Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Today I had the chance to go for a quick spin on Kwaka's new superbike. Here are my impressions after 30mins of mixed roads.
The good-
1)power, oh so much power.......
2)smooth throttle, coming from the gixxer which is very choppy, it was pure, pure bliss! I would buy it for this alone.
3)seat, although feeling very square and unconfortable sitting in the showroom, very comfy out on the road.
4)riding position, pegs to seat is very short, very 'race', I like that.
5)cosmetics, the black rearset, pillion pegs etc, looks great!
6)handling was amazing, felt as light or lighter than my 600, very 'flickable'
7)the gearbox, very smooth changing, with and without clutch.
8 )did I mention the power...................

The bad-
1)vibration, numb fingers This one did have an aftermarket pipe without a Power commander, and was a bit 'bubbly', so hopefully that's all it was.
2)dash, small and clear, just doesn't do it for me, and one flashing light for the indicators instead of a left and right seperately.
3)the biggest, ugliest rear hugger in the history of sportsbikes

All up, when I look to upgrade later this year, this bike is in the hunt, although I would like to ride a stock one to see how bad the vibration was.

As a trackie, this bike would smoke!
I'm gonna get a longer ride in the near future, (been told I can have it for a Sunday ride ) Will post more then.

Heard that at around 3000rpm some but not all of the new Bug's can vibrate a bit. Not sure why but that was just chatting to a guy who had riden one at the dealer's the other day... But it was a quick service fix to the guy who it was happening too! Dont know what it was though

cant wait to head down to Bike BIz and test her myself

Hey Triway, I am glad you liked the 08 ZX10R... now be honest.. how long before you get it home..??

I rode it for only half the time you had on it, and from jumping straight from my 07 ZX10 to the 08... I immediately felt the difference in the seat height (it is a bit taller I feel), and the pegs feel higher, racey as you describe (probably not too good for us guys around 180 - 182cm), front end is so light, just wheeling it around it feels like a 600, how do they do that, the 07 model riding slow is quite heavy in the front end, but once going that goes away, as far as the power goes, It felt very similar to mine..?? in the bottom end, midrange, but I never got it up to race speed, so thats where that extra mumbo must come in... and the vibration..?? that's always there on these bikes...!! definitely for the track, but the whole look in street guise puts me off....

The cross eyed look does nothing for the front, the mirrors / indicators are hideous and are so wide, like wings, the hugger looks like it is on the wrong bike, and when you put the aftermarket pipe on it, you remove the 'pre-chamber' which leaves a big void in that part of the fairing, like a big hole.. when you look at it, it looks like a big piece has broken off..!!

The good points are, when I spoke to Shannon Johnson at PI when he was practicing for the Aussie S/Bikes championship, he says it feels great for the track, better than the 07 in his opinion, he was flying on it but his lap times where very similar to the 07.. but they where still working on getting it right. It certainly has a great kawasaki howl to it, something that other bikes just dont sound like.. In race glass, it is a very nice looking bike.. I agree with you, it was meant to be a track / race bike.. Still after all that, I still wouldnt trade my 07 for it...!!

Macca

Maccarocks wrote: Still after all that, I still wouldnt trade my 07 for it...!!

Macca

That's coz your Mrs wouldn't let you!!

(I'm still suprised you got the new car!!)

I have learnt the fine art of negotiating with the wife..!!

Still it takes a while..!! but eventually I get what I want... Has taken a long time to work her out mate....

Macca..

Maccarocks wrote:I have learnt the fine art of negotiating with the wife..!!

Still it takes a while..!! but eventually I get what I want... Has taken a long time to work her out mate....

Macca..

well now you've got some spare time, can you work mine out??

[quote="Maccarocks"]I have learnt the fine art of negotiating with the wife..!![quote]

It's just about using the right bargining tool. For instance;

Wake your wife up at 5am

You; "Sex or Golf"
Wife; "wear sunscreen"

see, easy!

Or learn to mope really well. I got taken to the dealer and encouraged to buy a ZX10

Maccarocks wrote:I have learnt the fine art of negotiating with the wife..!!

Macca..

Well there's your first mistake, why do you even ask her in the first place??

Think Nike slogan "just do it"!!

i love the new 10.
its SO small. very angular which i didnt like in the pics but in the flesh is horn.
what i found amazing is how it feels & you can ride like a 600, the official 'spike control' feature allows you to open the taps earlier.
i could not get myself to trust the gizmo's enough to do it initially, but after some confidence was doing so.
best thing i like is that the pipe has gone from under the seat which i was never really a fan of. throw on a stubby can, get ride of the fat back gaurd & it immediately looks tuffbefore you even do any other mods.

Well, i have owned an 08 zx-10 for just over a month now. (got the first one from flywheels).

I will answer what i think of the comments from Triway about the Cons of the bike..

I agree totally on the vibration, this is a characteristic of the bike and has reared its head in previous models however is quite noticeable between 3500 - 4500rpm. But, its only vibration..
Yes the can is a little ugly but it looks a heap better in real life than it does in photos. There is some nice options on the market. Check out the racefit growler or the akra.
The Dash....... Now this is something i cannot agree with being a con! The dash is awesome!!! the dash is clear, bright (adjustable brightnesss) it is amazing.

Apart from that i agree with pretty much all of the pros. The bike handles amazingly.


ohhh and the indicators on the mirrors, they look awesome and are in a much more visible than previously.
I find the riding position extremely comfortable.
And the brakes...... Wow!

The bike pretty much goes where you want it, before you have told it where it should be going.

Only things i am not 100% happy with after 1 and a half months and 2000kms.

a) Vibration - Live with it, i barley notice it anymore.
b) Can - it looks like a cavemans club. I will be replacing it shortly with a racefit growler
c) Rear Fender - looks like something out of star trek. however alot of the new bikes have a terrible looking fender. this will be replaced shortly.

Its with no doubt the best 1000cc bike on the market and such a bargain.
I'm sure when you are serious about picking something new up this will be on the top of the list!

You wont be disapointed

Scoobs

I dont know whether you bought yourself a 10 yet but I have an 05 model it has vibrations on the bar as well. I only really feel it when I'm at a constant throttle opening and just cruising. I dont get that feeling though when I'm giving it some in the twisties though.

I hope you have bought one by now.

All I think about when I'm overseas is riding my 10R when I get home. I guess you call that an addiction.

Yep the rear fender would stop me buying "A Bug" too. FFS

As for the vibration in the bottom end, open up your palms fella's, YOU'RE not going to Ejaculate for at least 3ooo more RPMies. even then you're going to be too busy to feel anything other then "Freckle flex".

Better bike in all area's then the Gumby. Much more like the Crim on steroids & ritolin in most areas.
As for a track bike... better TOP up your INCOME insurance !
As for keeping a licence, don't start meon that one.
2cs. Nanna

id buy the bug over the gumby hell i'd even buy the new 6 over the gumby

Strange, my gumby had the same kind of vibration. it was an easy fix.......threw it down the street then it was the repaired that fixed the problem. Insurance was expensive, but there is no vibration and it rides better than it ever has.