First impression: smart suspension on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R SE

I have already learned that electronically adjustable suspension is a very useful thing on touring bikes - almost all new BMWs have it, Ducati 1200 Multistrada, Triumph Tiger 1200 Explorer… These bikes often use different settings depending on the load; when a passenger is in the back seat, or when you want a more comfortable or sporty ride. Namely: how many times have you knelt in front of a motorcycle with a screwdriver in your hand and adjusted the suspension before riding on the road? I confess never. How many times have I changed settings when it was possible with the push of a button? Almost every time.

So it didn't take long for me to welcome a novelty on a road rocket like the Ten equipped with Showa-brand electronically adjustable suspension (interestingly, the only steering damper is Öhlins). First, with the setting up of the road program, we drove on a road in the south of Spain, so beautiful and fast, as if we were driving from Logatz to Idrija. Then we drove another section with the settings of the race (track) - and in an instant found that the road is not as perfect as it seemed. Suddenly you felt every hump (ic) o and the ride became less comfortable and therefore slower.

Then on the agenda was the Almeria circuit, from which we started in the road program. After the first 20-minute test, I was not sure if the suspension floats too much when accelerating, or is the rear wheel loose a little? Then we changed the setting to “track,” and the bike became as steady as a train, calm both when accelerating and when braking; In short, if the boxing mechanic was to blame for these settings, I would promise him a drink on Dedi.

More details on what and how smart electronics are tuned and why real racers won't interfere with this particular version (SE) follows. Only this way: for Ninja in the SE implementation it will be necessary to subtract in Slovenia 23.485 eurothat's almost 1.500 more than the (almost) racing Ninja ZX-10RR Performance, and almost 10 more than the base version of the ZX-XNUMXR.