nitrogen combustion is slowly killing everything. high rev bikes, diesel trucks etc. euro regulations are killing everything yet they still burn coal to produce electricity.
Preach the gospel. I race a 600 and have been lusting over the 90’s 250’s for my entire riding life. I told myself that if a company ever nutted up and made a small displacement 4 cylinder sport bike is get it. Happy to say that 2 days ago I bought my ZX-4RR. You nailed it Ryan.
I've always loved Ryan's ability to tell two stories at once. Giving positives and negatives all in the same breath, praise and criticisms both delivered with tact. It's fascinating.
I've not heard it articulated as you have, and I agree, it's interesting to watch him do it. The way he exposes the issues (good and bad) then weaves the important bits into his final assessment...he's elevated it to an art form!
Good discussion of BMEP (I'm an engineer and have used it for over 40 years). I suspect that the sound level is a larger part of the detuning than NOx. Exhaust emissions are largely why the ever-increasing BMEP's have made a downturn. In the past, you could run higher compression ratios and throw in some extra fuel to assure all the oxygen was utilized and help cool the mixture.. The need to keep emissions low at the low end of engine revs also limits the valve overlap needed to get max power at the very high RPM's that these small 4-cylinder engines produce. The more limited rev range of the twins helps here. Nevertheless, variable valve lift/timing and possibly urea injection for SCR (as used in diesel engines) will be needed to meet emissions and get high BMEP. edited to add: After thinking about it for a while, I am not certain that BMEP is the best measure to use here. It is based on torque rather than power, and is not as useful when comparing engines that run at significantly different rpms. Small, high-revving engines like the ZX-4RR uses usually sacrifice some maximum torque to continue to produce decent torque at lower revs but still make more overall power at higher engine speeds. In other words BMEP can be lower whereas the hp/liter could be higher with a smaller engine. Nevertheless, this engine is severely neutered above 11,500 rpm (although I have seen retuned dyno charts showing power still increasing to about 76 at the rear wheel at above 14,000 rpm).
Direct injection would cure all overlap issues (as was fully documented by 1938) with the added benefit of better scavenging (if you can call it that in an NA motor).
@@smellysam Direct injection will help, but with revs near 15,000, you need to go to much more exotic systems like currently used in Formula 1. The problem is that you still tend to get flow reversal from the long overlap period (which F1 avoids with forced induction) and the mixing of fuel with air as well as flame speed become problems. With typical direct injection system, the fuel does not vaporize rapidly enough at high revs so you end up with a smoky "diffusion flame", like with a diesel. Ie, you have droplets of fuel burning from the outside-in rather than a fuel-vapor/air mix. F1 engines are fascinating if you haven't kept up with them. Very high fuel injection pressure into a prechamber that ejects numerous high-speed jets of fuel-rich mixture to increase turbulence within the cylinder.
I don’t think motorcycles have even started doing EGR yet. That would be the better option if wanting to keep high compression and performance before jumping all the way to an SCR and DEF system. Ultimately cost is likely to be the biggest factor. All the technology and equipment to keep performance and meet emissions is expensive. Hard to add that much to a relatively cheap lower end motorcycle.
The ZX400R had 60 HP to 177kg wet weight and was a hilarious ride. Extremely confidence inspiring. I've been lusting for a 400 4 cylinder for years. Hopefully this lives up to the legacy of the 90's
Good point on the horsepower, its just not part of the bike to be so fast to get near a 600. I personally dislike the fish eye lens effect from the 360 camera, it just looks odd to me and I much prefer a more regular FOV, although I don't mind a little higher than usual. Those rolling shots from the bike at the end were beautiful!
The whole riding portion was filmed (videoed) with the 360. The software unfishbowls the final video. The rear sprocket shot (at 2:09) , the side view of the bike going along the road (2:12), the front view (at 2:40) are all shot with the single camera mounted to the bike.
@@cgmoogthat would be quite a feat for a single camera to hit all 4 sides of the bike simultaneously -- clearly he is repositioning the camera for each shot.
The way the line "take the first cut" connects back to the style of the video and the review of the motorcycle itself is incredible. Truly top-notch work!
@@chrisd4813 same here, currently got a 65 hp Moto Guzzi V7 850 which is great fun to open up on the roads without going silly fast. I used to have a 160 hp Triumph Rocket and as much as I loved that bike I did find myself going way too fast too often.
For some reason, I got the feeling that the cut at @8:24 was gonna take us back to the -Top Gear- Fortnine live studio with an audience cheering. Speaks volumes about production quality.
I’m curious what the F9 version of the Dacia Sandero running gag would be… haha What’s the Dacia sandero of motorcycles? Probably a boring maxi scooter of some kind?
I really appreciate the behind the scenes feel of this with you talking to yourself or the editor about what information you need in the video. Also, thank you for explaining BMEP and the impact it has on the EPA regs. It explains why even the auto manufacturers also moved to lower cylinder engine options.
End the EPA. Their dishonesty is ruinous. Forest fires put out more harmful emissions than a million gasoline engines, and they have been going on forever. And we're not dead. Wake up and see the facts. Too much government.
as a owner of 2 high revving 250s from the 90's ( MC22 and MC19 ) i can confirm, these small displacement 4 cyl bikes are probably the absolute most fun a sport rider can have!
I love the sound of an in-line four. Out of my four bikes. Only one of them is I4, and the concourse 1400 while a magnificent bike is barely street able. 90 miles an hour in second gear breaks every speed limit in my state. It’s difficult to actually rev the engine out to enjoy that I4 howl without being in danger of losing your license. The ZX four double R is a perfect example of an I4 that you can rev out without going to jail .
I thank Kawasaki for their bold move to bring back the 400cc sports bike. I've ridden an 1988 VFR400r and it was a blast to drive. I only had to get rid of it because parts like an air filter and clutch cable were no longer available.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be in a place financially where I can own a proper bike, but I damn well know I’ll watch every piece Fortnine produces 👌🏼 Edit: Lotsa great dudes in the replies makin’ a girl’s motorcycle dreams feel possible 🥹 Love y’all ✊🏼
Hopefully you get there my guy. Owning a motorcycle is like having a bag of cocaine on two wheels that's always full and ready to snort when times get tough.
This was one of the first educative motorcycle videos I've watched. Now around a thousand videos later and owning a small bike, coming back to this video, every single sentence, makes perfect sense.
I received my ZX4RR in Australia yesterday, its an absolute blast to ride, I have a GSXR1000 to loosely compare too, these things hit different in the small stuff. Its more fun to ride a small bike fast than a fast bike slow. Its a perfect Saturday morning here in sunny Queensland, I'll be putting many more KM on it today. This is my perfect daily
Is it the same size as a ninja 400 or more like the r7 I diddn't know they were in Australia now! Got a gsxr 750 but have been wanting another 400 since i sold my ninja 400
@matthewball5978 my ZX4RR actually replaces my 2020 Ninja 400, it's so close to the Ninja 400 dimensions, if you like the riding position of your Ninja 400 you will like the ZX4RR, somehow the seat on the ZX is more comfortable too. Brakes are strong etc, the way I explain my ZX4RR to someone especially non bike people, it's like my Ninja 400 buuuut just 100% more bike in basically every area, arguably better components, modern tech, brilliant bike 👌
@theenzoferrari458 yeaaah, my bro has a Rebel 500, I don't get the appeal aaaaat all. Numb to ride, docile throttle, put ya to sleep. The complete opposite to what I want from a bike.
Always wanted a small displacement 4, ever since the CB350F and CB400F from Honda. This bike looks like it would be a blast! Great review, loved the math portion too. Thank you.
I own a cb400f from '77 and i can tell you, go buy one if theres a reasonable offer! Apart from cleaning the spark plugs after standing for a few weeks, this bike runs like a charme and actually very well works as a daily driver. If it ever failed, it was because of an empty tank and an empty battery. Both my fault, both easy to fix. I can really recommend it! :)
Yammie still gave lots of useful info on the bike. It really depends on what you're looking for. Obviously, F9 reviews are out of this world interesting and well done, but Yammie gives good info often enough.
That likely has more to do with Ryan giving his honest opinion whereas it feels like yammie is just milking the bike for content. Yammie's content hasn't been bad per se, but all of the on road, on track, and "compared to it's competition" videos could've been done in 3 separate 15 minute videos instead of 6/7.
i stopped watching watching yammie noob after their vulcan S video because they spent 15minutes of the video yapping only about identy "is it a sportster? is it a cruiser?"
This bike desperately needs to succeed. This is s true enthusiast's machine, reminiscent of the smallbore screamers of the 80's and 90's. Hopefully this bike succeeds and we can see more enthusiast machines from other manufacturers that have become stagnant.
It can't. It isn't reminiscent of the those bikes from the 90s. This bike has almost the same specs as a regular 600, just with far less power. As people have pointed out, there's actually no reason to buy this bike. If you want the scream with less HP, just buy a zx-6r and set it to low power mode. If you want a light and nimble bike, the Ninja 400 is there. There's better options for the niche it tries to capture. If the zx4r was say, $8000, it could have a chance. At its current pricepoint, you are about $1000 short of a bike with the same features but with the ability to get 130hp.
Something to keep in mind, in Europe the ZX4RR will come with the 80-ish horsepower as our regulations are different. This has been confirmed by Kawasaki dealers in at least the UK. The US version seems to have to pass those emission standards in a very different way than we do. I am absolutely curious to ride the bike here in the UK and see the reviews here.
Seems odd .as only California has emissions testing for motorcycles. ( Mabey a few others states but not more than a 1/2 dozen) .I was always under the impression eu standards were way higher .
@@yourwifesboyfriend6081 He's talking about stock horsepower. All stock North American ZX-4R's are detuned to around 50 horsepower but can be reflashed to the full 70-80 if you remove the ECU and send it off to a tuner.
Sometimes (in fact oftentimes), less really is more. I have never regretted swapping my 2000’s 600 supersport for my classics, as I now enjoy using a lot more of their available power without getting into hypersonic territory. Nothing I own has more than 75HP (many have a lot less than that) and that is more than enough for the real world. There is something perversely satisfying about maintaining energy during a ride when you have limited horsepower available and my 400 Four is a perfect example of how to do small multis right.
Yeah, it really seems like the 200-300hp per ton range sticks true for bikes as much as it does for cars. (bike and rider combined, in this case, since the riders are usually half the weight of the bike added on top). Anything past 400hp per ton just seems overkill. For reference, a 600cc 4 is about 400hp/ton. So are 675-850cc triples and 800-900cc twins depending on the state of tune. There are a lotta bikes in those categories now that feel better than 600cc 4s and the much weaker 60-75hp twins... Not much right in the middle at 300-350hp/ton, though... I think a part of what bikes need are more gears in the transmissions. Nothing insane like the pre regulation days, but at least one more gear would help, especially with low and low-ish CC, high-revving, 3+ cylinder engines.
Ryan, you have evolved to be so good at this, that my wife even likes watching your videos! Way more here than an avg. review and we love it. It would be great to see a mini documentary on what and how 9 came to be, and behind the scenes.
Glad I watched this review. I had watched other reviews talking about how it feels more slugish than it should and Kawasaki was neutering it, and i was always confused and disapointed to hear that, but now that I understand the reason behind it, I take your point that to have the inline 4 sound and feel on a small bike nowadays, sacrifices must be made, and this bike is perfect the way it is.
I have fond memories of my cbr250rr from back in the day. I love the tiny screamers. The sound of this ZX brings back all that nostalgia. I'm glad it's been made....neutered or not. 🙂
My dad has the zxr250 from the 90’s that you referenced at 3:30 and just like the zx4rr it sounds awesome. Imagine having the old and new generation kawasaki 4 cylinders in the same collection!
Brings back to mind a kind of predecessor, the Honda CB400F. Rode one for a while, enjoyed it enormously, took tons of abuse from fellow riders. No one could believe I was happy with such a small bike. I was. It was fine. Comfortable, capable of laying waste to the speed limit if I really wanted to.
I have the old Zxr400 from Kawasaki which is absolutely one of the most fun Beginner sportsbikes that one ccan get for cheap here in the EU. It has 65HP from factory and a very racy seating position and double disc brakes in the front. It rides amazingly on track for a 90s bike especially. I hope this Zx4rr lives up to it´s predecessor, would love to try one soon. Great to see the little 4 bangers bacck again.
I have a ZXR400 as well. Bought it as a first bike. It‘s so much fun. My friends MT-07 is fun but only because of the torque and his aftermarket exhaust. On twisties, he isn‘t keeping up.
@@paracetamolsen9542 hahahaha, I drove his MT-07 on a really twisty road and it‘s fun down low because of the torque and you can exit corners quickly if you don’t downshift before but up high in the revs, it just has zero power. I‘m used on my little screamer so I drove that thing in the high revs but it just had no power.
This takes me back, as my first street bike was an '89 FZR 400. Loved it. Miss it. Might be time for me to re-live the magic of a stupidly high-reving 400cc inline 4 !!!
I've learned more about motorcycles from this channel than all the old school media combined. And I love when someone is just bluntly, brutally honest. No spiel, no hype, product sells itself. I remember my brother had a little old CBR400. While nothing to write home about today, it was the cafe racer lite of the mid 70's.
Out of all of my friends, I am the only one that rides Kawasaki, and I'm a Kawasaki fan boy. They don't seem to get why. Kawasaki is one of the few manufacturers still innovating and making bikes for a niche market, and that's why they're my beloved brand!
Like others here, i've had mine for almost 1.5 months now and I absolutely love it. I put the graves cat black slip on on it and the TST high mount tail tidy with aero pod lights. Looks and sounds AMAZING. i'm 53 years old, riding again after not riding for 20 years. This bike is fun!! She wants to run and loves to lean. In my opinion, bravo Kawasaki for a job WELL done.
Discounting the unwatchable 1st 4 minutes, 360 video for such an awesome machine is a sacrilege. They never disappoint, the environmental equation blew my tiny mind. Great job!
I'll join the party, I put 20k on my 94 1100 shadow in the last couple of years. No better deal than metric cruisers. Moved on to a Yamaha virago 1100 quicker, lighter and simple to work in. Cheap too
Dream bike right here. Met a 65 year old pro rider in Julian near San Diego in th cafe there. He just bought it, and the thing already had all the performance components including a race seat and rear sets, full graves, ECU... I was drooling. He explained to me that after owning dozens sport bikes over the past half-century, this is the best streetable and trackable bike on the market, and one of the more refined bikes he has ever ridden. Things have come a long way from the CB400F Super Sport.
I really like these smaller bikes, that have proper brakes, suspension and chassis. I am 190 cm and weigh at around 103 kg, need to test sit one of these. Could be the ultimate commuter and weekend fun machine that does not kill you immediately.
I ABSOLUTELY loved the format of this one. The "uncut" format, and the voice over gives a great insight into how to view and create a good review. Thank you
Now that I watched your engine types video ;) I can say this is definitely the most exciting superbike lately. It’s just so cool to see a small displacement 4 cylinder. It’s so impressive and will be amazing in lower cc bike races.
Gotta say dude, seriously impressed with the, for once, revealing insight into your depth of theoretical and practical knowledge, and understanding of your subject 👉👉👉. You don't always 'prove out' as it were, how you give so much info in your vids, even though we totally know that you know 😁, and it's great to witness 👍. Thanks man 🙏. 😎
I've hade my ZX-4RR for 51 days and about 10 hours. I love her!! (Her name is Boadicea) She sounds amazing! I couldn't have asked for a more perfect first bike. Already have 2400 miles on her.
I had an old ZX-4 from 1989, it was such a lovely bike, it had plenty of power for me but that was still more than this bike I think 🤔 I'm a bit disappointed that they weren't able to squeeze out a bit more but it's great to hear the explanation why , thanks for your great reviews as always!
@@doodskie999yeah but if you‘re in EU, police will screw you in the ass. In Germany you get charged with so many misdemeanors and a felony you can go to prison for if you remove your cat.
@@doodskie999that model is quickly becoming the standard with manufacturers selling restricted bikes that need to be unlocked. Ivan is going to be a very busy man reflashing the world's ecu's 🤣
@@doodskie999 The only problem with doing that is its going to add a few hundred dollars to the price of the bike, so you're spending about $11000 ca dollars on the bike, then a few hundred more just to bring it up to the same hp as a stock yamaha r7, which you can get for $10800 ca dollars, and the r7 will still have way more torque and will be the faster bike.
I had a 1990 GSXR400RR and I loved that bike it felt so fast and until now, you couldn’t get a 400cc Inline four screamer…well done Kawasaki. Hopefully not too expensive.
Excellent as always Mr. F9, but for the love of god, no more hyper spherical video cuts!! We get it, the Insta360 has a crazy lens for wild shots. Its done, move on, Back to real cinematography and storytelling which is why we are all here. 😉
I just bought one. I love it. Tempted to buy another one to keep as a street bike. I bought this one to race as an upgrade from racing a Ninja 250R. Can’t wait to get it on track. My notes are that the engine is amazing, sounds great, the quickshifter works great up and down. Can’t wait to get it flashed by Vcyclenut!
Yup, I'll forever love Kawi because of bikes like this and forever loath Honda because of the NC 700 and the 'Research' that shifted into dull twins. The crack down is coming, we gotta have fun while we can without attracting too much attention. Awesome video.
Dont understand the hate. To be honest Kawasaki and Honda have a very similar "i dont give a fuck and i'll make it anyway" attitude to new bikes. Yamaha despite making some fantastic bikes seems to try to copy the europeans too much, suzuki, seems to be very conservative and refuses to create anything new or ground breaking. Honda is pragmatic, and the NC 700 is a perfect illustration of this. Honda dares to make the boring bike with good fuel efficiency, a low strung engine and a DCT to have an amazingly simple and EASY bike to ride, every day, 20 000 miles a year.
I remember when I bought my 250R in 2010, it was such a great little bike! - It's nice to see they are keeping the spirit of that bike alive in this bike.
Oh, no no no... this is not in the vein of the EX250R (a parallel twin bike built and tuned for the street, same for the EX500R and EX650R)... this is a ZX (racing machine with turn signals), follwing in the line of the Z400, and the 250 four racing bike from the nineties. Have no doubt, the EX250R holds a special place in motorcycles and motorcycle nostalgia as one of the best beginner bikes ever.
i love small bore motorcycles. I own a ktm rc390 but in the end that's still a tamed down a2 compatible bike with cheap suspension and only 40 hp. This zx4rr looks way more like the real deal and something i'd love to take to the track
This little monster comes to Brazil in October and while it doesn't arrive, I've been watching every single english review (also some asians that I can undestand shit about) that is posted into RUclips. And this is by far the best review I have seen up to this day. What a genius movie maker this FortNine is
As always Ryan and crew do another fantastic job on explaining the pros and cons of motorcycle model. best explanation of BMEP I have heard in a long time. Great content guys keep it coming!
Absolutely love this kind of content. You blend all the right angles in all the right ways, and remind the motorcycling world of what's truly important. The quest for more power is just not the right answer every time. Thank you, again. :)
I used to have one of the ZXR250Rs, the one with a 19,000 redline. It was great with the ~45 hp it had. I rode a zxr400R that had about 70hp, and it was as slow as a 70hp bike, but still too fast to use all the revs without being illegal. The 250 with the extra revs was such fun in that you could rev the shit out of it everywhere and still only be doing 40mph. It was the epitome of slow bike fast. This new bike is the same but with a little bit more usable torque down low. If it had all 75hp that the european market gets, it would be too fast to use the RPM.
I’d argue a sprocket could fix that issue if that was your concern. Either way, I’m immensely happy they took the risk and made this bike, I’d wager it has the potential to become a future classic
I had a 1991 Suzuki GSF400 Bandit that I bought new in 1993. It was a really nice bike. I loved that bike!!! I was wondering why they weren't doing inline 4s anymore. Very informative as always!
The NOx emissions are usually more related to compression ratio than revs. The combination of high temperatures and high pressure is what generates them, things that occur in the cylinder only during the power stroke rather than after in the exhaust, so high exhaust temperatures that come from high revs are not really an issue. I wonder if the fuel injection system used does not allow the precise mixture control to allow a three-way catalyst to function properly. I strongly suspect that the sound it the main reason the top end is neutered in North America. Ryan definitely has a point that many buy a small-displacement 4-cylinder motorcycle for the sound. On larger displacement 4-cyls, you are largely limited to first gear to legally get to high revs.
Still wrenching on that silver wing RyanF9?!?! 😂. I would love to be able to have the opportunity to test ride one of these. Of course I could just trade in my Triumph Daytona for the one at Inglis Cycle, and I would probably have lots of fun, but I’m also quite sure I would eventually regret that decision and miss the Daytona.
Having owned one (and broken 2 rear diffs for reasons I couldn't work out), I think you're right about the regret. It was a great bike, my first, and I put something like 15k on it while using it as a daily.
@@captslaq I’ve got over 20k on mine and still no issues as bad as that. Plenty of power, noticeably more torque than any other 600cc sport bike, and surprisingly comfortable to ride (I can’t explain it, but more comfortable for me than any other sport bike and even many cruisers… not sure why, but I won’t complain about it)
Someone finally gets it. It’s just a wild bike that Kawasaki made for the enthusiasts. Forget the numbers, who cares about the numbers? Motorcycling is about fun and feeling like you’re in a MotoGP race while going legal speed limits is fun!
Sold my gsxr750 years ago because I didnt want a ticket or a hospital visit... 13 years later when I finally sold the SV that replaced it I said "one day I'll own an inline 4 again, just for the sound." This looks like a great bike.
I knew inline 4's were sadly dying, but I didn't know why - beautifully explained as always Ryan! I must also agree about your opinion on the power, anymore would be overkill. Some would say it is already overkill for the street when many of us European's get by with 125cc's. I have an old GSF650 Bandit and love it to pieces. Don't get me wrong, it's slower than this Kawi as it weighs so much more, but it makes similar power and torque and I find that it's more than enough fun for public roads.
I rode the Ninja 25r and it was by far the most fun I’ve had with a sport bike on public roads! The in-line 4 is so smooth and the sound is so satisfying. I’m looking forward to riding the full power version of the 400rr soon.
I just ridden the ZX25 and its literally the coolest bike ever. I've ridden quite a few bikes but that bike has the perfect amount of power (goes all the way to 19k rpm) and weight to just toss around. Torque is super low and you need to rev the shit out of it but thats part of the fun of riding it.
I had the dealer call me the day the floor model came off the truck (in Ontario). I really hope enough people buy these to realize how super cool these are.
I never knew combustion temperature and noise were the reason inline 4's were dying, leave it to F9 to teach me new things!
nitrogen combustion is slowly killing everything. high rev bikes, diesel trucks etc. euro regulations are killing everything yet they still burn coal to produce electricity.
And I sill don't know it!
It's the same reasons Porsche had to replace the air cooled boxer 6 in the 993 with the water cooled version in the 996.
The only reason for I4's to die are stupid regulations
@@KeithFlint350Much needed regulations.
The environment comes first.
Preach the gospel.
I race a 600 and have been lusting over the 90’s 250’s for my entire riding life.
I told myself that if a company ever nutted up and made a small displacement 4 cylinder sport bike is get it. Happy to say that 2 days ago I bought my ZX-4RR. You nailed it Ryan.
TBH the ZX25R is a better bike for this purpose. Kawi made a mistake for NA market.
What do you do for a living?
@@PEZ1514 Nah, I'd rather have the extra torque of a 400 for US roads.
You're eyeing the wrong 250s of the 90s .. the right 250 from the 90s will be a 3yl or a 4dp !
no zx25rr for us sadly, but if i had the choice, id rather go for the 250 just cuz
I've always loved Ryan's ability to tell two stories at once. Giving positives and negatives all in the same breath, praise and criticisms both delivered with tact. It's fascinating.
You nailed it. His approach is awe inspiring.
yeh shits off da hook cuz
I've not heard it articulated as you have, and I agree, it's interesting to watch him do it. The way he exposes the issues (good and bad) then weaves the important bits into his final assessment...he's elevated it to an art form!
@@CurtisBrandthe's the Shakespeare of motorcycles. I totally don't dream about him talking about bikes. Totally..
He teaches the masterclass. Every. Single. Time.
How is this video so simple yet so mesmerizing? This must be some sort of yet to be recognized art form
Lanu guja haha 👍 Legendo,hvale te ovdje po komentarima a ne prepoznaju te,sramota...
Good discussion of BMEP (I'm an engineer and have used it for over 40 years). I suspect that the sound level is a larger part of the detuning than NOx. Exhaust emissions are largely why the ever-increasing BMEP's have made a downturn. In the past, you could run higher compression ratios and throw in some extra fuel to assure all the oxygen was utilized and help cool the mixture.. The need to keep emissions low at the low end of engine revs also limits the valve overlap needed to get max power at the very high RPM's that these small 4-cylinder engines produce. The more limited rev range of the twins helps here. Nevertheless, variable valve lift/timing and possibly urea injection for SCR (as used in diesel engines) will be needed to meet emissions and get high BMEP.
edited to add: After thinking about it for a while, I am not certain that BMEP is the best measure to use here. It is based on torque rather than power, and is not as useful when comparing engines that run at significantly different rpms. Small, high-revving engines like the ZX-4RR uses usually sacrifice some maximum torque to continue to produce decent torque at lower revs but still make more overall power at higher engine speeds. In other words BMEP can be lower whereas the hp/liter could be higher with a smaller engine. Nevertheless, this engine is severely neutered above 11,500 rpm (although I have seen retuned dyno charts showing power still increasing to about 76 at the rear wheel at above 14,000 rpm).
Direct injection would cure all overlap issues (as was fully documented by 1938) with the added benefit of better scavenging (if you can call it that in an NA motor).
@@smellysam Direct injection will help, but with revs near 15,000, you need to go to much more exotic systems like currently used in Formula 1. The problem is that you still tend to get flow reversal from the long overlap period (which F1 avoids with forced induction) and the mixing of fuel with air as well as flame speed become problems. With typical direct injection system, the fuel does not vaporize rapidly enough at high revs so you end up with a smoky "diffusion flame", like with a diesel. Ie, you have droplets of fuel burning from the outside-in rather than a fuel-vapor/air mix.
F1 engines are fascinating if you haven't kept up with them. Very high fuel injection pressure into a prechamber that ejects numerous high-speed jets of fuel-rich mixture to increase turbulence within the cylinder.
Very insightful. I have never heard of BMEP and I'm glad I have a better understanding of why modern bikes are the way they are.
I don’t think motorcycles have even started doing EGR yet. That would be the better option if wanting to keep high compression and performance before jumping all the way to an SCR and DEF system.
Ultimately cost is likely to be the biggest factor. All the technology and equipment to keep performance and meet emissions is expensive. Hard to add that much to a relatively cheap lower end motorcycle.
Your knowledge is priceless. Thank you for your input
The ZX400R had 60 HP to 177kg wet weight and was a hilarious ride. Extremely confidence inspiring. I've been lusting for a 400 4 cylinder for years. Hopefully this lives up to the legacy of the 90's
60hp?!
@@Ahmed-jv7ocrestricted for Us
Originally generate 80hp
@@chandansoren8002 80 Hp?!?! That's crazy
@@Ahmed-jv7oc EU bike is supposed to have 80Hp, we still havent got it in Portugal but the Kawasaki website says it has 80Hp.
@@Ahmed-jv7oc how many pounds is that fam
Good point on the horsepower, its just not part of the bike to be so fast to get near a 600. I personally dislike the fish eye lens effect from the 360 camera, it just looks odd to me and I much prefer a more regular FOV, although I don't mind a little higher than usual. Those rolling shots from the bike at the end were beautiful!
Pretty sure the 360 camera was a part of the parody...
They are sponsored by them so yeah.
The whole riding portion was filmed (videoed) with the 360. The software unfishbowls the final video. The rear sprocket shot (at 2:09) , the side view of the bike going along the road (2:12), the front view (at 2:40) are all shot with the single camera mounted to the bike.
I don’t mind it
@@cgmoogthat would be quite a feat for a single camera to hit all 4 sides of the bike simultaneously -- clearly he is repositioning the camera for each shot.
Ryan’s teaching and writing on the chalkboard had my attention way more than my community college classes had.
I reckon if @Ryan set up a physics course based purely on motorcycles it would be a super hit. learn a lot from his explanations
The way the line "take the first cut" connects back to the style of the video and the review of the motorcycle itself is incredible. Truly top-notch work!
I'm not normally into sports bikes but this does appeal to me as a bike you can absolutely thrash without doing overly silly speeds. Great review.
I bought a bandit 600 for that reason. I can happily extract all 77bhp and stay within legal speeds.
@@chrisd4813 same here, currently got a 65 hp Moto Guzzi V7 850 which is great fun to open up on the roads without going silly fast. I used to have a 160 hp Triumph Rocket and as much as I loved that bike I did find myself going way too fast too often.
I ride a 400cc 4cyl cb400 VTEC. Even it is way to quick for the road haha.
I'm kind of the same way! Really like the concept of this, and would love to try one.
However, imagine a Z400 RS with this engine!
@@Tiaan90 That would be a must buy for me. Z900RS seems too powerful, Z650RS has a kinda boring engine, this would be perfect.
For some reason, I got the feeling that the cut at @8:24 was gonna take us back to the -Top Gear- Fortnine live studio with an audience cheering. Speaks volumes about production quality.
I’m curious what the F9 version of the Dacia Sandero running gag would be… haha
What’s the Dacia sandero of motorcycles? Probably a boring maxi scooter of some kind?
@@DanteYewToob "British" bikes are the equivalent of Dacia
@@PastowanyKabanlook at this peasant
@@PastowanyKaban and on that bombshell...
On the Fortnine channel, I always give a thumbs up first and then start watching the videos cause I know they are gonna be a masterpiece as always.
Same. Never a doubt in my mind..
Could not agree more. The production quality of this channel is insane❤
Me too🤩😍
yep, never fails
the most reliable motorcycle reviewer ever
Can confirm
I really appreciate the behind the scenes feel of this with you talking to yourself or the editor about what information you need in the video. Also, thank you for explaining BMEP and the impact it has on the EPA regs. It explains why even the auto manufacturers also moved to lower cylinder engine options.
The bike, much like this review, is best unedited.
End the EPA. Their dishonesty is ruinous. Forest fires put out more harmful emissions than a million gasoline engines, and they have been going on forever. And we're not dead. Wake up and see the facts. Too much government.
as a owner of 2 high revving 250s from the 90's ( MC22 and MC19 ) i can confirm, these small displacement 4 cyl bikes are probably the absolute most fun a sport rider can have!
I love the sound of an in-line four. Out of my four bikes. Only one of them is I4, and the concourse 1400 while a magnificent bike is barely street able. 90 miles an hour in second gear breaks every speed limit in my state. It’s difficult to actually rev the engine out to enjoy that I4 howl without being in danger of losing your license.
The ZX four double R is a perfect example of an I4 that you can rev out without going to jail .
I thank Kawasaki for their bold move to bring back the 400cc sports bike. I've ridden an 1988 VFR400r and it was a blast to drive. I only had to get rid of it because parts like an air filter and clutch cable were no longer available.
Except one RIDES a motorcycle, driving is for cars.
It's not impossible to make an air filter and there are so many cables available lol
All these parts (and more) are very much available from Rick Oliver in the UK. He has pretty much everything you'd ever need for a VFR400/RVF400.
@@Zehnuss drive - operate and control the direction and speed of a motor vehicle 🤔
Ill wait for Yamaha to make something right.
Four cylinder, small bike!!! This might become the first bike I buy new.
You missed out 20 yrs back wih the Honda CB600F... then Honda f'd it up in 2007...
I don’t know if I’ll ever be in a place financially where I can own a proper bike, but I damn well know I’ll watch every piece Fortnine produces 👌🏼
Edit:
Lotsa great dudes in the replies makin’ a girl’s motorcycle dreams feel possible 🥹
Love y’all ✊🏼
You can get there, and it will be all the sweeter. I started on a Bandit 600.. a modest and cheap bike which felt like a rocket ship!
Hopefully you get there my guy. Owning a motorcycle is like having a bag of cocaine on two wheels that's always full and ready to snort when times get tough.
@@Josh-cw8by In fact if you're a cocaine dealer it literally *is* a bag of cocaine on two wheels.
@@h2489-m2l Hornet 600.... 2005 or 2006 with retuned suspension - sweet.
You will if you want to
This was one of the first educative motorcycle videos I've watched. Now around a thousand videos later and owning a small bike, coming back to this video, every single sentence, makes perfect sense.
I received my ZX4RR in Australia yesterday, its an absolute blast to ride, I have a GSXR1000 to loosely compare too, these things hit different in the small stuff. Its more fun to ride a small bike fast than a fast bike slow. Its a perfect Saturday morning here in sunny Queensland, I'll be putting many more KM on it today. This is my perfect daily
Is it the same size as a ninja 400 or more like the r7 I diddn't know they were in Australia now! Got a gsxr 750 but have been wanting another 400 since i sold my ninja 400
@matthewball5978 my ZX4RR actually replaces my 2020 Ninja 400, it's so close to the Ninja 400 dimensions, if you like the riding position of your Ninja 400 you will like the ZX4RR, somehow the seat on the ZX is more comfortable too. Brakes are strong etc, the way I explain my ZX4RR to someone especially non bike people, it's like my Ninja 400 buuuut just 100% more bike in basically every area, arguably better components, modern tech, brilliant bike 👌
Uh I like to ride my FZ1 slow. It's fun. I had a rebel 300 that was utter crap to ride slow or fast. Actually it wasn't fast to begin with. Lol
@theenzoferrari458 yeaaah, my bro has a Rebel 500, I don't get the appeal aaaaat all. Numb to ride, docile throttle, put ya to sleep. The complete opposite to what I want from a bike.
@@Elosee oh hell yeah! Thanks man now I can feel it much better in my head, enjoy and ride safe!
Always wanted a small displacement 4, ever since the CB350F and CB400F from Honda. This bike looks like it would be a blast! Great review, loved the math portion too. Thank you.
I own a cb400f from '77 and i can tell you, go buy one if theres a reasonable offer! Apart from cleaning the spark plugs after standing for a few weeks, this bike runs like a charme and actually very well works as a daily driver. If it ever failed, it was because of an empty tank and an empty battery. Both my fault, both easy to fix. I can really recommend it! :)
The Honda 650 line is also inline 4
Yeh , I am waiting to put this Kawa side by side with my 76 cb400f
@@silotx man the cb650r with a tail tidy is goooorgeous.
Yes it is, but it's not performance oriented like it's siblings. Honda severely detuned the engine @@silotx
Yo this is sick. Love the way you shot it as well.
Fancy seeing you here. :) Looking forward to today’s stream.
This video about the ZX-4RR has so much more quality to it than anything that Yammie Noob had been posted or will be posting about this bike
And Ryan didn't hit a Porsche
Yammie still gave lots of useful info on the bike. It really depends on what you're looking for. Obviously, F9 reviews are out of this world interesting and well done, but Yammie gives good info often enough.
His content is monthly The Best Bike For Beginners videos.
That likely has more to do with Ryan giving his honest opinion whereas it feels like yammie is just milking the bike for content. Yammie's content hasn't been bad per se, but all of the on road, on track, and "compared to it's competition" videos could've been done in 3 separate 15 minute videos instead of 6/7.
i stopped watching watching yammie noob after their vulcan S video because they spent 15minutes of the video yapping only about identy "is it a sportster? is it a cruiser?"
This is exactly the kind of bike I’ve wanted for years. All the sound and fun but not a million HP. Perfect.
...there's plenty of bikes like that. 3rd gen Magna fits the bill perfectly.
@@hakrsakrliterally just picked up one of those last week and can 100% attest to that
@@stegeaa Dude hell yeah. I'm having a bunch of fun on my '77 GS750 these days, but I want to try that Magna.
I just sold my 93 magna a couple months ago I have never regretted anything more. And I have a busa and a vmax
I dropped my '84 Sabre almost two decades ago and I still miss that bike.
This bike desperately needs to succeed. This is s true enthusiast's machine, reminiscent of the smallbore screamers of the 80's and 90's. Hopefully this bike succeeds and we can see more enthusiast machines from other manufacturers that have become stagnant.
It can't. It isn't reminiscent of the those bikes from the 90s.
This bike has almost the same specs as a regular 600, just with far less power. As people have pointed out, there's actually no reason to buy this bike. If you want the scream with less HP, just buy a zx-6r and set it to low power mode. If you want a light and nimble bike, the Ninja 400 is there.
There's better options for the niche it tries to capture. If the zx4r was say, $8000, it could have a chance. At its current pricepoint, you are about $1000 short of a bike with the same features but with the ability to get 130hp.
Something to keep in mind, in Europe the ZX4RR will come with the 80-ish horsepower as our regulations are different. This has been confirmed by Kawasaki dealers in at least the UK. The US version seems to have to pass those emission standards in a very different way than we do. I am absolutely curious to ride the bike here in the UK and see the reviews here.
Tuners in the US are claiming to get 80ish hp out of it, so that seems to be in-line
Seems odd .as only California has emissions testing for motorcycles. ( Mabey a few others states but not more than a 1/2 dozen) .I was always under the impression eu standards were way higher .
@@yourwifesboyfriend6081 He's talking about stock horsepower. All stock North American ZX-4R's are detuned to around 50 horsepower but can be reflashed to the full 70-80 if you remove the ECU and send it off to a tuner.
@@satur9satur9they are higher, but sometimes they are weirdly enough more logical, very, very, very rarely though...
@@satur9satur9for new bikes maybe - I’ve not been asked to smog test my bike since I’ve had it and it’s an ‘07
Sometimes (in fact oftentimes), less really is more. I have never regretted swapping my 2000’s 600 supersport for my classics, as I now enjoy using a lot more of their available power without getting into hypersonic territory. Nothing I own has more than 75HP (many have a lot less than that) and that is more than enough for the real world. There is something perversely satisfying about maintaining energy during a ride when you have limited horsepower available and my 400 Four is a perfect example of how to do small multis right.
Yeah, it really seems like the 200-300hp per ton range sticks true for bikes as much as it does for cars. (bike and rider combined, in this case, since the riders are usually half the weight of the bike added on top). Anything past 400hp per ton just seems overkill. For reference, a 600cc 4 is about 400hp/ton. So are 675-850cc triples and 800-900cc twins depending on the state of tune.
There are a lotta bikes in those categories now that feel better than 600cc 4s and the much weaker 60-75hp twins... Not much right in the middle at 300-350hp/ton, though... I think a part of what bikes need are more gears in the transmissions. Nothing insane like the pre regulation days, but at least one more gear would help, especially with low and low-ish CC, high-revving, 3+ cylinder engines.
Ryan, you have evolved to be so good at this, that my wife even likes watching your videos! Way more here than an avg. review and we love it.
It would be great to see a mini documentary on what and how 9 came to be, and behind the scenes.
Glad I watched this review. I had watched other reviews talking about how it feels more slugish than it should and Kawasaki was neutering it, and i was always confused and disapointed to hear that, but now that I understand the reason behind it, I take your point that to have the inline 4 sound and feel on a small bike nowadays, sacrifices must be made, and this bike is perfect the way it is.
U sacrificed ur guts
I have fond memories of my cbr250rr from back in the day. I love the tiny screamers. The sound of this ZX brings back all that nostalgia. I'm glad it's been made....neutered or not. 🙂
Kawasaki really blessed us with this
My dad has the zxr250 from the 90’s that you referenced at 3:30 and just like the zx4rr it sounds awesome. Imagine having the old and new generation kawasaki 4 cylinders in the same collection!
It's up to you now to get the new zx4rr :D
Brings back to mind a kind of predecessor, the Honda CB400F. Rode one for a while, enjoyed it enormously, took tons of abuse from fellow riders. No one could believe I was happy with such a small bike. I was. It was fine. Comfortable, capable of laying waste to the speed limit if I really wanted to.
I'm glad to see the small 4's back, I have the original J.D.M 1989 ZXR400 and I really want to test ride one of these.
The fact that the insta 360 promo fits in perfectly, telling a parallel story line is nothing short of perfect product placement and great scripting.
My first bike was a ZXR-400, so it's amazing to see these again.
I have the old Zxr400 from Kawasaki which is absolutely one of the most fun Beginner sportsbikes that one ccan get for cheap here in the EU. It has 65HP from factory and a very racy seating position and double disc brakes in the front. It rides amazingly on track for a 90s bike especially. I hope this Zx4rr lives up to it´s predecessor, would love to try one soon. Great to see the little 4 bangers bacck again.
I have a ZXR400 as well. Bought it as a first bike. It‘s so much fun. My friends MT-07 is fun but only because of the torque and his aftermarket exhaust. On twisties, he isn‘t keeping up.
@@tw1st3d35i feel like I'm living in a simulation because its exactly the same with a friend of mine😂✌️
@@paracetamolsen9542 hahahaha, I drove his MT-07 on a really twisty road and it‘s fun down low because of the torque and you can exit corners quickly if you don’t downshift before but up high in the revs, it just has zero power. I‘m used on my little screamer so I drove that thing in the high revs but it just had no power.
This takes me back, as my first street bike was an '89 FZR 400.
Loved it. Miss it. Might be time for me to re-live the magic of a stupidly high-reving 400cc inline 4 !!!
I've learned more about motorcycles from this channel than all the old school media combined. And I love when someone is just bluntly, brutally honest. No spiel, no hype, product sells itself. I remember my brother had a little old CBR400. While nothing to write home about today, it was the cafe racer lite of the mid 70's.
That intro - would be my EXACT EXACT reaction. Drop everything -- test ride engaged.
Out of all of my friends, I am the only one that rides Kawasaki, and I'm a Kawasaki fan boy. They don't seem to get why. Kawasaki is one of the few manufacturers still innovating and making bikes for a niche market, and that's why they're my beloved brand!
Like others here, i've had mine for almost 1.5 months now and I absolutely love it. I put the graves cat black slip on on it and the TST high mount tail tidy with aero pod lights. Looks and sounds AMAZING. i'm 53 years old, riding again after not riding for 20 years. This bike is fun!! She wants to run and loves to lean. In my opinion, bravo Kawasaki for a job WELL done.
As someone with an 89 zxr250 that has been sitting in a box for the past few years, this 400rr is oh so tempting
Oh man the editing with the 360° camera was actually making me motion sick dude
7:23 I watched so many times. The track, the sound of the bike, the shot. Everything is so perfect.
Discounting the unwatchable 1st 4 minutes, 360 video for such an awesome machine is a sacrilege. They never disappoint, the environmental equation blew my tiny mind.
Great job!
It’d be so much better if it was just processed as a 3d video. As is, it’s so hard to watch.
I absolutely hate 360 videos. Can’t understand how anybody enjoys such a warped perspective. Love the channel though.
@johnlaw5762 personally I was a minute or two away from seeing whatever I ate earlier today
7:25 Goosebumps - melodic music and pure narrative from a true motocycle enthusiast - Thanks Ryan..
I love you content man, you’ve helped me get the basics when I got my first 1100 shadow
Nice bike, do you still have it by chance?
SHADOWS ARE SWEEET, DUDE.
Just rode mine into work today!
I got a 750 and i like it. Reliable and Cheap.👍
My first bike was a 1100 shadow ace still have it good bike
I'll join the party, I put 20k on my 94 1100 shadow in the last couple of years. No better deal than metric cruisers. Moved on to a Yamaha virago 1100 quicker, lighter and simple to work in. Cheap too
That sound... Like a mini ZX-RR. Glorious.
Dream bike right here. Met a 65 year old pro rider in Julian near San Diego in th cafe there. He just bought it, and the thing already had all the performance components including a race seat and rear sets, full graves, ECU... I was drooling. He explained to me that after owning dozens sport bikes over the past half-century, this is the best streetable and trackable bike on the market, and one of the more refined bikes he has ever ridden. Things have come a long way from the CB400F Super Sport.
I really like these smaller bikes, that have proper brakes, suspension and chassis. I am 190 cm and weigh at around 103 kg, need to test sit one of these. Could be the ultimate commuter and weekend fun machine that does not kill you immediately.
How to make a bike review feel like a glimpse into a mans soul...... Well done F9
👍👍 Exactly
The content that I was looking for just dropped
Did it though???
I ABSOLUTELY loved the format of this one. The "uncut" format, and the voice over gives a great insight into how to view and create a good review. Thank you
I've said it before and i'll say it again. One of the best film productions on youtube and you're a fing motorcycle channel. Stay awesome
How can you not love four cylinders?🥰 kawasaki has been doing so many good things lately compared to the other Japanese
They haven't chosen for crazy weird noses/fronts/headlights so that's something at least
@@SwainixFPV they're also the only Japanese manufacturer that actually put effort and keep developing the 600 class
Kawasaki is building some awesome bikes lately.. just because they can!
Woah, another banger of a video from one of the best production teams on RUclips. And there's a ZX4RR in it.
Ryan is hands down the best motorcycle journalist ever.
This is exactly the kinda bike I want to exist, it's the reason I own an old Honda vf500f, this is definitely in my sweet spot for motorcycles
Just what i was waiting a zx4rr review by f9🤘🏾, hopefully my next bike
Now that I watched your engine types video ;) I can say this is definitely the most exciting superbike lately. It’s just so cool to see a small displacement 4 cylinder. It’s so impressive and will be amazing in lower cc bike races.
Gotta say dude, seriously impressed with the, for once, revealing insight into your depth of theoretical and practical knowledge, and understanding of your subject 👉👉👉. You don't always 'prove out' as it were, how you give so much info in your vids, even though we totally know that you know 😁, and it's great to witness 👍. Thanks man 🙏. 😎
I've hade my ZX-4RR for 51 days and about 10 hours. I love her!! (Her name is Boadicea) She sounds amazing! I couldn't have asked for a more perfect first bike. Already have 2400 miles on her.
Someone's having the summer of their life. 👍
absolutely stunning non-review. Close to the heart, close to the passion, close to the science. Thank you Ryan, honestly.
I had an old ZX-4 from 1989, it was such a lovely bike, it had plenty of power for me but that was still more than this bike I think 🤔 I'm a bit disappointed that they weren't able to squeeze out a bit more but it's great to hear the explanation why , thanks for your great reviews as always!
You can unlock the real power by flashing the ecu and removing the cat
@@doodskie999yeah but if you‘re in EU, police will screw you in the ass. In Germany you get charged with so many misdemeanors and a felony you can go to prison for if you remove your cat.
@@doodskie999that model is quickly becoming the standard with manufacturers selling restricted bikes that need to be unlocked. Ivan is going to be a very busy man reflashing the world's ecu's 🤣
@@doodskie999 The only problem with doing that is its going to add a few hundred dollars to the price of the bike, so you're spending about $11000 ca dollars on the bike, then a few hundred more just to bring it up to the same hp as a stock yamaha r7, which you can get for $10800 ca dollars, and the r7 will still have way more torque and will be the faster bike.
@@benjy288 yeah but cant beat that inline screamer though
I had a 1990 GSXR400RR and I loved that bike it felt so fast and until now, you couldn’t get a 400cc Inline four screamer…well done Kawasaki. Hopefully not too expensive.
Shame on Suzuki for ignoring the lower sportbike market. I'm a GSXR fan but sad to see the lack of anything from Suzuki.
Excellent as always Mr. F9, but for the love of god, no more hyper spherical video cuts!! We get it, the Insta360 has a crazy lens for wild shots. Its done, move on, Back to real cinematography and storytelling which is why we are all here. 😉
This is so meta I can't even put it into words.
Thank you for not editing much, to prove that some things are just "good enough" as they are.
I just bought one. I love it. Tempted to buy another one to keep as a street bike. I bought this one to race as an upgrade from racing a Ninja 250R. Can’t wait to get it on track. My notes are that the engine is amazing, sounds great, the quickshifter works great up and down. Can’t wait to get it flashed by Vcyclenut!
Yup, I'll forever love Kawi because of bikes like this and forever loath Honda because of the NC 700 and the 'Research' that shifted into dull twins. The crack down is coming, we gotta have fun while we can without attracting too much attention. Awesome video.
Dont understand the hate. To be honest Kawasaki and Honda have a very similar "i dont give a fuck and i'll make it anyway" attitude to new bikes. Yamaha despite making some fantastic bikes seems to try to copy the europeans too much, suzuki, seems to be very conservative and refuses to create anything new or ground breaking.
Honda is pragmatic, and the NC 700 is a perfect illustration of this. Honda dares to make the boring bike with good fuel efficiency, a low strung engine and a DCT to have an amazingly simple and EASY bike to ride, every day, 20 000 miles a year.
I remember when I bought my 250R in 2010, it was such a great little bike! - It's nice to see they are keeping the spirit of that bike alive in this bike.
Oh, no no no... this is not in the vein of the EX250R (a parallel twin bike built and tuned for the street, same for the EX500R and EX650R)... this is a ZX (racing machine with turn signals), follwing in the line of the Z400, and the 250 four racing bike from the nineties.
Have no doubt, the EX250R holds a special place in motorcycles and motorcycle nostalgia as one of the best beginner bikes ever.
i love small bore motorcycles. I own a ktm rc390 but in the end that's still a tamed down a2 compatible bike with cheap suspension and only 40 hp. This zx4rr looks way more like the real deal and something i'd love to take to the track
I have mine! 4000km already and it's a fantastic bike. Spot on review. It's exactly what it's supposed to be.
This little monster comes to Brazil in October and while it doesn't arrive, I've been watching every single english review (also some asians that I can undestand shit about) that is posted into RUclips. And this is by far the best review I have seen up to this day.
What a genius movie maker this FortNine is
As always Ryan and crew do another fantastic job on explaining the pros and cons of motorcycle model. best explanation of BMEP I have heard in a long time. Great content guys keep it coming!
Love how wonderfully produced your videos are
Really enjoyed learning something new! Those damn norms are actually like declawing a tiger.
But the dream of owning a smallbore 4 cylinder lives on
Absolutely love this kind of content. You blend all the right angles in all the right ways, and remind the motorcycling world of what's truly important. The quest for more power is just not the right answer every time. Thank you, again. :)
I like how he actually makes sense during his teaching session.💯💯💯
That 360 footage is awful, but everything else is perfection!
I've been hoping for this one
I used to have one of the ZXR250Rs, the one with a 19,000 redline. It was great with the ~45 hp it had. I rode a zxr400R that had about 70hp, and it was as slow as a 70hp bike, but still too fast to use all the revs without being illegal. The 250 with the extra revs was such fun in that you could rev the shit out of it everywhere and still only be doing 40mph. It was the epitome of slow bike fast. This new bike is the same but with a little bit more usable torque down low. If it had all 75hp that the european market gets, it would be too fast to use the RPM.
I’d argue a sprocket could fix that issue if that was your concern. Either way, I’m immensely happy they took the risk and made this bike, I’d wager it has the potential to become a future classic
😂 yeah just get urself a 50cc then
The small lessons made the entire video so much better than any other review.
I had a 1991 Suzuki GSF400 Bandit that I bought new in 1993. It was a really nice bike. I loved that bike!!! I was wondering why they weren't doing inline 4s anymore. Very informative as always!
The NOx emissions are usually more related to compression ratio than revs. The combination of high temperatures and high pressure is what generates them, things that occur in the cylinder only during the power stroke rather than after in the exhaust, so high exhaust temperatures that come from high revs are not really an issue. I wonder if the fuel injection system used does not allow the precise mixture control to allow a three-way catalyst to function properly. I strongly suspect that the sound it the main reason the top end is neutered in North America.
Ryan definitely has a point that many buy a small-displacement 4-cylinder motorcycle for the sound. On larger displacement 4-cyls, you are largely limited to first gear to legally get to high revs.
Still wrenching on that silver wing RyanF9?!?! 😂. I would love to be able to have the opportunity to test ride one of these. Of course I could just trade in my Triumph Daytona for the one at Inglis Cycle, and I would probably have lots of fun, but I’m also quite sure I would eventually regret that decision and miss the Daytona.
Having owned one (and broken 2 rear diffs for reasons I couldn't work out), I think you're right about the regret. It was a great bike, my first, and I put something like 15k on it while using it as a daily.
@@captslaq I’ve got over 20k on mine and still no issues as bad as that. Plenty of power, noticeably more torque than any other 600cc sport bike, and surprisingly comfortable to ride (I can’t explain it, but more comfortable for me than any other sport bike and even many cruisers… not sure why, but I won’t complain about it)
Someone finally gets it. It’s just a wild bike that Kawasaki made for the enthusiasts. Forget the numbers, who cares about the numbers? Motorcycling is about fun and feeling like you’re in a MotoGP race while going legal speed limits is fun!
There is nothing wild about this bike.
Sold my gsxr750 years ago because I didnt want a ticket or a hospital visit... 13 years later when I finally sold the SV that replaced it I said "one day I'll own an inline 4 again, just for the sound." This looks like a great bike.
Love the math. I really learned something today. Big fan of small displacement. They’re so much more fun at real life road speeds
Thankfully it would appear the euro model will make a little more power without being overkill for the street as you said.
6:57. So there’s much more “easy power” to gain 😊
I knew inline 4's were sadly dying, but I didn't know why - beautifully explained as always Ryan!
I must also agree about your opinion on the power, anymore would be overkill. Some would say it is already overkill for the street when many of us European's get by with 125cc's. I have an old GSF650 Bandit and love it to pieces. Don't get me wrong, it's slower than this Kawi as it weighs so much more, but it makes similar power and torque and I find that it's more than enough fun for public roads.
good ride those gsf 650, id gladly buy one if i could
I rode the Ninja 25r and it was by far the most fun I’ve had with a sport bike on public roads! The in-line 4 is so smooth and the sound is so satisfying. I’m looking forward to riding the full power version of the 400rr soon.
😂 ok slug
I just ridden the ZX25 and its literally the coolest bike ever. I've ridden quite a few bikes but that bike has the perfect amount of power (goes all the way to 19k rpm) and weight to just toss around. Torque is super low and you need to rev the shit out of it but thats part of the fun of riding it.
Thanks for the content!
Zee and Zed all in one sentence. A unique form of bilingualism.😁
he does speak two languages - science and motorcycle. 🤣
0:32 i havnt taken my Ritalin in a while so it has a stronger effect and it just kicked in here and i nearly fell off my chair from being dizzy hahaha
I had the dealer call me the day the floor model came off the truck (in Ontario). I really hope enough people buy these to realize how super cool these are.
Didn't even care about the bike that much but just watched because of the way this guy does videos.