It has been 30 years since Kawasaki launched the 1984 Ninja 900 which started the superbike revolution across the globe. To celebrate this wonderful occasion, the Japanese company has launched the 2015 Ninja ZX-14R 30th Anniversary Limited Edition. Only 300 numbered units of this particular edition will be manufactured. The limited edition models will come in the exact same shade of Firecracker Red and Metallic Graystone that was featured on the Ninja 900. Kawasaki has also retained the classy gold pinstripes on the bike. Both sides of the fairing will get 30th Anniversary logos and the fuel tank will carry a numbered badge.
No mechanical changes have been made to the ZX-14R and it comes powered by a 1441cc inline-four engine. This is claimed to be the most powerful superbike engine produced by Kawasaki. Since such a powerful engine would heat up more, Kawasaki has provided a piston jet system that sprays cooling lubricant to the underside of each piston. The limited edition comes with ABS as standard as this feature can be a great boon in tricky riding conditions. The ZX-14R also comes with a KTRC traction control system with three different modes.
The Kawasaki ZX-14R comes with a high-flow exhaust system where airflow is directed into the exhaust by large air ports on the cylinder head and head cover. The bike comes with a centrally-mounted ram air duct which directs high-pressure air from the front face of the fairing to the engine to help generate maximum possible power output. The ZX-14R has DFI (Digital Fuel Injection) technology and dual-mode digital ignition technology. Here, a rider can select from two available maps – the first map is tuned to give out full power while the second map generates 75% of the power output.
Some other features of the Kawasaki ZX-14R are back-torque limiting ‘slipper’ clutch, monocoque aluminium frame and adjustable suspension. The only change that the limited edition gets apart from the paintjob is a redesigned cockpit. Most of the limited edition units will be sold in US and Latin America while 30 units will be available for sale in Canada. Chances of the bike coming to India are almost NIL, but since it is available as a CBU in India, we would just remain optimistic and hope for one unit to land here so that we could feast our eyes on it.
