Kawasaki ZX14R Ownership Review

Japanese motorcycle manufacturers have always loved competing for the most powerful and biggest engine. Kawasaki started it with the ZX11, then Honda made the Blackbird, and then the Hayabusa took the top spot for a while. While everyone was going crazy for the Hayabusa (and for good reason), Kawasaki was secretly working to take back the title. In 2006, Kawasaki shook things up with the first-gen ZX14, also known as the ZZR1400. Its 1352 cc engine challenged the Hayabusa's dominance. However, the competition remained close, as the second-gen Hayabusa arrived in 2007 with a 1340 cc engine producing 197 HP.

The real game-changer appeared in 2012, when the ZX14 was renamed to ZX14R and its engine grew to a monstrous 1441 cc. At that point, nothing else could even come close. Now just to set things into context, my family and I love our bikes. I have other big bikes at home (including a Gen 3 Hayabusa) and the moment we saw an example at a showroom in Dubai, I had made up my mind to get a ZX14R someday or later. That dream later manifested into reality when it entered my garage in April 2024. I've ridden my fair share of powerful bikes, and this one is in a league of its own. While some of the other big bikes are easy to get comfortable on, the ZX14R demands respect.

The power and torque are insane – it makes the Hayabusa feel like a kid's bike! The Hayabusa tempts you to go crazy, but the ZX14R expects you to be sensible. If you mess with the throttle, it'll throw you off like an angry bull. It is this extreme power that forms the major reason why I got this beast in the first place. The 1441cc liquid-cooled 4-cylinder motor not only has a solid top end but also has oodles of torque owing to the displacement. This lends a very nice character to the bike (provided you ride it nicely). Not only it can be ridden easily at city speeds, but it also makes short work of highway cruising.

While 200 BHP is now common in the liter-class segment, the earth-shattering torque of 158 Nm makes the difference. And yes, this motor is creamy smooth and barely makes noise with the stock exhaust. Tipping the scales at 269 kg, this isn’t a light bike by any stretch of the imagination it isn’t a bad thing. In places like the UAE, there is a tendency for strong gusts of crosswinds to blow on the highways which can be unnerving to handle if riding lighter bikes. All this mass on the ZX helps the bike to remain rock solid whether I am riding it at 20 km/hr, 120 km/hr, or even 220 km/hr. Another reason why this bike is a joy to ride on highways is due to its ergonomics and ride quality.

Yes the bike has clip-ons and yes the riding posture is lean forward but that doesn’t mean it is uncomfortable to ride. It is very comfortable and I have so far never faced an issue whenever I have done Abu Dhabi - Dubai rides. Another thing that impresses me is how nicely the bike dissipates the heat. Even in peak summers riding a bike with such a big motor isn’t a problem as the temperatures barely cross the 100-degree Celsius mark even in peak stop-and-go traffic. The Kawasaki H2 SX is the only bike that comes close to the ZX14R, and it replaced the ZX14R in a lot of places. I would buy this bike again and hold onto it for as long as I could. There's nothing else out there that compares right now.