The Kawasaki GTR1400 - Transcontinental Supersport

When the Kawasaki ZZR1400 arrived on the scene, during the latter half of 2005, few could have imagined that it would form the basis of an even better equipped piece of motorcycling kit. The Kawasaki GTR1400 is up there with the very best of kilometer eaters sport tourers, even earning a new class name of 'Transcontinental Supersports'.

The big Kawasaki GTR1400 is super smooth and, being the end result of over two decades of inline four development, very reliable too. On the move, the mass is lost almost entirely, while riding in a sporty manner is well catered for with ample lean angle and a taut and capable chassis.

Up front is a set of beefy 43mm inverted forks while at the rear end much work has been done to reverse the negative effects of the shaft drive system, effectively the swingarm doesn't pivot around one central point but instead rocks around a much larger area, keeping the rear en more stable in the process with little of the usual movement associated with a shaft.

So well designed is the gear train that the shaft drive is never noticeable, the Kawasaki GTR1400 take on the design is silky smooth and maintenance free. Seating for both occupant is plush, and stays that way for kilometers after kilometers, enabling the Kawasaki GTR1400 to cruise for vast distances halted only by the need to refuel.

Even refueling can be a long time coming around as, with 22 liters on board, the potential to put well over 325 kilometers on the score sheet is all too real. This large capacity of fuel is centrally mounted deep into the frame and close to the center of gravity; it is racetrack like thinking that works well on the road.

The huge torque figures on off from the variable valve engine at the heart of the Kawasaki GTR1400, means the need to be up and down the six-speed gearbox is seldom required, even in dense traffic the big Kawasaki GTR1400 is happy trundling along at tick over, ready to spring like a scalded cat should the call be made to get a move on. Once that call is made the complex fuel injection system handles the rest and the result is a burst of controllable power that can make this big machine feel much smaller.

The experience is even greater once the variable valve setup kicks in, taking the relatively docile machine up into the realms of a screaming supersport bike.

The Kawasaki GTR1400 does so many things so well it will take some beating, maybe a dose of factory designed goodies like cruise control, would put the icing on what appears to be an already pretty well decorated cake.