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Kawasaki has unveiled its machine for this year's MotoGP championship.

The Japanese team displayed its 2006 ZX-RR on the opening day of a three-day test at the Phillip Island circuit in Australia.

The bike features a 990cc, inline four-cylinder engine that is more compact than previous models.

Team rider, Shinya Nakano, claimed that the chassis provided greatly improved handling when he tested it at Sepang earlier this month.

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During the first day of testing in Australia, Nakano posted a 1 minute, 31.8 second lap time that was faster than his best race lap at this circuit and he felt the final two days of testing would see significant improvements.

"We tried different suspension and engine management settings on the bike and we finished today with a good base setting," he said.

"There's still a small problem with chattering from the rear but we think this is caused by a combination of suspension settings and the rear tyre, and we have some ideas on how to fix this for tomorrow."

Teammate Randy de Puniet finished the day 0.6 seconds behind Nakano on his first ride of the circuit and had to switch to his second bike in the afternoon following mechanical problems.

"This is a new circuit for me on the MotoGP bike, so today has been a steep learning curve again," the 24-year-old Frenchman said.

Shinya Nakano finished 10th overall in last year's championship.

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