JimBob
Parking Attendant
Posts: 22
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posted May 13, 2006 10:18 AM
Ergonomics
Made a big mistake today!. Climbed on a beautiful blue 14 at the local dealership today. I've heard it's comfortable but I was surprised at just how well it fits my 5'8", 30" inseam body. Except for the slightly higher foot pegs, it didn't feel that much different than the '99 VFR I just sold. Man, I gotta have one of these but it's missing one thing I feel is worth waiting for... ABS brakes. I don't want it for dragging like a lot of you guys, I want it for sport-touring plus the occasional LD trip. Why do the Europeans always get more options! Yamaha pulled this same crap with the FRJ1300. They waited a year or two before bringing ABS to the States. Anybody with Kawasaki connections heard any rumors about when the ZX14/ABS will appear in the US?
Also, now that the bike has been out a while, have any of you guys (especially the short ones) taken the 14 on serious LD trips (600 to 1000 mile days)? If so, how comfortable is it?
  
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dubious
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Needs more time to ride!
Posts: 8442
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posted May 13, 2006 10:33 AM
450 km day longest for me .
My wrists get sore unless I'm travelling a license revoking speeds - 160km/h.
I'm looking for some heli bars. Its the downward angle, more than the height I have issue with.
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tool man
Needs a job
Posts: 4493
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posted May 13, 2006 10:50 AM
I'm 6'5" 320 32in inseam I love this bike longest day so far 220mi I would have no issues with this bike at all if I was not 47 years old, the knees do not like being so cramped for so long. My problem not the bikes. On the brakes, This bike has the BEST BRAKES of any bike with stock brakes I have ever ridden.... ABS would not do these brakes justice, MY 
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Ozzy
Needs a job
need guberment cheese
Posts: 3172
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posted May 13, 2006 02:45 PM
quote:
Made a big mistake today!. Climbed on a beautiful blue 14 at the local dealership today. I've heard it's comfortable but I was surprised at just how well it fits my 5'8", 30" inseam body. Except for the slightly higher foot pegs, it didn't feel that much different than the '99 VFR I just sold. Man, I gotta have one of these but it's missing one thing I feel is worth waiting for... ABS brakes. I don't want it for dragging like a lot of you guys, I want it for sport-touring plus the occasional LD trip. Why do the Europeans always get more options! Yamaha pulled this same crap with the FRJ1300. They waited a year or two before bringing ABS to the States. Anybody with Kawasaki connections heard any rumors about when the ZX14/ABS will appear in the US?
Also, now that the bike has been out a while, have any of you guys (especially the short ones) taken the 14 on serious LD trips (600 to 1000 mile days)? If so, how comfortable is it?
http://www.bikeland.org/board/viewthread.php?FID=27&TID=23034&set_time=
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blitzkrieg
Needs a job
Road kill = Free lunch.
Posts: 2044
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posted May 13, 2006 03:07 PM
Keep the ABS in Europe and Canada. 
I want nothing to do with that on a bike.
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fastestbusaaround
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Posts: 7889
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posted May 13, 2006 03:14 PM
HEY Blitz...ah be Canuck...doh-wan-it neither...
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Stalwart
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Posts: 3360
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posted May 13, 2006 03:19 PM
I'm only 6'2" with a 32" inseam and I found that my legs were not cramped at all. I agree with Dubious that I'd like a different angle on the bars and perhaps a bit more height. I know movement is limited with possible interference with the faring on the brake and clutch reservoirs but they would relocate easily if the bar change was minimal. Around town I do find wrist ache a problem but I'm just tall enough to be nicely supported by the wind at any speed over 60-mph. I think for me this would be a great long distance bike and I'd much rather be riding it than my old 1500 Goldthing. I just can't go back to that marginal roll on performance of a touring bike any more . . .
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Stuart
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Ridin' the Trump train.
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blitzkrieg
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Road kill = Free lunch.
Posts: 2044
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posted May 13, 2006 03:46 PM
quote:
HEY Blitz...ah be Canuck...doh-wan-it neither...
Sorry FBA - I read somewhere that it was a big seller in CDN.
I'm on my fourth vehicle (car/truck) with it and I hate the ABS shit. It is technology designed for incompetent drivers/riders.
I'll give you an example.
On my daily commute there is a transition from concrete to pavement right before a stoplight.
Of course the pavement expands and contracts differently than the concrete so you get this little 2" high speed bump at the transition point.
Now, if you have to hit the binders because the light is turning red what happens is you hit that gently rising 2" bump and the ABS freaks out.
It thinks you are in a skid and starts doing its annoying shit to try to save you. Problem is I've gone well beyond where I could have stopped it were it not for the ABS. Once it takes control, its over.
Just my .02 on the subject. 
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JimBob
Parking Attendant
Posts: 22
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posted May 13, 2006 05:54 PM
>> I hate the ABS shit. It is technology designed for incompetent drivers/riders. <<
I think there is a misconception concerning what ABS on a bike is all about. It's not there as a substitute for lack of braking skills. It's there as a "last line of defense" in the event of a panic situation. Remember, that ABS system doesn't fire unless one or both of wheels has begun to lock up, so at that point you've already screwed up. We'd all like to think that our braking skills are great and that we'd be able to keep a cool head and use those skills to their fullest in an emergency situation but the fact is, when the adrenaline shoots off the scale with a car or deer directly in front of us, we just don't know how we're gonna perform until it happens. Will we squeeeezzze those front binders like we're supposed to or will we clamp down with all our might while stomping on the rear brake pedal at the same time??
For the kind of riding I do, I want ABS. I probably do 25k to 30k miles per year on my bikes. Most of that mileage is spent sport touring on weekends but a significant part of that number is from LD trips where I'm on unfamiliar roads for one to three weeks at a time in all kinds of weather and terrain. The LD stuff is where it really has the potential to save your bacon.
One other thing. The chances are very good that when ABS appears in the states, it will be as an option. Those who don't want it don't have to pay for it. And if you're worried about the extra weight that ABS (or a center stand for that matter) brings along with it, just go on a diet fer Christ's sake! :-)
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fastestbusaaround
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I eat Fish...
Posts: 7889
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posted May 13, 2006 11:15 PM
 Edited By: fastestbusaaround on 14 May 2006 00:16
quote:
quote:
HEY Blitz...ah be Canuck...doh-wan-it neither...
Sorry FBA - I read somewhere that it was a big seller in CDN.
I'm on my fourth vehicle (car/truck) with it and I hate the ABS shit. It is technology designed for incompetent drivers/riders.
I'll give you an example.
On my daily commute there is a transition from concrete to pavement right before a stoplight.
Of course the pavement expands and contracts differently than the concrete so you get this little 2" high speed bump at the transition point.
Now, if you have to hit the binders because the light is turning red what happens is you hit that gently rising 2" bump and the ABS freaks out.
It thinks you are in a skid and starts doing its annoying shit to try to save you. Problem is I've gone well beyond where I could have stopped it were it not for the ABS. Once it takes control, its over.
Just my .02 on the subject.
It might be big here, but it's never going to be for me....don't have to worry about it anyway on the 14 cuz of the "wooden" rear brakes. In any case, I agree with you...never liked it on any vehicle, I'm 48 and from old school I guess.
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Hannula
Novice Class
Posts: 57
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posted May 15, 2006 06:09 AM
about the ABS...
Hi folks, first post from the sticks!!
I had a '02 VFR ABS for 3 years and I'll have a ZZR1400ABS next week. Didn't think twice whether or not to pay for the ABS. As JimBob said earlier, the system is totally invisible when the tires are not skidding and this is very true for the Nissin system. It has been absolutely superb every single day and I don't think the version used in the 14 is any worse (despite the negative comment in the latest issue of Perfomance Bike magazine and their test ride, they didn't bother to explain what was wrong with the system).
I'll post you some comments on the 14's ABS later when I get some tests done (and hopefully don't hit my face in the tarmac when doing it).
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JimBob
Parking Attendant
Posts: 22
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posted May 15, 2006 04:28 PM
quote:
Hi folks, first post from the sticks!!
I'll post you some comments on the 14's ABS later when I get some tests done (and hopefully don't hit my face in the tarmac when doing it).
Looking forward to your evaluation of the ABS system Hannula. Sure hope Kawasaki offers it as an option in next years model.
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aughtsix
Expert Class
Posts: 277
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posted May 16, 2006 05:13 PM
My opinion...
There are a lot of situations on a bike where the tires can unload to the point of triggering the ABS -- trail braking on a rippled surface for instance, or finding yourself having to brake on the down side of a rise.
Question is, does the ABS system consider the front and rear separately, or if the rear triggers the ABS does the front lose braking as well...
At this point in my life, I'm pretty well entrenched in the "ABS? No thank you" crowd.
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dubious
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Needs more time to ride!
Posts: 8442
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posted May 16, 2006 05:19 PM
depends if its single or two channel ABS- independant of each wheel.
I'd rather not have it .
Especially with this rear brake... its not necessary. IMO
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natural selection.....
destiny will overcome intervention.
Some are not worthy of the effort.
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blitzkrieg
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Road kill = Free lunch.
Posts: 2044
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posted May 16, 2006 06:06 PM
Sorry JimBob.
I think you and I ride a little different.
The last thing I want is a computer deciding I'm about to wreck and fucking up my line.
I ride on mountain roads that are often convulsed from winter freeze and the last thing I want is the bike deciding I didn't mean to swing the ass out to get my line back.
You can keep the ABS my friend.
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TJ
Zone Head
Posts: 604
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posted May 16, 2006 06:26 PM
blitzkrieg is hardcore! Riding mountain roads in freezing weather fast enough that holding your line requires swinging out the back end is serious business.
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fastestbusaaround
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posted May 16, 2006 06:27 PM
Yup.
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blitzkrieg
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Road kill = Free lunch.
Posts: 2044
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posted May 16, 2006 06:32 PM
Don't want you to misunderstand my post TJ.
What I intended is our roads here in Colorado get frost heave during the long and cold winters.
The road crews do a great job, but often you'll hit a curve and there is enough heave to really unsettle the chassis.
Not trying to be superman here.
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fastestbusaaround
Needs a life
I eat Fish...
Posts: 7889
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posted May 16, 2006 06:33 PM
quote:
450 km day longest for me .
My wrists get sore unless I'm travelling a license revoking speeds - 160km/h.
I'm looking for some heli bars. Its the downward angle, more than the height I have issue with.
Though it's not as aggressive a lean angle as the Busa, it's a noticeably longer reach to the bars...
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BobC
Pro
Posts: 1736
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posted May 17, 2006 03:42 AM
I don't think we have the ABS option in the UK either. Take it as a complement.
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Candy Thunder Blue 2006 ZZR1400
Stock wheelbase
Max: 205.4 mph in 1.25 miles
2012 ZZR1400 in Golden Blazed Green
Brock CT Full System. etc
Max: 203.1 in 1 mile (so far)
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tool man
Needs a job
Posts: 4493
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posted May 17, 2006 08:32 AM
quote:
Sorry JimBob.
I think you and I ride a little different.
The last thing I want is a computer deciding I'm about to wreck and fucking up my line.
I ride on mountain roads that are often convulsed from winter freeze and the last thing I want is the bike deciding I didn't mean to swing the ass out to get my line back.
You can keep the ABS my friend.
++++1 !! can't stand it NO ABS 4me As a matter of fact I don't care much for traction control either. I have spent 35 years learning to do right, I feel I do not need some little computer toad engineer trying to figure out what I need at some desk in Japan or anywhere else for that matter. Give me all of the control and let me decide 
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JimBob
Parking Attendant
Posts: 22
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posted May 17, 2006 04:24 PM
>> Sorry JimBob. I think you and I ride a little different. <<
Probably so. I've never gotten into trail braking and only occasionally scrape my pegs. I do it a hell of a lot less than I use to. It still fun to cook the corners but I just no longer do it spraying sparks around the bend like I once did.
>> I ride on mountain roads that are often convulsed from winter freeze and the last thing I want is the bike deciding I didn't mean to swing the ass out to get my line back. <<
Well, we don't got no stinkin' frost heave down here around Houston. We do have slick ass tar snakes in the summer though.
By the way Blitz, I see by your avatar that you need a serious shave and need to quit smoking! :-)
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fastestbusaaround
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I eat Fish...
Posts: 7889
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posted May 17, 2006 04:31 PM
Fucking tar snakes....dat's some bad shit...really bad and scary too...
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