KAWASAKI ZX-6R (2013 - 2016) Review

Ride quality and brakes have been excellent straight out of the crate. I don't carry a pillion so have not needed to adjust the suspension.

Once you get it over 8000 rpm it's mega but can't quit match mates daytona 675 triple on initial acceleration.

The bike is solid, never let me down and nothing has failed or broken. If I did have one gripe it would be the thin paint on the petrol tank. Nothing like the thickness on my old 2006 c6f I owned.

Really good on fuel about 150 miles to a tankfull on average. Servicing ok and michelin pilot power tyres last well.

Mine is the non abs version so in today's standards it's basic but that's fine by me you get a good feel of how it's behaving. Standard Bridgestones were rubbish once temperature dropped in them. Accessories wise tailtidy, levers,bobbins all evotech.

The brakes required uprating for sustained track work. HEL brake lines replaced standard hose and EBC GPFAX pads provide excellent fade resistance with good initial bite. No appreciable increase in disc wear. Discs inspected after track day and brake fluid changed every six months. The riding position as standard is pretty good for track use, adding adjustable Gilles rear sets improves ground clearance but the Gilles VCR rear sets are not in my experience particularly robust even in low speed spill with a typical repair/replacement cost of £200. Standard clip-ons are set at a natural position but are an inherently weak design with poor crash resistance. I designed a replacement set for myself from superior material with similar dimensions and they are much more robust. The standard suspension was quickly replaced with after market items as the factory stuff, particularly the front forks was of poor quality. An Ohlins GP TTX rear shock with a sping rate suited to my weight was fitted, once comp & rebound were dialled in the rear tyre wear was very even and my confidence improved enormously. Likewise, once the front forks were sorted with appropriate springs and a Race Tech Gold Valve & shim stack (took a little trial and error to refine) were fitted the whole front end feel improved greatly. The standard front fork on this model are poor.

The 636 is very strong for a bored out 600, very smooth and never feels strained when revved. Naturally the fueling required adjustment with the race system and race air filter fitted but now the set up is near perfect.

The bike has been 100% reliable. The bike was run-in for the first 1000km is a steady, sensible and progressive manner with an oil & filter change at 500km then again at 1000km but with fully synthetic oil. The bike is used solely as a track bike and the oil & filter are changed after each track day. The bike has 1750km on it now and feels very strong. Paint has not rubbed or chipped off on either the frame or swingarm even after a couple of minor spills on the track - R&G crash protection fitted. Gear change is very crisp and smooth. Never missed a gear. Clutch action OK too. Electrics seem well insulated and well protected.

I use putoline fully synthetic oil, kawasaki oil filter and a K&N race only air filter. With an Akrapovic full system and race air filter the bike is mapped to suit. I typically run Super Corsa SC1 (front) and SC2 (rear) which, with the suspension dialled in, wear evenly and progressively. There seem to suit the bike well. As expected it does not chew tyres.

Other than the poor standard suspension the overall level of equipment for a bike of this class is very good - ABS, power modes and traction control modes.

More of a Super Sport position to be uncomfortable so sometimes wishes it has a cruise control option. But that's just nit picking.

Very fun after 6k RPM. The sound is amazing!

Very solid bike. Plastic fairings can be broken easily though so be careful while doing self-maintenance.

NEEDS a Steering Damper BADLY and I can sometimes use cruise control. Also wish it comes with the flashier and more usable Brembos but the Nissin ones are no means bad.

Great brakes. Wavey discs as standard. As for the ride experience, just awesome. The geometry of the bike encourages the rider to be more dynamic, this isn't a bike where you just sit there, you're encouraged to proactively take charge. The rewards are fantastic. Cornering is so much fun. Big smiles all round.

Powerful, smooth delivery and great throttle response. If you want to go fast, hold on to your hat, slowing for the villages at 30MPH, it's completely docile.

No issues. I used to be Honda through and through. You wont be disappointed with Kawasaki.

Fuel £11 per 100 miles of twisties. This bike comes with quality Bridgestone hyper sport tyres. These are not cheap but together with the Big Piston Forks etc, must surely be responsible for the bikes planted feel and precise cornering.

2 Power modes and KTC, the default is full power and traction control 2. That's how I ride it. Akrapovic exhaust on the performance model. sounds great!

Nissin brakes and the standard wavey disks are amazing on these things. This is my 2nd Kawasaki Ninja and the braking is something that gives you massive amounts of confidence. Late braking is no problem and the bike stills feels well settled. Ride for a good 3 hours without a break. It's ride position is somewhere in between a track and road bike. I ride for 2 hours per day without issues.

Strong engine. Massive amounts of grunt in every rev range. The fun starts around 4000 RPM+++ and keeps going. There's no real 'surge' of power though at any rev range. It's consistant throughout the rev range and performs like an animal.

So far so good. No issues, everything working as it should and no signs of wear despite the 3k miles I've put on it so far. Although I am a bit of a stickler for post ride washing and lubing.....

Cheap enough - not over the top. However, you can have Kawasaki perform the annual service with a service in between yourself if you are handy with a spanner. I prefer to service the bike every 1500 miles.

Kawasaki Traction Control - awesome for added confidence. Oddly there are no hazzard lights which I found a bit strange for a 2013 bike..... I haven't used the power modes as I think these might only be useful in the wet whilst riding on barley legal road tyres such as Pirelli SuperCorsa SP's. I'm still on the OEM hoops which are performing well so no desire to spend £300 on new rubber yet.