[ukzx10r]

Ive got some time to kill so i thought id look at what the actual differences are between gen4 and 5.
I noticed the swing arms are alot more different than they first appear.
Gen 5 is braced at the top and has an extended rear section which i hadnt noticed before.
Gen4

Gen5

 

[Cyclotron]

The bracing is kind of interesting. I suspect that I'm probably not skilled enough to actually realize the benefit of a braced swingarm while out there on the race track. Perhaps you are that skilled.

The part that I'd be concerned with is that Kawasaki claims that the swingarm is 15mm longer than the gen4 counterpart. I know from personal experience that my gen4 race bike works better with the rear wheel as far forward as possible. I even went a step further and replaced the chain adjustment bolts with shorter ones to get the wheelbase just a little bit shorter. I had to make other adjustments to get the bike sorted after this change, but it definitely works better for me with a shorter wheelbase. Your mileage may vary.

 

[dricked]

Everyone I've ever spoke to about setup has said to run the gen 4 wheel as far back as possible which is probably why they extended the swimgarm.

 

[Cyclotron]

I thought it was to add stability since Kawasaki moved the steering head closer to the rider on the 2016 version. It's been a while since I read the press release on the gen5 from Kawasaki so I really don't know for certain.

I found it easier to steer with the wheelbase closed up, but stability wasn't affected. I actually discovered this sort of by accident, I changed the rear sprocket out for a larger one and moved the axle forward to fit. Seemed like it took less effort to steer so I just sort of ran with the idea. I like it, but (like anything else) what works or feels good to me may not be ideal for the next guy.

 

[LDH]

You guys are both correct.

The really fast Pro guys are all running the axles set mid to back on the Gen4 for maximum drive and more time to react to when something gets loose from the rear end, but the bike does steer better in terms of effort involved and precision when the axle is set mid to forward. It is all part of the compromise that is geometry...

I'm not running at lap record pace, nor am I spinning up the rear with handfuls of throttle on every exit so moving the axle forward works fine for me and I appreciate the ease of which I can move through traffic at any given trackday. If I were trying for those really low lap times in a race setting I would adjust the geometry accordingly to what is proven to work.

 

[ukzx10r]

I think its obvious that the longer the swing arm the less chance of lifting the front so you can get on the gas harder. But theyve obviously done it in a way that doesnt compramise turn in by altering the front geometry.
I didnt notice much difference from 4 to 5 on the road in terms of turn in

 

[rafa]

The swingarm has a lot more bracing than you can see in that picture.
It has 4 braces in the top and bottom in front of the whee.

 

[White Fang]

The hallmark of a great sporting motorcycle is how it will respond to seemingly minute changes. A millimeter of preload or wheelbase, 1/8 turn of damping, are enough to notice for a decent rider paying attention.

When I regeared my bike I made sure to add a couple of links to the chain to keep the wheelbase very nearly the same as I added 3 teeth to the rear. I didn't like it so I cut off the extra links and went back to stock.

I used the "Gearing Commander" to figure exactly how to regear my GSX-R 750 track bike to preserve the wheelbase also. Bike is much more fun to ride but handles the same, maybe turns a touch slower because the engine is spinning faster at any given speed.

The ZX-10R is a fantastically designed motorycle; I just adjusted my suspension (Gen 4) very slightly yet the change to the bike was huge. Added just one more click of preload to the forks and 1mm preload to the rear, 1/8 turn damping comp/rebound front rear (except for the high-speed shock damping, left that alone). This is from settings already much stiffer than stock. Kawasaki knows what they are doing with these bikes.

Difference was amazing, so much more confidence, especially in the front. Very balanced. Th

 

[RBZ10R]

you could bolt a gen 5 swingarm up to a gen 4 if you were really keen, they havent changed the position of the suspension mounting, they just braced it more and added 15mm on the rear section of the swingarm at the adjuster