Kawasaki Quitting WSBK

Discussions on your upcoming trackdays, discusions on WSB, MotoGP, BSB or even F1.
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Skub
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Kawasaki Quitting WSBK

Post by Skub »

https://www.motorsport.com/wsbk/news/ka ... 4%20season.

Kawasaki will end its factory involvement in the World Superbike Championship at the conclusion of the 2024 season.

Bimota are taking on the challenge,it would seem. I can't see that bike running at the front.

I understand the Rea move to Yamaha now.
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Re: Kawasaki Quitting WSBK

Post by KungFooBob »

Still Kawasaki engines and don't Kawasaki own most of bimota, so it's still pretty much a Kawasaki team :)
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Re: Kawasaki Quitting WSBK

Post by Skub »

KungFooBob wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2024 11:03 am Still Kawasaki engines and don't Kawasaki own most of bimota, so it's still pretty much a Kawasaki team :)
We'll see I suppose,but it looks like Kawasaki sees no future in developing a litre sportsbike and with Yamaha stopping production of the R1,there must be concerned faces at WSBK organisers.
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Re: Kawasaki Quitting WSBK

Post by KungFooBob »

It's a shame because in recent years WSBK has been far more entertaining than MotoGP.
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Re: Kawasaki Quitting WSBK

Post by Yorick »

Yesterday my pal said he'd heard that Suzuki are bringing out a super new whizz bang GSXR1000.

That implies they're aiming at WSB.
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Re: Kawasaki Quitting WSBK

Post by KungFooBob »

One thing to note...

Bimota need to produce 250 road bikes costing less than 44,000E before the end of 2025 to homologate them.

So expect a ZX10-RR engined Bimota out anytime soon.

The existing Bimota's use the H2 and the 1000SX motors, not the ZX10.
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Re: Kawasaki Quitting WSBK

Post by Bustaspoke »

Yorick wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2024 11:11 am Yesterday my pal said he'd heard that Suzuki are bringing out a super new whizz bang GSXR1000.

That implies they're aiming at WSB.
Even though Suzuki's withdrawn from road racing competition,top engineer Sahara from the Moto GP project was on the grid & in the pits with SERT at Le Mans 24hrs last weekend.
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Re: Kawasaki Quitting WSBK

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

Yorick wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2024 11:11 am Yesterday my pal said he'd heard that Suzuki are bringing out a super new whizz bang GSXR1000.

That implies they're aiming at WSB.
I can't see it happening, but the existing one is good enough to win Le Mans, it could possibly win in WSBK with enough effort.
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Re: Kawasaki Quitting WSBK

Post by ChrisW »

There was an article about a patent application for a GSXR1000 one of the american bike sites not that long ago (they seem to love the patent stuff...) which suggested it might be a possibility.
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Re: Kawasaki Quitting WSBK

Post by Yorick »

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2024 8:24 pm
Yorick wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2024 11:11 am Yesterday my pal said he'd heard that Suzuki are bringing out a super new whizz bang GSXR1000.

That implies they're aiming at WSB.
I can't see it happening, but the existing one is good enough to win Le Mans, it could possibly win in WSBK with enough effort.
I'd imagine the endurance racers are softer tuned than WSB bikes.
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Re: Kawasaki Quitting WSBK

Post by Bigyin »

ChrisW wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2024 8:56 pm There was an article about a patent application for a GSXR1000 one of the american bike sites not that long ago (they seem to love the patent stuff...) which suggested it might be a possibility.
44 teeth did a video this week with Al and Chris both on older Gixxers (K2 and K7 I think) and they were also talking about a new Gixxer coming out
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Re: Kawasaki Quitting WSBK

Post by Yorick »

Bigyin wrote: Fri Apr 26, 2024 10:45 am
ChrisW wrote: Thu Apr 25, 2024 8:56 pm There was an article about a patent application for a GSXR1000 one of the american bike sites not that long ago (they seem to love the patent stuff...) which suggested it might be a possibility.
44 teeth did a video this week with Al and Chris both on older Gixxers (K2 and K7 I think) and they were also talking about a new Gixxer coming out
Yeah. My mate mentioned 44 teeth so that's probably what he saw :)