The sports bike model '''Kawasaki ZX-12R''' appeared in 2000 as a successor to the model [[Kawasaki_ZZR1100 | Kawasaki ZZ-R1100]] and as Suzuki's answer to its model [[Suzuki_GSX1300R_Hayabusa | Hayabusa]], which at the time of its release became the fastest production motorcycle in the world. The ZX-12R was designed to reclaim Kawasaki's primacy.