For an unbiased opinion: Chris Ulrich, Road Racing World Magazine but i haven't seen his 2016 ZX10 review yet.
You all have probably seen his 2015 R1(M) review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtarmORPNvo
His ZX10r review is in the March issue of RRWM.

 

Thanks @Bhob; Here is Chris Ulrich's review of the 2016 ZX10r.
Sample Magazine Feature: 2016 Kawasaki ZX-10R First Ride

http://www.roadracingworld.com/news...rld.com/news/video-ride-with-chris-ulrich-on-the-2016-kawasaki-zx10r-at-sepang/

 

Thanks. I'll see if I can find it.

 

It seems around the paddocks here that the ZX10R is becoming the winners' bike of choice in the club racing scene. It just has so much out of the box. The electronics have been refined to the point that the software of the Kawi might have one-upped the R1. The gas-charged forks are a bling item that apparently provides more consistent suspension performance. And the Brembo front MC has a great lever feel. Far better than the R1. And production legal. The swingarm has been lengthened and reinforced for more rigidity.

I have a buddy who is beginning his setup/shakedown on this beast. Without riding it, I think it seems like a formidable package especially in race trim. The R1 might get the edge for street riders and perhaps some racers for its chassis. I still would prefer to ride the Yamaha, but knowing that Kawi always spits out tons of power, it might be stealing the R1 shine.

 

I have an R1 60th and am going to look at a ZX10 next week, who knows,maybe I'll end up with both

 

Well after weeks of wrestling with which bike to get, my buddy just picked up a black ABS ZX-10R yesterday and wants to sell it. His biggest complaints were no storage area for hat, etc. and no helmet holders. He's a good rider but doesn't track anymore. Evidently bought the wrong bike. It's got 41 miles on it, and he wants $13.5K if anybody is looking for a good second bike.

Yea, I don't get it either. Quite a shock, to say the least :dunno Everything I've read suggests it's a great bike.

 

His biggest complaints were no storage area for hat, etc. and no helmet holders.

Oh ffs. :lol

Maybe he should have just gotten a Spyder. :roll:

 

LOL those are his complaints? I think that is common with about every liter bike on the market right now. BTW it does have helmet hooks under the rear seat. Found your buddy:
http://www.zx-10r.net/forum/f23/classifieds-316385.html

 

Yea I think that's him alright since he owns a Kevlar 38' Formula boat. Tragic! He still has a mint '03 GSXR1000 he bought new and I think maybe that bike (we call it the "dino") sets the bar pretty high. I've ridden it, it's a great bike for sure. But nobody can get by with just one bike, right?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-SfKUoLv9g

 

Thanks! It seems the only complaint they have with the ZX10R is the Euro 4 emission equipment. Apparently that is the only bike in the test to be equipped with it. However, all those bikes will have the same in 2017. I am just gonna have to find one to race with the 15 R1 lol.

 

the traction control and slide control on the new zx10r is not on par with the 15+ R1, 15+ s1krr, 1299 pani or the new ape. you can see what owners are saying on zx10r.net Gen 5: 2016 -> How "good" is the new TC ? (racers) - Kawasaki ZX-10R.net

doesn't really matter on the street though. stock straight line acceleration is on par with the R1 stock. full bolt ons gen 5 zx10r will outrun a full bolt ons r1 though.

 

"A true dork: "can't even put a baseball cap under the seat"! Beat it and enjoy your Suzuki." This was a reply from a kawi member, Kawi guys are ok in my books.
That guy was totally asking for it though, no hat space or helmet hooks and calling the original Kawi green a spray paint color is pretty crazy. Im not sure what he expects though, my R1 had no space for a hat and my 1199 barely fits my insurance slip. And of all the bikes he rides its gotta be a gsxr lol

 

I think the ZX10 look really good, but I like the R1 's looks more.

 

We put a Graves cat-elim (and removed the McDonald's sticker), Graves FTECU flash, block off plates and Graves Autoblip, on the 2016 ZX10. Body part fit and finish is low. The ECU isn't even bolted down, it just floats in the tail. The bike however is very comfortable to ride. That BFF fork is incredible. Not sure how it can do it all, but it does. Brakes are powerful. With only 400 miles on the Kawolski, we couldn't go flat out, but the ZX10 was brilliant on a few of my favorite curvey streets. Performance parts are literally half the cost of my Yamaha parts. If the ZX came in colors other than matt black or green, I wouldn't mind owning one at all. Still an inline 4 though, and I've become quite addicted to the cross plane crank howling. The sound reminds me of my old Ducati 1098S.

 

Just my opinion I have to say the zx10 has a better chassis to me.but I love my r1 sound so il stick with it.i wouldn't be suprised if next years r1 comes with the pressurized forks and some upgraded brakes

 

I just came off a 2016 ZX-10R a week ago, and on to my 2016 R1. My ZX-10 had a Graves 3/4 system and ECU flash, and had the front and rear sag set. All stock otherwise. It was a great bike and I really liked it, particularly the Showa gas charged BFF fork and the smooth engine. So the obvious question, why did I sell it? One word only, ergonomics.. Im 6'2 and 190 pounds and no matter what I tried to do I always felt a little cramped, the pegs were too high and forward, and the clip ons felt way too close.. The riding position didn't allow me to move around as much as I like to on the bike. Its just a bike made for a smaller rider. If it wasn't for this issue I probably would have kept the ZX-10. The R1 feels like a smaller bike but with a much roomier cockpit that allows me to move like I need to.
To compare to the R1, the ZX-10 feels bigger and softer, and takes a bit longer to respond to inputs. It feels setup more for the street than track. The fork is better than the R1 fork and the front end has loads of feel to it, and inspires confidence. You can switch lines mid corner, and brake while leaned over without disturbing the chassis.. Yamaha really needs to switch to these Showa gas charged BFF forks on the R1. The shock on the ZX-10 is about average, nothing special. The Euro 4 emissions regs hit this bike hard, and in stock form it feels gutless and lazy below 7k rpm, but at that point it takes off and by 10k is pulling really hard. Once a full or 3/4 system and ECU flash is done it really wakes up the motor and it will put out 195hp.. The electronics are good as well and inspire you to push it hard, the TC comes on so smoothly that you wouldn't know it was even working if not for the blinking light on the dash. The bike feels like a big bike but not especially heavy, it handles like a smaller bike and the agile, stable and planted front end makes up for the bikes "large size" feeling to an extent. Overall the R1 feels smaller and harder, not as smooth as the Kawasaki but faster, more agile and more exiting to ride.. These are all just my opinions of course, other may feel differently

 

Neither bike is perfect but are the closest thing to perfection; you have to pick the features that are more important to you. The Kawi's front end is clearly the winner while the R1's engine character and agility are its strong points. If you haven't test ridden both, I suggest you do so because this will be an easier decision once you take both for a ride and see how you feel when you get off.

 

I have a 2016 ZX10R that I currently have in track only setup and will be racing Superstock next year. One thing about the ZX R1 is the fact that they are the most opposite bikes on the grid. The ZX makes a lap time from high corner speeds and blistering topend but you need to keep it up on the power, otherwise it's a bit of a dog. The R1 is a point and shoot bike and is a MONSTER off the apex.

From a racers perspective, the best bike on the grid is the one that is easiest to up to a winning pace. Kawasaki has the BEST supported bike on the grid. You can't beat the Kawasaki Race ECU setup. Nothing comes close. These bikes make over 200hp with a slipon, decat and a tune on race fuel. The electronics are better in stock form. The R1 has more adjust-ability between the electronic settings but as a whole, the stock system is more intrusive or abrupt than the ZX. I've pulled a 150+ mph wheelie on my Kawasaki and the anti wheel was soooo smooth that I never felt a loss in acceleration.

So it boils down to what type of (track) rider are you? Do you like high lean/high cornerspeed with a manic topend or do you want a beast off the apex that will get you from apex to apex with the most excitement?

Personally, I want the best racebike to compete. The R1 is too wild for my style of riding. I don't understand how to use the aggression of my '09 to make a decent lap time but my ZX10R is like a perfect fit for my temperament. It's truly an extension of my mentality.

 

I have a 2016 ZX10R that I currently have in track only setup and will be racing Superstock next year. One thing about the ZX R1 is the fact that they are the most opposite bikes on the grid. The ZX makes a lap time from high corner speeds and blistering topend but you need to keep it up on the power, otherwise it's a bit of a dog. The R1 is a point and shoot bike and is a MONSTER off the apex.

From a racers perspective, the best bike on the grid is the one that is easiest to up to a winning pace. Kawasaki has the BEST supported bike on the grid. You can't beat the Kawasaki Race ECU setup. Nothing comes close. These bikes make over 200hp with a slipon, decat and a tune on race fuel. The electronics are better in stock form. The R1 has more adjust-ability between the electronic settings but as a whole, the stock system is more intrusive or abrupt than the ZX. I've pulled a 150+ mph wheelie on my Kawasaki and the anti wheel was soooo smooth that I never felt a loss in acceleration.

So it boils down to what type of (track) rider are you? Do you like high lean/high cornerspeed with a manic topend or do you want a beast off the apex that will get you from apex to apex with the most excitement?

Personally, I want the best racebike to compete. The R1 is too wild for my style of riding. I don't understand how to use the aggression of my '09 to make a decent lap time but my ZX10R is like a perfect fit for my temperament. It's truly an extension of my mentality.

Guess the only reason no one liked your post was because your comparing first hand experiance with the old R1..... Jeez Aaron read the OP's question. :cockblockedsad:

 

@Banky As we've discussed at length, there's a lot wrong with how we are told to compare modern bikes these days.

With the current flock of bikes offered, there's nothing that's more of a waste of time, then a stock to stock comparison. The bikes off the showroom floor have been so restricted, muzzled or otherwise altered that you really aren't feeling the true nature of the machine at a factory demo ride.

Then there's the issue of the comparison videos. Look no further than the difference between MCN and Motorcycle.com, they both show some favoritism based on their groups "hive" mindset. MCN has a thing for the new CBR1000RR and Motorcycle.com loved the new R1 for the first couple years. This comes from the physical locations of these groups of riders, the Brits have had a thing for the Fireblade since it came out. Here in the US, we are so used to being shown how dominate the R1 is (Hayes/AMA), that this mentality spills into the comparison test performed on this side of the pond. Not that, these two groups don't make some seriously good arguments, its just that we are affected directly by the marketing money of Honda/Yamaha, even in these "non-bias" tests.

Finally, if we look at single riders review, that becomes very much a bias opinion based on his personality and physical stature. Like me, I don't like how I fit on the new R1. I like the BMW and the ZX10R better. Before you say it, yes rearsets can help, and there are tank shrouds that change ergos, seats, clipon blah blah blah....which further supports my position that stock to stock comparisons are a waste of time.

Here's the last food for thought regarding the OP's post:

This is graph of my 2016 ZX10R (201hp/86tq) vs a 2015 R1 (200hp/87tq) with similar mods and the same fuel (U4.4 oxygenated race gas). *From this graph*, the R1 looks more dominate because of the stronger midrange. However, we cannot tell the whole story from looking at power number through an RPM range. The ZX10 has STUPID short transmission but gets muzzled by factory sprockets that kills the feeling of power delivery. I'm using a -1/+2 (like 600s) and I still find the gearing very long at some tracks. That being said, when you keep the ZX10 up in the power (12-14k shift range with stock tranny), it's nearly unstoppable with the right rider.

Thank God, street comparisons are much simpler...I just wanna go fast hahaha! Can't we ride and make fun of each other?

 

@APO2112

i completely agree.. stock vs stock comparisons are a complete bore to me; been this way for 10 years :lol

i'm no idiot, guaranteed to mod the shit out of either bike before i really ride it anyways so
what do i care what the bean counters have to say; wont be staying stock for long :dunno