MAY THE FOURS BE WITH US

The ZX-6R has a final shot at retribution against the bike that killed the 600cc supersports segment

- Manaal Mahatme

That day, the quaint little villages on the outskirts of Pune woke up to the screams of two inline-fours. That day, the naive locals witnessed one of the only two surviving true 600cc supersports. That day, the winding roads of Tamhini became the vanguard for one of the greatest battles of the motorcycling world. That day, I got to play the ringmaster.

It is no secret that the 600cc supersport segment is dead and the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R is one of the two pure-breds remaining. And the birth of the BMW S 1000 RR back in 2014 was one of the reasons that put the 600cc screamers in the coffin. As fate (or I) would have it, the 2024 Ninja ZX-6R met the latest iteration of the Bavarian track scorcher. It ached to see my childhood icon trying to prove its worth. It was like an old lion standing up against a young one, knowing well that things may not end in its favour.

Seeing them in the ring, the S 1000 RR seemed like Goliath, towering over the ZX-6R. It’s not that the 6R is a puny motorcycle in isolation, but the BMW with its big windscreen, massive winglets, and the muscular fuel tank gave it a very imposing stance. The ZX-6R’s flat-ish tank, low windscreen and the lack of visual drama gave it a very unintimidating appearance. But David did put down Goliath, so I didn’t want the appearances to get the better of me, and so began the fight.