THERE was a time when Kawasaki dominated the supersport market, leaving its competition to play catch up - the trouble was its competitors not only caught up, but overtook!

Honda's CBR600RR and Yamaha's R6 raised the bar to such a height that Kawasaki's 2005 ZX-6R was going to need a young Evel Knievel in the saddle to clear it.

There can be no mistaking Kawasaki's intention with the latest 636cc Ninja - it wants to be the best on the road.

The 2005 model is no half-hearted update thrown together in September with a few parts bin rejects. There's some serious technology lurking beneath the green fairing.

It should be noted that the ZX-6R is also available in the bizarrely-named candy plasma blue and a silver and black that makes it look remarkably like an R1.

The twin-spar frame has been given a coat of black paint that looks moodier than the exposed aluminium of the '03 model too.

The new ZX-6R (pictured) is the slickest looking Ninja to date and is also the first Kawasaki to feature an under-seat exhaust.

Sure, all the manufacturers are fitting under-seat exhausts these days, but it makes the Ninja look so much fresher and sleeker that it's no bad thing.

In fact, there's loads of MotoGP-inspired styling on the bike and the sophisticated fairing and exhaust system reduce drag to the equivalent of about 10bhp at the top-end.

Kawasaki is sticking with its 636cc engine, but it's been tuned for more mid-range.

By using titanium valves and shaving weight off internal engine components, the motor can now rev even faster than before.

The 128bhp driving the rear-wheel is an explosive force. It's never as smooth as the Honda CBR600RR, but the Ninja has always been a rough diamond.

The ZX-6R takes no prisoners and if you're looking for a slick, relaxed, magic-carpet ride, then you need to get back in the Volvo.

The sound of a Kawasaki tickling the wrong side of 13,000rpm has always been one of the most addictive sounds in motorcycling.

The throaty roar of a Ducati 999 seems quite sedate compared to the banshee wail of a Ninja having its green neck wrung.

The brakes have been improved and adopt the petal-shaped discs of the ZX-10R. Kawasaki claims the extra surface area reduces the risk of over-heating.

The brakes on all the Japanese supersport bikes are superb - however, these are particularly special. If you slam them on hard, you'll feel the blood drain from the back of your head.

I used to find ZX-6Rs slightly unstable at high speeds but this is no longer the case.

Kawasaki has lowered the weight of the fuel tank and centralised it (much like Honda did with the FireBlade). The result is a bike that feels as planted on a fast right-hander as it does parked up on the side of the road.

The standard ZX-6R is given a slipper clutch for the first time ever that is similar to the one fitted to the ZX-10R. It makes it nigh on impossible to lock the rear wheel from an ugly downchange.

In 1995 the Kawasaki ZX-6R was the best 600cc motorcycle on the road. Ten years later and it's the best 600cc motorcycle on the road. Pedants might argue that its extra 36cc no longer qualifies it as a pure supersport machine, but when it feels this good, I'm not arguing - I'll be too busy riding it.