Bad News For Shortarses...

[Ratmick]

...the ER6n is NOT the bike for you, so go out now and buy a new ZZR600 and store it until your current steed has been put to pasture.

On paper the seat is only 5-10mm higher, but whereas I can flat-foot the ZZR, I was up on the balls of my feet for the ER6n. In reality I may be ok, as long as I don't try and stop on a road with any camber, but ideally I'd like it to be 20-25mm lower. One-footing with the left foot on the ground was perfectly ok.

The owner said he was taking it away for the weekend, so it may be that the bike is both new and pretty stiff, and as he's not a small lad, he may have raised it slightly...but I don't think so.

All you petite ladies who are shorter than I, and don't have the benefit of being really heavy, are going to have trouble getting the suspension to squat much, so it may be out of your comfort range height-wise.

The reach to the bars seemed roughly the same as the ZZR, but I was sitting right forward on the bike at the time trying to get to the lowest point on the seat near the tank. It may be pretty much the same if you were sitting in a normal position.

The seat seems narrower, and the overall the bike is pretty slim and compared to the ZZR, it is really light. No centre-stand, but that's par for the course nowadays.

I'm a bit disappointed, and if I'm going to have to screw around with it to drop it to a comfortable height, I'd rather screw around with a Z750 or Z1000, or even a ZRX1200, and achieve the same thing.

The bike was a demo machine and looked brand new (Brighton Kawasaki only have the one and it's the naked in black). They have sold two, but they aren't anywhere near arriving...

[Colette]

Thanks for the review, Mick. I gotta admit the bike doesn't appeal to me anyway.

Come on Kwaka, cater to us shorties...or you'll lose us!

[Pabs]

The Darkside is calling you

[Nanna10r]

Thanks for the first impression Mick. But i still think it will be a viable choice for the step up from the 250cc class for the Cute enhanced.
Cheers Brett

[Mizz ZZR]

Thanks heaps for that Mick, what a huge bummer tho!

I gotta admit, I didn't love the look of it either, and if its nowhere near suitable for a shorty I wouldn't even bother with it.

Please Mr Kawasaki, hire some new (shorter) engineers or somethin!!!!

[Ratmick]

Thanks for the first impression Mick. But i still think it will be a viable choice for the step up from the 250cc class for the Cute enhanced.
Cheers Brett

I agree, a good choice of second bike, not over-powered nor heavy. A great choice of a step up bike from a 250 if you're about 5'7" upwards.

I don't think it'll that good a choice for a short newbie rider the height of Me, Karen or Colette straight off their Ps unless they have no fear of heights...or testicles the size of grapefruits (which probably counts out most girls I know, especially Karen and Colette).

It was three years ago (from tomorrow!) when I got off my Ps and jumped on the ZZR. At the time I considered an ER5 or a GS500E, as I wasn't that comfortable with anything much bigger than a GPX250R. There was no way in hell I would have got one of these, and I'm pretty sure most new nervous short riders would feel the same. In hindsight something as big, heavy and powerful as the ZZR probably wasn't that good a choice either, but it's done a pretty good job of teaching me how a big bike handles, and it has no major vices apart from the tendency to overbalance past the point-of-no-return not far off the vertical when you're pushing it. This is something a short rider can't recover very well from without a lot of upper body strength or luck, but it normally only catches you once.

BTW, I said I wouldn't have ridden it three years ago. These days it would be a different story. In some ways I would have liked to have gone back early and had a test-ride. It wasn't tall enough to be an issue (I'm 5'6"), but I suppose I'm a bit spoilt with riding the ZZR600, and I'm (nor is anyone else currently riding a ZZR600) never likely to go to a ER6n as a third bike...so no point.

Would have been nice to see how a fuel-injected 650cc twin went though

[Ratmick]

I gotta admit, I didn't love the look of it either, and if its nowhere near suitable for a shorty I wouldn't even bother with it.

Yeah, Colette didn't like the look of it either.

I didn't mind the looks, the headlight pod, under-the-bellypan exhaust and the strange shock position being the main points of contention. It's not the world's most distinctive bike, but it's not a UJM either. It's going to be a love/hate thing, the looks are unusual enough to polarise opinion.

Brighton Kawasaki seemed to have the entire Kawasaki range. I especially liked a matt blue 2006 ZX6R (which looked fast just sitting there), and a 2006 Z750 in bright-orange (which I fell in lust with) and a retro-looking ZRX1200s in Eddie Lawson replica green. And a titanium coloured Z1000. And a silver ZX-6R with a flame decal set...

...really liked the Z750 though

So many bikes, so little legs.

[Stereo]

at 6'2" i flat foot - bend knee EVERY bike... and I really dont like it...

[kellz]

well i loved it, saw it at the bike shop in sydney while looking for new boots and loved it.

wasnt to heavy and was a good ride height i am only 5'8" and i was completely flat foot and slightly bent at the knees,

the colouring with teh black and gold looks great cant say the same for the silver and red though. i definantly think it is a great step up form a 250, its the bike i will be looking at getting in 12 months time.

[mrmina]

at 6'2" i flat foot - bend knee EVERY bike... and I really dont like it...

mate being tall is the best.

[Shifty]

at 6'2" i flat foot - bend knee EVERY bike... and I really dont like it...

At least you're not terrified to stop/park/reverse. For the vertically challeneged (I'm about 5'7") big bikes can be scary stuff.

No issues now, but it almost stopped me making the step up to something bigger.. I was just lucky to find the ideal bike (a GPX600R - basically a ZZR600 but older, uglier and MUCH lighter with a low seat height).

[Mizz ZZR]

Hey, I saw the ER6n at Williamstown yesterday, and confirmed that I don't like it. Didn't really look that short either (and its not, given its 5mm taller than a standard ZZR600).

Ah, well, keep looking and keep praying to the Kawasaki Gods I guess....

[Stereo]

at 6'2" i flat foot - bend knee EVERY bike... and I really dont like it...

mate being tall is the best.

naaah, being LONG is the best... being TALL is second best

[z900/zx9]

If your thinking of the er6n just hang on its ugly and it will be cheap when they dont sell

[Ratmick]

At least you're not terrified to stop/park/reverse. For the vertically challeneged (I'm about 5'7") big bikes can be scary stuff.

No issues now, but it almost stopped me making the step up to something bigger.. I was just lucky to find the ideal bike (a GPX600R - basically a ZZR600 but older, uglier and MUCH lighter with a low seat height).

Yes, I know where you are coming from, and you're one inch taller than me.

Some of the roads around here are not that well designed, and have a SIGNIFICANT camber roll-off towards high bike-destroying bluestone kerbs. The extreme camber is probably to get the rain into the gutters ASAP, but it's a prick to deal with.

If you park near the side of the road you have to get the sidestand down PDQ otherwise you're screwed before you get off. It's also a toss-up whether the bike actually stays on the stand, or just falls over anyway...

...Of course, getting back on the bike and getting it upright and the stand up is another story. Best thing is to park on the road-side of the parking bay and pretend you're the driver's side of a car.