Hello,

I am about to buy a ZX14 and have narrowed my search down to two choices. An ’08 with only 9k miles on the clock and a ’13 with 26k miles. Both have full service history and are very well taken care of. Both have collected their miles from long distance trips.

I am looking for a long term bike but have never owned Kawasakis. I’ve had big Beemers and a Hayabusa. I am tempted to buy gen 2 model but slightly worried about the mileage.

What would you advise?

Thanks,

Mika

Welcome!At least you have the right brand in mind!the 13 most likely has ABS.You want that.26K is nothing.Long as it's in excellent condition..mechanically.Go for it.Color?

I've have had both, the Gen 2 is a nicer better bike. The G1 is a great bike too but I like the modern feature such as ABS if I ever need it. If the G1 is a lot cheaper that a good choice too.

Both great bikes but IMO if you have the choice Gen 2 every day of the week.

See below link.

Gen1-Gen2 Upgrades/Changes

* Last updated by: yannih on 2/24/2019 @ 6:57 PM *

26k is not high miles but it is not low enough miles to put a high price on. I have about 50k on my Gen1 and it feels as good as new. Go with the Gen 2 if you can get a great deal. Can you get it for $4000? I would have sold my 08 for $3000 at 25K miles (that was 7 years ago) to make a quick sale.

Only 9K miles on a 10 year old bike is a little suspicious. Will it have any problems from disuse? Probably not but worth considering. I'll bet the seller is expecting a high price for that bike but I doubt he'll get it.

I wouldn't buy either unless you get a very good deal. Otherwise buy new and have no questions about reliability.

* Last updated by: Rook on 2/23/2019 @ 3:43 PM *

That is my problem now. I have a 2008 super dark metallic blue with 5500 miles and 180 hp at the wheel. Most added parts will go on the 2012 and up but have not found a color that I like as much as the 2008. If you do not have a 14 now I would go with the 2012 and up.
Good luck with which ever way you decide.

mikke1

Were either teh beemers or teh Busas used or did you buy them new?

I bought the Busa as brand new but did not get used to the riding position and vibrations. All the Beemers I had (K 1200 GT, K 1300 GT, K 1600 GTL) I bought as used. In Finland where I live the motorcycle market is fairly small so it is difficult to find a really good deal on used bikes. A new ZX14r cost around 23k dollars and for this 26k mile yr 2013 bike the dealer is asking 13k.

Will the dealer include any type of warranty..Mileage /30 days ? What kind of annual mileage do you put on a bike that you really enjoy riding ?

* Last updated by: chrly on 2/24/2019 @ 2:05 PM *

I know the dealer quite well and have bought many bikes from him. I guess that I could get 12 month warranty for this gen 2 bike whit 26k miles. I have also located two gen 2 bikes from private sellers with 10k miles on the clock which I would probably get close to the same price I would pay for the dealer on that 26k-mile bike. But no warranty whatsoever when buying from private sellers...

Summer is quite short in Finland and I will not be putting too many miles per year. Probably 4-6k per year.

One thing to add. The dealer’s gen 2 with 26k miles has a set of Akrapovic mufflers (the ones you can buy as add-ons for your ZX14r). They cost something like 2500 dollars in Finland...

* Last updated by: mikke1 on 2/24/2019 @ 2:21 PM *

Well there are your options :)

* Last updated by: chrly on 2/24/2019 @ 5:02 PM *

Had both, put 45k miles on Gen 1, about hit 30k on Gen 2, ZERO issues, minus front rotors warped on both. Replaced Gen 1 with Galfers, Gen 2 under warranty with OEM ones. Assuming these bikes are not drag raced 1/4 mile at a time at full throttle, either bike should be stone reliable and a ton of fun. You can't go wrong.

Oh and Mikke, Timo taalla, alunperin Jyvaskylasta kotoisin, asustelen San Diegossa. Suomen (ja Euroopan) kesaan ABS olisi vissiin aika hyva olla. Joka tapauksessa, lykkya tykoon ja usvaa putkeen!
Timo

* Last updated by: timomasalin on 2/27/2019 @ 11:08 AM *

I would certainly check out the 2 private seller 10K mile gen 2's ... and I expect I'd buy one of those. 26K miles may not sound like many to some people, but it's 16K miles more than a bike with 10K miles ... and that's not nothin' ... aka 16K miles closer to needing attention on more and more things that start to go bad with time even if you treat the bike perfectly.