Strip'd and Oval'd -- 2006 Kawasaki ZX-14
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Two reviews in less than 48 hours?!
Be still my beating heart!
Be still my beating heart!
I used to have a ZX-12R that I picked over the hayabusa because I prefered its ergos and because I've wanted a flagship Kawasaki since I was 6.
It turned out that if you rode it hard, it was just as fast as the 'Bus but it didn't have the big block massive power everywhere feel of the hayabusa and didn't feel as fast as it was or could be.
Suzuki just had the Cubes vs revs balance down better than the Kawasaki. and it was a more thoroughly developed bike and who could be immune to the aura of a legend?
With the ZX-14, kawasaki seems to have refined the ZX-12 and done the refinement and development it should have had in the first place, and its gone with busa like aeros (low and long), as well as switched to the Suzuki's formula of massive power everywhere instead of even more power but just at the top.
So does this mean I'll be getting one?
nope. ironically, now that Kawasaki has seemingly done it right, I am ready to switch to Suzuki. THe inline 6 stratosphere.
My fascination with Kawasaki started when I saw a picture of a Z1300 when I was 6 years old. It carried on with the GPZ1000RX, GPz900R, ZX-10, ZX-11, ZX-12R, but I still haven't had the inline6 tickle.
After having fallen in love with inline 6 engines and having become a BMW devotee for the company's dedication to inline 6 engines, I get gooey at the thought of a small little inline six in a motorcycle.
So I'm hoping Suzuki will decide to put the stratosphere concept into production. and knowing suzuki, it will be a well developed machine.
I've had the max horsepower fix. now its 6 cyls for me. Till that happens, I'll pick up a nice low mile Superhawk.
It turned out that if you rode it hard, it was just as fast as the 'Bus but it didn't have the big block massive power everywhere feel of the hayabusa and didn't feel as fast as it was or could be.
Suzuki just had the Cubes vs revs balance down better than the Kawasaki. and it was a more thoroughly developed bike and who could be immune to the aura of a legend?
With the ZX-14, kawasaki seems to have refined the ZX-12 and done the refinement and development it should have had in the first place, and its gone with busa like aeros (low and long), as well as switched to the Suzuki's formula of massive power everywhere instead of even more power but just at the top.
So does this mean I'll be getting one?
nope. ironically, now that Kawasaki has seemingly done it right, I am ready to switch to Suzuki. THe inline 6 stratosphere.
My fascination with Kawasaki started when I saw a picture of a Z1300 when I was 6 years old. It carried on with the GPZ1000RX, GPz900R, ZX-10, ZX-11, ZX-12R, but I still haven't had the inline6 tickle.
After having fallen in love with inline 6 engines and having become a BMW devotee for the company's dedication to inline 6 engines, I get gooey at the thought of a small little inline six in a motorcycle.
So I'm hoping Suzuki will decide to put the stratosphere concept into production. and knowing suzuki, it will be a well developed machine.
I've had the max horsepower fix. now its 6 cyls for me. Till that happens, I'll pick up a nice low mile Superhawk.
Lots of horsies on this one. Saw it at the show and really didn't think much of it looks wise. The George Foreman Grill on the side has to go, and the front end has to be redone. It did feel fairly light for such a heavy bike though. Sean was also describing scraping a 550 lb motorcycle with a 210 lb rider. Was that with one foot on the scale Sean?? LOL
Great review!
I wonder if our local Sheriff would just give me a book of blank speeding tickets? That way I could simply mail a couple in every month!
Dirty,
What part of the bike was it that was sending all those sparks into the air. Pipe or Peg? Was it G force compression in the banked turn causing you to touch down at such a slight lean? At least from the photo the bike doesn't appear to be very far over on it's side?
I wonder if our local Sheriff would just give me a book of blank speeding tickets? That way I could simply mail a couple in every month!
Dirty,
What part of the bike was it that was sending all those sparks into the air. Pipe or Peg? Was it G force compression in the banked turn causing you to touch down at such a slight lean? At least from the photo the bike doesn't appear to be very far over on it's side?
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1,538 Posts
It was the peg feeler. The clearance issue was caused by both compression and lean-angle.
If you look closer, you'll see that my knee is firmly planted on the track and I'm not really hanging-off. The banking has a funy way of making the bikes look upright, when they are actually completely on the side of the tire.
-Sean
If you look closer, you'll see that my knee is firmly planted on the track and I'm not really hanging-off. The banking has a funy way of making the bikes look upright, when they are actually completely on the side of the tire.
-Sean
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