Redux
Well-Known Member
My buddy has had a ZX-14 on deposit for a month or two now. Yesterday, I ride over to his place to head out on a local ride together. What do I see in his driveway as I pull up? You guessed it. A brand new, all black, King Zixxer! He got it last thursday and already has over 600 miles on it. The tires are scuffed to the edge and it's done with his break in period.
So my friend asks me "Do you wanna ride it?" Is that a trick question? Of course I want to ride it. We swap keys and I fire it up.
So my riding impressions from a fairly short (maybe 25-30 miles) follows:
Engine: Power. Thats what we all want to know about, right? The big ZX is actually quite docile down low. Almost surprisingly so considering the size of the engine. There is also a flat spot that starts at about 3500ish running to 4500. Not bad, but there. The bike begins to pull in earnest at 5k. At 6 thousand it comes into its own. I spun it up to about 9500 and at that point Oh my GAWD! It feels almost 'as' powerful as the Busa I rode a handful of times once you get over 6-7k. It IS faster tho. Man-o-man that ZX-14 is freakin' fast... On the trip back home, we were on an Interstate. I was back on my FZ. I was leading, running at about 75 mph. My friend came blowing by me like I was standing still. He later told me that he he shifted into 3rd gear and rolled on the throttle. A shift to 4th and he ran out of road space at 145 indicated. Wow!
Ergo's: Very comfy as a sportbike. The bars are fairly high. They are also a fairly short reach. Pegs had plenty of room. Of course I'm short at 5'7". The saddle was fairly wide and not bad for the short trip. Engine was pretty smooth.
Suspension: Very nice for a street bike. I hit several dips to test it and it soaked them up quite nicely. Plush, maybe a little softer than a replica but pretty well damped for street riding. I really liked it.
Handling: Couldn't get a great feel for this. We hit a few winding, country roads but no real twisties. It seemed pretty stable. It was lighter than the Busa and felt like it. I suspect it would be better handling than an FZ given an equal rider.
Overall, I'd pick a Busa over the new Ninja. I prefer the grunt down low of the Busa. I wont buy either, tho. I don't want a sportbike lean and I also want to keep my license. Several times I hit triple digits in third gear and it felt effortless. A fun ride to borrow upon occasion but not an everyday ride.
So my friend asks me "Do you wanna ride it?" Is that a trick question? Of course I want to ride it. We swap keys and I fire it up.
So my riding impressions from a fairly short (maybe 25-30 miles) follows:
Engine: Power. Thats what we all want to know about, right? The big ZX is actually quite docile down low. Almost surprisingly so considering the size of the engine. There is also a flat spot that starts at about 3500ish running to 4500. Not bad, but there. The bike begins to pull in earnest at 5k. At 6 thousand it comes into its own. I spun it up to about 9500 and at that point Oh my GAWD! It feels almost 'as' powerful as the Busa I rode a handful of times once you get over 6-7k. It IS faster tho. Man-o-man that ZX-14 is freakin' fast... On the trip back home, we were on an Interstate. I was back on my FZ. I was leading, running at about 75 mph. My friend came blowing by me like I was standing still. He later told me that he he shifted into 3rd gear and rolled on the throttle. A shift to 4th and he ran out of road space at 145 indicated. Wow!
Ergo's: Very comfy as a sportbike. The bars are fairly high. They are also a fairly short reach. Pegs had plenty of room. Of course I'm short at 5'7". The saddle was fairly wide and not bad for the short trip. Engine was pretty smooth.
Suspension: Very nice for a street bike. I hit several dips to test it and it soaked them up quite nicely. Plush, maybe a little softer than a replica but pretty well damped for street riding. I really liked it.
Handling: Couldn't get a great feel for this. We hit a few winding, country roads but no real twisties. It seemed pretty stable. It was lighter than the Busa and felt like it. I suspect it would be better handling than an FZ given an equal rider.
Overall, I'd pick a Busa over the new Ninja. I prefer the grunt down low of the Busa. I wont buy either, tho. I don't want a sportbike lean and I also want to keep my license. Several times I hit triple digits in third gear and it felt effortless. A fun ride to borrow upon occasion but not an everyday ride.
