Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

So they have been out for a while now and a few people would have ridden/owned them so whats the verdict on the new ZX10?

How do you find they compare with the other jap litre bikes?

If you listen to the dealers they are the best bike ever built, only problem is that Honda, Suzuki and Yamaha all say the same thing about theirs

matt76 wrote:How do you find they compare with the other jap litre bikes?

BETTER

I didnt like the 08 Blade (no excitment)
Never have liked the skinny bars on the suzuki's
Yammaha is still the old model for the next few months

the new blade feels alot more like the crim from what I been told ( havent ridden a crim). Turns quicker than the gumby but still retains the wider feeling in the bar which I like. I love it however I havent been able to get the suspension set up right. just doesnt ride bumps mid corner to well.

ive only ever ridden 1 litre bike and it was a bug with a broken shift lever....

fark me it was so mind bendingly fast.... and that was only rolling on in 6th gear!!!

my normal ride is a bike with 23kW so it may not be so mind bendingly fast for you, but still its quick...

i'm slowly becoming a one eyed kawasaki nut, so i wouldnt consider any other litre bike

Well, if you are comparing it to this years breed, then i can only comment on the 08 zx10r, but have owned an 04, and ridden an 06 and out of the 3, i loved it the most out of the lot and looks are growing on me more! esp a green one!
I loved it so much i am gunna buy one!

It feels like a combo of a crim and a gumby, its like they finally got it right! And so far i havent picked any flaws in the bug, except i like the blue and thats not in Australian release!

well they are the latest and greatest super bike and you would expect them to be great, which they are.

I have had the chance to see one in action a few times and they certainly seem to handle really well, which you would expect, with plenty of power on tap, the only issue being the suspension a little firm, which i guess is better than being too soft imo.

I know i would like to have a crack on one. It would be like riding a gp bike compared the the barge

I test rode a few of the thousands today. Here's my opinion:

'08 R1 - A bit uneasy to start but after two corners easy to ride. VERY easy to ride. Tipped into corners easy, cornered like it was rails, didn't try to push wide even on the gas. The clutch felt rough and grabby off the line though (wasn't as bad if you applied more rev's off the line). Seating postion didn't seem to put too much weight on my wrists. I didn't check what tyres were on the demo I rode but I believe they come with Michelins.

'08 1000RR - in contradiction to everything I've read, the Blade just didn't do it for me. The bar's feel wider than the R1 and I found the suspension hard and unyielding. I couldn't get the hang of tipping it in whether I was gentle or attempted to man-handle it (I wasn't game to slam it REALLY hard through corners as its not my bike...). Wanted to go wide in corners when I wound on the power (rode almost the same route on this bike as I did the R1) probably because I can't get it turned in and setup for a corner properly. It was the second test ride I'd done on a new Blade and the first one also tried to run wide on me under power. When I did push the front harder in I got that 'sliding' feeling that I sometimes find on my ZX6R when I haven't got it right in a corner. Was running Bridgestone rubber which I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) lower crowns on the tyre's so is harder to tip it. I dont' know how much this accounts for the less than expected handling I got out of the 1000RR though.

'07 ZX10R - felt like I was sitting 'on' the bike more than the others, though it was far easier to make it go anywhere than the Blade. Not as easy as the R1 though - barely. The bar's are probably as wide as the Blade's but didn't feel so much like it. It reacted through corners - had to steer with some intent though. Felt like it had more berries than the R1 (even with my sedate test ride pace). Apparantly its the 'last one' in the state or something. Overall I was surprised (esp. after my experience with the Blade) as lots of riders and salespeople bagged out the '07 ZX10R for not really handling well.

'08 ZX10R - first thing I noticed is that you sit more 'in' the bike than 'on' it compared to the '07. As long as I pointed it with intent it cornered very well. It wasn't quite as smooth as I found the R1 and Im' guessing its because there is a slightly longer reach to the bars (for me at least) on the 10. Got up and went nicely too - feels like it can go quicker than the R1 as long as you ride it with enough intent. I found it easy to ride - simiiar to my ZX6R if it had a supercharger Loved it.

Cheers,

L-A

Thanks LA

I will hopefully be out doing some test rides soon. I have heard a few negatives about the new blade now, a shame really.

Whats with all the "last 07 ZX10 in the country" bullshit? Every friggin kawasaki shop is saying the same bloody thing?

Im keen to try the new 10, sounds nice

matt76 wrote:Thanks LA

I will hopefully be out doing some test rides soon. I have heard a few negatives about the new blade now, a shame really.

What have you heard? Share......

L-A wrote:'07 ZX10R - felt like I was sitting 'on' the bike more than the others,

'08 ZX10R - first thing I noticed is that you sit more 'in' the bike than 'on' it compared to the '07. A

thats funny I have owned both of these bikes and I think the exact opposite on these 2 points.

triway wrote:

matt76 wrote:Thanks LA

I will hopefully be out doing some test rides soon. I have heard a few negatives about the new blade now, a shame really.

What have you heard? Share......

Running quite hot, dont seem to have the excitement factor of the other three jap litres, I heard one bloke say that the slipper clutch doesnt give any engine braking at all, all heresay though, I havent ridden one myself yet. I wasnt fussed on the previous model, very nice and fast bike, just not exciting...

A lot of guys have said the previous model had issues with pinging, not sure if they have fixed it for this model? My 600rr never had an issue.

Its a great bike, just ride the fucker like its meant to be ridden

SoundGuy wrote:Its a great bike, just ride the fucker like its meant to be ridden

No probs there mate, whatever I get will see plenty of track time

I test rode the new 10 a few days ago and I gotta say, I was really disappointed. Felt like there was nothing happening down low (although the mileage was down so maybe it wasn't a true demo bike but just one they had turned into a demo and so hadn't been run in), turn in was a lot slower than the current R1 and front end got light on exit. Maybe the last could be fixed by suspension so might not be a significant point. And the thing (fairings) buzzes like crazy below 50km/h
If I assume that the lack of power was because of the new engine, then the bike wasn't bad as such. It just didn't excite me and it didn't talk to me like I expected it to. Don't get me wrong, if I could afford to I would probably buy one but it need some thinking to decided whether I prefer my current love. For now I'm hanging out to ride the next 6, Been hearing some very interesting things through the grape vine that she may be something worth waiting for.