Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Well guys,

Sorry to post another question after not being on here contributing for so long. Work over the last year has meant i havent had much of an opportunity to step onto the bike.

That time has come again when im considering upgrading to a newer model bike. At the moment have my eye on an 06 zx10r. See below -

http://www.bikesales.com.au/all-bikes/p ... __Qpb=true

Yes, i have a thing for black bikes. It doesn't have carbon tips, but otherwise, the styling does it for me.

What is really concerning me however is the difference in comfort between the 9 and 10. I mean, i bought my 9 at the start of 08 for considerably more than i could have got a later model zx10r. However, the the practicality of the 9 won out for me. It's basically between the 10 and the 14 at the moment.

As time moves on though im more and more tempted to try one of the newer sports bikes to see what all the hype is about. Im a weekend rider, and like longish rides (300km+). I'm also a heavy set guy, weighing in at about 100kg's. Is the 10 going to be too aggressive? Is it significantly less comfortable than a 9? I'm hoping someone has made this transition before me (in fact im quite sure someone must have).

What im after is a newer, fuel injected version of my bike. Identical.. just newer...

Any (as much) info as anyone would care to share would be really appreciated.

Back in 06 I spent 3 days away a rode the 10 for a majority of it. On the way back (after 1800k's) I was thinking that I may upgrade in a year or two. Then I jumped on my 9 to ride home and it had so much more grunt under 5K I nearly flipped it doing a "little" wheelie off the lights. I'd been used to riding the 10

It was also far more comfy for city riding. Riding the 10 in "its natural environs" it was quite comfy, but in traffic it was alot more "wristy".

IMHO, if you want a new 9, you need a Ninja 1000, not a ZX-10R

HTH

Thanks Phil, a solid reply. Basically its what i thought would be the case. Unfortunately i do live in inner city Sydney, so there is an element of city riding for me to get anywhere. The 9 was a massive step forward from my prior zx7, which i found to be too "wristy" for anything other than spirited fast paced rides.

Yeah the ninja 1000 is probably the real logical choice for me, but i just cant justify the $18k for it. Know im going to end up on one in the future, but was going to wait to pick up one a couple of years old. Was thinking i might try something a little different in the mean time. Perhaps i'll just hold off a little longer.

That black 10 looks awesome!

tim wrote:That black 10 looks awesome!

hence why im trying to convince myself it 'wouldn't be that bad...'.

But i think i already know the answer to that.

if ya want the grunt factor go a 12r,same comfort as the 9 but grunt factor x 10

I had a 98 ZX9 and now have a 2005 ZX10. The first thing that surprised me on the 10 was that I found it more comfortable so I guess it's a bit different for each person. On the 9 I used to have quite a few numb wrist problems but I've never had it on the 10. I've had it for 6 years now and it does give my back a bit of curry but I have a slightly dodgey lower back. I suspect the 9 would have been better in this respect though.

I've done a couple of CDT's on the 10 and so long as you've got some twisties to navigate comfort is fine. When you have to slab it for 900 klm's though it gets a bit average. Good luck with it, bike researching is good fun.

Glen wrote:I had a 98 ZX9 and now have a 2005 ZX10. The first thing that surprised me on the 10 was that I found it more comfortable so I guess it's a bit different for each person. On the 9 I used to have quite a few numb wrist problems but I've never had it on the 10. I've had it for 6 years now and it does give my back a bit of curry but I have a slightly dodgey lower back. I suspect the 9 would have been better in this respect though.

I've done a couple of CDT's on the 10 and so long as you've got some twisties to navigate comfort is fine. When you have to slab it for 900 klm's though it gets a bit average. Good luck with it, bike researching is good fun.

I was the same, had a 98 ZX9R and now a 2005 ZX10R. I've discussed this with Glen before and we both agreed that the 10 was more comfy than the 9. I would agree with Phil that there's a bit of pressure on the wrists around town, but I don't commute on mine anymore anyway. Once the pace picks up to 80km/h+ then it's fine.

I've also done 900km days on the 10 and was no better or worse than when I did the exact same trip on a ZX14.

I went from a 2002 ZX9 to a 2004 ZX10 for my trackbike and I found the 10 to be a lot less comfortable and harder to fit on (I'm 182cm and 115kg) but it had heaps more get up and go even from down low in the revs. Mind you, it has -1 on the front, PC3 and full system but it is scary compared to the 9 power-wise. The biggest problem I had with the transition was trying to fit on the bike and get used to it being much smaller and more responsive.

all fantastic replies that are giving me a lot to think about.

Thanks once again for taking so much time to give your advice.

Nelso wrote:I went from a 2002 ZX9 to a 2004 ZX10 for my trackbike and I found the 10 to be a lot less comfortable and harder to fit on (I'm 182cm and 115kg) but it had heaps more get up and go even from down low in the revs. Mind you, it has -1 on the front, PC3 and full system but it is scary compared to the 9 power-wise. The biggest problem I had with the transition was trying to fit on the bike and get used to it being much smaller and more responsive.

hmm this sounds not too dissimilar to my... errr... stature...

When you say the bike is 'smaller' do you mean in the way that it is more compressed in seating position, or rather that the bike is smaller overall?

Yes, own 9r still, have a 10 and 12 as well.
10's are not made for comfort, if you want a 9 with more grunt go a 12 or zrx mate.

maraach wrote:

Nelso wrote:I went from a 2002 ZX9 to a 2004 ZX10 for my trackbike and I found the 10 to be a lot less comfortable and harder to fit on (I'm 182cm and 115kg) but it had heaps more get up and go even from down low in the revs. Mind you, it has -1 on the front, PC3 and full system but it is scary compared to the 9 power-wise. The biggest problem I had with the transition was trying to fit on the bike and get used to it being much smaller and more responsive.

hmm this sounds not too dissimilar to my... errr... stature...

When you say the bike is 'smaller' do you mean in the way that it is more compressed in seating position, or rather that the bike is smaller overall?

The bars are a lot closer to the seat so I have to ride with my arse all the way back or it feels very unco. On the 9 I could stretch out and rest on the tank where the 10 is just more cramped for room and is harder to get low and "into" the bike. I managed to drop my rearsets low enough to get the leg room but it took a while to get used to the smaller bike resulting in me nearly falling off mid corner a few times while I was adapted my body position to suit the different ergonomics. Since I became used to it though, it's not much of a problem anymore.

Nelso wrote:..... while to get used to the smaller bike resulting in me nearly falling off mid corner a few times....

Must have been packing it Nelso?

If it helps at all Gumbys feel a lot less compact. Seem to have much more room between the tank and the bars, but also fell much heavier. The Crim is a bit like a 6 on Steroids.
Russ (Blurr) did a pretty impressive trip on a Gumby a few years back and he's a big lad (height wise)