Chris Vermeulen has undergone a second corrective surgery on his injured knee that he picked up during the opening round at Phillip Island and that was further damaged after his crash in race 1 at Brno.

The Australian will be missing the remainder of season and will have to go through a long rehabilitation period and hopes to return in time to begin his side of the development of the new Kawasaki ZX-10R in early December.

Watch the video and find out directly from Chris about the length of the operation, what type of damage they found and how long his recovery and rehabilitation period will be.

Kawasaki’s test rider Akira Yanagawa will be replacing Vermeulen in this weekend’s round of the World Superbike Championship at Silverstone.

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More pics from the final day of testing at Suzuka that saw former Kawasaki World Superbike race winner Akira Yanagawa on the new ZX-10R. The 2011 Ninja is rumored to have a 190hp new engine, but the full fairing hid most of the engine in the official photos.

Continue reading: More Images from the Kawasaki ZX-10R Suzuka Test

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Kawasaki has released more images of their new Superbike in it’s race trim at the Suzuka circuit in Japan where the team is doing some important testing on their ZX-10R. The test was cut short due to rain so Hidemichi Takahashi could only do 2 or 3 useful laps.

Tomorrow’s test will see Akira Yanagawa try the new Ninja and if you want to hear the bike just hit the jump.

More details when we get them.

Continue reading: More Images of the 2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R from Suzuka

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After the sketch and the teaser video Kawasaki has now released this first studio photo of their brand new 2011 ZX-10R. The new Superbike Ninja will be testing at the Suzuka race track today and tomorrow, so we expect more videos and further details coming from the Japanese manufacturer.

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Kawasaki is driving sales on the European market by offering some models with dedicated accessories as series editions over the summer. The ZX-10R and ZX-6R get “Performance Edition” versions for even more sports power. The ZX-10R has an Akrapovic exhaust, double bubble front shield, mini front indicators and knee protection around the tank. It gains 5hp extra, while the ZX-6R gets an extra 3 hp with the same accessories kit. The ZX-6R costs about an extra 1,000 euros with this set-up, while the ZX-10R is sold at the same price as the standard version.

The Kawasaki ZZR1400 sports touring model gets a Sport Edition kit with an Akrapovic 4-in-2 carbon exhaust which saves 6.5 kg on the bike. An increase of 5 hp is achieved and the ZZR1400 also gets the Double Bubble front. It’s on sale for an extra 1,600 euros. Meanwhile best sellers in Europe, the Z1000 and the Z750, get Sport Urban versions for city riding. Missing the Akrapovic exhaust of the other models, they get tinted wheels, aerodynamic features and fuel tank protection for 200 euros on the 750 and 480 euros on the 1000.

The 1400GTR also gets a “Grand Tour” kit for more sales appeal with a top case, GPS support, bag protection, soft internal bags and some added fuel tank protection, too. It’s sold with an additional price tag of about 420 euros. These lower prices for what are generally optional extras are not a bad strategy for sales this year. Additional incentives for motorcycle purchases are uncertain in Europe in 2010, and Kawasaki is doing something that could give its models added appeal.

Kawasaki 2010 special editions

Continue reading: Special edition Kawasaki for Europe: ZX-10R, Z1000 and more

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The Kawasaki ZX-10R rendering above shows one interpretation of the 2011 ZX-10R design. The new model is set to present a revolutionary design, according to Kawasaki, and will be closer to the Z1000 that we’ve already seen.

The rendering comes from Moto Revue and shows a combination of curves and angles, creating a single line from fairing through to tank, elements more consistent with a naked than a supersports bike, and a high tail that’s quite similar to the KTM RC8, that balances the muscly and heavy-looking front.

An aerodynamic feature covers the front fork, as well as the overall frame which remains mostly hidden. It’s a couragious and interesting design that might not please everyone, but while waiting for the new model to be presented, we’re happy to see the various photo shop designs produced.

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The guys at MCN put the BMW S1000RR to the test, against the new 2010 Fireblade, the Kawasaki ZX-10R, the Suzuki GSX-R1000 and most importantly the Yamaha R1. If you’re a die-hard fan, you’d probably be more interested in an R1 vs S1000RR test, but this is a valid overall review.

There’s no Ducati or Aprilia in the test, so we take it that BMW is representing the European offering among the superbike sector (maybe the guys at MCN took the BMW S1000RR marketing campaign seriously). In some ways, despite the “first attempt” at a BMW sports bike, we’re not surprised by the offering from what is a premium brand.

It will be difficult for BMW to conquer some of the more dedicated fans of the Japanese superbikes, and will probably be taken up first by those who were waiting for another European superbike offering with a focus on sophistication at a premium price. The only controversy is that you’ll be turning the BMW electronics off, or buying one without, as it seems the S1000RR is almost too much the whole package for serious, experienced riders. See the video test from MCN after the jump.

Continue reading: BMW S1000RR vs the rest: 2010 sports bike of the year

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The Asphaltfigters Stormbringer is based on the Kawasaki ZX-10R has has 280 hp, tipped as the world’s fastest road-spec bike. The engine is still the same 999 cc with 165 hp, but the tuning has totally revamped the power to 220 hp. The 280 hp is achieved by activating the “booster mode” for a few seconds.

The Stormbringer reaches 100 km/hr in just 2.9 seconds, while the top speed is 320 km/hr (that would totally scare the life out of me, I’m absolutely sure of it). The bike can reach 200 km/hr in 6.5 seconds and 300 km/hr in 13.9. The ironic thing is that the bike is fitted with Bikerbox electronics and a speed limiter for when you just happen to be toddling about town.

Apart from the speed mania of this bike, the Stormbringer has tailored suspension, unique bodywork with fins to aid stability, head-up display and even a rear camera view projected to a display on the fuel tank. Frankly, at speeds like that, I would be looking straight ahead!

Continue reading: World's fastest street bike: Asphaltfighters Stormbringer

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Here’s the video for the 2010 Kawasaki ZX-10R. Once a Ninja, always a Ninja, we say, as the new model gets a few updates but nothing that changes it too much from Kawasaki’s highly popular and successful sport bike. The 2010 ZX-10R has new transmission and steering damper, and a slightly modified look that is slimmer and more compact. Check out all the changes in the video.

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Tom Sykes has confirmed that he’ll be riding for the Kawasaki World Superbike team next year and will partner Chris Vermeulen in the all new 2010 team line up.

The British rider who’s currently 8th in the standings, has had a lacklustre season with the factory Yamaha, if compared to his team mate, rookie sensation Ben Spies, who’ll be fighting for the World Superbike championship title this Sunday at Portimao against Noriyuki Haga.

Sykes, who lost his factory Yamaha ride to Cal Crutchlow who’ll be moving up to the superbike series and James Toseland who be switching back to WSBK after two years in MotoGP.

The soon to be Kawasaki rider will get his first taste of ZX-10R next Tuesday and Wednesday in the official post race tests at the Portimao circuit.

The now ousted riders Broc Parkes and Makoto Tamada have yet to reveal where they’ll be heading in 2010.

Source | mcn

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After the news on Twowheelsblog about WSB 2009 riders and team line up, we can bring you the first changes. The Kawasaki PSG1 Team from San Marino have renewed their website, showing Ayrton Badovini as a rider for the Kawasaki ZX-10R bike with new blue and white livery. It seems that PSG1 team, created in 2003 by Pierguido Pagani will race with Kawasaki again but not as factory team. It was previously believed that the team would ride Ducati in 2009. The teammate for Ayrton Badovini hasn’t been decided yet. Ayrton rode in World Superbike 2008 for Team Pedercini with Kawasaki and finished 24th.

Source | PSG1

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Kawasaki Motors Europe has announced that the Paul Bird Motorsport Team will be the official 2009 World Superbike Team. Makoto Tamada and Broc Parkes will ride the World Superbike Kawasaki ZX-10R.

Steve Guttridge, Kawasaki’s European Race Planning Manager, said: “We had many proposals from teams who wanted to run our official effort next year, which underlines our strong belief in our brand, and fills us with confidence that the Ninja ZX-10R has the ability to compete at the front of the pack once again. PBM was chosen to represent us officially because Paul Bird has proven that by putting together a knowledgeable and closely-knit crew, great results can be achieved by working together in a structured way.”

For PBM Team Owner, Paul Bird this is a fantastic opportunity to be recognised as an official team. The team is ultra-motivated by this new direction!

Source | kawasaki-racing

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