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obviously Kawasaki knows a thing or two

It seems on the motorcycle forums that people have started to look upon Kawasaki as a second rate company without the skill or competence to produce cutting edge sport bikes. Now I know that street bikes and race bikes are not the same thing, but still if the race bike wins the title, it would seem to me that the street bike is what it is by choice, and not because Kawasaki can't build a sharp bike.

It seems to me that their claim of making the best real world sportbikes is true after all, and not just weaseling to explain why they don't have the sharpest 600 on the market

 

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Re: obviously Kawasaki knows a thing or two

and oh yeah! first post!

 

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the ZX-12 was treated very unfairly by the press

While it may not have displaced the hayabusa as the speed king unequivocally (the average 2000 and derestricted 2001 model year 12s and busas both run 190-192mph as measured on a GPS reciever), the 12 is still an excellent bike and far from the turkey that Motorcyclist and others have made it out to be. I have one and I chose it over the Hayabusa because a. I am a Kawasaki fan, and b. it fit my 6'3" frame much much better. I have ridden the Hayabusa, and it is a superb bike. Its difficult to say which is better and it comes down to which one's character you like better. I certainly have not ended up with less than I could have had, and I just wonder at what motivates the magazines to write what they do.

It was too bad that kawasaki weren't able to or weren't allowed to back up their claims on the 12's top speed. But it is still a very good bike, and any one reading the magazines and not having ridden one will get the wrong idea.

I think Kawasaki is looked down upon because people form their opinions based on what magazines say, and all the magazines care about are bikes that are hotter, sexier, faster than last years, so they can put them on the cover and sell more copies at the newstand, and keep whipped up the frenzy for hottest bikes and thus the demand for info about them.

Kawasaki makes bikes for real world riders, not for the magazines, and not for the jokers who buy what they magazines tell them to.

 

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Re: the ZX-12 was treated very unfairly by the press

Some magazines have criticized the 12's suspension compared to the Bus, but I haven't a clue what they are talking about. Its 2" shorter wheelbase, and its steeper steering geometery make it a lot quicker turning and more agile than the Bus. I don't see that get mentioned very often. A ZX-12R lapped the Kyalami circuit in south africa neck and neck with an R1. It was slower flicking side to side, but faster driving out of corners and on the straights. I don't see any magazine acknowledging the 12's superb handling (for what it is) The one thing I will aknowledge is that the 12's frame was very stiff originally and didn't provide as good feedback at the limit.

But again, this is not about better or worse than the Busa. Its about a balance of traits and characteristics. They are different and they are both very good. I just thought it damned unprofessional of magazines to reduce the bike to a top speed number, even if that was what Kawasaki was pushing. Any criticism that was leveled at it in that regard was justifiable, but it seemed that they were upset enough to start raking its character over coals, making its flaws look fatal and barely mentioning its strengths.

Consumers, I can understand, lost interest when it didn't do the only thing about it that captured their attention. But magazine editors are supposed to be more rational and responsible than that. its just shameful that they disguise their prejudice with reasonable sounding rhetoric. Not that I am upset any more. I see gixxers, R1s, Haybausa all the time, but I have seen only two other ZX-12s on the road. I appreciate the rarity, and I don't need anybody else to ooh and ah at my bike. After all, needing the oohs and ahs of your peers is what drives the development of the sportbike, isn't it?

also that $12k price was all hooey. I paid $9900 for mine, I know people who paid $8500, and few people paid much more than $10k.

 

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let me also add:

At the weekend, a new world record was set for a production bike on an oval at Rockingham. The track is designed to show the handling/high speed handling of bikes whatever on a tight oval that must conform to some standard (i.e. 1/4 mile in length, something like that).

The GSXR1000 raised the record to 122mph.

A 12R also broke the record at 121mph.

The Hayabusa went 118mph

Not saying that this is a be-all, end-all test. Draw your own conclusions. Again, I am not dissing the Hayabusa. Only trying to illustrate that the 12 has strenghths that rarely, if ever, got any mention in the rags