AlexTheUkrainian
Expert Class
'08 ZX-14 SE
Posts: 144
|
posted June 14, 2009 11:10 AM
Hi
Just joined these forums, they look nice. Bought my ZX 14 a week ago, 08 SE. Still not shipped though, and I guess chemically-induced coma to reduce wait time is not an option. 
I'm sure I'll find wealth of info about nice mods here, but if any of you feel like typing/linking in here, that'd be appreciated! That way I can rack up some parts to have them ready for bike when it gets here.
  
|
dcjens
Pro
Wet side of Washington
Posts: 1059
|
posted June 14, 2009 12:49 PM
be careful bud, this thing reels in the straightaways like an airplane. plenty of info here to read! welcome to the group
____________
Black 06
|
SteveWFL
Moderator
Posts: 27920
|
posted June 14, 2009 12:59 PM
____________
2010 Concours14
'08 R1 YAMAHA
ZX14 gone!
CBR600RR track bike
|
AlexTheUkrainian
Expert Class
'08 ZX-14 SE
Posts: 144
|
posted June 14, 2009 01:20 PM
Steve, your sig says zx 14 gone - how come?
|
Douglas Home
Zone Head
Posts: 710
|
posted June 14, 2009 02:48 PM
Hi, great choice of bike ,let us know what you do to it.
do you have drag strips over there?
____________
Doug Mackay Australia
|
dubious
Needs a life
Needs more time to ride!
Posts: 8442
|
posted June 14, 2009 05:13 PM
welcome Alex
Steve traded his in for a literbike... the 14 was too fat and too fast 
He likes riding in circles.
____________
natural selection.....
destiny will overcome intervention.
Some are not worthy of the effort.
|
Wheelie
Needs a life
Old Man
Posts: 6902
|
posted June 14, 2009 06:31 PM
 Edited By: Wheelie on 15 Jun 2009 02:31
quote:
Steve, your sig says zx 14 gone - how come?
he's a pozer. btw welcome
wee
|
reevesmreeves
Expert Class
Posts: 147
|
posted June 14, 2009 07:01 PM
that didn't take long did it alex? haha
glad you signed up!
____________
06 red 14
06 se 636
|
AlexTheUkrainian
Expert Class
'08 ZX-14 SE
Posts: 144
|
posted June 14, 2009 07:20 PM
quote:
welcome Alex
Steve traded his in for a literbike... the 14 was too fat and too fast
He likes riding in circles.
Thanks... that's what I thought Half the people whom I told I got a ZX-14 fire at me with "You'll kill yourself on that thing!" so maybe Steve just had enough of that crap haha
|
reevesmreeves
Expert Class
Posts: 147
|
posted June 14, 2009 07:24 PM
they probably don't ride liter bikes either do they alex? lol
check out shane's custom build and dubious' too. lots of ideas and money to blow in those threads!
____________
06 red 14
06 se 636
|
SteveWFL
Moderator
Posts: 27920
|
posted June 14, 2009 07:26 PM
Edited By: SteveWFL on 15 Jun 2009 03:27
quote:
quote:
Steve, your sig says zx 14 gone - how come?
he's a pozer. btw welcome
wee
pozer hell I turn in the mountains and on the track 
____________
2010 Concours14
'08 R1 YAMAHA
ZX14 gone!
CBR600RR track bike
|
dubious
Needs a life
Needs more time to ride!
Posts: 8442
|
posted June 14, 2009 07:46 PM
the zx14 is the most docile missile made!
Really though, it is so stable, its unnerving how easy it is to bump the speed limiter
NO steering damper on it and the most predictable handling big bike I ever rode.
The wind coverage is so nice you will be doing speeds that seem retarded when you tell anyone. Even listening to yourself telling them makes you feel dumb, and you know they will look at you like your full of shit.
When you become familiar and comfortable with the bike, get a good pipe, Brocks, Ti Force would be my picks.
A good pipe, speedohealer and 16 tooth frt sproket, debate on fly removal for 08-09 bikes still out, but i would also do that.
Uncork, and it will be like a whole new animal all over again.
Unleash the Beast! Its begging to be uncorked and rode hard.
It is is great bike, confidence instilling, predictable, smooth, comfortable, good wind protection, stable, and WAY FAST!
Hang on and enjoy, don't ride over your head and it will never suprise nor scare you.
It might sound corny, but my zx14 is like another best friend.
I have had so many great moments, beautiful scenery, inspiring rides, and exhilarating experiences, all without a hitch, scare or suprise...
It is like riding a thoroughbred, for long distance stupid fast rides.
Uncorked, you will feel superhuman on the thing.
Oh, and it is the king at the 1/4 mile too!
____________
natural selection.....
destiny will overcome intervention.
Some are not worthy of the effort.
|
SteveWFL
Moderator
Posts: 27920
|
posted June 14, 2009 07:51 PM
+1 and it handles well for what it is too, mine had hit more than one mountain and more than one turn
____________
2010 Concours14
'08 R1 YAMAHA
ZX14 gone!
CBR600RR track bike
|
drewzx-14
Zone Head
Andrew
Posts: 553
|
posted June 14, 2009 08:03 PM
congratulations man! excellent choice. I've owned one and have never been disappointed in her.
____________
2009 Yamaha R1-SOLD!
2013 Zx-14R Green ABS
|
AlexTheUkrainian
Expert Class
'08 ZX-14 SE
Posts: 144
|
posted June 14, 2009 08:08 PM
Dubious.. You sound like me in nineth grade when I met my first love :lol Once I start mods, they will probably be weight-related mostly to shed any unneeded fat off of her.
|
Douglas Home
Zone Head
Posts: 710
|
posted June 14, 2009 10:36 PM
start with the pipe for loosing heaps of weight.
____________
Doug Mackay Australia
|
dubious
Needs a life
Needs more time to ride!
Posts: 8442
|
posted June 15, 2009 05:23 AM
quote:
start with the pipe for loosing heaps of weight.
gaining a heap of power and losing heaps of heat !
You are almost right Alex.
Of all the bikes I have owned, the 14 is my favorite.
____________
natural selection.....
destiny will overcome intervention.
Some are not worthy of the effort.
|
AlexTheUkrainian
Expert Class
'08 ZX-14 SE
Posts: 144
|
posted June 15, 2009 06:16 AM
I have a slight dilemma on the exhaust, perhaps you guys can help out some... My 2 priorities are to gain deep-tone sound that doesn't scream and lose weight. I think bike has plenty of power for now and shedding weight to make it more nimble is more important to me than extra HP. I don't want anything too loud (my current bike is loud and it gets old and hurts ears after a while)
The dilemma is... I do like long double pipes. It may be a blasphemy to say and I hope I won't be marked as an outcast for it, but to me symmetry is beautiful. Obviously, I'll have to pay in weight for this as well. For now, I'll go with slip-ons only, but I want the option to upgrade to full exhaust later when I can afford it. So:
1. How much weight savings am I sacrificing by going double, approx.?
2. What are the best-sounding double-pipe slip-ons that weigh the least and can be upgraded to full exhaust later? and
3. Can I re-use the slip-on if I decide to do 4-to-1 later?
These sound pretty good to me - deep & strong, but still humble compared to some other options. But is this the best option given my goals?
|
Superman T
Pro
Posts: 1831
|
posted June 15, 2009 07:56 AM
AlexTheUkrainian- Welcome! Enjoy the bike!
|
AlexTheUkrainian
Expert Class
'08 ZX-14 SE
Posts: 144
|
posted June 15, 2009 08:00 AM
Well, this just shows how noob I am in these things... after reading some of Shane's Build thread I realized that combating weight is going to be an expensive endeavor, so for now that goal has to be shelved for about a year. I'll just concentrate on sound/looks for now - this is for street, not racing.
|
icarus
Expert Class
Posts: 344
|
posted June 15, 2009 03:07 PM
Alex, welcome! Enjoy the 14. When you get time could you tell me / us what life is like
in Ukraine? I know that question comes with a long answer but it is neat to hear about
it from someone who lives there and not the news.
____________
8.820 @ 161.05
|
AlexTheUkrainian
Expert Class
'08 ZX-14 SE
Posts: 144
|
posted June 15, 2009 04:36 PM
Edited By: AlexTheUkrainian on 16 Jun 2009 00:39
Thx for the welcomes guys.
Sure Icarus, here's some info. FYI, I was born in Ukraine and got as far as finishing first year of university there, but moved to the states at age of 17, so I currently live here, in Nashville, TN.
It's very different over there - food is always fresh, with few pesticides, and moms ALWAYS cook so families enjoy fresh meals daily (guess it sucks for moms, though, ha-ha). There's a lot of culture everywhere, architecture - my hometown celebrated 750th birthday recently. Streets are smaller, many still made of cobble stones. There are trolleys and trams everywhere but subways are rare (my town has 800k residents not counting surrounding areas and no sub-way). But EVERYBODY is using public transportation - we use a lot of smaller and more robust buses, so you can see a bus pass any given bus station about every 20-30 seconds on average, or every 5-10 seconds if downtown. For comparison, in Nashville here we have maybe 4-5 bus routes... in Ukraine in my hometown, it's close to 300, with a few thousand buses on the streets on any given day, so you can get from anywhere to anywhere very efficiently and quickly. Oh and at rush hours these buses are PACKED - I mean, we usually have 40 seats in a bus, but during rush hours they carry at least 80 passengers, some 100+. You can barely drop an apple between people.. It's a unique experience, and I'm sure many other parts of Europe are same way. Streets are filled with people, which I think is cool... there's a vibe to it, you know, like city is alive. Here you drive around and hardly anyone outside except maybe downtown b/c everyone's in cars. Speaking of which, people walk a lot in Ukraine and maybe that's why obesity rate is much smaller lol... walking 3-5 miles daily just to get to/from work and to/from entertainment is the norm.
Coca-cola tastes different in Ukraine, and much better, in my opinion, but I think it's only because we don't have much regulation like we got FDA here, so the companies put whatever they want into the drinks pretty much - it's probably awful for our health, but sure tastes great. We got a pork burger on the menu at McDonalds (weird, right? But no worries, we got beef burgers also, so don't be afraid to visit he-he). Also as a rule, McDonalds are quite up-scale - always clean, modern-looking, well-staffed, etc. - a lot of business meetings take place there. I know it may be hard to imagine b/c I know well how McDonalds and Burger Kings roll around here, but that's the way it is in Ukraine. We don't have KFC or BK or whatnot - only McDonalds seemed to have made it over there for some reason.
Credit only now started... maybe 3-4 years ago. Used to be, you had to pay full price of everything in order to get it, in cash - be it car, house, or w/e. So a lot of young folks lived with their parents for 10 years or so after marriage before they could afford a house... or they rented. My brother is 27 and he still never owned a car (he's still in Ukraine). And here I am in the US, 24 years old, and with a house, a lexus convertible, and 2 bikes lol... so unfair!!
But that's why Ukraine was not for me. I love opportunity, and am a very ambitious nerd... but internet access in Ukraine is lacking and expensive. There's no XBOX or Playstation there (blasphemy, I know!!). lol But no, actually, the reasons to move here are a lot more sad. My hometown is perhaps the most Europe-like, but even still personal political freedoms are a dream, not a reality. I mean, you have them, but only until you face the system - past that point only the Benjamins can save your butt and if you ain't got any, you're screwed. Everybody is afraid of cops b/c they literally can do whatever they want and often work closely with mafia/gangs. One day a cop stopped my dad when he was driving and just asked for money... dad asked why, cop said he needs it to feed his family lol... Gangs would make a deal with cops - gangs steal cars, then when owner files stolen car report, cops "find" the car for a fee, say $1,000, and split it with the gang. Corruption is rampant, shadow economy is estimated at two-three times the size of official economy, and bribes are a rule, not an option. Our taxes are insane and I don't know a single business man who was able to pay all taxes and survive, so everybody hires smart accountants to evade taxes. As to individuals, almost everybody's salary is paid "under the table" in cash. So for example if you made 2k/month (which btw is pretty darn high in Ukraine even though our prices are pretty much same as here), you'd be paid $100 officially and the other 1,900 would be given to you in envelope in cash. Our roads (just like almost any other public project) are in horrific state and riding bikes there is very, very, very unsafe so how can I even ever go back now? :P
It's a cool, developing country and safe enough to visit, but I would never be able to be 1/100th of what I want to be if I stayed there, unfortunately. And it's hard to survive there when you try to be honest and all that.
Oh yeah, disco was still popular there until early 2000's We also overlay Ukrainian soundtracks over Hollywood movies... so if you see Transformers there, the picture would be the same, but you'd hear the actors talk Ukrainian and probably never even notice that it wasn't their native language! There many other cool differences that I could think of, I'm sure, but this reminsd me, I gotta run to Walmart to actually grab some stuff for a care package to Ukraine that I promised to my mom and been delaying for too long.
|
reevesmreeves
Expert Class
Posts: 147
|
posted June 15, 2009 04:49 PM
does the stuff that happened in the movie "hostel" happen over there? that's a serious question btw.
____________
06 red 14
06 se 636
|
masszx14
Pro
A mind beside itself!
Posts: 1806
|
posted June 15, 2009 06:11 PM
quote:
does the stuff that happened in the movie "hostel" happen over there? that's a serious question btw.
you d*ck! 
Made me laugh... nice one!
____________
universal@mind
|
reevesmreeves
Expert Class
Posts: 147
|
posted June 15, 2009 06:22 PM
you guys wouldn't tell the truth if it did, would you!?
you've paid to do that stuff didn't you ivanov? haha
sick bastard...
got any pics : )
____________
06 red 14
06 se 636
|
|
|
HOME
NEW TOPIC