Kawasaki Green. I saw this at the bike show today. Want it. So bad. :drool: The one above is the North American version, the one below is the Euro ZZR. The NA has the chrome rims, flames and sexy seat cowl, but no luggage hooks. Check out the metal-flake paint...this thing is so hot rod. Everything on the innards is changed from the 2011, including the seat position and width. It's also up to 1441cc and more horsepower than pretty much anything on two wheels. Trying it out today it was way more comfortable and sexy as f*ck. Sooooo much nicer than the 2011 ZX-14.
It DOES have an eco mode if that's good enough for you You can set a toggle switch and it will operate the engine for maximum fuel efficiency, along with an LED indicator telling you if you're driving efficiently or not. I wouldn't mind an electric bike though...no power band? You'd accelerate like a bat out of hell!! The problem is the only ones making electric bikes are Zero, and their bikes apparently are several kinds of suck (100km range with a top speed of 120km/h...yay...?) and look like the unholy spawn of a Husqvarna and a KTM. Yes, because anyone who owns one of those is too terrified of it to take it out of the garage...it's also not a motorcycle because it has 4 wheels.
Sexy as fuck, I really like the carry capacity. Can those compartments carry an extra helmet and jacket?
Well put, sir! It's a fine machine, and I'm sure its very very quick. But there are other, more desirable rides out there. And whoever mentioned the tomahawk... seriously? Why even bring up that abomination?
I can understand that, they had the 20th anniversary Fireblade there a well...it was very nice! I've got some pictures of it, and if you want, I can post them up. I'm biased towards Hypersport and Sport-tour bikes though, and I think the ZX-14R really stands out in that class...Unfortunately, Honda discontinued the Blackbird a long time ago...if they hadn't, I'm sure it'd be some good competition. The Blackbird was a very nice ride, probably the smoothest and most comfortable Hypersport I've ever ridden. Probably the best comparison from Honda today is the VFR-1200, but that's kind of apples and oranges. I'd also argue there's a lot of good "content" in the ZX-14R. It's the only Hypersport with traction control, it's got the most straight-line power of any production motorcycle, it's a great every day rider with the lower center of gravity and increased heat dissipation (I thought the old 14 got pretty hot and was a little unwieldy), it's a much more practical touring bike than pretty much any track bike, I would argue it's more comfortable than the Hayabusa, and the polish on the design is very refined. At the very least, it's extremely fast with early quarter-mile times clearly putting it ahead of the Hayabusa. No one has posted engine performance on it yet, but I'm sure you'll see well over 200 horsepower on this thing.
I'm not a huge bike fan, but at some point im going to purchase one, going to go with one that's actually comfortable for long drives, not one of those crazy bastards.
I think you'd be surprised, sometimes the crazy ones are the most sane choice, imo The things I think that (to me) are most important for a longer riding bike are: Adequate power - It sucks driving the highway with a gutless machine. You can't pass well, hills become a pain in the ass and you can't react quickly to danger. If you start motorcycling on a fast road with a slow machine you will hate it. I remember one thing they made clear in my rider training was that in many ways a weaker machine is more dangerous than a powerful one. I recall he said something like, "it's the rider who controls the bike, so the bike is only as reckless as you are". It doesn't matter how crazy your bike is, the important thing is how you ride it. My personal experience from 10 years of riding is that more power just means more possibilities and more control...which is something I really enjoy Ability to store your stuff - A narrow back seat, tiny tank or too forward a position can make it tough to mount a saddle or tank bag. You don't always need more than a backpack to take your stuff, but if you do, it's really nice to be able to mount some bags. Comfort - This is a personal thing and depends a lot on your body size. It may surprise you which bikes *feel* the best, and it won't be the same for every person. As a rule of thumb, not too far forward or too far back is best, your wrists will hurt on a track bike like a Yamaha R1 after a few hours and your back and shoulders will hurt on a cruiser like a Harley Fat Boy. Keep in mind that wind pressure will push on the rider from the front, so a slightly forward position will feel the most natural, while a back position will feel like you're clinging to the bars. Ideal long riders are straight up and down or just slightly forward like the Honda Goldwing, Triumph Sprint GT or Ducati Monster. Following up from that, you may want to choose a weight class that you find easy to manage...there's a world a difference between the Goldwing and the Monster! Remember that distribution of weight is very important too, the lower the center of gravity, the lighter it will feel. Also note your leg position and the length of the bars. If your legs are bent too much they might get stiff on a long ride, and if the bars are too high you might lose feeling in your arms after awhile. Wind protection - Buffeting from the wind is a huge source of rider fatigue on long trips, so you WILL want a fairing or a shield if you're going on a long trip. While you can slap a shield on a lot of fairing-less bikes, it looks way nicer to have a good stock one and you'll probably get better aerodynamics too. Naked bikes are fine in the city, but if you're going out on a long ride it's going to get really annoying. Where are you going to ride? - Something that I think people tend to forget is that motorcycling is literally about riding the road. You feel it a lot more because you're only on two wheels and the point at which the wheels actually contact the road is very small. Where you are going to ride is just as important as what you are going to ride. If you're going off-road or on dirt roads you may want to look at a bike built for that purpose, it's going to make the trip a lot more enjoyable. If you're on flat, clean, barren roads you'll want a speed machine. If you're going through mountain passes you'll want something with a good degree of lean capability that feels nice in the twisties (that's a technical term). Tank size - For obvious reasons. Some smaller cc bikes (and even some bigger ones, like the Harley Sportster) have really, really tiny tanks. Somewhere around 22 litres is what you'll want as a standard for long trips.
Its just too much plastic for me. I get why its there, but i just don't like it. I'm more of a cafe racer fan. I just want my cheapy Bonneville. That's as much bike as I'll ever need.
I think I'll wait until teardrop shaped 3 wheel enclosed cycles come into fashion, 1000MPG bro! Or what about those electrically assisted motor/bicycles that can travel at 50MPH?
Matter of taste, and you were lied to. When you say Japanese, I think you are more referring to superbikes and those that are designed to look like superbikes. I agree they have their place, but I think they all look like plastic toys. 60's. Here's a wikipedia page for you to check out to see a few examples and a definition of what that is. I find them to be far less tacky and much more sexy. There is a certain immaturity inherent to the bikes that are covered in extremely brightly painted plastic bolted on everywhere. To me, it just looks like you are saying, "No!! My penis is huge!! I can prove it, haven't you seen my bike??!" Its total overcompensation, in my eyes. But to each their own, beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder. Beauty in motorcycling for me at least is the compact frame, the simplicity of lines, the upright seating position, a simple monotone paint job in a normal gloss finish with possibly a checkered racing stripe across the tank (if you've earned it,) the BROWN leather jacket and helmet, and goggles hanging on the brake lever. Its classic James Dean. Metal. Power. Simplicity. badassery. The polar opposite of Crotch Rocket. One isnt more right than the other, Its just oil vs water. The just wont mix. And yes, these kinds of bikes can run very smooth and extremely reliably- just as if not more than the superbikes and plastibikes. C'mon trolls! let the trolling/hating/BS ensue!!
Ducati bdoesnt count. They break all the rules with theur style blending choices.me loves me a ducati.
yamaha dragster, blends american type looks with japanese reliability. Have an ickle VX535 myself, 17 years old, but still runs nicely (when the alternator doesnt pack up).
I dont like this Japanese reliability label. I never had a problem with my sportster and I had several with my v-star... just sayin