This aggravating problem resulted in a beautiful four cylinder howl would be heard reverberating off the straightaway’s front wall through first, second and third, followed by a loud stuttering, coughing sound as the bike slammed against the rev limiter staying stuck in third.

I also had some difficulty trying to short-shift out of turn seven, and had to ensure more of my boot was under the lever to eliminate the problem. Not being the only one having trouble, cyber space was buzzing about the situation by the time I got home. Oh the end of the world was nigh, and numerous experts appeared over night without ever having to leave their keyboards.

So, to get the story straight, I put a call in to Kawasaki’s Mel Moore. Well aware of the situation, KHI (Kawasaki Heavy Industries) had already flown in parts after our first day. It seems the problem lay in the shift detent spring being too stiff. A softer spring was being installed as we spoke, and Mel had heard nothing further to the negative at the time of writing. I should take a moment to explain that we were riding what are called “pilot production” bikes. These are hand built from existing parts and, according to Mr. Moore, “some parts are going to change before the bikes get to the showrooms.”

Continued...