posted August 02, 2006 10:57 PM
ZX14 Downunder I have been hanging about this site for a few months now waiting for 14s to arrive in New Zealand. Well, they did - 3 weeks ago and I saw and I bought. I secured one of 4 red ones imported so I am told. Rode it home last Saturday from the dealer 230 km away. At the ripe old age of 57 I wondered whether a sports bike was for me but after reading the comments of other geriatrics decided to go for it. I have always had sports tourers until now. I made the right decision. At 6' 1" the machine is comfortable. As I have been sticking to Kawa's rev limits for running in I can't comment on the motor but then I guess I don't really need to as it has all been said before. I was impressed with the handling which iIfound to be very flickable. If there is a grumble in that department it is that it doesn't like late braking or any braking in corners. It seems less forgiving than the Ducati ST3 I traded. Could suspension settings help at all?
If I needed one word to describe the bike it would have to be stable. I can't get over just how planted it feels but given its speed potential perhaps that is not surprising.
Along with that goes a lack of wind noise. My head was in still air and at one stage with a reasonably strong tail wind behind me it was almost totally silent apart from the motor - quite strange. That will sure help fatigue issues on long trips.
I have read lots of comments about heat. Well - it is winter here and my ride was all in temperatures between 5C & 10C (40F to 50F). i was waiting for the hot air over my thighs but it never came. The temp guage sat on one bar over C though it rose qickly to 2 bars when i stopped & idled for a short time. The bike obviously like air moving through the radiator.
I had no issues with the Bridgestones on winter & sometimes greasy roads but then I was not pushing any speed boundaries.
I know there have been a lot of threads on running in - sorry breaking in. I remembered an article in an Australian motor cycle mag about castrol Oils views on this subject. Castrol says, according to this article, that there are two processes in a new engine: conformability and surface finishing. Conformability is the matching shapes of different parts and these days mainly pistons involved. Surface finishing occurs on crank small end piston & bore.
when new these have a jagged surface from machining. The aim of running in is to change this into a combination of valleys & plateaux. The plateaux bear the load, the valleys hold the oil. The ratio of one to the other matters - too many valleys means higher oil consumption, while not enough means too much friction.
Ride too gently running in and pateau formation is restricted and oil consumption increases, ride too hard and you get too much plateau.
Article says ride it normally from the outset. taking it too easily can result in a varnish forming that stops further running in.
The article also says running in should be completed by 800 km (500 miles) which means high revs as you approach that mark.
Well, stuff the computer - I'm off for a ride.
I'm really interested to learn how you're going with the ZX in that you're 6 foot 1" and primarily used to sports tourers. I'm 6 foot 2" and currently ride an FJR but am really interested in the ZX14.
At the end of an hour long test ride last weekend, it seemed a little cramped in the hips but I've noticed that Corbin have a kit to lower the pegs. How do you find the position on longer rides (if you've had any yet)? I'm planning to do a 'lap' around Australia in a couple of years and I'm wondering if you think it's the sort of bike that could do that with a reasonable degree of ergonomic comfort? (there'll be a lot of long straight days over the 8 weeks of the trip).
A typical day for me is 400+ kilometres (240+ miles for the guys stateside) and 800/900 k days are not uncommon.
The FJR is more upright than ZX but the ZX is incredibly quiet comparered to the wind noise on the FJR which comes from the windshield deflection. I've also ridden the K1200S BMW which has a great position - excellent in fact - except there's some wind noise due to the position of the screen and it also feels much heavier in the front end (perhaps due to the suspension system).
I guess it just shows that it's not possible to get the perfect bike in absolutely every respect. They all have good points and all have some lessor points.
I'm almost at the point of placing an order for the ZX but I am hesitating due to the ergonomics.
Would appreciate your comments if you get the chance.
posted August 12, 2006 05:54 PM
Hi rgriffin. I don't think you will have a problem with the ergonomics on the ZX-14 at all. Every bike takes some getting used to. I'm 6'4" tall and find the bike extremely comfortable and I'm currently planning a trip to Tasmania from Perth in Western Australia I don't think I will have much of a problem with the bike, ie I'll still be able to walk at the end of the day. Plus don't forget you will be getting off the bike every few hundred kilometres to stretch anyway when getting fuel. Buy the bike you won't regret it. And if you come to Perth on your trip, you will have a place to stay =)
Reaper
2006 ZX-14
2000 ZZR1100
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Katie: 2006 ZX-14.. 186.69HP 110.68ftlb,
Ti-Force Twin High mount Slip-ons, Hyperpro Steering Damper, Sato rearsets, Carbon Fibre Lowers, lower rear wing, Tank Pad, Hugger, Ohlins Road and Track Rear Shock, HID low beam, Sato Rearsets, ASV Levers, Goodridge Carbo-Line Braided front and rear Brake lines, Galfer Braided Clutch line, ZX-10 Front Fender, EK ZZZ Drive chain, Driven rear sprocket, Pipercross Race filter, Powercommander, Secondary Butterflys removed
posted August 12, 2006 08:39 PM
Hi Reaper - many thanks for your reply. That's great to hear - really good. Right now I have a K1200S in the garage which I have had for the weekend for a test ride - it has 3,500 ks on it and, with all the extra kit the owner bought, is great buying. But I just keep coming back to the ZX-14 for lots of reasons. Then only issue I really have is,as I alluded to, apparent tightness in the hips. And yes you're right, it's the "Will I be able to walk at the end of the day?" issue.
That's sensational news - thanks again.
I've done the Tassie run on the FJR and it was excellent motorcycling. Fan bloody tastic! If you've not been before, then only things to watch for are gravel swept onto the corners by log trucks and just beware that most corners do not have suggested speed signs. While such signs are posted at car speeds, they can be helpful as guide for bikes. But in Tassie, they're quite rare. Have a great ride and thanks for your kind offer re staying Perth - we will be coming to Perth so I'll try to stay in touch.
posted August 13, 2006 05:48 PM
ZX Downunder Sorry to be late replying. I've been away from the computer. I can't answer your query properly yet as I haven't ridden over 230km at a time. Seems pretty comfortable - more so than the K1200RS I once owned. I'm haapy with the ergos (and the rest of the bike for that matter) and can't wait to do a long trip. Take a punt. You never know until you have lived with a bike for a decent length of time.
I'm really interested to learn how you're going with the ZX in that you're 6 foot 1" and primarily used to sports tourers. I'm 6 foot 2" and currently ride an FJR but am really interested in the ZX14.
At the end of an hour long test ride last weekend, it seemed a little cramped in the hips but I've noticed that Corbin have a kit to lower the pegs. How do you find the position on longer rides (if you've had any yet)? I'm planning to do a 'lap' around Australia in a couple of years and I'm wondering if you think it's the sort of bike that could do that with a reasonable degree of ergonomic comfort? (there'll be a lot of long straight days over the 8 weeks of the trip).
A typical day for me is 400+ kilometres (240+ miles for the guys stateside) and 800/900 k days are not uncommon.
The FJR is more upright than ZX but the ZX is incredibly quiet comparered to the wind noise on the FJR which comes from the windshield deflection. I've also ridden the K1200S BMW which has a great position - excellent in fact - except there's some wind noise due to the position of the screen and it also feels much heavier in the front end (perhaps due to the suspension system).
I guess it just shows that it's not possible to get the perfect bike in absolutely every respect. They all have good points and all have some lessor points.
I'm almost at the point of placing an order for the ZX but I am hesitating due to the ergonomics.
Would appreciate your comments if you get the chance.
Many thanks.
I too had an '04 FJR 2 years ago and put 25k KM's on it. Moved away from that to another Busa..which I sold this past spring. I have a 10R also...I'm 6'2" @ 210 LBS. I'm 49...shitty knees (soon to be replaced) but fine other than that. I rode my Busa for 800KM days...my 10R and my 14 as well have all seen that type of mileage in a day...of all the bikes I have now...the 14 is the most comfortable. I have zero comfort issues on rides and rides are never under 450km's /day
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posted August 02, 2006 10:57 PM
