KAWASAKI ZX-6R (2009 - 2012) Review

Version: R9F

Year: 2009

Annual servicing cost: £100

Bought it in 2013, still owning it today. For a sunny Sunday morning scratch it’s absolutely superb. The engine loves revs and there’s plenty of power and excitement. It’s been great on a couple of track days too. If you want a relaxing ride 2-up touring through villages and towns then I suggest you look elsewhere, or have a second bike in your garage ;-)

Buying experience: Great. Bought for £4K in 2013 from an independent dealer (bike worth more than that today after 10 years of riding!).

Year: 2010

Annual servicing cost: £268

Really excellent handling machine, with plenty of capability on track, bit frantic at times on the road

Buying experience: I bought second hand from a used dealer down south, buying experience was poor, it had a warped disc which I replaced I paid 4200 in 2018 with about 8,000 miles on the bike

Version: P8F

Year: 2009

In the past i have had J1/J2 and A1P 636 Present bike is a ZX6R G2 with a A1P 636 engine fitted with dyno jet kit ,Kand N , ignition advancer and remus race can . I have never ridden a P8F before until i drove mine home First of all theres not much Torque down low which surprised me . Like the brakes and riding position not too extreme and the front end. Its very high geared in first gear So on the way to work the next day on a clear road i opened it up in first gear . When it gets to 10k it takes off and the sound of the induction howl is immense . Its like the engine is saying i can take give me more . Fuel injection is spot on . This is more of a track bike than my old G2 but i commute into London without any problems Apparently its lighter than my G2 and feels so ,The bike is so much fun and i love it One week since buying it i have not even redlined it yet

Buying experience: Bought privately

Year: 2012

Throw a power commander, on it to clean up the throttle with a high flow filter and exhaust. The bike is a absolute riot. 636 wont have a chance.

Buying experience: Ive ran all the brands in the 600 class and this is by far my favorite.

I have a 2011, which I bought used last year. After 6 track days (B-grp pace) and 3500 miles or so on the road last year, it was time to assess and make a couple of changes. The shock seems a weak point, and I spent a lot of time dialing it in, but without success -- it would fade, and the compression damping (in particular) was poor. New shock (JRi) installed this Spring. Huge difference - among the changes was adding a little ride height, which enhanced stability and feel. Brakes are great, forks are great - no changes. Double-bubble screen - good change. Found a used Akra full-Ti system with PC-V. Wow....motor was never weak, but now if properly revved will pull pretty evenly with a stock GSX-R750 on the track...only loses a tiny bit on top, and is loads smoother after the re-mapping. This is a proper sports road & track machine, and she'll be kept around for a while. Highly recommended - and getting the suspension dialed makes it a truly willing accomplice....

Bought it after arriving back in the UK 20 months ago after having a er6f in Australia.Set my heart on a 07 cbr 600,but stumbled on a zx6r 09 at millenium in warrington for the same price as a 07 cbr.After riding on boring Australian roads the ZX is a revelation still to find its limits.Good seating position for a sports,powerfull engine,brilliant brakes,the engine revs like a prostituite begging to be abused more,the brakes wipe off speed with no dive,the slipper clutch lets you knock it down gear like kicking a politician on the head repeatedly.Bad thing lost a bit of paint on the mirror stems,but did take it on the motorway with salt on the road one day,the paint hasnt got any worse though.In genneral a good fast bike which will be in front on a sunday thrash,never regretted not buying the cbr,as this one howls like a virgin on wedding night.

Bought a new 2010 model as a step up after 4 years with my first bike - an SV650S. Thought I was going to go for a more sensible upright position (ER6) but turns out I actually prefer a sportier riding position. I did have reservations about buying a 'proper sportsbike' for 250 miles a week commuting (half of it in London traffic). But my worries disappeared in the first few days. It's comfortable (max ride has been 1.5 hours so far), gives me better wind protection on the motorway, brakes are brilliant, and I've found I can actually manoeuvre at slow speeds better than on my old bike. (Seems that I've still got my feet firmly on the pegs filtering through stationary traffic when the scooter riders are dragging their feet along the ground.) Absolutely fine in the rain, my other worry that the throttle would be too ‘twitchy’ for commuting was completely wrong too. I can’t compare to other 4 cylinder supersport bikes as I haven’t ridden any, but to me the performance is brilliant. When I find that rare bit of open road it actually recaptures the buzz I felt when I first passed my test. The same goes for handling – I’m not saying I’m fast around the bends but I’m definitely leaning over further than I ever did on my SV and it feels rock solid and capable of a hell of a lot more than I am. My only negative is that the mirrors are not as good as my K2 SV650S, but I’ve yet to find any other bike with mirrors that are. This makes me more vigilant about life-savers anyway so not all bad. My recommendation – buy one!

I would say this is the best 600 I have ever had and probably the best around at the moment (2011). Fairly comfy allrounder takes a while to get used to. Engine sounds and goes like crazy. A mad machine.

Had mine a year now, and still love it. Can do it all, and is still pretty comfy. No faults at all.

Forgot to say that despite smaller turning circle than my er6 it's as docile and as practical for commuting.And then as bastard mad as you want the rest of the time. Will know how good the finish is after it's first winter!

Forgot to say that despite smaller turning circle than my er6 it's as docile and as practical for commuting.And then as bastard mad as you want the rest of the time. Will know how good the finish is after it's first winter!

This is my second bike after an er6n which i loved. It is the natural progression i wanted. I can only review this bike in isolation as haven't ridden any other sports 600s. I got the black. I like the angular look and back to back with the previous model it looks more modern. The induction roar(?) is addictive and so whatever bike i get next has to sound as good. The forks are as everyone raves. Pull hard on the brakes and very little dip which i like. Comfort and economy are not fantastic but that's what i expected and i didn't buy this bike for that. Acceleration is awesome. Exhaust is a bit fugly but i guess Kawa assumes most people will change the exhaust? Price was £6900 for this years plate ('10) and 0% finance - rude not to.

the bike rules at 600cc