It appears supersport motorcycles are not quite dead yet! The Kawasaki ZX-6R is back for 2024, updated with minor tweaks that push it even farther past the faltering competition in this category.
New visual design
Kawasaki overhauled the bodywork to bring the 600 inline with its big brother. Now, it looks a lot more like the ZX-10R, with a set of tiny winglets integrated into the front fairing. Speaking of which, the fairing itself has a sharper cut than the previous model, with a tighter and tidier headlight and a sporty windshield featuring built-in holes to reduce wind pressure and reduce buffeting.
Engine overhaul
The engine itself is much the same as before. The intake and exhaust systems see minor updates, which are supposed to improve the bike’s low-end and mid-range, when paired with a new camshaft. This also works to reduce tailpipe emissions, which is important to keep a machine on sales floors.
Revised electronics
The ZX-6R also sees updates to the electronics system. There are now four riding modes built into the bike—Sport, Road, Rain and a user-set Rider mode. Of course, the bike’s traction control system and power output profile is tied to these riding modes, with each selection giving you a different pre-set. Riders can switch between those modes by interfacing with the 4.3-inch colour TFT display, which connects to your mobile phone with Kawasaki’s Rideology app.
Other details
The new ’24 model has the same aluminum perimeter frame and Showa suspension as before, but there are new 310mm round brake discs. There are new Pirelli Diablo Rosso IV tires as well.
Pricing starts at $13,099 for the standard ZX-6R; opting for ABS adds another $1,000 to the MSRP.
The competition
With this latest update, Kawasaki rules the 600 roost. Only Suzuki remains as competition in this market, and the GSX-R600 has not been updated for many years. Honda no longer sells the CBR600 here, and Yamaha’s track-only edition of the R6 also doesn’t come to Canada. For now, Kawi is the bike to beat in the supersport category. Find more information at Kawasaki’s website here.
Ok, so is this going to be “in showrooms” (this year – 2023), or are will we need to wait until 2024 to be able to buy and ride one ?