The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-9R is a motorcycle in the Ninja sport bike series from Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki, produced from 1994 until 2003. There were five model incarnations across two basic designs.
In Kawasaki's chronology the 9Rs connect to the ZX900 (Ninja, which in many markets was sold as GPZ900R) as the type number corresponding to frame numbers was ZX900A, ZX900B and ZX900C. This definition is practical to note as the last version of the B-model is disguised as a C-model (caused by a change in outer design which the oncoming C-model inherited).
Introduction
Kawasaki developed the model in response to Honda's introduction of the CBR900RR Fireblade for the 1992 model year, ten years after the first 900cc Ninja. By 1992 there were no bikes in the 900cc class until Honda introduced the Fireblade, and following Honda, Kawasaki introduced the ZX-9R at the Paris Motor Show in September of 1992. Though based on the ZX-7, when development of the ZX-9R was done, only the swing arm of the original was left. The engine also was developed from that of the ZX-7, but the two engines shared only a few parts.
The Fireblade packaged a 900 cc engine into a 750 cc sport bike chassis. It combined big-bore power with sport bike handling, but, crucially, it also pioneered meticulous attention to weight-saving design. The Fireblade not only outpowered the 750's, it was also significantly lighter. This was the detail overlooked or underappreciated by Kawasaki when they set out to build their Fireblade-beater. In building the first ZX-9R, Kawasaki combined their class-leading big-bore, the ZZR1100, with their class-leading 750, the ZXR750, rather than commit to an entirely new design.
The result was a big motorcycle; despite weight-saving measures like magnesium engine covers, its quoted dry weight was , almost heavier than the Fireblade. It made around , between 10 and more than the Fireblade, but this advantage in power could not make up for its size, weight and reduced agility. Rather than be a direct competitor, the ZX-9R was retained as a more stable and more comfortable alternative to the Honda, with more straight-line speed.
Model history
ZX900B (1994) and ZX900B2 (1995)
The first ZX-9R could be seen as a ZXR750 incorporating a number of ZZ-R1100 design features. The wheels - three-spoke cast aluminium alloy 3.5-inch x 17-inch front and 5.5-inch x 17-inch rear -, the front forks - fully adjustable 43 mm upside-down KYB - and unbraced fabricated aluminium box-section swingarm with fully adjustable remote-reservoir KYB monoshock were direct carry-overs from the ZXR. The twin-piston rear Tokico caliper no longer mounted via a torque arm, and the clip-on handlebars mounted above the top triple clamp, not below. The four-piston Tokico front calipers and 320 mm front discs were common to the ZZ-R and the ZXR.
The frame was a welded aluminium-alloy dual-beam with cast steering head and swingarm endplates, but with steel-tube engine cradles and swingarm-mount endplates extending back to support the rider's seat and attach the bolt-on subframe, like the ZZ-R1100.
The engine displacement was 899 cc. The crankcases, clutch and gearbox were carried over from the ZXR750, with a longer-throw crank and a bigger-bore, taller cylinder block for the larger capacity. The cylinder head was externally highly similar to the ZXR, as well, but incorporated rocker valve actuation like the ZZ-R1100 instead of the ZXR's direct actuation. Redline was 12,000 rpm against the Fireblades 10,500 rpm. Induction was by 40 mm Keihin CVKD carburettors, and the engine breathed through a 10-litre airbox fed by dual ram-air intakes on the nose of the bike, under the single headlight, via ducts passing back and over the frame beams near the steering head, like on the ZZ-R.
ZX900B3 (1996) and ZX900B4 (1997) For the 1996 model, power was increased from 139 to . The rear suspension linkage and rear spring rate were replaced, improving handling. Pillion grab rails were added, the gearboxes were made stronger, and new six-piston Tokico front calipers replaced the previous model's four-piston units. The weight of the bike increased to .