Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

mick_dundee wrote:FWIW believe the service costs on a Ducati can be lowered somewhat. Bloke by the name of Bob Brown out Kensignton way does a good job and suposedly considerably cheaper than your regular Ducati service agent.

If considering the Monster they did come in an 800 and now a 900cc models in the same frame, so no diff in seat height, minimal diff in weight and more power.

Mick, where canI read up about the Er6n?

Hi Mick,

I looked at the Aussie Ducati site and they only seem to sell the 600cc and 1000cc models now...and the guy in Kensington isn't going to help Colette much .

I have a scanned article on the ER6n, shoot me your email address in a PM and I'll send it to you...

...alternatively, do a search on this site, there have been quite a few threads in the last six months. I'm presuming they made it through the last crash...

Ok, ok, we've established that I'm a short ass (5' exactly), and yes I've had the seat sculpted one inch and the suspension lowered one inch - so that's two inches lower in total. Now I'm able to get the balls of my feet on the ground and feel much better about the whole deal. I'm still really freaky about plenty of low speed stuff tho, ie U turns, but don't think that's overly uncommon.

Colette, I didn't realise you were a shorty too. I know Bobbi of course, but I don't know her height, cant be much different to me though.

Yep, its a big heavy poofta, and a major pain in the ass (but mostly head [confidence]), but when I was doing all my studying of seat heights before I upgraded, it was about the lowest there was.

If there was another option of a lighter sportier bike in the 600cc range, with an equal or similar seat height prospect, I would gladly change.

For the time being, and until the manufacturers wake up to this gap in the market, I'm sticking with what I've got cause I've found the more I ride it, the more my confidence grows and my concern lessens. 33,000 km so far so I must be doing something right.

And another thing while I'm at it. I ride like a nana cause cornering freaks me out, however, I often wonder if it would make a difference if I had a lighter bike but I guess I'll never know......

Hope that helps!

33,000 km's and cornering still freaks you out?

For feck's sake get a car.

Just did a quick comparison with the ER-6N

ZZR600
Seat Height 780 mm
Dry Weight 195 kg
Fuel Capacity 18 L

ER-6N
Seat Height 785 mm
Dry Weight 175 kg
Fuel Capacity 15.5 L

Hmmm, dunno.... Its a bit freaky looking too, dunno if I like it or not

chalkbored wrote:33,000 km's and cornering still freaks you out?

For feck's sake get a car.

Yes, ladies... you must be *this* hardcore to be invited into this motorcycling treehouse.

Mizz ZZR wrote:Just did a quick comparison with the ER-6N

ZZR600
Seat Height 780 mm
Dry Weight 195 kg
Fuel Capacity 18 L

ER-6N
Seat Height 785 mm
Dry Weight 175 kg
Fuel Capacity 15.5 L

Hmmm, dunno.... Its a bit freaky looking too, dunno if I like it or not

Completely different bikes, though. The ER-6 is going to be a runabout, something to ride to work and to do the shopping on. It's skinny, with skinny little forks and a basic shock.

A ZZ-R600 is already a "serious" bike by comparison.

I-K wrote:

chalkbored wrote:33,000 km's and cornering still freaks you out?

For feck's sake get a car.

Yes, ladies... you must be *this* hardcore to be invited into this motorcycling treehouse.

At 33,000 k's the lass is only ,oh, I dunno, 28,000 k's passed the point of becoming comfortable with cornering.

And telling her any different you simpering twat is just begging to turn her into a niaive statistic.

If you're not man enough to tell someone the truth nancy-boy then perhaps you should toddle off and play with the other pussies.

The fact of the matter is that the lass is obviously having serious problems, and should be encouraged to re-think her choice, or get along to some quality training courses. Motorcycling is NOT for everyone genius.

Hi Collette - a recent addition to the boards, PeterElectric, is also blessed with a *significant other* who is pretty close to the ground - about 5'4" I think. She rides a GpZ550 that has been lowered 1", with a re-upholstered seat that takes about another 1.5" inches out. She is able to get her feet flat on the deck.

The little GpZ is certainly quick enough when you wind it up, and handles pretty *well* for its age.....and imho is a perfect bike for her requirements...

It is very diffcult to drop weight off the ZZR600's, and the ZX6's are far more *sporty* in nature - so perhaps you need to look at an older model ?

Good luck, happy hunting.....

chalkbored wrote:

I-K wrote:

chalkbored wrote:33,000 km's and cornering still freaks you out?

For feck's sake get a car.

Yes, ladies... you must be *this* hardcore to be invited into this motorcycling treehouse.

At 33,000 k's the lass is only ,oh, I dunno, 28,000 k's passed the point of becoming comfortable with cornering.

She says "I ride like a nana because cornering freaks me out"... reads like someone who knows their limitations and doesn't engage in types of riding which lie beyond those limitations.

The fact of the matter is that the lass is obviously having serious problems, and should be encouraged to re-think her choice,

You can conclude all that on the basis of half a sentence?

Motorcycling is NOT for everyone genius.

No, it isn't. Neither are internet forums...

oh boy, our next ACT group ride is going to be interesting

Didn't mean to start a war there...

Thanks to all those who replied with helpful advice (Kaz, I'm 5ft2, so just two inches taller than you).

I initially chose the ZZR600 over a ZX6 because of it's seat height, but I do prefer the sporty bikes.

Anyway, thanks again and I hope we can respect each other's views without resorting to personal attacks. KSRC is better than that.

Mick C wrote:oh boy, our next ACT group ride is going to be interesting

Yeah I reckon.. or just send it to the senate to be sorted!

My girlfriend is about 5'4" and would be lucky to scare 50kg... and she's had a ZZR250, ZZR600, R6, ZX9R, and now a TRX850.... it really is all about confidence, not your height or the application of brute strength! The only reason there's a difference is that your height/strength helps you build that confidence faster, as you never feel 'out of control'.

This is not a personal attack, but if you've done a lot of k's on a bike and you're still sketchy on cornering then there's something wrong - either with the way you're riding (get some instruction), the bike itself (eg. suspension/tyres), or the combination of bike and rider (eg. too heavy).

If you're not confident, get a smaller/lighter bike until you are, then go up in baby steps. A 250 would be a good start, then something like a GS500 which is a very competent motorcycle and will feel worlds smaller than a ZZR600.

scotty37 wrote:

Mick C wrote:oh boy, our next ACT group ride is going to be interesting

Yeah I reckon.. or just send it to the senate to be sorted!

Is that the "dark alleyway" option

Come on let's go play hard.

Oh... actually.... maybe not, we wouldn't want to leave IcKy out.

z750