Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

I agree with Brockssracer... Realistically you have to buy a bike that fits you, suits your needs and is comfortable for you. If you buy just on brand alone there is a good chance you could be disappointed. Of course 99% of people in here will be biased towards kwakas, otherwise we wouldn’t be on a kwaka site.

HOWEVER, there also are a lot of benefits to owning a kwaka, like the fact they are not the most popular brand on the road, so not everyone has one, unlike a R1 or R6 or GSXR, it seems every weekend stoner wanna be has one and when I commute there are a lot of them stopped at the lights next to me, usually with the rider complaining about or rubbing his/her wrists . Also in the city, those bikes aren’t any quicker than my 9, even with me being 6’2 and 135kgs. Traffic, big balls plus a more traffic suitable power curve on my bike are a great leveller. I think.

Every time I go to buy a new bike (2nd hand or new) I ride everything I can get a leg over. Before I bought my current ZX9R, I rode a ZX14, ZX12, ZX10, GSXR1000, Fireblade, Blackbird, ZX9, R1, FZ1 and a ZRX, all different models of each one.

As for the ZX9R looking a bit bland… Mate, if you get a 2000 model on, they look racer-ish, put new shocks in if you want, (I always did, but that’s more due to being a fat bastard ) will help with racer looks. But you’ve got to remember the raceier a bike looks, the more police could be interested in you. Also the more race like the bike is, the more stress you put on your wrists for commuting. I think the ZX9 is the ultimate all rounder bike, but yes I am biased. I would have bought a ZX12 (more for two up, than any other reason) had I been able to find a newer one for a good price, but they all seemed to be older than I wanted.

My best suggestion… just go to bike shop, after bike shop after bike shop… and ride, ride, ride anything and everything even bike’s you’ve never even considering buying, you’ll be surprised how riding a variety of bikes can open your mind to various things you’ve just suddenly realised you want on a bike. I rode a couple of bikini and naked bikes just to make sure I wanted a full-faired bike. Also you might want to look at rego, insurance and maintenance costs of each model, plus fuel usage, these costs could also be a consideration for you.

Just my thoughts.

I'll give you another vote for the 7R

I went from a ZXR250 to the 7, and I'm now on my 2nd one. Would love a 9 as well but just can't bring myself to part with a 7. Don't agree with a TLR pissing all over a 7 either I love them too and have ridden them, but no way do they stop & turn better than a 7

http://www.motorcyclespecs.co.za/index.htm


visit that site, look up the bikes u like, generally they have nearly every model and make and have most specs on them. they will usually have a write up about the bike and what they thought. i think u will find this usefull in helping you narrow down your search

Just back from canberra, I can tell ya the 9 rocks on all counts, way comfier than my ZZR600 for touring, handles better for scratching, the commuting is a prob though, too many cameras around, that's no fault of the bike though...