ZX12 what do you think of it?

G

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Lyle? I though that you wanted us to be good citizens and behave.

"You talk like you own 12's. How do they ride?"

Not that I care but other people seem to get upset if people are making fun of each other. Do you want me to respond and make fun of you? If I do will you get mad? You are not a rocket scientist but I think even you know the 12 has not been released yet so either you are poking fun or you are stupid. I am not sure how our discussion led you to think we own a 12?..... Please advise......
 
I like the ZX12.
If I had the money I could even think about having one also. But I would never sell my busa ( unless the ZX12 was proven ( by me ) to be that much better ).
When I think of it it looks like Kawi is doing the old Suki trick.
When the GS1000 came out it was 1 mm bigger than the Kawi in almost every way. 1mm thicker front fork , 1 mm bigger intake valve, 2 mm bigger exhaust valve, 12mm thicker wrist pin, and so on.
Now its Kawi who have 2mm bigger bore, 0,4mm bigger intake and exhaust valve and so on.
The spiral takes another turn and we are ALL happy that it does. ( arent we ? ).
 
UNTIL ALL DYNO,1/4 MILE,AND TOP SPEED NUMBERS HAVE BEEN TESTED BY DIFFERENT MAGAZINE'S,NO WAY NO HOW WILL THE ZX12 BE FASTER THAN THE 1300!THEY CLAIM 183HP AT CRANK,BUT NOBODY KNOWS WITH RAMAIR OR NOT.TO SHORT WHEELBASE TO RUN 1/4 MILE,AND THE BIKE IS TO FLAT IN THE FRONT TO GO FASTER THAN 190MPH.THE BIKE MAY BE BETTER IN OTHER AREAS BUT NOT THESE THREE.1/4,DYNO,TOP SPEED!
 
You talk as though you know all about the ZX12. Top speeds etc, I thought you knew what you're talking about. Guess not.
 
I like the Kawi green, I like the ZX-12. I also think it will handle better than the busa. However I think the Hayabusa has more potential than the ZX12.
 
I wouldnt mind if the zx-12 was faster, but I dont think it will be, I really like the hayabusa's looks better, I like the ZX-11 looks better than the ZX-12,the 12 will be a nice bike, prolly a good bike to take through deals gap(318 curves in 11 miles) the busa is kinda a pig in the gap, but everywhere else its the best, maybe honda will snap and make a new bad ass, that new CBR 929 is a damn fast bike for its cc, maybe they will make a new ultimate sport bike, I hope this pushes the envelope and bikes become faster, and affordable.
btw good way to start a topic guys.
Peace,
Ranger
 
I once waited for the ZX12 about 2 years ago when it was announced in Motorcyclist mag,it never materialized,I always liked Suzuki for torquey drag engines,and Kawasaki for fast Sport tourers,but when Suzuki made a Sport Tourer, excuse me,Ultimate Sport,It was the total package,and I felt Kawasaki dragged its feet with ZX12,I like the ZX12 especially the 4-1 exhaust,I don't like the looks of it,I think the ZX11/XX/Busa are better looking bikes.
 
I like the ZX-12, and can't wait to see some real world tests and reviews. It does look a little generic, but that's ok. If it works, cool. If not, I'm sure Kawasaki will do their best to work it out. I like the looks of the busa better, it takes a while, but it grows on you. Competition is a good thing. It keeps pushing for more development. The busa is a fast machine. It can't remain at the top the way it is now. But that's where it is. Test the 12 in real world settings, then we'll see. I wouldn't kick either out of my shop.
 
I welcome the arrival of the ZX12, regardless of if it out performs the busa or not. Sorry I'm not an all out road racer or drag racer. I bought my bike because I wanted a bigger engined bike to do some touring this year, but also wanted something that looks different from everything else, hence the busa. If it (zx12) out performs the busa then it raises the stakes for the other makers, this is great for us ! When they push the limits like this it makes the bikes safer for us to ride at our normal daily speeds.
I would have preferred Kawasaki to have worked more on the styling and ergonomics, give it a bit of character like a companies flagship should have, the ram-air intake still looks like an after-thought on the latest pictures I've seen.

FYI. Latest magazines here have a figure of 180ps at the crank and a release date of February 2000. No performance figures published here yet.

[This message has been edited by dazee (edited 04 October 1999).]
 
Hey I still think the bus is cooler looking.The 12 will be groovie no doubt but the bus is unique in every way :).Hey I have no brand loyalty...sorry.I buy what is most pleasing to me.I buy what I want not whats "most popular"or "in".Hell if I did I`d own a Harley.....potato,potato,potato
 
i am impressed. This is the first time i have ever posted because i thought i was the only person who owns a ZX11, but still likes the busa as well. My good friend has a black busa and we ride together alot. Anyway, this is the first topic where everyone has agreed and been reasonable when the ZX12 topic is brought up. My opinion is the 2 bikes are gonna be so close it will come down to conditions, rider size and skill. Glad to see we can all just get along.
Keep your knees in the breeze!
 
I was hoping the Kawi would have a more futuristic look like the Suzuki, but I do like it.Looking at a picture from an angle,it looks mean,nasty,and fast although I don't like the colors being offered.While it may not look as slippery as the suzuki,don't be surprised if it is more so as Kawasaki also builds airplanes and hence,they have much experience with ram air.I think its ram air set up will prove to be the most effective in the industry once the bike is ridden and tested.I also don't trust Kawasaki with the HP figures we are hearing as they are being very secretive on performance for this bike.
I think that the Kawi will be a few MPH faster than the Suzuki on top speed and probably a tenth or maybe two tenths quicker in the quarter when tested on the same day as I think they really did their homework on this thing. Don't forget,they already knew what the Suzuki was capable of and they want desperately to be on top again.
I have heard people on this site mention that the Suzuki will be faster because it is a bigger motor and will have a lot more torque,but don't bet on it.The Kawi has a bore that is 2mm larger then the Suzuki which will give more torque and they chose a rod that is 7.5mm shorter which will rev quicker and higher.I am looking forward to the magazine tests between these two bikes in the coming months. It will be close but in the end there is no doubt that they will prove to be the two quickest and fastest bikes on the planet and this is great for all of us.Why can't we all be friends and realize how lucky we truly are?
 
I dont think the zx12 will be faster. The reason i say this that all the articles say the most horsepower in its class. What class are they talking about. Second I dont think the aerodynamics are as good as the busa and with the engine being 100 cc's smaller it wont gain the speed as effortlessly as the busa. The busa is and may be the only motorcycle in it's class. Ultimate sports bike................
 
www.bikenet.com has a section on the Paris show, and the Kawasaki page has good pictures of the ZX-12 in its supposed production colors; silver, green, and red. They also have a photo of a black one, but supposedly it is not a production color. Bummer.

I like the look of the silver one okay. I could never see myself owning a green bike, period. I think the red one looks totally awesome.

I think it will be competitive with the 'Busa in acceleration, speed, and handling. They are keeping the ZX-11 as a softer sport-tourer, so they might not be going for comfort on the 12. I don't think they wanted it to be a lot faster than the 'Busa, because they are mostly trying to cut into the Hayabusa's sales a bit, and more speed probably would mean a higher price. It may already have a higher sticker price than the 'Busa.

There are political worries about making a bike that ups the ante in the speed war too much also, and they may not want to press their luck farther than the Hayabusa just did I.E. 195 mph top end.

It means we all have another monster bike to choose from. Folks, life just sucks, doesn't it?
 
I think that as far as I can tell by the pictures that the bike looks pretty good. I think that the style, as with the Busa is more of a matter of function rather than form. As with the Busa , what you see is there for a purpose and not for a pose. This was no slapped together last minute thing we are looking at here, this thing should be a force not to be taken lightly, doing so could be a mistake. We will just have to wait for the hard numbers.
 
Yawwwwnnnnn...why did Kawasaki have to be so goddamn conservative? Is it truly for the aerodynamic advantage, or just cause they don't wanna take chances stylistically like Suzuki? Dunno, but the proof will be in the pudding, obviously.

And that airscoop is a graceless afterthought.
 
First the ground rules
1 No flames
2 No brand loyalty
3 If you don't agree, tell us why and refer to rule #1

OK maybe this bike has been tested somewhere but I haven't read about it yet. It seems to be a 1200cc bike though and all the pictures I see are of the same bike. So lets here it. I for one like the looks of the ZX11 more. I do like the short wheelbase. I'm not a drag racer so that doesn't bother me. Top speed predictions anyone? I think it will do 199 why not 200? I think it will fall short. Not because of anyones poor engineering skills but because pushing anything through the air at that speed requires big HP numbers. And without a turbo or NO2 it just won't have it. I do think it will be faster that a Busa simply because they held it back till they made it faster. Kawasai's goal has always been to be the fastest and I don't expect anything less from them. I just think it will be a few MPH faster not 10 or 15 mph.

What do you guys think?
 
I agree I don't think that it will beat the Hyabusa with a substantial top speed increase because at the speeds we are talking about aeorodynamics can only do so much and unless you are willing to sacrafice comfort which they aren't going to do and I doubt a normally aspired bike is going to produce the hp to get over 200. Who knows though. As for wheelbase length that is why they sell swingarms so that does not worry me.

As for the look it is hard to say. When I saw a picture of the busa initially I hated it. Having seen it in person and having driven it I now like it allot and I understand why it looks the way it does. As for Kawi I personally like the old c model 11 so I have always been partial. If I look at the 12 out of the context of the next generation 11 then I like the body style. I am sure in person it will be a beatiful bike.

[This message has been edited by Toobad (edited 04 October 1999).]
 
I personally like the looks of the ZX-12 better then I do the Busa. Don't get me wrong I love my Busa, but for its performance, not its looks. If looks really mattered that much to me, then I'd have an R1. Although I have no doubt that the ZX-12R will be a great bike, I feel the Busa will be the bike to modify and get huge Hp out of for years to come.
Paul
 
The red ZX12 could be cool looking. But I find the green to be ugly as sin. 180hp at the crank sounds good too. But before I lay down cash money I want to hear that it is stable at speed, has the 1st years bugs worked out, is driveable on the street etc.

You talk like you own 12's. How do they ride?
 
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