharp handling. With this much performance, it is better as a step-up bike than a first bike.
Recommended tyre pressures are 36 psi front and 42 psi rear, solo or with a pillion. Its chain drive needs regular cleaning, lubrication and slack adjustment.
