2011 Kawasaki ZX-10R 170 hp At The Wheel!

A new, somewhat clandestine, video surfaced on YouTube just today revealing that Kawasaki's new 2011 ZX-10R produces over 170 hp at the rear wheel in stock trim.

Taking this at face value, that's at least 17 hp more than the 2010 ZX-10R produced for us in our 2010 Literbike Shootout.

This puts the new big Ninja within swinging distance of BMW's S1000RR, that in the same shootout gave us just under 176 hp. Furthermore, rumors have swirled — and some even claim confirmation — that the Beemer doesn't play by U.S. EPA rules. We have it from a good source that Kawasaki is 100% in compliance with emissions standards for the U.S.

And if the techs in this video are on the up 'n' up, the simple act of using a slip-on exhaust and some "Power Commander" type of ECU modifier give the new ZX potential of nearly 190 hp!

If the video's results are accurate, this then puts to rest recent rumors that the 2011 ZX-10R has only the same horsepower as the previous model.