ZX10R Impressions

Well I've had it for about a week now and done around 500Km on it so far. So what's it like, especially compared to my old ZX9R? The following are my impressions so far:

Looks: No competition, this is one great looking bike, especially in the Titanium finish. It looks petite and aggressive at the same time. Indicators look schmick, dual headlights are always a winner, and it looks like you could lose an arm in the ram-air intake. The satin finish is pretty easy to look after too, bugs wipe off pretty easily and there is no sign of the sticky fingers my nephew kept dragging across it the other night.



Street cred: Despite being quieter than the 9 (see below) this thing gets a whole lot more looks, both moving and standing still. This will probably die off a bit as more of them appear on the road, but it was still a bit surprising.

Sound: I decided to stick with the standard pipe, even having come off the 9 with a Yoshi. Obviously it isn't as noisy, but then the neighbours will appreciate it. It still sounds pretty good too when you crack the throttle open, certainly a lot noisier than some other bikes standard pipes. Other noises include the cool whine from the fuel pump when you switch the ignition on, a slightly annoying very loud tick from the catalytic converter in the pipe while it warms up and cools down, and all the other noises that bikes seem to make.

Ride position/Comfort: Not as bad as you would think, although still very sporty. Changing from the 9 to the 10 you notice that on the 10 the bars are lower, but closer to you, and the seat is higher. The pegs are also higher and further back, and your knees are closer together. Having said that, at 6'3" I don't feel at all cramped on it, and after a couple of hours riding it on the weekend I was no less comfortable than I was on the 9. The seat is quite well shaped too with padding in the right places and no hard bits. The seat and peg height add to confidence when cornering too as you feel like you have heaps of room to spare and the front feels planted with the better weight distribution. The pegs are a lot narrower than the 9's and have no padding so I reckon they might be something you feel after a few more hours in the saddle. A lot of heat comes off this engine too, although where it hits you changes around a bit depending on conditions. Certainly not as hot as the ZZR1200 or ZX12R I have ridden, but still hotter than the 9.

Pillion comfort: According to my wife it wasn't that much less comfortable to sit on the back of than the 9! However the seat slopes down so every bump or any braking sends her sliding forward. No around Australia trips planned on this bike! The other disadvantage is that she can see the speedo.


Engine/Transmission: 1st gear is a little high so it takes a little bit to get going, however once it does it's like a freight train compared to the 9. Linear power and heaps of it, especially as it starts to loosen up. Gear changes are quick and smooth, although there is still the trademark Kawasaki clunk into 1st from neutral. Clutch is heavier than the 9, but it's not too hard to live with. Given the power on tap and that it is cable operated I'm not surprised it's got heavier springs in it. The slipper clutch works quite well too, you don't notice it at all other than the fact that the rear never gets out of shape when changing down.

Brakes: Aside from looking really nice with the radial mount calipers and wave disks, how good are they? There is no comparison to the 9's brakes which were always a bit squishy even with EBC-HH pads, these things are awesome, but still give you a lot of control so you don't send the family jewels into the tank at the slightest touch of the lever. Rear brake? Well it's there and the lever is in a good position, but hey it's a sportsbike, the fronts do most of the work.


Suspension: Firm but not hard, copes really well with the bumpy Canberra roads yet still inspires confidence in the twisty bits. It changes direction really nicely, flicking from one corner to the next, no hassles changing line mid corner although stands up a bit under heavy braking. I've got a steering damper on order, but I don't know if I'll need it. Having said that, if you go have a look at all the other litre sports bikes, they all come standard with one. I figure it can't hurt to have it just in case.


Tyres: A bit of harder riding and the rear started to ball up a bit, I'm not too sure how long these things will last. Otherwise they seem OK, but I think I'll go for some Pilot Powers when their time is up 'cause they were so nice on the 9. Still a couple of mm of chicken strip but I'm working on it.


Instruments: The speedo is easy to read, and although all the magazines seem to bag it, so is the tacho. The display goes through a very flash startup routine that impresses everyone. There's a nice little shift light too that can be set to anywhere between 9,500rpm to 13,000(redline). You also get a clock, trip meter, temp gauge and a timer with lap function. There's also the usual array of idiot lights, including a low fuel warning (no reserve tap) that comes on very conservatively.


Headlights: They are another one of those dual headlight setups where only one side is on with low beam, the other comes on with high beam. Seems a little weird until you ride around at night and see how each one works. Basically the left is a nice directed low beam with defined edges and a broad spread, it also stays on all the time whether on low or high beam. The right side does the high beam and basically adds on a spot at the top centre, as well as more spread light around the edges.

Fairing/Screen: A lot more protection than I thought there would be, although I haven't ridden it in the rain yet. The screen is obviously pretty low, however it's got clean air coming off it so there is little turbulence. It does cut off the top of the tacho for someone of my height, but dipping your head a bit solves that if you really need to see it. I'll probably invest in a double bubble at some stage though.

Storage: Enough room for my small digital camera case and that's it. It also took me 5 minutes to find where the key went to unlock the seat...maybe I should have looked in the manual. It's more than any of the bikes with underseat exhausts have though so you can't complain.



Mirrors: Excellent if you want to see what bug ended its life on your elbow. If you want to see what's going on behind you they aren't so good. They aren't even the "objects may be closer than they appear" convex type, so you really only get glimpses of cars and bikes that are following you.

Great Report Mick, very imformative.
Cheers Brett

Thanks Brett, I probably got a bit carried away but I wanted to cover everything. If there's anything anyone wants me to add let me know so I can update it, then I'll send it to Jason to put on the website if he wants.

With a review like that who wouldn't want one...

If i wasn't such a crap rider, i'd go get one tomorrow...

Awesome review Mick...

Great review Mick...

I'll have to get one now...

May have to dip into the baby bonus until the redundancy $ arrives...

Cool write-up Mick and a nice bike, the only question is 'when are you going to lose those nasty reflectors'

Nice work mick....Sounds great so far but ya could have at least said it wasnt comfy for tall ppl. Shite i want one of those for a second bike!

Cya
Stu

Want one just to have one, might even do track days then.

Great stuff Mick just the thing to get you from Tuggers to Civic for a coffee in 10 min's, I wonder how that screen and lights go in 24 x 7 day fog at -2C?

I concur, awesome bike and have done nearly 7000kms, most of it out of town where its at its best.
Ive got a Ohlins damper, Puig DB screen, braided lines, went down one tooth at the front and still have a stock pipe, for now.

ps my tyres are just about done, so Pilot Powers for me soon.

Great review Mick...

I'll have to get one now...

May have to dip into the baby bonus until the redundancy $ arrives...

dave, see my other post, the woose was in the studio this arvo and gave us a copy of the mag, one of the main news stories is the special offer they have going on zx10's.

$2500 worth of extra's for zilch nada zip......including an akra pipe , i've heard they are quite good , an afam rear sprocket (what size i dont know) a set of pilot powers, carbon look brake lines, woo hoo, i wonder if they are braided steel or just gimicy shit.....never know, they might also have some neon ligts .

btw, ken showed up on a brand new BLUE zx12r.....fark it was beautiful.

Nice work mick....Sounds great so far but ya could have at least said it wasnt comfy for tall ppl. Shite i want one of those for a second bike!

Cya
Stu

he said tall, not farkin giant

next he'll be telling us that they good for fat people with dodgy knees and wrist

$2500 worth of extra's for zilch nada zip......including an akra pipe , i've heard they are quite good , an afam rear sprocket (what size i dont know) a set of pilot powers, carbon look brake lines, woo hoo, i wonder if they are braided steel or just gimicy shit.....never know, they might also have some neon ligts .

do you have to *HAVE* a zx10 to get the special? *grin* im sure there are some peices i can pilf onto the gpx anyway

btw, ken showed up on a brand new BLUE zx12r.....fark it was beautiful.

it's called "a perk of the job"

Damn I want one

...the main news stories is the special offer they have going on zx10's.

$2500 worth of extra's for zilch nada zip......including an akra pipe , i've heard they are quite good , an afam rear sprocket (what size i dont know) a set of pilot powers, carbon look brake lines, woo hoo, i wonder if they are braided steel or just gimicy shit.....

WTF! Who's offering that? If it's all Kawasaki dealers I'll be going back to claim my goodies...

Damn, I wanted one before I saw the review - anyone wanna buy some kids (they're well behaved honest).