Kawasaki Tomcat ZX-10

Ninja ZX-10

Manufacturer	Kawasaki Heavy Industries Motorcycle & Engine
Also called	ZX-10 Tomcat
Parent company	Kawasaki Heavy Industries
Production	1988–1990
Predecessor	GPZ1000RX
Successor	Ninja ZX-11
Class	Sportbike
Engine	997 cc (60.8 cu in), 16-valve DOHC inline-4 36 mm semi-downdraft CV carburetors
Bore / stroke	74 mm × 58 mm (2.9 in × 2.3 in)
Compression ratio	11.0:1
Top speed	269 km/h (167 mph)[1]
Power	101 kW (135 hp) @ 10,000 rpm (claimed)[1]
Torque	75 lb·ft (102 N·m) @ 9,000 rpm (claimed)[1]
Frame type	Aluminum perimeter
Brakes	Twin-piston radial
Tires	Front: 17" Rear: 18"
Rake, trail	26.5°, 99 mm (3.9 in)
Wheelbase	1,490 mm (58.7 in)
Dimensions	H: 790 mm (31 in)
Weight	245 kg (541 lb)[2] (dry)
Fuel capacity	21 l; 4.6 imp gal (5.5 US gal)
Fuel consumption	42 mpg-US (5.6 L/100 km; 50 mpg-imp)[1]

The Ninja ZX-10 (also called ZX-10 "Tomcat") was a sport motorcycle manufactured by Kawasaki Motorcycles between 1988 and 1990,^[3] part of the Kawasaki Ninja line. With a top speed of 165 miles per hour (266 km/h), it was the fastest production motorcycle in 1988.^[4]

Design

The ZX-10 replaced the GPZ1000RX as the flagship sportbike from Kawasaki.^[5]

The engine was designed after its predecessor's, with the same displacement but 36 mm semi-downdraft CV carburetors and a narrower valve angle. Engine internals were altered: Compression ratio was raised to 11.0:1; lighter pistons and bigger valves were used.^[5]

It had Kawasaki's first aluminum perimeter frame, a design which has since become standard.^[2]

Aerodynamics were claimed to be better than the outgoing model's.^[5]

See also

• Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, a Ninja sportbike produced starting in 2004

References

1. "Superbike Comparison Test", Cycle World (Newport Beach, California: Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S.), September 1988, pp. 27–41, ISSN 0011-4286
2. John Burns (December 14, 2013), "30 Years of Ninjas: 1984 GPZ900 Ninja to 1990 ZX-11!", Cycle World
3. ZX-10 1000 TOMCAT 1990 (in French), motoplanete.com, October 26, 2010
4. John Burns (April 2, 2012), "Fifty years of "Do you have any idea how fast you were going?": A brief history of Ludicrous Speed", Cycle World
5. Rupert Paul (February 1988), "ART ATTACK - first run on Kawasaki's ZX-10", Performance Bikes

External links

• Media related to Kawasaki ZX-10 at Wikimedia Commons