ZREXER
Expert Class
Posts: 492
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posted February 10, 2006 08:27 PM
Made The Plunge!
I put my deposit on a candy thunder blue ZX 14 this week.
I have been lurking on this site for a few weeks now. The ZX 14 is no doubt a controrversial new machine. One camp essentially wanted a punched out version of the current ZX 12R. A hard edged sport bike with a monster engine. The looks of the ZX 14 are controversial as well, some love it , some hate it.
Busa owners think it is ugly which is certainly amusing! I have great respect for the performance of the 'Busa's, but few would call it good looking bike.
There is no way Kawasaki was going to satisfy all potential buyers of this machine.
My own thoughts.
The ZX 14 is really more in the linage of the ZX 10, 11 and ZZR 12. I wish they had just called it the ZZR 14 as they are in Europe as it would have saved all buyers 50% on their insurrance cost. As soon as insurance companies hear the words ZX or Ninja, it is the 'kaching' sound of cash registers!
There are allot of great hard edge sport bikes available now. You really can't go wrong on a ZX 10, GSXR 1000 or a Honda CBR 1000. All have great power, light weight....................great track bikes, but not really great street bikes. They have tight ergo's especially for riders over 6 feet tall.
I applaud Kawasaki for the direction they took with the ZX 14. It is going to be a wicked fast, comfortable all day machine.
While some have expressed dissapointment with the claimed power out put, I think riders will be surprised how quick this bike will actually be in 'street' riding conditions. My guess is that Kawasaki has sacrificed some peak horsepower to really have a monster strong low and mid range power. The type of power band that will really make it strong at the the rpm's you will be at 90% of the time.
I currently have an '02 ZRX. It has around 115 rear wheel horsepower and 82 to 84 ft. lbs of torque. These are not very impressive numbers when 600's make almost the same rear wheel horsepower. The problem is that people don't consider where the engine makes it's power. The ZRX makes maximum torque at only 6700 rpm's. The ZRX has killer roll on power in any gear at any rpm. It feels very strong in all street riding conditions. There are few bikes that will walk away from it in top gear roll on's. This makes it a very fun bike at sane speeds.
My point?
I think the tuning on the ZX 14 is going to give this bike monster mid range power. You are not going to have to spin this motor to red line to make it go.
I really don't care if it is faster than a 'Busa. I mean it will probably be governed to the same top speed as a 'Busa. 1/4 mile times will be more rider than bike.
Really, how much more power is really needed for a street bike. There is only so much power that the current tire technology can handle. France has mandated max horsepower in street bikes. Don't kid yourself, it could happen in the US or Canada as well.
Others have mentioned that Kawasaki may have deliberately under rated this engine. If they did it was a smart move on their part as if they advertised 200 horsepower, it would just be another reason for the insurance companies to rape us more.
The head light arrangement is a little strange. I hope the actual performance of the head lights make up for their controversial looks. How many bikes have any of you guys had that really offered safe night time riding at highway speeds?
As far as some being concerned about a first year design, I say don't worry. It is too expensive for a manufacturer to release a product that is not totally sound now. Recall costs are a killer to any company. Lemon laws protect the consumer as does liability laws if a design is unsafe.
I'm really pumped about this bike. It is really astounding you can get this kind of performance for this kind of money. The fact it will simply flatten any car outside of a Bugatti Veyron (and the Veyron only has it in top speed) is simply unreal. Viper?, new '06 ZO6................no worries and not really a challenge.
For those of you who want to punish Kawasaki for not making the bike the way 'you' wanted it by not buying it. Kawasaki will reward you by completely dropping the bike and not replacing it. They make more money on cruiser bikes and 600 cc sport bikes. The ZX 14 will never be a sales leader for Kawasaki. Our governments may also step in and essentially out law these bikes as well or insurance may just get so crazy no one will be able to justify the expense of owning one.
I applaud Kawaski for making this bike.
  
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FasterThanStink
Pro
Posts: 1218
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posted February 10, 2006 08:47 PM
Great post! Some finally understands what this bike is about! I agree with you 100%. This is going to be an incredible real world bike. There is far too much stock put in the on paper numbers. Look at the BS Redline figures for Yamaha's 600. They had everyone talking and getting pumped at a streetbike that revs to 17,500 RPM. The actual bikes REV to 16,000 and have no midrange.
Yes the styling of the 14 might have been a little better but I still really have come to like the looks.
Almost everyone with a 12 ended up putting on Heli-bars and a corbin seat for better ergos. Kawi understood this and made the 14 more relaxed out of the box. What good is a bike that is so uncomfortable that you can't ride it all day?
The 14 is eveything I want in a bike. Good ergos, monster midrange torque, and a bike you can ride for longer than an hour without visiting the chiropractor.
____________
Speed has never killed anyone,
suddenly becoming stationary...
That's what gets you.
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ZREXER
Expert Class
Posts: 492
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posted February 10, 2006 09:19 PM
Thanks for the support. I have a Suzuki SV 650 as well that has a whole 71 rear wheel horse power. It sure pisses off riders on 600cc SS bikes when on tight twisty back roads I am right on their rear tire. Granted they totally kill me on long straights, but if the corners are many and the straights are short, I'm right there with way less horse power.
Again, it is the way the SV makes its power. It is hard to keep a new 600 SS 'on the boil' all the time. Be in one gear wrong coming out of a corner and they are totally flat. It takes a really good rider to get the most out of a 600 SS bike. The peak horsepower is impressive as hell, but hard to use.
The next thing we really need for bikes is a proper variable valve timing system like Honda ivtec system they use in their cars. I'm not talking about the lame ass system Honda uses in their VFR 800 bike.
A proper variable valve system would allow a bike to have killler low end and a storming high end as well. I think this makes more sense than just going to larger and larger engines which means everything else has to get larger and heavier as well.
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ZX11D
Zone Head
Internet Police
Posts: 674
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posted February 10, 2006 11:44 PM
Good story ZREXER, and congrats! 
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VPN
Zone Head
Posts: 718
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posted February 11, 2006 01:51 AM
Precisely what I was looking at a bike
Although my inspiration has been the 1st released power figure:
Torque 10kpm = 98,1Nm = 72ft.lbs @ 2000 rpm
I want low-end torque, close to idle speed
Why?
I'm having this nighmare scenario where I'm riding behind a truck, bus, caravan
which is slowly climbinig a road up in the ALps at 10 000 ft and 15% rise
I really don't like sliding the clutch all the way up
Those snaky roads must at least gazillion miles long
while you gain only a few in direct line
I want a bike that is around 250kg, the maximum thus being Suzuki GSX-1400
Naturally Fuel Injection is a must for proper fuel mixture
in both about at see level and at 10 000 feet
So what bike is best for this?
The added bonus of Busa & 14 is the German express way speed
with optimum fuel consumption at perhaps 150mph
If you go really fast you spend most of your time in gas stations
but it's fun to ride faaast - and do it legally!!!
SO what you think? Am I nuts?
I want an easy bike (after Bandit 1200/S which was child's play)
not a supersport 10R or 12R or 14R
Remember that also Nina has to ride it and she started last summer
My fist ride was more than 3 decades ago
(I'm 47, she's 40 - young and beautiful)
I just like torque and since Nina usually rides at low torque anyway
I think that ZZR 1400 is the Sports-Touring bike for us
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DB
Pro
Posts: 1932
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posted February 11, 2006 04:16 AM
Welcome to the site ZREXER and good post. Hope you enjoy the 14.
____________
Dan
04 ZX10r (Track only)
08 Concours14
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MadMike
Moderator
FEAR THE BLACK FLAG!!!!!!!!
Posts: 6579
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posted February 11, 2006 10:40 AM
very good post!... I agree with most, but I will really have to wait for the "B" model I just dont get the looks of this bike... I agree they should have made this Model a ZZR... and then next year or year after come out with a ZX14R model, that looks and acts and feels like a race bike... that way we can get what we need and your sports tourer with monster power and torque. You have...
Mad Mike
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200-MPH CLUB MEMBER!
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ZREXER
Expert Class
Posts: 492
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posted February 11, 2006 11:25 AM
My guess is that other than colours and a few minor changes, we will not see huge changes to this bike for some time. Over 7 years the 'Busa has only had minor changes, I expect the 14 will be similar.
Those that want more of an 'R' version can put a full 4 - 1 exhaust which will save weight and give it a hard edge sound.
I expect this bike will handle pretty good. The suspension looks to be pretty top drawer and very adjustable. The biggest issue for the serious sport rider would probably be the weight of it over a typical 1000 cc SS machine.
The weight may not seem that bad as Kawasaki has tried to centralise the mass. You can see this in the way the fuel tank is designed.
Where I live in Alberta, we have lots of straight roads. I need to ride three or 4 hours to get to the really good twisties in the mountains.
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tslewisz
Expert Class
Posts: 328
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posted February 12, 2006 06:47 AM
Welcome ZREXER! IMO, you're opinions of the 14 are spot-on. I think time will tell that Kawi has made the perfect super-sport-tourer for you and me. (Well, it might need a couple of mods...)
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