Kawasaki’s brand-new 1400 GTR has arrived, and the bike’s as good as they get. Despite weighing in at a hefty 279kg dry — that’s 64 more than the ZX14 on which it is based — Team Green’s transcontinental hypercruiser feels surprisingly nimble once you’ve reached lift-off speed and retracted your undercarriage.
Although the wheelbase has been extended to a lengthy 1Â 520mm to help with straight-line stability, the big bike’s steering’s still quick enough to allow you to ride it with vigour through the twisty bits. And there’s a whopping 150bhp at your beck and call every time you twist your wrist, despite the four-cylinder DOHC engine having forfeited almost 40 horsepower (30kW) in the interests of user friendliness. That’s more than enough to leave just about every car and most motorcycles bobbing in your wake at anything up to 260km/h or so.
Kawasaki used its potent ZX14’s engine as the basis for the new tourer, but fettled it significantly to make it more suitable for its new role. The GTR has variable valve timing (a first in the class) to widen the spread of torque, and although its 139Nm of grunt is 15Nm less than that of the ZX14, it peaks at 6Â 200rpm rather than the heady 7Â 500rpm of the sportier machine. Power too has been reduced, from 141,7kW to 115kW, but it arrives 700rpm before the 9Â 500rpm maximum of the ZX14.
Internal gear ratios have been revised, and the GTR’s top gear is an overdrive, with the dashboard gear indicator reflecting it as “OD” rather than sixth. Kawasaki’s done a pretty good job with this, because the gap between fifth and top gear isn’t that big that you’re forced to spend riding time hunting between the two ratios for a suitable engine speed.
The newest Kawasaki comes with just about everything the die-hard touring rider could wish for, except heated handgrips, and aftermarket versions are available from accessory dealers all over the country. For those who want dinkum Kawasaki items, the importers tell us they’ll be available as an option in 2008.
What do arrive as standard are an electrically adjustable windscreen and an onboard computer that shows tyre pressures (front and rear), average and constant fuel consumption, and remaining fuel range. There’s also a pair of luggage panniers, each big enough for a full-face helmet, and a keyless security system called Kipass (Kawasaki Intelligent Proximity Activation Start System). This allows the rider to retain the key in a pocket, and as long as he’s within a metre or so of the bike he’ll be able to start it.
The bike also comes with ABS brakes front and rear — thankfully not linked — and a shaft drive that thinks it’s a chain. Kawasaki’s developed a rear suspension system called Tetra Lever with dual parallel arms on each side that hold the driveshaft level and prevent the pogo effect so often found under hard acceleration on shaft-driven motorcycles. During the 300km launch ride through KwaZulu-Natal I clean forgot to take note of how effective the system was because I never felt it working. That counts in the bike’s favour in my eyes, because I didn’t feel any rising and dropping of the suspension either.
The GTR, unusually for a dedicated tourer, also comes standard with a feature until now only found on the sharpest of track tools — a slipper clutch to prevent rear-wheel chatter when you bang down through the gears and brake hard during aggressive riding. This too proved to be unobtrusive, like the ABS and the Tetra Lever — they only time you’ll realise they’re there is if they stop working.
Compared with the mighty ZX14, the GTR is handlebars are 96mm further back and 100mm higher, while the seat has been raised by 15mm for a more relaxed riding position. The fairing’s leg-shields can be removed to allow warm air from the engine and radiator to flow over the legs — handy in winter.
We rode the launch bikes from East Coast Kawasaki, the new Kawasaki dealership at Gateway, down to Kingsburgh and the thence inland to Byrne Valley via Umbumbulu. After a splendid lunch at The Oaks we headed back to the Assagay Hotel, giving us almost 300km of very varied conditions, ranging from potholed back roads strewn with sugar cane and goats to the long, sweeping bends between Richmond and Pietermaritzburg. The big Kawasaki excelled everywhere.
Because of its weight it’s not the most fun bike around town for the short-of-leg at first, but everywhere else it’s simply the King. For R129Â 995, complete with a two-year unlimited-distance warranty, it’s a very hard act to follow.