blue, the slipons in the avatar are the carbon oval slipons. i think they run you around $800 new. the m10 that's on the bike now cost around $900 new. the slipons sound better but the full m10 gives more power and less weight. i'm very pleased with the change. i bought the m10 used for half the price and the headers are ceramic coated too.

"I rode my 14 straight from the dealer on the coast where I live, up the winding roads east over the Cascades. What a blast that was ..Then I carried on through the lumbering, cooking hot roadways of the interior plateau; clinbed on up the zig zaggibg pathways through the Rockies, and headed south down the long roads to the deserts of the south west where the air was running 110 - 115F. I rang the 14s neck on a very barren and empty highway 50, then ran rings around packs of lumbering Hardleys and other cruiser/sports touring types all through the exciting twists and turns of those sweet roads west through Northern California.
Then I turned north and went plunking up the surf crashing coast road home.
After all that I was sad to see my home come into view. I wanted to keep riding and riding and riding."

gas mileage, storage space, that noise from the cam chain(?) at start-up, some difference in hue from plastic piece to plastic piece on my silver 08.

other than those little complaints - perfection for a big guy.

Blue07 wrote:

are you getting a surge at idle?Is that normal?The set I listened to on the web surged pretty intensely

I think it is to some degree. Mine has done it since the day I brought it home but worse lately since derestricting my exaust. I bumped idle to 1250 (book says 1050 to 1150) and most of the surge is now gone. Balancing throttle bodies may help eliminate some of the surge, that's something I've been putting off cause I hear it's a real PITA on this bike !

Kruz

A zx14 owner caught offguard by a liter bike with a good lightweight rider
on the street here with the link below.

My gf's previous bike was a gixer 1000 07' and with her fully
suited weighing under 140 lbs. it was impossible to edge in roll ons in any gear on a 14 or
a gen2 Busa. I've put around 1K miles this season on her new 09 R1 and that bike
flat out hauls. If the zx14 remains unchanged for 2010 that R1 will spank it really
hard in the 0-180 mph magazine tests IMHO. Thank GOD it's so ugly and I'll never be
temptted to own one myself!

http://www.bikeland.org/board/viewthread.php?FID=27&TID=47220&set_time=

I wasn't impressed when I first got the 14. I had a 2000 ZX-12R that was piped, mapped and had a K&N and it ran like a raped ape. The 14 stock in 2006 was a dog under 5k rpm. It wasn't until I took out the flies and installed Brock's exhaust/map did I really fall in love with the 14. A back to back ride one day on both the 14 and 12R signified the end of the 12Rs tenure in my garage.

Hello everyone. New member here and I must admit that when I first got the 14 I was a little worried that I might have made the wrong choice seeing that I had just come from a 2008 Hayabusa with full exhaust and PCIII/custom map. But the more I rode the 14 and after I did the Flys out mod and installed the PCV the bike really started to come alive. It's only got 700 miles on it right now and It's already a world of difference from the first time I took it out. The more I ride it the more I love it! I still can't believe that this much performance can be had for soo little cash. This bike is leaps ahead of my 08 Busa in terms of handling and comfort. To me it's just pure Nirvana every time I sit my ass on it. I just love this bike. I've owned 1K's and everything above and below but to me the 14 is the perfect balance between them all. To me Kawasaki found some magic in their hat when they built the 14 and I'm sure glad I was one of the lucky ones that got one.

I've owned 1K's and everything above and below but to me the 14 is the perfect balance between them all.

If I had to own only one bike, the 14 would be it....nuff said.

Kruz

I did quite a bit of reading up on the 14 before I took a test ride...and was coming from my 04 busa. It was pretty much what all the reading had me expecting....a very fast, very smooth, and very comfy rocketship. It didn't blow me away, but it sent a shiver down my spine that my busa had never been able to do I've owned alot of bikes...and honestly stock my busa was the most dissapointing of all. It rocks now, but it took alot of modding to get it there. Still not exactly sure where all the hype came from? But then I always seem to expect too much lol

Good to see that old familiar avatar back Bad in Black. Where the heck have you been? I was starting to give up hope you were ever coming back, anyway it's good to see you back in circulation again.

Kruz

I'm glad to be back I ran out of free time combined with a garage full of non-running bikes and summer coming.....all the ingredients for a big pot of lacka-forum-time. I'm golden now tho, one bikes ready for summer and the other 2 are actually progressing........life is good again