When Kawasaki returned to the premier class in 2002, the machine they created was an aggressive beast: the ZX-RR! Sharp, sharp angles accompanied by an incomparable, incandescent green. Go back!
The bike took part in the last four races of the 2002 season, and managed to score points in one of them. She then participated in the full Grand Prix season in 2003, but the results were not there. Indeed, the recent ZX-RR suffered against rivals with more experience in the category.
The ZX-RR was a radical looking machine. The huge rear shell immediately catches the eye.
The bike had a traditional twin-spar aluminum frame that wrapped an inline 4-cylinder engine. According to sources, it developed between 200 and 220 hp at the time.
This back cover was impressive! With 2002 being the first of the 4-stroke era, the power and acceleration of MotoGP machines increased, compared to the 500 cc 2-strokes. Thus, the shape of the saddle helped prevent riders from moving too far back when accelerating.
The front end of the ZX-RR was also aggressive. The angular sides of the fairing gave it that prototype look and the large central air intake served a significant purpose.
The air intake was routed through the steering column, which strongly resembles what we see on current MotoGP prototypes. The direct air intake helps bring as much air as possible into the airbox, which also helps create as much power as possible.
In its early days, the ZX-RR was a difficult bike to ride: lots of power and an incredibly stiff chassis were two of the keys that needed to be improved to make this machine handleable, in order to have a faster and more efficient package.
One interesting thing about the ZX-RR is that much of its chassis is visible, even when the fairings were in place. Here we see the main beam, including the upper engine mount, which was positioned very high on the engine.
The ZX-RR, a pure prototype from the imagination of the men of Tokyo: radical from every angle, the single exhaust emerging under the immense rear loop was impressive.
This photo speaks for itself: this aggressive-looking machine is intimidating when you're behind it.
Here is the clay rendering of the future ZX-RR prototype, at the start of its development. The machine has remained fairly faithful to its concept, only a few minor changes are visible on the final version.
Unfortunately, Kawasaki is not expected to return to MotoGP with a prototype that looks so aggressive…
