Funny ZX-10R story

[bahaimus]

Clicky! (http://www.livejournal.com/community/motorcycles/1064559.html)

[bv]

Thats great. I haven't ridden one yet but I've heard it is a little 'track focused'

I was going to paste the points I particularly liked but decided to be lazy and paste in the whole thing: the point about short shifting is great

am the little green monster hear me roar
written by an acquaintance -- enjoy!


Today I rode the Daytona to work and back and generally enjoyed it, although as usual I felt like it was a fish out of water in commuter traffic. I also wondered, as I often do lately, why the suspension sucked so very much.

I have been wondering whether the Tiger's kickass-for-the-street suspension is spoiling me, or whether the Daytona's ride characteristics have indeed actually got a lot worse since I've owned it. So, when I got home, I decided to ride Pete's Kawasaki ZX-10R since he has been offering for a while and has left it in my garage while he is in the Isle of Man getting hammered.

As a brief backgrounder, this is the same bike that spent 4 months or so in the corner of my garage during Wintertime looking pissed off and threatening my wife's Subaru.

I consider myself an averagely competent street rider, and recognize that I have probably much better judgement and self-discipline than I have skill. I am fairly comfortable with things that way around though, I expect it's why I am still alive.

Although it was near dark and I did not intend on or do much of a ride on the bike (cheers though Pete if you are reading this from the IOM) and only took it out for a short ride through some local urban and residential areas, I found it was a motorcycle that spoke to me clearly.

This is what it had to say:

1. I am actually much greener in color than you have noticed previously, and will be stared at by people as if I were an alien spacecraft abducting their children.

2. Although my bars are well-situated and my tank is a joy to grip between your legs, my footpegs are so very fucking high that you will wonder if they're even there. However once you find them you won't notice it much, for reasons I will come to next.

3. I know you have ridden a number of so-called performance motorcycles before, but they have the focus of a Chinese-made $2 disposable camera compared with me. Believe me when I tell you that I go, stop, and turn much faster than you or anyone you have ever spent much time with is capable of addressing effectively. I make the Ducati 999 you rode last year feel like a Volvo. Like the public roads you force me onto, you are so fucking unworthy - the only difference is you know it, because you've had your license for more than 18 months unlike the twats in t-shirts that it is my mission to maim or kill.

4. You had better not make any throttle mistakes or grab too much brake at the wrong time or I will spit you into the gutter in a highside you won't fucking believe.

5. You should know that if we encounter any 19 year-old squids, they will decide they need to ride in formation with us, or have a race. You will probably decline to participate in either because you're such a fucking pussy and you don't want anyone to die in the busy part of Route 9. You suck!

5. You can short-shift through to second and third if you like you fucker, but you are only delaying your inevitable doom.

6. Even though I am so very fast, I do not intend to make speeds feel slower than they are. Particularly with this Devil exhaust - I am so fucking loud that last week Motorhead moved in next door and called the police to deal with me. Fucking deaf people will jump into hedges when I pass. When you're doing 35 through a town center in third, I will make it sound like MotoGP and you will think you are doing 70.

Honestly I did really enjoy the ride as limited as it was, but I was quite stunned by how focussed the 10R is. You can read the magazine articles all you like and it doesn't convey the message properly. Ride one if you get the chance because it's a loony little bitch.

[fro]

If they published reviews like this, I'd be more tempted to actually test more new cars/bikes...

[Mini_Me]

hahaha great review

[Shifty]

Haha that's awesome. And from everything I've read, so true. A lot of the Kawasaki-mad actually buy and then on-sell them because they realise they haven't got a chance of riding them properly.

Has anyone read the review of the MT01 in (I think) AMCN? That had me physically laughing out loud too... the comments about drinking with a motorbike and the one about calling the ambulance were great :)

[rexxxy]

I test rode the ZX10r back in November last year. Was looking to retire my ZXR750 to trackdays and wanted a new bike for the daily ride to work and weekend rides.

Always wanted a ZX9r, and when the ZX10r was released, was dead keen on one of them too. I rode the ZX9r and the 10r back to back to get an idea of the difference between the two.

ZX9r = ~138hp - 203kg
ZX10r = ~184hp - 170kg

The ZX9r is a fantastic bike, power, torque, good manners on the road, smooth, handles well, gives confidence at all times. Really was a pleasure to ride. Picks the front wheel up off the throttle in 1st and 2nd no problems. Picks the rear up under hard braking. Sounds good, feels light, fits like a glove.

The ZX10r on the other hand is a mixture of excitment and terror. The power and torque is incredible, the braking was amazing, the riding position was pure race. The noise from the factory titanium can was magic. I was riding it sedately and it just wanted to pick the front wheel up. Throttle application and brake application require genuine control. When you just twitch on the throttle, the bike surges forward. At 7000rpm your putting out about 100hp between 7000 and 12000 the bike ads about 84hp. It builds revs so fast, that you feel like a train has hit you. I got back to the dealer and I was pretty well speechless. Later that night over a few beers with mates, you couldnt shut me up about how amazing that bike was. I tried to convey the excitment, but non riders just dont get it.

Definately a bike that I would love to own. But for the first time in my life, I used common sense. I decided to buy the ZX9r, not because of its road manners, and not because it was a comfortable bike to ride. I bought it because I would probably be dead now if i bought the 10r!

Anyone who is an experienced rider, I would recommend test riding one if not all of the current range of 1 litre bikes. It really is an eye opener. I havent ridden the Yamaha / Honda / Suzuki / MV Agusta / Ducatti big bikes, so I cant comment, but I imagine they would be similar and just as impressive.

I can only assume that bike testing journalists are complacent, who wouldnt be? Riding exotic machinery all the time and having to pick pro's and con's between then all.

I will give myself a couple more years on the zx9r and look at trading it in on something bigger. I have been riding for about 8 years now (trackdays / daily commute / weekend rides) and I dont think im ready for a 1 litre race bike just yet. It scares me to think that after a couple of years as a Learner and then a Probationary rider, someone can legally ride one of these 1 litre weapons on the road.