2002 Kawasaki ZZ-R1200
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Blah Blah Blah Blah
Blah Blah Blah Blah it's a sport touring bike. Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah read the article before you post. Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Not for squids. Blah Blah Blah Blah Is the ZRX motor under powered?? Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Kawasaki is the only company SMART ENOUGH to actually release a ST for 2002. Blah Blah Blah Blah (#insert the make and model of your bike here#) will look like a "My mom bought me this bike to hopefully pick up teen-age chicks" parked next to it. Blah Blah Blah Blah "Nuff Said"
Blah Blah Blah Blah it's a sport touring bike. Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah read the article before you post. Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Not for squids. Blah Blah Blah Blah Is the ZRX motor under powered?? Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah Kawasaki is the only company SMART ENOUGH to actually release a ST for 2002. Blah Blah Blah Blah (#insert the make and model of your bike here#) will look like a "My mom bought me this bike to hopefully pick up teen-age chicks" parked next to it. Blah Blah Blah Blah "Nuff Said"
Re: True...
As I posted, Kawaski's race reps ARE out dated and in a word "Lame" compared to their competitors (Unless of course you are in the market for a good real-world RR). I think that Kawasaki is starting to see their niche in the motorcyling industry...Cruisers and sport tourer's. The "OLD" ZX11 is still a good sport touring bike even by todays standards. Hopefully that deal with Suzuki will help them in developing better Super Sport models....only time will tell.
As I posted, Kawaski's race reps ARE out dated and in a word "Lame" compared to their competitors (Unless of course you are in the market for a good real-world RR). I think that Kawasaki is starting to see their niche in the motorcyling industry...Cruisers and sport tourer's. The "OLD" ZX11 is still a good sport touring bike even by todays standards. Hopefully that deal with Suzuki will help them in developing better Super Sport models....only time will tell.
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105 Posts
Re: True...
ZX12-R
ZX12-R
The GPZ1100 is/was a fine bike. MO seemed to love it. You see pictures and references to them all the time, but nobody will ever admit to riding/owning/liking them.
However, the market segment that the GPZ tried to fill just didn't exist in the USA, or at least wasn't big enough to keep it here for long. I fear the same fate for this bike.
However, the market segment that the GPZ tried to fill just didn't exist in the USA, or at least wasn't big enough to keep it here for long. I fear the same fate for this bike.
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24 Posts
I have a '96 GPZ1100. I couldn't afford the ZX-11 back then ... and I like it too much to get rid of it - after adding the GIVI hard bags to it. It's like using a Lear Jet to go to the corner store ... tons of overkill (and way too much fun).
If the ZZ-R1200 is a little slower, a little more refined, and pulls a little better in the lower revs ... I'll take two ... or maybe 1 with a Yamaha as its mate.
My point is, that a detuned version of the ZX-12 is probably overkill in the sport-tourer market ... and overkill is fun, when it's power you are talking about. Don't let those hyper jokes (jocks?)
pressure you into something you won't enjoy (for more than half an hour).
If the ZZ-R1200 is a little slower, a little more refined, and pulls a little better in the lower revs ... I'll take two ... or maybe 1 with a Yamaha as its mate.
My point is, that a detuned version of the ZX-12 is probably overkill in the sport-tourer market ... and overkill is fun, when it's power you are talking about. Don't let those hyper jokes (jocks?)
pressure you into something you won't enjoy (for more than half an hour).
Lets keep things in perspective here
Kawasaki doesn't try to go after the customers who want not what they need or can use, but what the magazines are pushing that season. Kawasaki's sportbikes may not be the absolute best for cutting laps, but they are superb all round use streetbikes. Whether that is a characteristic that you like or not is upto you. But If Kawasakis are such dogs, why do they keep selling well?
A good rider on a ZX-6 will thrash a mediocre one on a Gixxer 1000. So instead of judging a machine too harshly for not being the fastest, lightest thing on the market, people should instead evaluate their own abilities.
Kawasaki doesn't try to go after the customers who want not what they need or can use, but what the magazines are pushing that season. Kawasaki's sportbikes may not be the absolute best for cutting laps, but they are superb all round use streetbikes. Whether that is a characteristic that you like or not is upto you. But If Kawasakis are such dogs, why do they keep selling well?
A good rider on a ZX-6 will thrash a mediocre one on a Gixxer 1000. So instead of judging a machine too harshly for not being the fastest, lightest thing on the market, people should instead evaluate their own abilities.
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1 Posts
As a connie owner (91 w/140k+ miles) I am disapointed with kawasaki. The Connie is the best $$$ for performance/reliabilty in the sport tour world. Proven tech and bullet proof motor just begging for an update. I know I am. If Kawi can sell this bike for 10k w/nice hard saddle bags then they might have something. However the sport/tour market in america has always been a step child to the cruzer/squid areas
Why do the manufacturers always take a big displacement motor and detune it? What about a sport tourer based on a ZX-9R? Chain drive is OK for sport touring if there's also a centerstand. In fact, I would rather have a chain & centerstand than shaft drive without one. A chain allows you to easily change final drive gearing & get back some acceleration lost from the manufacturer "re-tuning" the motor.
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486 Posts
Two good reasons for detuning
1.) Tractability
2.) Long-term reliability
Both of those things are more important in sport TOURING than 10 extra hp at 10,000 rpm.
1.) Tractability
2.) Long-term reliability
Both of those things are more important in sport TOURING than 10 extra hp at 10,000 rpm.
I remember hearing rumors that this bike was going to replace the connie a few months ago. This thing looks more like VFR.
Screw the VEEFER! Update the Connie. Give me a comfortable seat my wife will not complain about. Shaft drive, FI,ABS opt.,A nice faring similar to the Connies good brakes and you can have my ZRX1100. O did I forget Hard bags too. Just make it cost about $2500 less than the PAN-EURO or STS.
And you have a definite winner.
Kawasaki should worry less about taking over Honda's VFR teritory and focus on keeping its Connie as #1.
By the way the ZRX is a great bike.
Screw the VEEFER! Update the Connie. Give me a comfortable seat my wife will not complain about. Shaft drive, FI,ABS opt.,A nice faring similar to the Connies good brakes and you can have my ZRX1100. O did I forget Hard bags too. Just make it cost about $2500 less than the PAN-EURO or STS.
And you have a definite winner.
Kawasaki should worry less about taking over Honda's VFR teritory and focus on keeping its Connie as #1.
By the way the ZRX is a great bike.
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730 Posts
Re: True...
Good points all, especially because I conside track bikes on the street just silly. I mean c'mon, do you really need an R1 on the road? You'll never use all of it. As a streetfighter rider, I forget about sportbikes sometimes...and where I live I have seen very few Kawasakis this year. Of course, I can't walk around a corner without tripping over an F4i, though...go figure. Maybe I shall take a closer look at Kawa.
And I commend them for the 250 Ninja. I know a guy who has one, and I saw one on the street yesterday too. Way to make a starter bike that no one thinks is a starter bike at first glance.
Foxy
Good points all, especially because I conside track bikes on the street just silly. I mean c'mon, do you really need an R1 on the road? You'll never use all of it. As a streetfighter rider, I forget about sportbikes sometimes...and where I live I have seen very few Kawasakis this year. Of course, I can't walk around a corner without tripping over an F4i, though...go figure. Maybe I shall take a closer look at Kawa.
And I commend them for the 250 Ninja. I know a guy who has one, and I saw one on the street yesterday too. Way to make a starter bike that no one thinks is a starter bike at first glance.
Foxy
Hey... I liked the GPz1100. I was debating between that and a VFR, but they announced the demise of the GPz before I was ready to buy. I have a friend who had one for about 3 yrs before it was stolen; he loved it.
Also, you can't always predict the sales rate of a motorcycle based on past bikes of similar type.
Everybody thought big naked bikes wouldn't sell in the late 90's, due to failures in the early 90's, but they seem to be a very hot market segment right now. Timing is everything...
Also, you can't always predict the sales rate of a motorcycle based on past bikes of similar type.
Everybody thought big naked bikes wouldn't sell in the late 90's, due to failures in the early 90's, but they seem to be a very hot market segment right now. Timing is everything...
Glad Kawazuki is making an XX. Somebody should.
Honda doesn't seem to make this model anymore. Too damn bad for you all. The turbine smooth boundless power is delightful. The mirrors never wiggle too much to hide a cop. I don't know if I'd like a sport bike with only a liter of displacement.
Honda doesn't seem to make this model anymore. Too damn bad for you all. The turbine smooth boundless power is delightful. The mirrors never wiggle too much to hide a cop. I don't know if I'd like a sport bike with only a liter of displacement.
I hope not. I had a shaft drive bike... I'd rather oil a chain. You can't really appreciate how scary shaft drive on a bike is until you roll off the throttle in a corner and lose an inch of ground clearance. That may be fine in a touring bike, but in a SPORT-touring bike, the chances are much higher that it'll get ridden hard occasionally.
re: bags + a little digression
SS,
My dad used to give me rides to school on the back of his Norton Commando 750... which at one time was the baddest bike on the planet... he chokes too at anything bigger than a 500 being called a beginner bike. He actually thinks (and I do too) that a 500 is a little big for a 1st bike. We produce 500's these days that smoke the baddest bikes that existed during the '60's... weird huh?
SS,
My dad used to give me rides to school on the back of his Norton Commando 750... which at one time was the baddest bike on the planet... he chokes too at anything bigger than a 500 being called a beginner bike. He actually thinks (and I do too) that a 500 is a little big for a 1st bike. We produce 500's these days that smoke the baddest bikes that existed during the '60's... weird huh?
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