Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR MotoGP

Literally a day after the last race, I am in Valencia, Spain, on the same asphalt where


Nicky Hayden became the new world champion and where is he big


Valentino Rossi missed the advantage on the sand, squeezing the gas pedal.


Kawasaki Ninja ZX-RR worth at least a million euros. Believe it is


a privilege only for the most eminent journalists from all over the world and


takšne ase, kot so legendarni Kevin Schwantz, Randy Mamola in Alex


Krivilli.

Looking at a piece of paper with a graph


my testing schedule got stuck for a moment


a lump in the throat. Me and all those names that I was a teenager


admired the races of the royal 500 cc class, and they all


journalists of the largest magazines in the world? !! Am I really worth it?


I confess, my stomach ached!

I write this to you so that you


it is easier to understand what I have experienced, and, last but not least, that we are now


Slovenes are richer. There is a lot out loud about what happened to me


or dreamed quietly for years, decades before me. Either the racers


such as Khabat, Pintar, Pavlich and German and all others who


I respect it immensely, as each of them in their history


amazing things (or, like Igor German, they still do today), or


news colleagues.

I won't waste words on how we are


managed to get an invitation to such a prestigious end of the racing season


2006. I'm just telling you so much that there are years of personal effort behind it,


with the help of our motorcycle pride enthusiasts,


company Akrapovič has become a reality. Yes, without them it would be difficult


carried out this project. That's why I'm at the Ricardo Tormo racetrack with a lot of


the happier you all bend the throttle to the end


I am telling this one-off story. Guys and gentlemen, this trip is only for


you!

Kawasaki MotoGP Team Leader, Former Harald Racer


Ackle, I was assigned a Ninjo ZX-RR number 17. This is a dirkalnik.


Frenchman Randy De Punier, no different from Nakan


almost nothing, since both riders ride very similarly


pointed motorcycle.

In a word, technology and safety


the meeting made it clear to all those present that it is unique


a motorcycle they only made with Nakan versions


six. “So if you break it you probably won't get it


New Year's cards from fellow journalists, therefore


drive with the utmost care and respect,” the spokesperson added.


for the media.

After an hour of waiting and watching the press


colleagues from the wall near the finish line - the moment of truth


irresistibly approaching. Slight discomfort when watching


The ninja came to the pits unharmed, he slowly disappeared and more and more.


it became clear to me that dreams were coming true. Ten minutes


I am ahead of my four laps under the leadership of the Kawasaki team.


waited, dressed in leather jumpsuit, with a tight-fitting helmet on his head


and became aware of the fact that he had just passed the “circle” in front of me


Kevin Schwantz!

Moments later, they walked out of the box.


they also seduced my beast. Mechanics filmed it regularly


tire warmers and warm up the engine to the desired operating temperature.


Frenchman Christophe, chief mechanic of Randy De Puniet, still me


last time he gave several instructions: “The first lap is not yet warm enough,


so be careful, in the second round be careful two turns to the right because


there are still no tires due to more left turns


they provide XNUMX% traction, so there is nothing to worry about.


The car is set up the same as yesterday in the race, so the motor


electronics and anti-lock braking system of the rear wheels ”.

Z


with some trepidation, I climbed onto a seat 850 millimeters high and took


steering wheel. The feeling is immediately at home, the ergonomics are the same


mostly from the racing superbikes that I have ridden so far.


Distance between high pedals, steering wheel and seat


was such that with my height of 180 centimeters I was not even for


the hippie did not escape the feeling of embarrassment. Randy's work environment


so thought out to the smallest detail and in such a way as to give him as much as possible


moves on a motorcycle while fighting the world elite.

Rezkana


the clutch lever is surprisingly soft, as if it were not


terribly hard work to tame those 240+ “horses” alone


throttle lever with slightly shorter travel than standard


motorcycles ride smoothly, with incredible precision on


full dose.

Starting in front of the box was so great


easier than I expected. Due to the very long first gear I made


otherwise I had a little help with the sliding clutch and a little more throttle than


ok, but as soon as Kawasaki came under me on


speed is higher than that of a pedestrian, there is no need for additional


attention to clutch dosage and engine speed.

Z


with a loud growl from Akrapovich's short haircut


exhaust pipes, ninja loudly responded to my first sharp turn


right wrist. From the line that marks the end of the boxes, I did it


quickly shifted to third gear very accurately


transmission and calm at a speed of just under 100 km


in an hour led to the first turn. From there I finally


for the first time raised the engine revs and accelerated more seriously. Maybe this


there was fourth or third gear, like then, but now I don't know


exactly, I just remembered that Kawasaki is up to the bend number


two, where Rossi fell the day before, accelerated with such


lightness and continuity that immediately filled me with abundance


zaupanja v motocikel.

Yes it meant something to me


the biggest surprise, later I was confirmed on each


gas addition. Kawasaki MotoGP race car is amazing


Undemanding and highly cultivated. Even when I go to him


the first round, and from the very entrance to the aiming plane,


fully enclosed for aerodynamic armor to the end of the tapered arm


throttle, the engine was towed at the most continuous engine power curve,


which I have ridden on any sports bike so far. V


including a two-cylinder like the Ducati 999.

With this


motornem znachayu during acceleration and the stillness of the motorcycle what


it deceives quickly because it moves much faster than it lets you know


feeling. So for the first time I let the engine "breathe" to the fullest.


"Lungs" are only at the target. Out of the corner of my eye on


"Locked" right wrist in the extreme position I s


boots, as quickly as possible, shifted the gear lever


down (racing bikes have the reverse sequence


overflow - the first up, the second down). Shortly before they dedicated


warning red LEDs indicating that they are motor


revs peaked, the ZX-RR climbed to the rear wheel, and then another


in the third quarter, present. Colo mountains, prestava dol, colo mountains,


downshift, bike up, downshift. In a word - crazy!

By


Boxing Kawasaki "flew", which I also could not understand


from what the mechanics wrote to me on the communication board


with the racer. But he was a racing car, despite the fact that he was riding on the rear wheel and


then the speed boldly approaches 300 km / h completely, but


Res look in half.

When the first bend approached, it was


the time has come for the first serious task on the 314mm brake disc from


oglikovye vlaken in a stiribatno radially displaced


jaw. The sensation when braking is, how to say, fantastic.


To reduce the speed does not require huge efforts, just pressing two


fingers and brake pads gently, but at the same time with maximum


dosing accuracy of braking power decisively "bites" v


carbon. For all that, Kawasaki remains calm, his fork barely visible.


they sit down and it's just a rough second gear


caused a slight wobble of the buttocks.

This technique


the masterpiece comes off on its own. No compulsion, no


no serious physical effort is required. Motorcycle for the most part


he himself performs tasks and it is up to me how he did it


shot until the next wrap. When producing gas after that


I watched the first plain after turning number one


also how hard it pulls at low revs when I was in gear


too high.

The engine is decisive and fast without a single


he also likes to turn pits too high during acceleration


revs, which means professional riders like Shinja


Nakano and Randy De Punier are less likely to reach for gear


gear shift lever. As I was later told in a conversation, this


every, even such an instant gear shift


a waste of time that needs to be compensated as much as possible. With a motor that loves


rotates, and with a correctly calculated gear ratio in


Thus, the cassette transmission can be significantly faster as it drives


softer, more fluid and therefore faster.

Dobrota


the engine hit me very well, especially in the inner part of the track, which


it is more intricate and technical. There's a combination of bends and short


the sportiest ninja in the world with amazing precision


it stays in the line I drew.

Because after the first and


in the second round, the initial tremor disappeared, it went faster and faster. With this


however my eyes widened more and more before each successive turn


distribute. I realized again how fast the motorcycle is, because each


more decisive throttle opening results in both above average


acceleration to make the next turn is suddenly closer than it appears


First glance. Only here is the biggest difference between real felt


as a MotoGP dirk in a production super sport bike.

Sam


he needed to do at least ten rounds to catch at least one such


the pace I kept it on this bike after just three laps.

In


just when i started to enjoy it, just when the trip was getting like


skiing on "carving" when you find the right line and pull


while you pull and gently connect the bends and flat parts of the caterpillar,


it was the end of the tale. Four rounds, so much that I did


warmed up a bit and mostly addicted to this bike.

Yes,


addiction, because this thing poisons you, eats away at your veins, blood, muscles,


the brain, the machine becomes one with the body, instead of thinking about itself


intuition, feeling and everything together borders on the subconscious


equalization.

After just four laps I wanted more and I was not ashamed


admit that before the last turn I had a very strong thought,


or should I make myself clueless and do another round. And wisdom


the mother of caution (when something is least needed, something goes wrong) and


she convinced my hands that I had sent the green masterpiece into the pits.

Ko


engine speed dropped, I was sorry. I felt miserable, just


one more round, why didn’t I take this unique opportunity! Felt


I was like a drug addict. Look at the men in green who


they waited for me with a smile in a drawer, he sobered me out of delirium.


“Pero, you did the right thing, others should come,” she said.


first sober thought.

I rested so much, sweated a little


stopped the green "car" and was infinitely grateful for it


unforgettable experience. What adrenaline flowed through my veins


but I only really found out when I looked at my palms. They were shaking!

Po


on the one hand, I was immensely happy that they did it for me,


without mistakes and falls, but on the other hand it is so sad.

P.


S.: During a nap on the plane and the next three nights I dreamed


this motorcycle and rides it, which will tell you how


this experience was special.

Cardiac telemetry

Only


out of my own curiosity about how to ride a MotoGP motorcycle


stress to the body, I measured the heart rate while driving. Half an hour


before the start, the sensor on the chest measured the pulse from 67 to 80


Beats per minute. Shortly before I got into the race car there was a pulse


increased to 109 beats per minute. Later, however, after


in the last 15 minutes the highest value was reached 168


beats per minute, and the full value was 143 beats


hearts per minute.

Considering the fact that according to your physical


willingness, and for many years I have been one of the amateur athletes who play sports


engage exclusively as amateurs, and after four rounds


I didn't feel tired, I think it's such a high frequency


before all, the follower of psychienic burdens. To je le dokaz vee,


what a top-end racing car needs for a good result


the best athlete. Ee must as dirkaei in MotoGP must


drive the entire race (about 45 minutes) the body will be exhausted


to the last atom of moei. Measured with srena monitor


frequency Polar F6.

Technical information

engine:


in-line, four-cylinder, four-stroke, double camshaft in the head,


four valves per cylinder, 990 cm3, electronic fuel injection, Read more


like 240 'horses'

End speed: over 320 km / h depending on transmission and track

Energy transfer: six-speed, cassette transmission, dry multi-plate clutch, chain

Frame: double aluminum

Suspension: sale of villas in USD, single bliss entry (both Öhlins brands), hydropower feed

Aerodynamic armor, carbon fiber superstructure

Bicycles: front and rear 16”

brakes:


front 2x carbon coils with a diameter of 314 mm, double


radial four-joint jaw (monoblock) Brembo, rear 1x steel,


cooled disc with a diameter of 203 mm single-piston brake caliper

Wheelbase: Adjustable

Combined length: 2.090 mm

Ancestor-like head frame: Nicely

Seat height from ground: 850 mm

Dry weight: 145 kg

Fuel tank capacity: 22

Petr Kavchich