First off?...lemme start out by saying..I'm not "haunted by" nor am I in the least bit attracted to the ZX-14...intrigued?...yes..distracted from from busa?...he11 no!
but anyways..on with the story...
Did the usual last night...family night...took'em out to dinner and then hit blockbusters for movies and winn dixie for grub,snacks and such...which also has an extensive magazine rack...where I figured that I might luck out and catch a copy of the "Busa Edition" cycleworld rag captains mentioned in another post (thanks cap)....anyways...they didn't have it...but they did have the latest SportRider rag with a red zx-14 and a bold caption titled.."ZX-14 First Ride"...and me not being the sort to buy magazines on a regular basis?...I stood there in the isle and breezed over sportriders impressions of their 1st ride on a ZX-14...and here's the highpoints I gleened from those few minutes of reading....
1. Sportrider likes the ZX-14...(a lot)
2. However..Right up front they started out with something like...
"It would be difficult (if not impossible) to even write this review without mentioning the Suzuki Hayabusa....as suzuki's realease of the '99 Hayabusa rocked the MC industry and even took suzuki by surprise as they never anticipated just how many americans "just had to have the fastest" as for 7 years the busa has remained unchanged while top end drag racers and custom bike builders alike flocked to the Hayabusa in hordes...."
and they made no bones about stating something like...
"It's no secret that kaw has (from the beginning) targeted thier new zx14 to BEST THE BUSA"
and that was cool reading.
3. Ergos: They said the ZX-14 was comfy...as while it's seat hiegth is only an inch lower than the zx12r it replaces however it's far narrower which makes the seat height seem far lower than it is.
4. Brakes: They loved the brakes...though abs versions are not available.
5. Suspension & Handling: They gave the zx14's suspension props for being "more range adjustable than the zx12" but then jaded the suspension for being a bit stiff and harsh...(Duh....welcome to motocycles from japan.
).....but then went on to say that "the big dog could handle real well"...again....they liked it.
6. Frame: Is still a monoque style like the old 12r but with sustancial stiffening modifications and upgrades.
and now for the part ya'll've been wait'in fer....
7. Engine Performance: Where they went on to reviewing by stating that the zx14's engine is no warmed over zx12r..and that it's all new and modeled more after the latest zx-10r rather than the 12r and thanks to it's dual counter-rotating balancers?....they claim the zx14 is smoother at high rev than the busa..and/but/however...
a. "While the ZX-14 seemed a bit huffy down low.."
b. "despite the imposed 186mph speed restriction up top the zx14 pulled like a frieght train..noticably harder than the busa."
again they liked it...end.
Now...after reading that article?..it appears to me that kaw has once again does what kaw usually does (except for their great ZRX naked class line which was "Tuned For Torque" )...but held true to form by tuning their new zx14 for top end...which does in fact make it "a bit huffy down low" as sportrider claims...now I owned a ZRX that was "tuned for torque"...and I loved that bike because the power was right where you most needed/wanted and could use it "IN THE STREETS"...and it appears that evidetly kaw once again failed to do that with their new ZX-14...and bet all to achieve one goal..."Beating The Busa"....well...in my book?...the mighty busa ain't beat yet...not in the streets anyways....a tough match?....yes...a hands down winner?..not in my streets...and I'm gonna lmao when my busa is yanking it's azz through the curves harder than the new "huffy down low" kaw zx-14.
Hope you enjoyed the read and..L8R, Bill.
<!--EDIT|JINKSTER
Reason for Edit: None given...|1146414727 -->
but anyways..on with the story...
Did the usual last night...family night...took'em out to dinner and then hit blockbusters for movies and winn dixie for grub,snacks and such...which also has an extensive magazine rack...where I figured that I might luck out and catch a copy of the "Busa Edition" cycleworld rag captains mentioned in another post (thanks cap)....anyways...they didn't have it...but they did have the latest SportRider rag with a red zx-14 and a bold caption titled.."ZX-14 First Ride"...and me not being the sort to buy magazines on a regular basis?...I stood there in the isle and breezed over sportriders impressions of their 1st ride on a ZX-14...and here's the highpoints I gleened from those few minutes of reading....
1. Sportrider likes the ZX-14...(a lot)
2. However..Right up front they started out with something like...
"It would be difficult (if not impossible) to even write this review without mentioning the Suzuki Hayabusa....as suzuki's realease of the '99 Hayabusa rocked the MC industry and even took suzuki by surprise as they never anticipated just how many americans "just had to have the fastest" as for 7 years the busa has remained unchanged while top end drag racers and custom bike builders alike flocked to the Hayabusa in hordes...."
and they made no bones about stating something like...
"It's no secret that kaw has (from the beginning) targeted thier new zx14 to BEST THE BUSA"
and that was cool reading.
3. Ergos: They said the ZX-14 was comfy...as while it's seat hiegth is only an inch lower than the zx12r it replaces however it's far narrower which makes the seat height seem far lower than it is.
4. Brakes: They loved the brakes...though abs versions are not available.
5. Suspension & Handling: They gave the zx14's suspension props for being "more range adjustable than the zx12" but then jaded the suspension for being a bit stiff and harsh...(Duh....welcome to motocycles from japan.
6. Frame: Is still a monoque style like the old 12r but with sustancial stiffening modifications and upgrades.
and now for the part ya'll've been wait'in fer....
7. Engine Performance: Where they went on to reviewing by stating that the zx14's engine is no warmed over zx12r..and that it's all new and modeled more after the latest zx-10r rather than the 12r and thanks to it's dual counter-rotating balancers?....they claim the zx14 is smoother at high rev than the busa..and/but/however...
a. "While the ZX-14 seemed a bit huffy down low.."
b. "despite the imposed 186mph speed restriction up top the zx14 pulled like a frieght train..noticably harder than the busa."
again they liked it...end.
Now...after reading that article?..it appears to me that kaw has once again does what kaw usually does (except for their great ZRX naked class line which was "Tuned For Torque" )...but held true to form by tuning their new zx14 for top end...which does in fact make it "a bit huffy down low" as sportrider claims...now I owned a ZRX that was "tuned for torque"...and I loved that bike because the power was right where you most needed/wanted and could use it "IN THE STREETS"...and it appears that evidetly kaw once again failed to do that with their new ZX-14...and bet all to achieve one goal..."Beating The Busa"....well...in my book?...the mighty busa ain't beat yet...not in the streets anyways....a tough match?....yes...a hands down winner?..not in my streets...and I'm gonna lmao when my busa is yanking it's azz through the curves harder than the new "huffy down low" kaw zx-14.
Hope you enjoyed the read and..L8R, Bill.
<!--EDIT|JINKSTER
Reason for Edit: None given...|1146414727 -->
