ZX10BURNER
Novice Class
Posts: 85
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posted March 11, 2004 04:52 PM
Picked Up My 10 Today!!!
Well after months of waiting I picked up my 10, feeling pretty stoked right now. Have my 89 ZX-10 and now the 04 10R sitting next to it!!!!!! Life is good!!!
  
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guamaniac
Expert Class
Posts: 164
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posted March 11, 2004 04:57 PM
Wish we could get some location info with the "got my 10 posts"...not being a smart ass...just a request 
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ZX10BURNER
Novice Class
Posts: 85
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posted March 11, 2004 05:39 PM
Picked up my 10 from Shreveport MotorSports in Shreveport La. The first one in town to get one not sure how the shop was able to swing it but I'm sitting here looking out the window at the faster black 10R. Will post some pics this week-end and a write up of first impressions.
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guamaniac
Expert Class
Posts: 164
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posted March 11, 2004 05:46 PM
Awesome!! Hope to be getting my black beauty soon......
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Andy
Expert Class
Posts: 220
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posted March 11, 2004 06:22 PM
They've got em' Dallas too, I would have a blue one in my garage right now if the dealer had offered me something respectable for my trade in.
Looks like I'll have to wait a few more weeks.
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marco383
Expert Class
Posts: 145
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posted March 12, 2004 02:20 AM
Picked up my green 10 at Kawi of Canton, GA yesterday after a nice gentlemen responded to my post about wanting to be green and telling me that these guys had one. Nice little dealership and a decent price ($10499 + tax).
Impressions on my 40 mile ride home: reasonably comfortable for a tiny bike, plenty strong, but wins prizes for most illegible tach and high effort shifting. I'm going to adjust the position of the shift lever this am, which I hope will help, but the top of my left foot was sore by the time I got it into the garage yesterday.
Bitch, bitch, bitch.
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zx10rwaiter
Parking Attendant
Posts: 21
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posted March 12, 2004 03:32 AM
I've got 100 miles on mine now and It gets better EVERY DAY!
Roy
N.C.
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marco383
Expert Class
Posts: 145
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posted March 12, 2004 10:52 AM
Shift lever adjusted down about 20 degrees and shifting is now OK, maybe even good plus. Did the ritual circumcision of the back fender and only cut myself once with the utility knife.
110 miles and I'm starting to love the thing.
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Andy
Expert Class
Posts: 220
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posted March 12, 2004 05:18 PM
No offense but I hate all of you.
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Erich
Expert Class
Posts: 131
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posted March 12, 2004 06:18 PM
 Edited By: Erich on 12 Mar 2004 18:19
Congrats. You guys must be over the moon.
Quick question for you guys.
How is the clutch lever pull effort wise. The show bikes I played with had a Schwarzenegger like clutch lever pull. Easily twice that of a modern litre bike and more than I had seen from other bikes I've had with really heavy aftermarket clutch springs.
So how are these customer bikes with regard to that? And what is your base of comparison for what you think of it?
Thanks
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catd11r
Expert Class
Posts: 206
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posted March 12, 2004 06:31 PM
Congrats, I'm glad to see they are starting to show up.
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Life's Been Good to Me!!!!!!!!!
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swft
Needs a life
Full throttle!
Posts: One MEEEEEELLION
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posted March 12, 2004 07:49 PM
Marco383 - It ain't yours till you bleed for it. 
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ZX10BURNER
Novice Class
Posts: 85
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posted March 15, 2004 05:57 PM
Thought I'd give you some initial thoughts on the 10R. First I can't really comment on engine performance yet still in the initial break-in period. Most of this will be general over all impressions will get into greater detail as more miles are put on.
Ergonomics: Keep in mind I'm 6' 3", 225lb with a 48" chest and 34" inseam so when I say the seating position is livable or there's room it's there. For being the size of a 600 there's actually a bit of room. With low clip-ons and high pegs seating is fairly comfortable, though there is forward weight on the wrists it's not painful or unbearable. While in the saddle if I slide all the way back to the edge of the seat I'm stretched to reach the bars so for such a small bike there is room if you're over 5' 8". The seat is fairly comfy but seems to slope toward the tank so find myself sliding forward, a new seat may be in order time will tell. I have found if I need to make very tight turns or go to the steering lock my elbows will hit my knees for the most part it's not a problem just an annoyance, smaller riders shouldn't have this problem. Mirrors are pretty much useless for me all I see at this point are my elbows will continue to play with them to find a better view.
Wind/weather protection is decent for having such a small fairing to hide behind. Traveling up to 80mph wind hits me about chest level but really isn't a problem tends to take a small portion of weight off my wrists. Haven't traveled at higher speeds yet so can't comment on how the wind will be. Trying to tuck my upper body behind the fairing doesn't work I think a longer wind screen maybe 3 or 4" would really help. Overall if you can ride a ZX-12 or ZX-6/636 then you'll be pretty accustomed to the overall riding position of the 10.
Controls: Seem to be typical Kawasaki everything is smooth and finished well. Clutch pull is light with good feel, I'm still trying to come to grips with the action though, I prefer a hydraulic clutch at this point but that may change as I put more time in the saddle. Not real thrilled with the speedo/tach digital set-up. The speedo is fairly easy to read at a glance the numbers are large and light up well in the dark. The tach is a pain in the ass to read you have to take your eyes off the road to see what RPM your at now this won't be a problem once out of the break-in period but right now not liking this set-up. Haven't used the shift light (not suppose to during break-in) or the lap timer but they seem to be cool little gadgets. Not real thrilled on the fuel light would rather have a gauge and not have to worry about what my fuel level is at any time, guess that will come as I figure out what my MPG average will be. Do like the digi clock first bike I've had with one so that's a bonus. The buttons on the control panel are on the small side and with gloves on it can be distracting and cumbersome trying to go from one mode to another. So far best bet is to change modes while sitting still. During the 0-500 miles am short shifting like crazy and trying to keep an eye on the tach is a pain in the ass. Would have liked Kawi to go the route like Suzuki with a digi speedo and needle tach but that's just me. Foot pegs are smaller/narrower than I'm use to, wearing combat boots I'm having to adjust my foot position for up/down shifting.
Suspension/Handling: All I can say is HOLY HELL!!!! The bike is still on the factory settings and with my big arse on still has a very compliant ride and soaks up bumps/ripples well. Now once I can get into the power a bit I will adjust the settings to my liking. Even though I'm limited by rpm going into tight corners coming off throttle the chassis refuses to get unsettled and that's on factory settings with my weight, not too shabby. The front end feel is unreal almost to the point of feeling like you're on top of it. You know everything that's happening and have an extreme amount of confidence in it. I'm finding that I have to change/adapt my riding style, this thing lives to be on it's side. Rolling up to a corner you can almost wait until the apex before you feel the need to lean the bike over it's almost unreal. Steering is very quick almost too quick for my liking, if you think you need to put a 180 tyre on to speed up steering on the street then you are clueless as to how good this thing steers. I'm a weight lifter of some years and this is the first time I've ever said that 430lbs feels light, you have the feeling that the bike can be thrown around almost like a dirt bike. As a street rider with few miles on the thing I already know that the bike is way beyond my capabilities. Can't really comment on the tyres other than so far very good at soaking up ripples and bumps. Won't know just how good or bad they are until I get into the power band.
Brakes: Initial bite is very good almost deceptive you'll end up stopping quicker than what you think. One finger stopping will be the norm once the pads are completely bed in. Not real thrilled with lever travel a bit more than I'm use to at this point. The lever doesn't come back to the bar by any means but again more travel than I prefer, this might be fixed with steel lines. Like the adjustment wheel on the brake lever a bit smaller than I'm use to but has one more position so it's livable. Holding my judgment on brakes until more miles are put on.
Engine: Will take some flaming for this but am following the break-in procedures so 0-500 miles 4000rpms and under. I will say I have taken the bike up to 8000rpm but for the norm am following these procedures. The motor revs like a 600 but you can feel it wanting to open up this thing wants to run. Have to say this bike has the best stock exhaust note I've ever heard and I mean even over the RC51s and Ducs. At idle has a nice throaty sound and the typical Kawi lump can be heard. The motor is very smooth and valve train is very quite for a Kawi not like a Honda but not noisy like other big ZX motors I'm use to. Don't have any issues yet with the tranny no missed shifts still has that first gear clunk that Kawis are know for not as loud but if you've owned a big ZX then you know what I mean. Shifting requires a steady input kinda think that's due to being new and once the tranny wears a bit things will shift easier. In town riding can be done in 1st and 2nd with out any problems you'll only be required to change gears once on the highway. First gear is very tall and requires some clutch slippage leaving a light or stop sign this can be a bit of a pain, am curious how clutch wear is going to be. In town driving has the motor putting off some heat like past ZXs so it's not a concern cause I'm use to it.
Throttle response is instant this will take some getting use to. Going over rough roads if your wrist moves so does the bike, this can be a problem if you're not use to it or caught unaware. At this point I'm liking carbs a bit better but again given some time this could change. The FI will make any tuning much easier so that is a bonus. Will say at this point this bike is very deceptive with speed you're going much faster than you think don't get caught unaware.
Overall: If you're waiting for me to say "this is the absolute bike to have", can't say it not enough seat time to make that statement and haven't ridden the other liter bikes to compare it to. I will say that overall I'm very impressed by this bike and very happy to have gotten it. Being honest with myself I'm not the next Nicky Hayden and this bike has more ability than I'll ever tap on the street or even stretch it's limits on the track. I bought it because I've owned the same bike for the past 15 years (1989 Kawasaki ZX-10) so when rumors started 4 years ago about the 10R I told myself I would have one. I'm a die hard Kawi fan but appreciate any bike and don't put a lot of faith into numbers on paper so am not concerned about what bike has the highest hp and what just won the AMA/SBK championship ect. These are just my personal opinions/observations so far and with only 120 miles on the thing don't expect a statement like "this is the ultimate bike" just won't happen. As I put more miles down I will update/form more opinions. Thanks for reading this and stay tuned cause there's more to come.
Joseph.
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swft
Needs a life
Full throttle!
Posts: One MEEEEEELLION
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posted March 15, 2004 06:46 PM
Excellent read! Thanks!
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k bryant
Needs a job
Sponsor
Posts: 2911
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posted March 15, 2004 06:49 PM
Edited By: k bryant on 15 Mar 2004 18:51
Nice job.
The seating issue is really purposely imposed. Though you are definetly on the larger size scale, to ride fast you need to have crotch to tank contact naturally.
And hey, on the break-in - if anyone seriously flames you, it's from ignorance. You can't go wrong following the book. If you've owned the same '89 ZX10 (I had a 900R, 1000R, ZX10, ZX11, ZX12, & new 10 coming), you know how to take care of your machines.
Enjoy and thanx again for your opinions.
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Andy
Expert Class
Posts: 220
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posted March 15, 2004 07:04 PM
This forum has some great writers.
Thanks for the write-up.
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TAFB
Expert Class
Posts: 138
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posted March 15, 2004 08:17 PM
Ditto. Thanks for the review! Looking forward to hearing more as you rack up the miles.
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papawheelie
Expert Class
Posts: 381
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posted March 15, 2004 09:10 PM
Great writeup, I'm gettin' more excited with every one!!!
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1bad7
Expert Class
Posts: 388
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posted March 15, 2004 11:46 PM
I love this site. That was just one more great write-up. I can't wait until I ge mine(whenever that happens) so I can show all the Italians an Orange ZX10R(cause you know they aren't bringing them overseas. Once again thanks for the great write-ups and keep them coming.
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Ronis
Expert Class
One Life... Live It!!!
Posts: 142
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posted March 16, 2004 12:43 AM
Thanks for the perfect report, Burner! It's the GREAT site! I'm glad to be here!!! 
____________
A bad track day is better than a good day at work!!
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crazyman1
Expert Class
Posts: 140
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posted March 16, 2004 04:57 AM
nice to see about the ergo's, im curious myself since Im 6 foot 260 pound bodybuilder with 55 inch chest 36 inseam. Suspension seems to be on par for heavier riders, my gixxer 1000 and r1 were not as compliant. hurry up and get here dam it 10r.
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