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FastestThings

Motorcycles

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R

MCN lists 184 mph for the 2011–2015 ZX-10R. An indicated track speed is not ranked.

Also known as ZX-10R, Ninja ZX-10R
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Top speed

Published as 184 mphPublished as 184 mphPublished as 184 mph

MCN specification table for the 2011–2015 ZX-10R lists 184 mph. An indicated 185 mph on a 2011 track introduction is a speedometer reading and is not stored. The 2004 radar test of 181 mph is a different generation.

VerifiedMotorcycle News (opens source in a new tab)

In context

  • 2.8× a cheetah's timed top speedSourced · Cheetah, 29 m/s. Sharp 1997, mean of three timed runs over 201.2 m
  • A football field in 1.1 sConstant · American football field, 100 yd (91.44 m)
  • London to New York in 18 h 49 minConstant · London to New York, 5,570 km great-circle

Worked out from the sourced figure above, which stays the ranked number.

This list

Why it's so fast

A motorcycle is fast because the air only has to get around a rider and a fairing, not a cabin. The engine still has to stay in its power band, and many of the big numbers are factory limiters.

  1. A small hole in the air

    Less frontal area means less drag for a given speed. The rider's tuck is part of the shape. A sitting-up test is a different motorcycle.

  2. Limiters are common

    A published top speed on a modern sport bike is often an electronic cap the makers agreed to, not the speed the engine would reach with the cap removed.

The capped one people mean is the Suzuki Hayabusa.

This is how the category works. A note written for this entry appears here once it is in the database.

Provenance

Every measurement

Claimed, measured and official figures side by side, each with its source. The ranked figure is marked.

  1. 296km/h184mph82.3m/s160knRanked figure

    MCN specification table for the 2011–2015 ZX-10R lists 184 mph. An indicated 185 mph on a 2011 track introduction is a speedometer reading and is not stored. The 2004 radar test of 181 mph is a different generation.

    Verified
    Motorcycle News (opens source in a new tab)

Reference

Specs

Model
2011–2015 ZX-10R
Test
MCN specification table, 184 mph
Not ranked
Indicated 185 mph and the 2004 radar test

Spot a wrong number?

Every report is read by a person, and corrections are dated on the page.