+1 Grn!!!

for what it's worth, I think if you have to ask, you shouldn't be lookin. I've seen a lot of people post questions like this through the years and could never understand why.

Besides, the 14 will ruin most other bikes for you. With few exceptions the 14 is in a league of it's own. You don't have much time on bikes, why would you want to ruin trying out all those nifty bikes in between before you break your cherry on the biggest. Because that is what it will do and you'll find yourself having to spend ridiculous amounts in order to get more. Work your way up. I bought a 14 after 15 years riding sport bikes and it still got the best of me and now I feel limited with what I can replace it with.
like I said for what it's worth cause everyone has different perspectives. You need to do what makes you happy.

You know....I haven't ridden bikes "all my life".I rode a 175 Yamaha back when I was like 17,18...that lasted about 2 years.Minibikes before that,a Taco....small...Briggs and Stratton 3hp.Didn't ride for 30 something years.When I did start riding again..it was a Harley Heritage Classic.New.Sweet bike at the time.Rode that for a couple of years...till it got stolen.Replaced it with an ElectraGlide.Used.1995 model year.UNHAPPY.Rode that for a year....traded it in for a zzr1200.Happy again.Rode that for a couple of years.Wanted something more 'peppy'.Traded up to a zx12R.FINALLY...my very own REAL sportbike.Big...fast....badazz at the time.Brand new,Atomic Silver.LOVED that bike.The 14 came out.Sight unseen,I traded up to the Bluebird.(she was Factory Diablo Black in the beginning).Maybe I'm strange...but not once did I ever think...'can I ride this bike?'.I knew inside I wanted the biggest,fastest,strongest bike from Kawasaki I could get.When they delivered it to my door....I was stoked....very stoked.Amazing looking,all Black....immaculate.Wicked looking.Fast looking.When I first rode her...that was it.I knew I had made the right choice...even before I ever saw it in person.I just had a feeling about it.Riding her was incredibly fun and fulfilling for me.I feel the same right now about the new bike.Even better.I think being 'afraid' of something like this...like so many people have said to me..."I'd be afraid to ride that'....I don't understand HOW they feel really.That 'fear' thing never happened with me.I only saw the new bike(s)as something to REALLY have a blast with.It never really occurred to me that I wasn't 'trained' to ride a sportbike.I don't know what that would be....I always thought of it as a motorcycle,not something to be afraid of in that sense.When I wrecked my Black widow(maker)...I never considered"maybe I shouldn't be riding a bike 'like this'.I just determined I wasn't gonna trash her and get rid of her.Nope...fix her back right and continue having fun.And I did.It was by all rights a serious accident...could have easily been a fatal if conditions had been just a bit different.It wasn't the bike.It was me...inexperience for sure.I learned VERY QUICKLY...you MUST ride yer OWN ride.Not what someone else is doing.Same as today...I still tell myself that whenever I start thinking I 'should' be doing this or that 'by now'.No....I should be riding exactly how I am riding.Now.And paying attention to what's going on NOW during a ride.

I don't care WHAT size of bike you're(I'm)riding.Two wheels is TWO WHEELS.Everybody rides different...has different wants from their experience(s).I want to ride safer,faster,and smarter.I feel the Ninja is the best bike for me cause I feel SAFE riding it.It's big and strong and can get a guy killed really quickly IF he's not got his head in the game.But ANY motorcycle will do that.That's how I feel about it anyway.That's why I say you should get the 14.You begin to be one with your big azz bird...lots of fun times start happening.You realize it aint just another bike.It really IS a breed unto itself.There really isn't any other bike like it out there.It's definitely the best motorcycle I've ever ridden.The new bird's gonna be even BETTER IMO.WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 11/16/2011 @ 3:18 AM *

OK, I haven't been around much lately so bear with me.

Grn14, you used to be Blue, right? I was doing a search earlier this morning to find where this changed and came up with nothing so figured it was just me but that last post here reaffirms my suspicions. If it is you Blue, what do we call you. lol

as for what you said I agree with everything you said, yet you also pointed out that you never had a doubt about it where this guy does and I'm a little nervous why he does? But definitely no one on the internet can tell you what is right or wrong. It's kind of a Yoda type sitcheeAshun. Use the force. Your true feelings, find them you must! Hmmm?!

You let me know if the 14 is for you. I've caught myself many times in the wrong gear. Taking off felt about as sluggish as a newspaper flying up and hitting you as opposed to being pushed off balance by a stronger force. That is called, momentum. If you were in the correct gear, there is this momentum that begins at the very bottom and acts as a [short] fuse on a stick of dynamite.

There is an acceleration point where all is judged at the 60 foot mark. Here me out. I said just 60 feet is all you need to get in trouble with. Here is the tease part. The air was cold and the bike ran crisp last night. That bike is so smooth... "How smooth is it???" ... It was so smooth, the bike took off from a cold start, maybe rolled up to about 60 feet and could not believe how smooth that engine idles.

Fed clutch only, because morning map was on full choke. With the other hand, I was pulling up pants and then it hit me. I felt a fuel chunk miss, the head was still cold. No popping or anything like that. I was rolling slow at an idle's pace. That is how sensitive that engine is running. Mind you, I have my hack going, so this thing gives more grunt, but takes away the overall hit the bike has. It is more a garbage hack setting.

With that said, you'll get used to a slower bike once you get off a faster bike. Humans adapt. If it is not your choice, was too much, this bike is not for everyone; 'you've got to know your limitations.' Some made mention this bike is just too much for them and they know it and accepted that difference. Lots of different levels of biking.

Back to a few yards of fear factor, I am very aggressive with traffic last night because it was at night. And basically, the bike was running so crisp, I was riding this bike in the DNR of it. Roller skated the tires to 45psi. You have to havetoe keep on your toes up about tire pressure. This bike likes tire pressure. I am beginning to need tires, feeling that front chop chatter as the bike stops; letting me know it's getting close.

Between the crisp cold tune, the tires needing some air, the... 'How many times am I going to go out and be in the garage with bulletproof after reading dis?'... The night skating was ON! Right out of the gate, I'm crisping up to traffic, miss a gear, car changes lanes in front of me. I make this huge squirt on the front tire, the bike goes back in gear; first event of the night.

The cars I just passed [splitting lanes], we now have a gap where I can finally slow down. The cars in the back are holding back, seeing me back off. Kind of what is witdisguy? Like, do 65 not climb down my back here we go again that was short. The smoothing that this bike can do.

Coming home, a van decides to move the same time I do. No courtesy to me, being the main road. He is coming out of a shopping mall driveway, decides to cut me off I guess? I notice the van mind you. I look up, the van is right there, now moving with me. The cars coming in another lane, I now have to take. The van pushed me left. Within I have no clue what happened next, I was in the glare of the on coming cars, went so wide, I was kissing the solid yellow doubles almost. All this correcting to get away from the cars on the left, I had someone's headlight out of adjustment, it hit the corner of my eye love this bike!

I got out of that situation, short shifted out of there as usual, [it doesn't take much]. I look back in the mirror for the first time, the van is about a 1/4 of a mile away. we are talking a few seconds of being spattered. But what with the acceleration that this bike can do, it could get away from you. If you do not have the timing/experience to handle a bike like this in an aggressive way, then, you are the pinball once you throw a leg over any bike.

You can always let the van go first and be a woozzzzzzzy rider on the 14. It has great brakes too, besides the eccel mode.

* Last updated by: Hub on 11/16/2011 @ 6:54 AM *

Yeah, BOOBS, that is blue. Only greens are showing up first on the first go-round. He bought an R for runs. He'll be changing his diapers (a lot) being he has (the runs) one of them new ones.

* Last updated by: Hub on 11/16/2011 @ 7:11 AM *

poor, Blue, I mean Green, I mean.... ahh?

Looks like jon gave up his dream of riding a 14 for a while.

I go against the advice of most owners. I don't really discourage them from going right to a 14 if they have 15,000 or so miles of experience riding any street bike. If you can wok your way up, I think that is best but everyone has there priorities. Lot cheaper to go with what you like and skip the in betweens. I think if you are use common sense the 14 is no more dangerous than any other bike on the road. The power delivery is vey smooth. The bike is not out to get ya at all, with the power, it's very easily managable. The weight is the main crash hazard IMHO. That will be the thing to watch out for at low speed and while cornering. Brakes are really safe, very stable at all speeds, not gonna wheelie or spin unless you are pushing it close to peak....or maybe screwing around with the clutch--but that is what I meant when I said "common sense".

why would you want to ruin trying out all those nifty bikes in between before you break your cherry on the biggest.

* Last updated by: Rook on 11/16/2011 @ 10:52 PM *

YOu know what I think I will get the zx14 next year around this time as a Christmas Gift to myself. I have always believed a motorcycle is only as dangerous as the rider and no matter what bike you are on falling still hurts. The real skill to me comes in from miles and miles of riding surveying the various situations and hazards of the road and using common sense. Reflex in this sport are learned from riding defensive driving skils are learned from riding, and and finally alertness is learned from riding. The thing that changes is the bike and how ti performs but hte physics and mechanics remaing the same relativaly speaking. A Ford Pinto works in the same mechanical way as a bugatti veyron, the difference comes in how you drive it. From a 250 to 1400. Both can get you killed (One much faster than the other. I guess I'm showing my inexpereince huh? But this is how I feel when it comes to upgrading. Like I said I do a lot of freeway riding on my ZX6r and I'm happy with the power for the next few years but I need something thats good in a straight line, stable and the throttle and engine braking arean't as twitchy. I live in Atlanta and stop and go traffic is not a lot of fun. I appreciate all the advice especially the ones advising not getting one at this moment in time, but I am not one for continual buying of bikes. I figure my first couple of years of riding yeah I can trade up as I go but after a while that does get old and expensive.

Like I said in February I will be changing the sprockets adding an exhaust and new paint job to my ZX6r and that will be it. I believe I have put 7000 miles on my ZX6r and 8000 miles on my 250 from what I have read online and talked to with friends that is more than some peolpe do in 5 or 6 years. Shoot my neighbor with his R1 only drive around 2000 each year. I have ridden in rain poor traffic and the like. I feel that my defensive driving ability has increased exponentially and that is where it counts for me. I still know I have a lot to learn which is why I have decided I will take my ZX6 to the track only when I have another motorcycle. (Plus now my wife wants to ride with me on her own bike) I believe the Zx14 suits my needs just not at my skill level at this moment in time. I figure another 8000 miles on the ZX6r would provide me enough of on the road expereince to upgrade.

On a related not I was in Cyclenation of Mcdonough last week getting my rear tire changed and they had a couple of zx14's. I sat on one and it felt pretty light. The reason why I say that is because I was thinking back at my first day at the MSF course last year and one of the first things the instructor taught us was getting used to the weight of the bike so he told us to sway it back and forth up and down. I did this move with the Zx14 and it felt I dunnno, Right I guess would be a good word. I loved the riding position, and the way the handle bars felt. I just wish places would let you test drive them in the parking lot or something. Oh well. Thanks for the advice everyone anymore tips are more the welcome.

* Last updated by: jon61586 on 11/26/2011 @ 6:41 AM *

You keep putting miles on your bike like you’re doing and next year this time you will be ready for the ZX14 just take it easy when you get it it’s a whole new fast!

My suggestion, don't load it up with luggage and lose the balance in the suspension like I did. That really sucked. Not that you were going to, I'm just bored and needed to type something... .

Not to revive an old thread but I just wanted to thank everyone for their advice and to let you guys know that I waited until September of 2012 to make the jump from the 6 to the fourteen. I am quite happy with the decision and after 6 months of riding on it I feel very relaxed and not afraid. (That is not to say i am getting complacent there are times when I'm not paying attention to how much throttle I give in first gear and boom it hits me.) All the advice given was solid and I was able to do a bunch of mountain riding on my ZX6r before I sold it.

I will post pictures as soon as I can. I got the 2008 Special Edition. Has a Roaring Toyz full exhaust single sided, PC3 and that pretty much it from what I can tell. I haven't really taken it apart yet. My mechanic says I need to ditch the roaring toyz exhaust in favor of a muzzy. I am starting to lean towards that right now. H told me I am losing so much power which makes me wonder what I truly have underneath me if it's true. I am curious. THanks everybody!!!

Congrats Jon....you got the best;)

Let me start this by saying this is my personal OPINION.

As long as you keep it in your mind that you are on the equivalent of 2 wheeled $2,000,000 Bugatti Veyron and that a mental lapse in judgement will result in the same catastrophic end, then you will be fine. More than likely you will have more issues with morons turning left in front of you.

Just keep this thought in the back of your mind when you are riding "ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZIP --- SPLAT!!" That keeps me humble :-)

Good luck in you decision, have fun and be safe.

Sorry guys I didn't read the entire thread. Glad you got your 14 on your terms.

Way to go. Like I said, the 14 is just as easy to cruise on as tear up the twisties on. That's why it is so hard to find any replacements for one. Keep us posted on all the money sucking mods you WILL be installing.

Mad

Stepping up from a 6r to the ZX King is quite a leap forward. One issue, most folks have not mentioned is the weight of the bike. Get things wrong on a 6r, you can throw your body into the bike and correct. Too much front brake on a slow manouver turn, just step down and swing her over. No big deal, looks rookie, but you're not dropping the bike. The big King will not wrestle like a ballerina, it's a grizzly. If you havn't entered a monover with commitment and confidence, the only way out, if something goes south is experience, not thrashing and wrestling.In fact experience will not allow you to put yourself or the bike in a risky situation to begin with. I think Hub said it best. Make some mistakes on less expensive machines. Then you are ready to graduate.

Besides all this said, I never forget to respect my bike! Please don't take what I said above as elitist (just a cool 40 year head talking). My resume is also not as well padded as some other riders on here, so humbly I am aware of that too. Some people are genuinely gifted riders that just sit and go...it all just makes sense to these naturals the first time ridden. You may be one of these, and if this is true, the ZX beacons.

* Last updated by: Wolfman on 4/1/2013 @ 2:36 PM *