The MCN Test: Pocket Rockets - ZX-4RR vs ZXR400

Legendary: that is one way to describe Kawasaki’s mighty ZXR400. A true 90s gem that was as explosively exciting as it was agile, powered by a ballistic little screaming, inline four.

Not only were they good for over 130mph, but they chewed up apexes with blistering precision and were
built to outperform just about anything when it came to a serious set of corners.

And more than two decades later, they still look gorgeous whether they’re blasting down the road or rolling out of pitlane on a trackday… where they’re still a pain for litre sportsbikes to deal with.

And now? Well, there’s a resurrection of the sort of performance that made the ZXR400 so legendary and impressive in the 90s.

The ZX-4RR packs a serious punch, with a redline of 16,000rpm and a whopping 75bhp on tap, meaning that on paper at least it has the upper hand in terms of pubbragging rights, unlike so much of the sub-600cc machinery that has been released in the last ten years.

And, of course, it comes with three-stage traction control, ABS, an up/down quickshifter and four rider modes, all fed through a colour TFT dash that allows for smartphone connectivity.

So how does it stack up against the original GOAT of the pocket rockets, and what does over 20 years of engineering development bring to the table?