Supafrog wrote:.....I guess with any evolution in a model, the later years will always be the best... i'm hearing that apart from the main difference being the stoppers and front end asthetics... If i wanted to save dosh then I wouldn't be missing out on much by looking at the earlier years?.....
You would miss out on over 300 individual *upgrades* from the A model to the B model mate...... 32-bit ECU vs 8-bit ECU for starters - which makes a noticeable difference to the power delivery overall.
I rode an A-model when they were first released. I found it pretty uncomfortable - the rear shock was set way too hard, so was pounding me in the lower back on my normal test-loop. The throttle response was amazing - more hp than I had ever experienced up until that point. I liked the test-ride, but didn't buy one. it hurt my neck from the top-speed,

I found the throttle response a bit too much on/off, and overall, while it was heaps of fun, it just didn't press the right buttons......
When I took the B4 model for a spin a few years later - I couldn't sign the loan papers quickly enough. The power delivery was a lot more refined, the suspension felt a lot more comfortable - overall, the bike just felt a lot better in many ways. Braking being the biggest improvement.......sorry Smitty, those old-school 6-potters are like a lump of 4x2 compared to radial brakes mate....if the 6-spotters were any good, they would still be using them on todays bikes.......sure, they work, but the radials are just *so* much better overall....
The *unrestricted* myth is basically irrelevant to all of us. Nobody rides at 320kmh ever. I have seen 280 on the MFP12, and it still had more to go......this was fast enough for me. There is no real benefit in the unrestricted model compared to a restricted model - besides, just fitting a TRE will eliminate the top-speed limiter in the stock B models anyway....
Good luck with the purchase mate - either way, you will still be getting one of the greatest Hyper-Sports bikes that Kawasaki have ever made......
