On Two Wheels: 2016 Kawasaki ZX-10R First Ride Video Review–Tested Street & Track

Over the past few years, Europe has been punching very hard in the superbike ring. From the frameless Ducati Panigale to Aprilia’s sexy and savvy RSV4 and BMW’s insanely fast S1000RR, Japan has been left in the shadows. Kawasaki’s ZX-10R was the only bike that could really hold a candle to the Euro-elite. That is, until 2015, when Yamaha dropped the stunning new YZF-R1 into the mix and made everything else from Japan practically obsolete.

Within the same calendar year, Kawasaki announced a pile of updates for the ZX-10R. (SEE ALL OF THE 2016 UPDATES HERE). Based on what Team Green learned in its World Superbike success, Kawasaki said the 2016 ZX-10R would incorporate all of the things needed to take its flagship superbike back to the top. That meant all new gas-charged suspension from Showa, 330mm rotors and M50 brake calipers from Brembo, updated aerodynamics and ergonomics, as well as a revamped powerplant with lightened engine internals and a new exhaust.

But is it enough? That's the question that we all want answered, and nobody more so than our own Ari and Zack. They took it upon themselves to find out how much better the ZX-10R is for 2016, and how it stacks up to the old bike and the competition. Ari even went so far as getting on an airplane to get to ride the ZX-10R in it's natural habitat. Click on the video above to see what the On Two Wheels team learned!