Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

a year on from buying a cbr954 to replace my c model zx9r here are some points id tell myself a year ago
- nothing i mean nothing seems to handle bumpy roads like the 9 did. ridden cbr600 triumph tt600 bmw k100 2001 gsxr1000 and the cbr954 on bumpy roads and nothing seems to come close. the blade seems to feel a lot better with 55kg girlfriend on the back.
- fuel injection is great but i miss the more docile throttle and engine response from the 9. it felt like it was trying to kill me but with a baseball bat or a blunt object instead of a samurai sword.
- this may be a suspension thing but the 9 seemed to take the pressure through the corners with the chassis whereas ive had the cbrs tyres slip and slide(both bikes had michelin pilot powers fitted). im not that good so its a little offputting when its slips when i dont mean it too.
-when caught in the rain on the 9 a small patch on each thigh would get wet and maybe my shoulders. whereas on the cbr i get drenched from head to toe.
- again maybe a suspension thing. i cannot for the life of me get rid of the chicken strips on the cbr. on the 9 id scrape boot regularly but i have an inch on the cbrs tyres that i cant seem to touch.
- in terms of whats faster. the cbr is definately a faster bike but i cant seem to ride it as fast as the 9.
- if the 9 had better brakes i would put it on par with the cbr.

thats about all i can think of for now.
i await many responses

if the bikes sliding round alot and feels better with someone on the back i'd get someone to check out suspension and maybe make some adjustment.

remember its a honda so you cant expect to much

Should've got yourself an F model!

Seriously, though, the 9 has got to be one of the (if not the) easiest bikes to ride quickly that I've been on. It does nothing badly and inspires huge confidence.

I'll second the previous post on suspension setup, although rough roads do seem to be a ZX9R specialty.

I agree the nine is a easy bike to ride fast! I have only been riding for 'bout 2 years and had my nine for the last 8 months and I can now keep up with my mate on his yzf 1000 thunderace who has been riding for the last 13 years and he is fast One of the reasons why I wanted a nine is because all the reviews I read said what a easy bike it is to ride ( that and how much grunt they got )

954's have 2 problems

suspension needs work including rear ride height

needs a PCIII to fix the choppy throttle

fix both of those and you will be happy

I've been lucky enough to ride a few 954's. Both were stock as a rock, however, as JO says, on one the ride heights were altered and the suspension was resprung and revalved, the other was completely standard. Both had boring power deliveries but handled really well. Stable, holding a tight line with heaps of front confidence. Racing one around a track may show up some faults, but at road pace they should never put a foot wrong. Maybe someones *"Adjusted" your suspension prior to your ownership!










*= I have no idea about suspension, but I'll turn this and that and see if it feels better!! Oooohh! that's hard...i'll leave it there as it must be better if it's stiffer!!!

i was a huge fan of the prior cbr 929 model..i LOVED it for years....

but ill admit..im really loving the z1k...its really good to run....

The latter models 9's were even better ................. for everything.

I'll always be a HUGE fan of th' 9. Best Ergo's on a sports bike EVA imho.

guess it depends what u really enjoy??

i bought the 929 over a zx9r cos i found it heaps better...but each to his own...