Right back to the original Z1 of 1972, Kawasaki has been the musclebike company, building its reputation on big, brawny, virtually bulletproof engines in chassis that ranged from pretty damn good to downright scary.
And for the past few years the king of that particular hill has been the ZX-14 - 1400cc of heavy, comfortable motorcycle with incredible straight-line performance.
Now KHI has revved up the ZX-14 for 2012 by adding an R to the badge - and more of just about everything as well, which is not always a good thing.
To start with, there's more engine; the crank has been stroked 4mm to take capacity up to 1441cc, compression has been raised, the head has been ported and ploished, the cam profiles are steeper and the fuel-injection mapping has been revised for more power throughout the rev range - especially in the midrange.
Kawasaki won't say how much power (we reckon it must be close to 150kW). They do, however, state that the ZX-14R is the fastest-accelerating production motorcycle on the face of the planet.
So you'll probably be glad to hear that a new slipper clutch will prevent you from being spat off it if you have to shut the throttle suddenly for any reason.
The ZX-14R also has more electronics, including Kawasaki's KTRC traction control (well proven on the current ZX-109R) and a choice of three engine mappings, operated from a handlebar toggle, that give you full power, a more concentrated midrange, or a "soft" mapping for wet or slippery conditions. And there's a liquid-crystal display on the revised instrument panel that tells you which mode you're in, as well as a warning icon that comes up when the traction control cuts in.
The forgings and castings that make up the frame have been redesigned - a little thicker here, a little thinner there - to improve flex and feedback characteristics (Gone are the days when bikemakers strived for rigidity; today's frames are intended to flex a certain amount in some directions but not in others).
The swing-arm has been lengthened by 10mm and longer, with improved bracing, while front and rear suspension has been revised for more initial compliance as well as improved bottoming resistance.
The brakes have been revised and there are new 10-spoked, cast-and-machined alloy rims that Kawasaki says are lighter than the old ones, but that hasn't helped much because there's more weight as well; claimed kerb weight is up 8 kilograms to 265kg.
The bodywork has been restyled with a crisper, four-headlight nose and bigger side ducts, and the instrument panel has been revised to carry the extra readouts from the new electronic rider aids - which include an "Eco" mode that tells you are riding the ZX-14R as economically as possible (just tell that to the greenies!).
The ZX-14R will be released in South Africa in January 2012; prices, as always, when they get here.