Fast Bikes Magazine 2024 February issue **FREE 20 PAGE PREVIEW**

COMFORTABLY FAST: SUZUKI GSX-S1000GX S

GETTING DOWN AND DIRTY WITH TRIUMPH’S NEW SCRAMBLERS

FE B ISS RUA UE RY 412 20 24

SU UPER SMART, SUPER FAST, ND SUPER COMFY AND

RETRO RELISH

S L A V RI WASAKI’S A K N O T U O SCRAPPING IT D YAMAHA’S R7 ZX-4RR AN

USED ZX-6R (2013-2020) U ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE A BUYING KAWASAKI’S B MIDDLEWEIGHT SPORTSBIKE M

ACCESS ALL AREAS

MACAU WE HEAD TO THE ORIENT TO TAKE IN THE MOST EXOTIC STREET RACE IN THE WORLD

ISSUE 412 FEBRUARY 2024

60

THE KNOWLEDGE

Used Bike Guide.............................. 54 We think it’s awesome that Kawasaki is bringing back the ZX-6R. But we also think the last production version of the bike was pretty awesome too. If you’re looking to buy a used Ninja 600, check out our buyer’s guide.

TESTS

Racy Rivals ...................................... 18 If you’re in the market for a sporty, mid-sized motorcycle, we reckon these two should float your boat. But which is better: the tried and tested Yamaha R7 twin or Kawasaki’s box-fresh ZX-4RR?

Retro relish ..................................... 38 Timmy, our tamed superbike star, gets down and dirty with Triumph’s new Scramblers.

Comfortably fast............................. 60 There’s a new, long-legged sports-tourer in town, compliments of Suzuki. We check out what the GSX-S1000GX has to offer.

BUY

COLUMNISTS

Tim Neave ....................................... 94 Timmy’s got big news on the horizon, but for now here’s his reflections on an interesting year on two wheels.

Christian Iddon .............................. 96 Having done a solid job in 2023, Iddon’s set for more of the same in ’24.

Steve Parrish .................................. 98 More madness and wisdom from the man they call Parrish.

FEATURES

Kawasaki’s other 400 ..................... 34 Big Mac gets all reminiscent and harks back to the days of the original ZXR400.

Macau GP: Access all areas ............ 68 Chances are you’ve heard of Macau, watched it even, but if you’re wondering what it’s like to be there in person, as a cog in the big machine, have a read of this.

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54

68

WELCOME

Let it snow

W

e’ve just had our first hit of snow… a solid four inches, I’ll have you know. The panic buying has kicked in, there’s no milk left in our local shops, and town mayor has probably started project planning an air lift of cherry bakewells to keep us from rioting.

It’s at times like this that I reflect and laugh on my adventures in my youth. I have done my fair share of riding in the snow, not always for pleasure, but sometimes out of sheer necessity. That said, growing up on a farm, snow was often perceived as a point of access to a different kind of fun, often involving a trials bike, a makeshift sledge, and a dirty old tow rope that would shed the skin from your hands just by looking at it. We were always messing around. I’ll never forget my older brother coming home one night, drenched, stinking, and

covered in snow; he’d been out on his crosser and managed to launch his bike into a big ditch, a few miles from home.

We set about recovering it, going two-up on my Cagiva Mito on whited-over roads towards the crash site. We made it all of a mile before I washed the front and we went down, smashing my bike to pieces... but the recovery job went on. We eventually got to his bike, dragged it out the ditch, got it into a farmer’s straw barn, whipped the plug out, and began running his CR125 up and down to get the water out of the barrel. It was my turn to do so, thinking nothing of the fluid coming up and out of the cylinder… until it set on fire. I tripped over in a panic with the bike on top of me, setting my jeans on fire in the process. While I was breakdancing the flames away on the straw-laden floor, my brother got his bike, ran it outside, threw it in a snowy puddle, and filled it up with

water to smother the flames. We were back to square one, albeit with a smashed-up Mito and a slightly charred, thoroughly flooded Honda. It wasn’t funny, but on reflection I wouldn’t change that kind of experience for the world.

Motorcycling isn’t for the fainthearted; it doesn’t always go to plan, but when it does, it’s awesome, great fun, and the best way to while away your time – even when it snows. More to the point, it’s a prolific memory maker. As we kick off 2024, I’m truly excited to see what two-wheeled endeavours come my way, riding new roads, with new friends, and making the most of the chances out there. With luck, that’ll involve bumping into you guys, be it on track, on road, or on trail… but hopefully not in a barn with a burning crosser.

Have a cracking New Year.

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PLA NE T FAST BIKES – NE W ME TAL

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KTM SUPER DUKE R/ EVO R 1390 KTM launches the ultimate V-twin Super Duke

Fans of massive mental V-twin engines (or even smaller sensible ones) haven’t had much to shout about in recent years. Ducati’s gone to V-fours for its wild Panigale, Streetfighter and Diavel. Aprilia dropped its big Vees years ago.

And even Suzuki has drifted away from the layout, preferring a parallel twin engine for its new GSX-8S/R and V-Strom 800 adventure tools.

KTM looked to be wavering lately. It went for an inline-twin motor when making a middleweight engine for the 790 Duke and Adventure – the LC8c unit which now finds itself in 947cc form powering the 2024 Duke 990.

But the mad Austrians have stuck with their 75° LC8 V-twin as the basis for this beastie: the 2024 Super Duke 1390. It’s available in two forms, the basic R, and a posh EVO version, which comes with WP’s semi-active technology electronic suspension set-up. Both have the same basic engine and chassis foundations, centred on that new engine. It’s now got an enormous 1350cc capacity, up from 1301cc thanks to 2mm overbored cylinders filled with new bigger 110mm pistons. It’s not a massive capacity increase (tbf, 1301cc is already a bit Mr Creosote for a modern high-performance twin), but the extra moped-sized 49cc, together with other mods, have added 10bhp to the top end, now a tidy 190bhp at a heady 10,000rpm, while torque hits 145Nm@8000rpm. Nice.

Those other engine mods include a fairly extensive top-end revamp. There’s a new ‘cam shift’ variable valve timing set-up on the DOHC heads, which gives two different cam profiles for high and low-speed running, allowing optimised

10 FEBRUARY 2024 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM

breathing through the revs, as well as better EU5+ emissions performance – always important these days. The throttle bodies are bigger, up 4mm to 60mm from 56mm with repositioned top-feed fuel injectors, and the revised airbox has a new ram-air intake design. Finally, in case there was a risk of boredom at any stage in proceedings, they’ve revised the gearing in fifth and sixth gears. Worried that this new-fangled lump will need more regular servicing? Panic not: the Matighofen massive has extended major valve service intervals to a heady 60,000km. What a time to be alive.

The spanking new motor lives in a chassis which is much the same as currently – not that there’s anything wrong with that. You get a steel tube trellis-type frame with saucy single-sided aluminium swingarm, and your choice of standard suspension in the R or the semi-active kit in the EVO R. That means 48mm USD fully adjustable forks and a piggyback monoshock with separate high and low-speed compression

adjusters (both from WP APEX) on the R and WP’s third-generation semi-active electronic kit on the EVO. This has new magnetic damping valves and an updated suspension control unit, which has a number of neat new functions. The base set-up has five settings – auto, comfort, rain, street, and sport – while the suspension pro upgrade adds on track and pro modes. The pro upgrade also adds three automated preload geometries – auto-standard, auto-low, and auto-high – which tweaks spring load automatically depending on rider weight. And the pro has an intriguing new factory start mode, which drops the bike down on the rear shock, a little bit like a MotoGP holeshot device, for harder acceleration off the line and keeps the anti-dive function seen on previous bikes.

Keep an eye on our online channels – Facebook, Twitter, and the Fast Bikes website (www.fastbikesmag.com) – for news as it happens.

BIMOTA TERA

Thought that BMW had pushed things a little too far with its 201bhp M1000 XR adventure bike? Then feast your eyes on this piece of nonsense. Yes, legendary Italian exoticamonger Bimota has been at the grappa again and taken advantage of parent company Kawasaki by snaffling an artic full of 200bhp H2SX supercharged engines. The Rimini engineers have then shoehorned one into a weirdly tall adventure-spec version of the Tesi chassis – the one with the hub-centre steering and front swingarm. The frame is made from two pairs of machined billet aluminium plates either side of the motor, with a swingarm pivoted off the front and rear, and the engine putting in a shift as a stressed member too.

Suspension is by Öhlins, with TTX36 shocks both ends, giving 114mm of travel and the option of Marzocchi semi-active

All the suspension settings can be tweaked via a new 5in colour TFT dashboard for the ideal set-up.

Brakes are the same Brembo Stylema calipers we’ve seen before – not that there’s anything wrong with that – and the stock tyre fitment is the new Michelin Power GP, which are a claimed 1.2kg lighter than previous hoops.

Strangely, that’s the only weight figure mentioned by KTM in the press kit, which might suggest that the 2024 bike is a bit chunkier than the old model. Or maybe they’ve misplaced the scales at the R&D department?

We’ll find out soon enough.

electronic kit with 145mm of travel. There are two Brembo Stylema front calipers almost hidden by the steering linkages, and rather sporty 17in tyre sizes.

On top of all this is a set of adventure touring bodywork in aluminium and carbon fibre, complete with spacious dual seating, panniers, full touring

windscreen and top fairing.

Upright bars, low pegs, a 22-litre fuel tank, and a set of plush touring kit from the H2SX all adds up to probably the most un-Bimota Bimota ever, complete with cruise control, colour LCD dash, ABS and traction control. There’s no word on weight, price, availability, or any of that dull stuff, of course – but it looks like a massive hoot, despite probably having the off-road abilities of an F1 car. We can’t wait to have a spin on it.

Electronic riding aids are always a strong point on KTMs, and the Super Duke keeps that going, although you might need to pay a bit more for some optional functions. There’s a full IMUassisted riding aids package, of course, with cornering ABS and traction, quickshifter, three basic riding power modes (rain, street, sport) and two optional track and performance modes. These incorporate a new five-way wheelie control, which lets you dial in your choice of angle, up to 22.25° (which feels higher than it sounds), plus more control over stuff like engine brake control.

There’s cruise control, Bluetooth

phone link, and new LED lighting for the real world as well. Last up is the new styling, which we’ll confess is a bit Marmite at the moment for most.

The LED headlight has a new surround, which either looks like the face of the Predator alien or a rude part of human anatomy (or both). You won’t see it from the rider’s seat, and we’ll all be used to it in six months, but for the moment, it’s an eye-catcher for sure…

We’ll be riding the new Super Duke 1390 as soon as they let us near one. It’s set to cost about £19,500 and was due to be available early in the New Year.

FEBRUARY 2024 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 11

PLANE T FAST BIKES – NEW METAL

, NEWS & REVIEW S

BMW R12 nineT BMW’s semi-retro roadster R nineT has been a bit of a surprise hit for the Bavarian firm over the past decade or so. It looked to be a bit of a thrown-together stop gap, using a variety of bits from all over the Motorrad range: old 1200 oil-cooled boxer engine, forks and brakes off an S1000 R, some simple roadster bodywork, and a decent-if-not-bargain price. It was there to hold the fort against the fashionable scrambler-type machines from other manufacturers – but it turned out to be a really good bike to ride which sold brilliantly.

Something about the engine and chassis made it just right for plodding around, and it was easily customised as BMW and the aftermarket rushed to provide bolt-on bits for it. Munich extended the range with the Scrambler, Pure, Racer and Urban G/S versions over the next few years,

12 FEBRUARY 2024 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM

making a tidy little return on some old tech, with slick styling and cunning marketing.

Now though, the retro range is getting an overhaul for 2024, kicking off with two models – the R12 custom, and the R12 nineT roadster.

The plan is for range of updated retros along the lines of the current R nineT, with an updated tech platform and a new R12 branding, to sit below the R18 mega-cruiser.

The R12 family engine is still basically the old-school oil-cooled 1170cc 1200 from the earliest R1200 models, but updated with new radial-valve cylinder heads, updated engine management, and a heap of detail changes to get it through the latest clean emissions regs.

BMW says it’s based on the classy HP2 Sport Boxer from 2007, which pioneered the radial valve set-up, with conical ground cams and hemispherical clearance shims. The old sportsbike made 128bhp, but the new R12 nineT makes 109bhp, with 95 horses available on the R12 variant.

The R12 itself is a cruiser-style custom, while the nineT is more retro roadster. Both share a new one-piece steel tube frame and bolt-on rear subframe, with the R12 getting 19in front and 16in rear wheels, and the nineT having proper 17-inchers with a sporty 180/55 rear tyre. Brakes are pretty decent: Brembo radial-mount four-piston calipers up front with dual 310mm discs and BMW’s ABS. Suspension is fully

adjustable on the nineT, with lessadjustable kit on the R12, and there are loads of options for cast or wire-spoked wheels, seats, exhausts and other accessories.

The biggest update is to the electronics, and the new bikes will have the option of far more capable dashboards and other gizmos than before. One downside of the old bikes was the limited dashboard options; you couldn’t have the smart navigation/trip computer/Bluetooth displays available on mainstream BMs, but the R12 range will have these as options – and the retro-styled single or dual round clock-type instruments. You can also get keyless ignition, optional up/down quickshifter, LED lighting, traction control, USB-C charging ports, and more.

The new R12 models will be on sale in March 2024, with the R12 nineT costing £14,420 and the R12 £11,990

Keep an eye on our online channels – Facebook, Twitter, and the Fast Bikes website (www.fastbikesmag.com) – for news as it happens.

DUCATI BENTLEY DIAVEL The only Bentley I ever really fancied was a 1998 Turbo RT Mullliner*, which was the sort of thing the Sultan of Brunei would order 10 of, in a range of bathroomsuite colours, with one converted into a pick-up truck. It came with a speedometer for the passengers in the back and you could fit my first ever flat into the boot. Hilarious 420bhp turbo 6.75-litre V-8 nonsense, and the sort of thing you hoped to pick up in the Autotrader for £8k about 2011 when petrol hit £1.50 a litre for the first time. I still scan the pages wistfully from time to time looking for a Cat N high-miler with rusty arches.

Anyway, Bentley has moved on, big time, and is now part of the unblinkingly serious Volkswagen Audi group. That means it’s bosom buddies with Ducati, of course,

which explains this – a special Bentley edition of the new Diavel V4. We had the Lamborghini Diavel last year – Lambo is also a VAG outfit now, remember – and this is sort of a follow-on, we guess. The most important factor is the price: sadly, not £8k in the Autotrader, but a bracing £58,000 for the base version. Because, yes, there is an even fancier Mulliner variant which costs £71,000. Eek! Still reading? Well, the Bentley Diavels are limited editions, with 500 base models and just 50 of the Mulliners – which you need to already have a Bentley to be able to buy (it’s unclear if a 1998 Turbo RT counts). You will be able to have your Mulliner painted to match your motor, and also get different options for seat, caliper and carbon fibre bodywork finishes.

The working-class Bentley Diavel is a little less posh, with a standard Scarab Green paint job and styling that echoes the £2 million 730bhp Bentley Batur supercar.

There’s special forged aluminium rims, different air vents, carbon fibre bodywork all round and a special Alcantara seat. All the bikes have a special numbered plaque on the right-hand rear cylinder head and come in a special wooden crate.

No word of a speedo for pillions, mind. *Mulliner was the name of a coachworks in Chiswick that started out making carriages for horses in the 18th century and was eventually bought by Rolls-Royce, and then became a fancy sub-brand for Bentley.

FEBRUARY 2024 13

PLANE T FAST BIKES – NEW METAL

, NEWS & REVIEW S

TT LIVE VIDEO PASSES ARE BACK ON SALE The Isle of Man TT+ live video pass is available to buy for 2024 too, with the price held to the same as last year – just £19.99 to watch the whole fortnight of action online, sitting on the sofa wearing your TT Arai helmet: https://ttplus. iomttraces.com/browse

NEW MICHELIN RUBBER TRIO FOR 2024

ARAI ISLE OF MAN TT REPLICA LID 2024 Frost’s on the ground, the nights are still longer than the days – but it’ll be TT time before ye know it!

Get in the mood by gazing at this, the 2024 limited-edition Arai TT replica lid, in all its glory. These have become proper collectors’ items now and usually sell out fast, so get in early if you want

one. Under the posh paint is the firm’s top-end RX-7V EVO race lid, with a sweet design by legendary Aldo Drudi featuring the Triskelion, the double TT logo, and Ellan Vannin – Manx for the Isle of Man. It’ll be available exclusively through www.thevisorshop.com from May, price to be confirmed.

Three sweet new fitments from Michelin. The Power GP2 is a new road-legal race tyre, developed with knowledge from MotoGP and the highest-performing treaded rubber it sells. Then there’s the Power 6, a sport-touring tyre with loads of wet grip. And then there’s the Anakee Road, a Tarmac-biased adventure touring tyre. They’re all set to be in shops from January.

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A TOP-OF-THE-RANGE CARDO SYSTEMS PACKTALK EDGE SINGLE The slimline, antenna-free unit can be fitted to any helmet using a new magnetic Air Mount for effortless and secure attachment. Featuring second-generation dynamic mesh communication (DMC) connectivity, up to 15 riders can connect and seamlessly join, leave, and rejoin at a distance of up to eight kilometres (five miles).

Other benefits include: an unparalleled deep wideband

sound quality; a simpler and faster grouping process in DMC mode; faster pairing in Bluetooth mode; and live intercom Bluetooth support.

Helping cement its ‘edge’ over its predecessors, the PACKTALK EDGE has enhanced sound thanks to redesigned JBL speakers and three new sound profiles, and it has an improved noise-cancelling microphone. It also houses the most advanced Bluetooth 5.2 chip on the market for universal connectivity. The upgraded ‘Natural Voice Operation’ engine also means that riders can continue to keep their eyes on the road, hands on the bars, and activate their device by simply saying, “Hey, Cardo.”

Other features include 13 hours of battery life, USB-C and fast charging as standard – a quick 20-minute charge gives two hours of ride time and 1.5-2

14 FEBRUARY 2024 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM

WORTH

£356

We’ve used it and we rate it!

hours offers a full charge.

Over-the-air software updates via the Cardo Connect App, meaning that no cables or Wi-Fi adapters are required to ensure the PACKTALK EDGE device is loaded with the latest firmware.

To enter this competition, head on over to www. fastbikesmag.com and click

on competitions under the extra tab. Competition closes 31/01/24. There are no cash alternatives available. The winner will be the first name drawn at random. Winner will be contacted via an official Mortons email. We never ask for bank details. Terms and conditions apply. To view the privacy policy of

MMG Ltd (publisher of FB), please visit www.mortons. co.uk/privacy

ALL THE LATEST, CO OL ES T & TRICK

ES T PERF ORMA NC E PRODUC TS

ALPINESTARS COROZAL V2 GLOVES Short winter gloves seem like a mad idea – but many riders really like them, especially on shorter rides. Having no massive cuff to finagle around your jacket sleeve often gives a comfier fit, and if you seal everything up carefully, there should be no draughts or leaks.

These Alpinestars Corozal gloves

have a Drystar breathable waterproof membrane, thermal lining, a leather/textile outer shell with goat skin palms, hard knuckle armour and easyfastening Velcro cuff strap.

Touchscreen-compatible fingertips and rubber reinforcement on thumb and palm round off the spec.

RRP: £99

www.alpinestars.com

OXFORD MERTON 2.0 BOOTS Oxford Products has upgraded its top-selling Merton casual riding boot for 2024, with comfier, softer leather and a longer zip for easier access.

It has a breathable waterproof leather upper and rubber sole, with PU armour in toe, heel and ankle, plus a reinforced sole shank. They have CE Level 1/2 approval – and they look pretty good on and off the bike. Available in black or brown, in euro sizes 40-47.

RRP: £129.99

www.oxfordproducts.com

LOUIS MOTO PROCHARGER JUMP STARTER Winter really stresses bike batteries – they have more drain on them from thick engine oil when starting, the chemistry that produces the volts is extra sluggish, and there’s additional current draw from heated clothing, grips, seats and so on, so the chance of needing a jump starter is high. Enter this

RRP: £52

www.louis-moto.co.uk

R&G PADDOCK STANDS Top British accessory firm R&G Racing has given its paddock stand range a fettle, with a new design and added fitting options.

The stands are powdercoated black, with new larger wheels for extra stability and easier rolling, plus a stiffer steel tube construction. There are two

RRP: from £69.99

Louis Moto Pro jump starter – a pocket-sized 10,000mAh lithium battery pack that can get a flat bike running quickly.

It doubles up as a handy USB power bank, and it has an emergency built-in torch as well. Ideal for sticking in a top box or under the seat if your bike battery is a little bit dodgy.

options for front stands: an under-fork model or a steering head stand for when you’re taking forks out. At the back there’s the choice of a conventional stand for dual-sided swingarms, and you can have a single-sided arm in either right or left-hand fitments. Got that? Good!

www.rg-racing.com

PRODUCTS

WUNDERLICH MARATHON R1250R WINDSCREEN The obvious downside of a naked bike is when you want to do the odd long journey, you have next to no wind or weather protection.

But this Wunderlich Marathon screen lets you add some protection quickly and easily, which you can remove just as quickly when not needed. You could do your short urban commute

all week, bolt the screen on with just four bolts, go touring all weekend, and whip it off again for Monday – or just fit it in the colder months.

This one is for the BMW R1250 R, but there’s a range of naked bike fitments, as well as larger replacements for bikes with screens as standard.

RRP: £179 (plus £139 for mount bracket on some models) www.nippynormans.com

Aerodynamics have taken over MotoGP bike design, and there’s been a few attempts at improving the aero design of helmets recently. This new Shark Aeron helmet is perhaps the most interesting yet. It features a radical new movable aerodynamic spoiler section called the Adaptive Aero System (A2S).

This patented set-up works by utilising moving flaps to channel the airflow and improve comfort. The mobile flaps on the side of the spoiler work to deflect the airflow and adapt to the rider’s hump. As a result, Shark claims that the new AERON GP reduces turbulence by 50% and drag by 5%.

Away from the fancy flaps is a new carbon/aramid shell design, 3D Morpho cheek pads for superb fit, emergency quickrelease system and all the other stuff you’d expect on a super-top-end race lid.

Available as Zarco and Fernandez replicas, plain carbon, or in red/blue or white colours.

GB RACING ENGINE COVERS FOR YAMAHA R3 GB Racing has overhauled its engine case protectors for the Yamaha R3 mini-

SHARK AERON GP HELMET

sportsbike, with a new water pump cover to suit 2023-on bikes, so the British firm now has FIM-approved engine protection covers to suit all R3s, from 2015 on.

There’s also a selection of other crash protectors: frame sliders, clutch and brake lever guards and a chain guard.

RRP: from £59.60

www.gbracing.eu

RRP: £TBC

www.shark-helmets.com

HIPLOK GROUND ANCHOR British firm Hiplok started out making super-strong locks for bicycles. With some pedal bikes costing upwards of £10k nowadays, its products have gradually got tougher and tougher – so much so that they are now on par with motorcycle locks in terms of performance. And now the company has launched a line of angle-grinder-resistant D-locks

and ground anchors designed for us lot. These use specially developed carbon composite/ ceramic materials and uber-tough steel, which means the scrotes need to use stacks of cutting discs, a few batteries, and a lot of time to cut through them. That earns the products a Sold Secure diamond rating.

This AX1000 ground anchor is made of this super material,

and is also a cunning design, with a rotating arm, eight-bolt base and locking button to adjust the angle of the arm. It lets you lock on to a frame, swingarm, wheel or other secure point with ease, and can attach to concrete or masonry floor or walls, inside or out. It also looks pretty good and seems like a high-quality unit all round.

RRP: £350

www.hiplok.com

KEIS J601RP ULTRAFLEX HEATED JACKET Heated clothing makes winter biking a cinch – and this new KEIS jacket is aimed at the most hardcore sub-zero riding fans. It’s a complete mid-layer heated jacket, with electric panels in the sleeves, chest and back areas for total warming performance. It’s rated

RRP: £220

for a hefty 65 watts of maximum heat output, which will keep you toasty in the most extreme conditions. KEIS uses a new UltraFlex material for the jacket, with micro-carbon heat elements and a stretch fabric shell that better

moulds to the body for a more even heat. There’s even a cosy heated collar section to keep draughts out of your neck. It comes with a free heavy-duty heat controller for a limited time, plus everything needed to wire it into your bike.

www.keisapparel.com

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FEATURE

S L A V RI

WORDS: TIMMY

PICS: CHAPPO

The mid-sized sportsbike sector has never felt hotter, but do you go all out for a big capacity twin or put your money where your revs are with an absolute screamer of a bike?

RACY RIVALS

A

dapt or die. It’s an adage that’s never been truer for motorcycle manufacturers than it is right now, prompting a load of big decisions when it comes to new model production. If you went back a decade or two, there seemed something of a steadfast formula for sportsbike owners, who typically kicked things off with a learner-legal 125 before stepping onto a 400, then a 600, and maybe even visited the 750 sector before hopping onto a litre bike. It made sense, it helped people progress, and it seemed set to stay that way forever – but time has shown us that’s not the case. Gone are the 750s, most of the 600s, and even the resurgent 400 sector has had a battering in recent years.

But with the aforementioned absentees, we’ve also witnessed new offerings hitting

the market. The most successful scene of all has to be the 700cc(ish) parallel twin market.

Every brand and their dog have wheeled one out, or so it seems, often boasting naked and sportsbike packages – such as the R7 in this feature – that burst into showrooms back in 2022, and has been doing decent ever since.

Kawasaki’s Ninja 650/Z650 models are also huge hitters, with many a Lightweight TT win to their name… which makes Kawasaki’s most recent decision to revive a 400cc in-line-four screamer to the market all the more brilliant. Quite simply, it didn’t need to, as it already had machines that covered the capacity/output pretty tastily. So why bother? Probably, it’s down to the demands of the emerging global markets that often have little interest in litre bikes but have an unparalleled craving for the smaller

stuff. For Kawasaki, the Ninja 400 makes perfect sense, and it does for us too, adding a much-needed stepping stone for riders as they ascend through the sizes.

Interestingly, unlike the R7, there’s not an A2 eligible option, despite the key similarities and fact the two bikes have proven different ways to go about nailing the same equation, with both it and the Yammy making roughly 75bhp, weighing in a little under 190 kilos, and both costing just shy of £9k. While I’m on one with my sayings, it seems apt to throw another one into the equation… there’s more than one way to skin a cat – or, in this case, there’s more than one way to make a racy middleweight. The question is, which is best? More cylinders/ revs or more capacity? There was only one way to find out…

FEBRUARY 2024 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM 19

FEATURE

RIVALS

KAWASAKI ZX-4RR

20 FEBRUARY 2024 WWW.FASTBIKESMAG.COM