VincentHill
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posted April 15, 2007 04:09 AM
 Edited By: VincentHill on 15 Apr 2007 05:18
Pictures of the ZX14 Where the Front end Broke Off
This Happened in January 2007. I took a few Pictures of the Guy and he is Mostly OK with Road Rash on both Fore arms and some real grinding on his right knee that still has some medical problems. He said that It was a real nice day and all he was going to do is ride the bike over to a friends house and come back home. He said that he opened it up and Accelerated and of course the bike wheelied about a foot or so off the ground, nothing more than usual when you Accel on a 14, but when he eased off the bike came down and kept going down. He held on the Handle bars and left the seat sliding on his fore arms and knees holding on to the front then let go. The front slid into a truck which caused the forward bend in the Fork tube. He is a Kawasaki Guy with his ZX12R and a ZXR750 still in his garage. Sorry about the confusion between this bike and the Busa which the front broke off also which happened about the same time to another ZX12R "Kawasaki Guy"!
The Front tire is like new (He is no Road Racer) and no Rim damage as in a Head on Crash
The Owner's Current state of injury
His Slower "Red" ZX12R
  
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Halvefast
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posted April 15, 2007 04:38 AM
Edited By: Halvefast on 15 Apr 2007 05:38
Is it still under investigation or has someone detertmined the cause yet?
What is your take on it Vincent, your pretty mechanical, what did you see that we can't by the pics?
Why are the motor mount bolts where the frame sliders go missing?
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2togo
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posted April 15, 2007 04:45 AM
Look at the fork tubes, bent backwards. NO WAY did that happen from coming down from a wheelie. What is the next story from fantasy island? This would have been a good post on April 1st. HE must have jumped and landed on something pretty hard. The rash on the arm looks years old. Probably skinned himself up getting into our country illeaglely. Just my opinion I could be wrong.
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stevewfl
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posted April 15, 2007 04:55 AM
I've watched Tonytooth slam his down so hard from wheelie ing I wondered if the pavement would explode, and I've watched Smokin' do the major tank slap boogie on the drag strip a few times with the strapped stiff front being slammed. My own has hit so hard its silly on my accidental pop-ups and hitting the rear brake and slamming it back down..
I believe anything Vince says, but when someone tells him "bike wheelied about a foot or so off the ground," I gotta wonder.
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VincentHill
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posted April 15, 2007 05:24 AM
First, I do not feel like taking another Ration of Do do from anyone over this! I did not make this up and the front end did not bend from coming down but as I wrote it hit into a truck. I do not know how fast anyone heals but this happened in January and this is the Middle of April over 4 months later! The good news is that the Guy was not seriously Hurt
Half Fast, good observations. I had to look at the Pictures myself to see what you saw. I do not know what the Shop did to the Bike when looking at everything but I do see the left mount with the Bolt still in the Broken off Frame Mount and no Bolt or frame mount on the right side in Pictures 4, 5, & 6! I will ask him if he knows anything about that? I Remember we had some issues with the 12 and loose front mount bolts coming out.
Personally because of the history of me saying anything about the 14 good or bad has really pissed a lot of people off so much, it was all I could do to even want to post these pictures and have to hear from people like "2togo"! It is because of the mostly good people I know that ride the 14, I felt that like the first time they needed to know!
The only observations I can make is, I was surprised by 2 things. First, was just how "THIN" the Metal looked on the Frame. I cannot give you a MM Thickness on what I thought it should be, but it "looks" like it is no more than 1/8 inch which is thinner than I had pictured in my mind. The second thing is, I did not know that there was an Opening in the frame on the left side front for the Air Filter (As Opposed to the way the 12 has its airfilters installed). This open area looks to be about 6 or so inches long and several inches wide. To "me", that would be the weakest part of the frame and where the break "may" have started. The way the top right front of the frame was bent "UP" at the weld suggest to "me" that it was the "Last" Part to give way.
I just cannot imagine this happening and what I would do if it did. When I was talking to him, it seemed a little funny that he held on to the Bars (and left the main body of the motorcycle) but you can see that the Weight is missing on the right side and what you cannot see is that there is a lot of grinding on the left side bar where it was ground into the pavement. I have NEVER seen anything like this before even from seriously wrecked bikes that endoed while racing at very high speeds. From what you saw, I would at least suggest that everyone check their frame mount bolts to make sure they are torqued to spec and maybe even use blue Loctite on the front bolts.
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smokinzx14
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posted April 15, 2007 05:30 AM
Edited By: smokinzx14 on 15 Apr 2007 06:40
Vince Here we go again .... Are you a moron... One look at that bike and anyone with half a brain can see that was a Realy bad high speed crash .. The force to bend the forks was the cause of the broken frame ...NOT some tiny little wheely .... Last time Vince keep you hatin zx14 ass over on the zx12 site and don't bring your crap over here .....
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VincentHill
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posted April 15, 2007 05:34 AM
quote:
I've watched Tonytooth slam his down so hard from wheelie ing I wondered if the pavement would explode, and I've watched Smokin' do the major tank slap boogie on the drag strip a few times with the strapped stiff front being slammed. My own has hit so hard its silly on my accidental pop-ups and hitting the rear brake and slamming it back down..
I believe anything Vince says, but when someone tells him "bike wheelied about a foot or so off the ground," I gotta wonder.
I am with you Steve!! I have done those "Kind" of wheelies from near Vertical and survived (Damaged some body work though)! I have never ridden with the guy and have no idea of how he rides or his skill level. I am a pretty good Judge of people and I believe him in what he said. What I did not ask about is, had he ever had one of those near Vertical WHeelies on THIS bike? The expression the "Straw that Broke the Camels Back" could apply here and was just an accident waiting to happen. The fact that he has 3 other bikes with 2 of them being Serious Kawasaki's tells me that he has been riding for a long time given the age of the 750. The thing about cracks is they can be there for a long or short period of time but with this bike having less than 1000 miles, that is a VERY Short period of time for anything to happen!
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VincentHill
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posted April 15, 2007 05:41 AM
quote:
Vince Here we go again .... Are you a moron... One look at that bike and anyone with half a brain can see that was a Realy bad high speed crash .. The force to bend the forks was the cause of the broken frame ...NOT some tiny little wheely .... Last time Vince keep you hatin zx14 ass over on the zx12 site and don't bring you crap over here .....
A Truck is no small matter to have bend a fork. the other side is perfect. There is a gouge in the Outter tube where it was hit. Think as you must, but the bike is in 2 pieces which everyone said did not happen either! If this happened to a 12, I would do the same thing but take pictures BEFORE I said it. Here are the Pictures, just argue with them not me!
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Bently
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posted April 15, 2007 05:52 AM
No way did that happen as you are trying to say, I don't care if its a ZX12 Zx14 Gsxr1000 or what ever it's, not going to happen like that. And I've seen other bikes in two pieces like that so that can happen but not from a 1 foot wheelie.
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smokinzx14
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posted April 15, 2007 05:56 AM
Edited By: smokinzx14 on 15 Apr 2007 07:01
Ask burnout about his wreck , he came down so hard at the drag strip from a 12:00 wheely that he broke the oil pan ... The frame didn't break and he was still trying to save the bike from going down but the oil caused him to go down hard ... The frame sliders saved the bike from any damge and he to was ok ..... Now if there had been a truck in front of him i would say his bike would have needed up looking like the one in the pictures....I have seen these zx14s land hard over and over at the drag strip and on the street with no damage.. Mine with over 500 passes has hit the ground so hard that i thought i would have some missing teeth with NO damage at all ... And i can tell you i pull the tank and body work after every race to drain the U4 fuel...No cracks, no bends but i do get some damage to the pipes and oil plug ... This is just another Bull Shit story..The guy wrecked his bike plain and simple and it was his falt ...Trying to blame it on kawi is just bull...Everytime something happens to a zx14 Vince is standing in the wings ready to kick dirt on the zx14 ...
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blackbullet76
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posted April 15, 2007 06:24 AM
This is just an observation, but look how thin the frame is where it is broke off at. I would have thought it would be thicker than that. Again, just an observation.
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Ojref
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posted April 15, 2007 06:25 AM
Edited By: Ojref on 15 Apr 2007 07:28
I'm inclined to agree the damage was not caused by drop from a wheelie. If he hit a curb with the rear tire and that brought the front down rapidly, I would be more inclined to believe that result rather than a wheelie-drop-frame shatters. Kawasaki has extensively tested this design - it's far more rigid and durable than you would assume.
If the OP is still under investigation he needs to STFU and stop posting on the internet about it or it may damage his claim.
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smokinzx14
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posted April 15, 2007 06:29 AM
Vince do us all a favor .....Make like a cow chip and hit the road......
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smokinzx14
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posted April 15, 2007 06:32 AM
quote:
This is just an observation, but look how thin the frame is where it is broke off at. I would have thought it would be thicker than that. Again, just an observation.
I agree it is thin but so is an air plane and they do well till the hit something....... 
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crashtech
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posted April 15, 2007 06:35 AM
ROFLMFAO!!!!!!! I fix wrecked bikes for a living. I have seen alot of broken frames. Repaired some I am not proud to say but you have to make the customer happy. I call bullshit. I am not saying you are lying Vince. The guy that told you the story is though! That is the direct result of a front end COLLISION. It takes alot of pressure to bend a fork tube like that when not attatched to the bike and break the frame . When accidents happen people always tend to "stretch" there sories, sometimes alot! Things happen to fast . Where is the upper?
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Ojref
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posted April 15, 2007 06:38 AM
quote:
ROFLMFAO!!!!!!! I fix wrecked bikes for a living. I have seen alot of broken frames. Repaired some I am not proud to say but you have to make the customer happy. I call bullshit. I am not saying you are lying Vince. The guy that told you the story is though! That is the direct result of a front end COLLISION. It takes alot of pressure to bend a fork tube like that when not attatched to the bike and break the frame . When accidents happen people always tend to "stretch" there sories, sometimes alot! Things happen to fast . Where is the upper?
Fused into the back of a car or a truck, no doubt. 
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Brock
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posted April 15, 2007 06:56 AM
Vince,
BULLSH*T....I can show you the EXACT SAME PHOTOS of a 05 GSX-R1000. The owner publicly proclaimed (adamantly on the internet trying to get a warranty repair?!) that he was riding at a local track day and his "front end just broke off"....witnesses at the track said he tucked the front end under in corner and the bike hit A WALL which broke off his front end! Of course the owner didn't mention this small detail in his posts...
Ask Yourself:
1. How many ZX-14 have been sold so far worldwide?
I don't know either, but I can assure you that if there was a problem like this- WE WOULD ALL KNOW as a result of the worldwide web. A single instance is not any proof of anything. You aren't even doing ZX-14 owners a favor, in fact, this could create doubt in their minds which can lead to worse trouble on an individual basis.
2. Did Kawasaki engineers consider wheelie stresses in the design of the frame?
Of course they did (in the past perhaps not....these days they must) the same way they made sure the engine doesn't starve for oil during wheelies. We would all know about this problem (if it existed) also as a result of the web.
3. Should a bike at 30 or 60 or 100 or 120 MPH stay intact if a rider jams on his rear brake and slams the front end down?
As soon as a manufacturer proclaims they have built a bike "specifically for wheelie use" and it fails...then these shots and/or posting would be appropriate. Rider error/panic in situations the bike was obviously not intended for can cause unforeseen problems....Its math/physics. I see Super Street ZX-14's land from 100+ MPH wheelies at every single Prostar race. They are all just fine.
My guess is that your guy CRASHED landing from a wheelie due to a rider mistake - his bike hit something (or tumbled) to dramatically break his frame and he is using the "my front end broke off...IT WASN'T MY FAULT" excuse in an attempt to cover his rider error to save his pride.
People tend to exaggerate when they crash their bikes due to embarrassment....ALL PEOPLE. I don't care who they are or how well you know them. Unless you have video proof of the failure as described, it's his word against the world. I call foul on him.
Brock
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fastestbusaaround
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posted April 15, 2007 07:05 AM
All that from a little wheelie. really? Musta been from the sympathetic vibrations through the frame when the bike wheelied huh?
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Brock
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posted April 15, 2007 07:22 AM
FYI to all:
My response was written in reply to Vince's e-mail to me with no mention of ANY TRUCK...... only a "small wheelie at 60 mph......
My mistake...I should have read this initial post more thoroughly.
Sorry Vince- I'm sure EVERYONE realizes that when a bike strikes a truck all bets are off and there is NO QUESTION about:
"Between the Welding, Thin Frame and weakness because of the Opening for the Air Filter) the Frame is very weak in that area."
Brock
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Bently
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posted April 15, 2007 07:36 AM
The way I read his first post the front end broke off from a small wheelie then slid into the truck.
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BigDaddyKane
Parking Attendant
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posted April 15, 2007 08:25 AM
quote:
The way I read his first post the front end broke off from a small wheelie then slid into the truck.
+1 That's what I read too.
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splat
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posted April 15, 2007 08:37 AM
Notice the lack of damage(scratches to the back of the bike. that bike didnt slide it hit something ,broke and went down. Go pedal your bullshit on the BUSA HASBEEN FORUMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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tonytooth
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posted April 15, 2007 08:55 AM
That bent fork tells all. No way this story is true. He obviously hit something very hard.
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VincentHill
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posted April 15, 2007 09:04 AM
Just for the Record, Like or Hate the ZX14, I personally cannot believe that THIS bike that I took the pictures of for any reason on Earth (1:00 Wheelie where you hit the rear brake to save the bike and SLAM it down to the ground, Hit a Pot Hole large enough for the house all of the Homless people in New York or even dropped off a Bridge so it landed on Both wheels) was made Perfect by Kawasaki to begin with! We all have ABUSED our bikes one way or the other and have never had this happen. If he had "RUN" into the Truck with the front attached the WHeel would have been damaged or at least the Brake disc. The gauges would have broken or at least the Fork tubes bent "Backward" and usually the tripple clamp twisted.
I truly think that THIS Bike was flawed when made and over the short period of time is was ridden (Read Big and small wheelies, maybe even stoppies and Pot holes) put the frame in a position where the very next landing, it slowly gave way. I was not there and even the owner / rider who was there, like all the rest of us, when things happen very quickly and it take hours to tell what happend in Seconds, STILL cannot tell you everything that happened and in Bad accidents, sometimes remember NOTHING.
Look at his Arms and Knee and the Handle hars and his hands. He was wearing work gloves no NO Leathers. He said when it came apart he held on to the handle bars and slid on his arms and knees (Like in a croutch position with your elbows in front of your knees with arms on the ground and hands on the bars). The amount of skin he lost he could not have been doing 100 because he surely would have done a lot more to himself than that.
There is no serious damage to the Mufflers (yes they are dented and scraped) but not like they slid to a stop from 100 (even 50 Mph to zero on each side).
Last, The Frame was NEVER anything I had any question about! I never even knew it was ANY different from the 12! I just do not like the way the engine is made or the over all looks of the 14. SInce 1968 I have always owned a KAWASAKI, for Racing (I owe my Handle to Kawasaki because it was their bikes I used to get to National #69 in AMA Road Race and run the Daytona 200 many times) and for Street Riding. From then to NOW, I have only owned "1" Other Bike and that was in 1983 a Honda VFR750F Interceptor and have never owned anything but a Kawasaki since I SOld it in 1984 and bought the 900 Ninja which I still have to this day. So I bleed Green more than most and If this same bike came out in 2000, I would have bought it. They did not so here we are.
If I owned a 14 right now, the only thing I would do is check the front engine mount Bolts and remove that front cover and spray some Arid Extra Dry (Since is has Powder in it) around the frame to see if there were any Visiable cracks. If I saw none I would continue to ride and enjoy my bike! Remember, this happened at less than 1,000 Miles and is not something that took Years and Years and Miles and Miles to happen! Good Luck to everyone
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stevewfl
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posted April 15, 2007 09:25 AM
Vince your last paragraph above implies ZX14 owners should take extra caution of some sort regarding the frame.
BullSH*T 
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