During the press briefing, we watched a video of the aluminium frames being made by a mixture of hi-tech robotics and human hands; it is one beefy looking bit of kit.

Out on display, a cutaway model on a mirrored stand allowed views into the engine and body parts. Looking into the head, the titanium exhaust valve wouldn’t be out of place as an object d’art. Each of the eight valves is 25.5mm in diameter while the intakes are 31mm. The intake ports are liquid-smooth and 43 mm throttle bodies feed fuel into the cylinders. These have dual throttle valves and fine atomizing injectors, technology borrowed from the automotive world. Air is provided in large doses from the huge ram-air intake that sits above the twin headlights. Passing through the frame tubes into the cavernous air box, it is good for an extra nine horsepower.

Flat-top pistons maximize combustion chamber efficiency while putting the squeeze on the mix; iridium spark plugs provide the fire. Compression ratio is a healthy 12.7:1, and plated cylinders keep the heat down while the pistons get their workout. On the other side of the cylinders, butterfly valves are used in the titanium exhaust pipes to keep the power smooth through the rev range.

The crankshaft is very light and compact, with its position in the featherweight cases helping keep the ZX-10’s centre of gravity as low as possible. Taking the power to the rear wheel is a six-speed close-ratio box and an adjustable slipper clutch. I have to confess I never downshifted hard enough to test it, but my bacon has been saved on another occasion from a similar system, so it is definitely a good thing. 

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