Now, we're not going to kid anyone here, HotCars is full of Kawasaki enthusiasts. Naturally, we've tried to put the best examples at the forefront of our reader's attention, but some manage to slip under the radar, so to speak.

As such, we realized that it's been far too long since we examined Kawasaki in depth. To be more specific, their selection of superbikes/sports motorcycles throughout the generations; seeing how fast they can go. It seems simple enough, however, finding the best-of-the-best required some serious discrimination and research.

Nonetheless, we're confident that we've found the bikes in question. So, without further ado, here are the ten fastest Kawasaki superbikes ever made...

10 2004 Kawasaki Z1000 – ~155 MPH

Drag Times

Starting off from the slowest (of the ten here) is the 2004 Kawasaki Z1000. The Z1000 was a mix of both naked bike and superbike, which made for an effective lightweight combo. Surprisingly, the '1000' doesn't mean its a liter, though it's pretty close (953 cc). This inline-four 'literbike' can produce 127 hp at full-throttle, resulting in that 155 MPH mark.

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9 1988 Kawasaki Tomcat ZX-10 – 165 MPH

YouTube

Back in 1988, Kawasaki needed a strong bike to one-up their massively popular GPZ900R. The answer was the 1988 Kawasaki Tomcat ZX-10, a bike with similar design queues as the GZP, but with more power and better handling.

The Tomcat didn't need Tom Cruise to cement its fame. No, all it needed was a straight line, wherein it could reach 165 MPH. In 1988, that was the world record.

8 2004 Kawasaki ZZR1200 – 168 MPH

Wikipedia

The early-2000's were a good time for Kawasaki, as evidenced by both the Z1000 and ZZR1200, respectively. The ZZR1200 was the more aggressive side of the two, sporting an extra 200 cc's than normal. It was a very large bike, but, by all accounts, a very nimble one, nonetheless.

Eventually, the ZZR1200 was replaced by the ZX-11, however, it saw a resurgence with the 'Retro' pack (pictured above).

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7 2006 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R 636 – 170 MPH

ZX6R Forums

It's amazing to think what a handful of years can do in terms of mechanical engineering. Just a few years prior to 2006, Kawasaki would need close to 1000 cc's to reach anywhere near the 165-170 range. However, within a relatively short time period, they managed to make the Ninja ZX-6R 636, a 'supersport' that could surpass most liter bikes.

The 636 denominates its 636 cc engine. Although the extra 36 cc's may seem unorthodox, it provides a massive boost to acceleration and overall speed with minimal addition to the total curb-weight.

As an owner of this exact type of bike, we have but one piece of advice: don't go in thinking it's a normal 600 cc bike. If you do, you'll surely regret it...

6 2001 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11 – 175.8 MPH

Wikipedia

As we mentioned beforehand, the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-11 was a part of the ZZR1200's and Tomcat's fill-in (though, it was technically known as the ZZR1100). Like many other Kawasaki's at the time, it didn't quite get to the 1,100 cc mark, though, it was still pumping out upwards of 145 MPH.

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5 2004 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R – ~183.9 MPH

Visordown

In comparison to other bikes on this list, the standard ZX-10R may not be that special. However, there are at least TWO years that're especially noteworthy. The first is the original one, a 2004 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R.

2004 was the first year for the ZX-10R; a model that'd continue to this day. That means, if nothing else, the first version was good enough to catapult it into the limelight. Well, that and a top speed of 183.9 MPH, of course.

4 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-12R - 186.9 MPH

Total Motorcycle

From 2000 to 2006, Kawasaki had a real challenger to Suzuki's Hayabusa in the form of the ZX-12R. Just about everything the Hayabusa could do the ZX-12R could do too, and sometimes better!

By the end of the ZX-12R's lifespan, it managed to get up to 186.9 MPH from production. The top-end is great, but the acceleration is where it's really at! Gotta love Kawasaki and their neck-snapping starts...

3 2012 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R – 205 MPH

Motorcycle Daily

At one point, about fourteen-years go, someone at Kawasaki probably threw up their hands and said "screw it!" Then, coming up with this: the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R. Rather than trying to out engineer the competition, they'd just put as big of an engine as they could on it.

Since Kawasaki's naming system is so simple, you can see that the ZX-14R is among the most powerful (and biggest) of Kawasaki's models. Nevertheless, its size didn't impact its speed, as evidenced by the 2012 model's top-end of 205 MPH.

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2 2020 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R – ~187 MPH

Flat Out Motorsports

Earlier on, when we were discussing the '04 ZX-10R, we mentioned one other version being worth it. As you've likely guessed, we were talking about the latest model, the 2020 ZX-10R. As the basis for Kawasaki's World Superbike Championship, the newest Ninja ZX-10R has put Kawasaki in 1st and 4th place so far.

Clearly, the new tech inside Kawasaki's brand new models are really something. Though, we can't discount the work of the riders, either.

1 Kawasaki Ninja H2R – ~206.3 MPH

Total Motorcycle

If you want the fastest production motorcycle on Earth, then you've got two options: the H2 or H2R. Both are nearly the same, except the H2R is the even scarier version. So scary, in fact, that it's not street-legal.

Utilizing a liquid-cooled supercharger on its 998 cc inline-four, the H2R will set the bar at 310+ horsepower. Be prepared to experience some serious g-forces with the H2's, since they'll show no mercy at neither 60 nor 206.3 MPH.

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