Reigning World Superbike Champion Jonathan Rea has been further experimenting with the character and inertia of his ZX-10R’s engine to make it more manageable and improve rear tyre life.

The Castletown man, who has signed another two-year deal with Kawasaki, says he needs to get back to being able to manage the tyre in the way he was last season, and to do that he is trying to get an engine which has more inertia to give a more natural turning feel.

“The engine character I have been searching for is something more easy to ride, more consistent, less critical for electronics, something you can ride more with your hand instead of lashing the throttle open and letting them sort it out,” said Rea, speaking to bikesportnews.com ahead of this weekend’s Donington round.

“We are getting that way now. We have been trying to search for heavier or more inertia from the engine so the bike feels more manageable. It’s the opposite of Tom really, as the development is no longer parallel, it’s 360° but in fairness I can see how it works for him and his style.

“For me and my style, and keeping the tyre, I need an easier bike to ride. For me it keeps the tyre better and we should really see the benefits in the height of summer when the temperature goes up.

“We have changed the balance of the bike a bit, lose a few kilos so now we are getting the bike to turn more naturally, like it did last year, as in some races my tyre consumption hasn’t been the best.”

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