Last weekend Big M and I had alittle race. Just a short straightway run on an empty road. Hes on the Duke 1198S and Im on my 14R stock. So we both turn onto a small highway and we are side by side and roll from 2nd up thru 4th. I never hit redline just tried to keep the nose down and ended up about 4 bikes ahead of him. He ways in around 220 and I would like to think Im about 200 to 210lbs.. Wishfull thinking but its close.

Big M was thinking that my bike was gonna kill his bike but it was pretty close I couldnt see him beside me but I could hear him. Like I said it was closer than we both imagined and its probably because of these 3 factors..

1. riders weight and experince. Mike is a better rider than I am, but Im sexier..
2. not redlined on 14R
3. 2nd butterflies have not been pulled

One thing for sure is that the 14R has massive torgue and if throttled correctly pulls like a frieght train. On the other hand it is pretty fcking heavy in stock form. Also whatever the deal with this safe mode shit that folks are pointing out seems to be a real issue. I have noticed it afew times when I WOT in the lower gears..

Im going to pull the secondaries next weekend once the lift is clear.

One more thing. If I decided to buy another bike maybe for track days its going to be the 2012 S1000RR. For the money you get one hell of a machine even tho its a Kymco engine.. lol.. I think its one of the best deals... Stock for stock its got everything a sport rider could want, including heated fcking grips... Now thats classy...

Creeps..

* Last updated by: Creepy847 on 7/8/2012 @ 6:03 PM *

That sounds about right. First off your stock,second you didnt even wind out the gears to near redline,and third and MOST important you went from second to 4th gear thats not much of a race. Hell to be 4 bikes out against a duc1198s which is a tq machince in roll ons is pretty good. Now imgaine if you would have stayed into it until 6th gear,up top you would be up closer to 8-10 bikes and yours is in stock form still. Sounds like a good lil quick race to me.......for what it was.Now think about if you had exhaust,and god forbid some gearing.....ouch!!! Remember guys this bike isnt a turbo and you are not racing 600's,those bikes are still fast.Remember these bikes are only as fast as the guy riding them. With my light weight and brocked out 14 if you were to watch me race some worked 1000's you would be really impressed with the new 14r.

* Last updated by: zx14racer on 7/8/2012 @ 8:49 AM *

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Not trying to be an ass but totally confuzed by some of these 14r riders. Your going to buy a track bike when you don't even have the balls to rip him (1198) a new one. If I was running him he would not have seen nothing but redline. I had one(1198) and they are very slow by comparision. Duco$ti. I ran one from 40 to 160 and I'll bet you I put 30 bikes on him, and thats a cold harded fact. Oh yea let me guess he couldn't ride. He jumped me first because I wanted to make sure he was in it. Mine is piped and pc tuned. Funny thing is he is the one that wouldn't take no for an answer, but if I was him after that run I would have went and threw up somewhere. It was that bad.

If you're like me, you're gna be a little disappointed by the lack of mid on the Beemer but that's just cause I'm used to the 14. I agree it's a good deal. The dealer told me 16k out of the door with ABS, heated grip, quick shifter and other goodies. There is a $750 rebate right now and if you're in the military you get another discount.

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@sreynolds....sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do....

first off sreynolds buying a track bike has nothing do to with balls. I can assure you my balls are big enough and if you havent been in jail before for racing or trying to outrun the law then talk to me after you do.

I wasnt out to destroy Big M duke. I wanted to see how much of a win I would have with very little effort which is what I found out. Im not out to prove anything to anyone here I am just telling a story without trying to sound like the 14R is the king of balls...

So dont take my response as being offensive. Ive spent sometime in jail for street racing so Im alittle more cautious now since I dont need anything else on my record and the fact that Im older I kind of have tamed myself down.

We all have stories but believe me I could right a book with some of the crazy shit I pulled back in the day. My time is over so Ill leave that to you younger balls to the walls riders..

Ride safe...

Creeps..

Creeps guess I jumped the gun on that one and I do understand where your comin from. In your use of the word cautious
above, smarter could be easily substituted. I think I had one to many beers for lunch, sorry about that.

noproblem I get the same way lol. At times I just wanna hammer the fck out of it and then theres times like this part Saturday where I hammer her Im way in triple digits only to look behind me and see a cop... He brought me down afew pegs... As a drag racer friend of mine says or calls me... No balls Creeps...

Im fcking nutored bro...

Ive spent sometime in jail for street racing so Im alittle more cautious now since I dont need anything else on my record and the fact that Im older I kind of have tamed myself down.

I can relate, those wild days are over for me. And you can probably find a good deal on a 2012 S1000RR after the recall scare.

NINJA ZX-14 MotoVlog

Haven't spent time in jail for street racing,but have spent time in the hospital for street racing,lesson learned

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I can relate, those wild days are over for me.

2nd.

No feeling quite like the the one you get as you watch your pride and joy being taken away from you while Dangling from the back of a toe truck. Some things you don't forget.

,but have spent time in the hospital for street racing,lesson learned

Ouch.

Fellas,

I have ridden the BMW1000RR, the new ZX-10R and the new R1. All of them felt weak ass hell compared to my 14R. It's not even close. Big torque and HP makes the 14R feel like King Kong. The liter bikes are SUPPOSE to be faster in roll-ons because they are racebikes but it's not happening IMO. They can't touch the 14R on the street. The fun factor of the 14R is much higher and I don't need a deep tissue massage after riding it.

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@Curvekilla: hint: track bike.

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Dragking,

True but I see a lot posts where guys like to compare the 14R to the liter bikes. They have totally different purposes. Most liter bike riders never set foot on a roadcourse and are scared to death of curvy roads but that's what those bikes were made for. And there is nothing wrong with keeping it on the street. But to dog out the 14R because it doesn't handle like a racebike on twisty roads is missing the point. I've rung out a lot of liter bikes and none of them can touch a stock 14R as a street bike. Add a few mods and tune the suspension and game over! All of my liter bike riding friends agree after I let them ride the big Ninja. And I give mad props to the Busa as a street bike too.

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I know some 14R's are putting up impressive dyno numbers, and the hype is there, but so far I'm not seeing or hearing the crushing power translating to street race wins. I personally rode a 14R for a quick blast, and it felt hella fast to me, but the only current machinery I've ridden to compare it to is my bolt-on modded 04 busa, which it crushed, and my boosted 06 14, which crushed it. Otherwise I have no clue how other current fast bikes stack up. I really thought the 14R would be doing more street crushing tho......

Maybe some of that is the usual nuetering kawi seems to do to the 14.......don't understand advertising the bike as worlds most powerful, then nuetering it and making the aftermarket try and figure out how to make it run to its full potential in the lower gears? And the new 14R is even harder than ever.......more than just pulling the flies on this one

Add a few mods and tune the suspension and game over!
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Traded my '02 CBR954RR after 10 years of pure grins. Did it for more power, more power to the ground, and greater comfort. I'm real happy 900 miles into it, but want to dial in the suspension. Despite riding 35 years, I'm kind of clueless. The comfort is great, but hauling it down with max breaking from 4th gear strafing runs (YEOOOOWwww!!!.....) I think I need more front preload. The stock tires have not impressed either, but then again you have to look at what they are dealing with.

How would you recommend tuning the suspension? Don't want to give up the 300+ mile / day comfort but need to tighten it up a bit.

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I have ridden the BMW1000RR, the new ZX-10R and the new R1. All of them felt weak ass hell compared to my 14R. It's not even close. Big torque and HP makes the 14R feel like King Kong.

Rode both the beemer and the 10R and I agree.

I've rung out a lot of liter bikes and none of them can touch a stock 14R as a street bike

You would have to define "street bike" and the thing with liters is that there are too many posers. One more thing is that you do track days so from the get go you're a more experienced rider

The liter bikes are SUPPOSE to be faster in roll-ons because they are racebikes but it's not happening IMO

I need more info to comment on that but either way it would be close. The power to weight ratio on the S 1000RR or the ZX-10R is crazy. The 14/14R has a lot of weight to move so drag racing starts offer more of an advantage.

I know some 14R's are putting up impressive dyno numbers, and the hype is there, but so far I'm not seeing or hearing the crushing power translating to street race wins. I personally rode a 14R for a quick blast, and it felt hella fast to me, but the only current machinery I've ridden to compare it to is my bolt-on modded 04 busa, which it crushed, and my boosted 06 14, which crushed it. Otherwise I have no clue how other current fast bikes stack up. I really thought the 14R would be doing more street crushing tho......
Maybe some of that is the usual nuetering kawi seems to do to the 14.......don't understand advertising the bike as worlds most powerful, then nuetering it and making the aftermarket try and figure out how to make it run to its full potential in the lower gears? And the new 14R is even harder than ever.......more than just pulling the flies on this one

You got something there. Brock mentioned something about the ECU limiting the power even in full power mode. That would explain a lot of things. The R&D is far from over on the 14R. I have said it before and this is my problem with Kaw. They make awesome MCs but you have to put a lot of $$ in them to make them fastest. Now on both the ZX-10R and the ZX-14R, you need a full exhaust ($2000), ECU reflash ($400) and dyno pulls. On a bike that cost 14k? No thanks. I'll just wait and pick up a used one 4 years from now.

Add a few mods and tune the suspension and game over

About $4000 if you do it the right way. Which will make the 14R an 18k bike. Again thanks but no.

Disclaimer: I'm not dissing the 14R. I love my 1st gen and test rode its successor... awesome bike but not enough for me to upgrade. To be honest, I would have never bought a 14 if I wasn't 6'5-230lbs. It turned out to be a pleasant surprise but I envy some on the shorter/lighter guys on liters. My home boy did Paris-Marseille on his GXSR with no issues at all. He is about 6 feet, 175lbs and in good shape!

* Last updated by: dragking on 7/20/2012 @ 12:58 AM *

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I rode with some guys and one had an 1198S with BST wheels and all goodies. After riding awhile we started at the front after a turn I shifted into second from a slow roll he accelerated so did I. I kept pace with him all the way up to speed not using first as I said. So to me I was not that impressed that he couldn't out pull me. He looked surprised at the end that I was still right behind him. So his 20K + couldn't beat my cheap Jap bike oh well too bad. His buddies were talking like it was the fastest and could wheelie at 150 or whatever.

^^^^ See there is so much hype, people don't know what they're talking about. Those Ducs have mid but that's about it. They are made to enter and exit corners the fastest. My bet is even a GSXR 1000 would have been right on his tail.
A lot of Duc owners think they are riding the best/fastest things around.
On a different note, I was talking with this dude on a parking lot. My 14 was parked close to his BMW 1200 (The one that looks like a Tenere). He tells me he used to have an R6 etc and that although he loves the sport bikes he enjoy his beemer who has way more torque than mine. So I asked him how much and he said 90. I just smiled and told him I was way above 100. I usually run into two kinds of people, the one that are afraid of the 14: I've had guys on liters tell me they were afraid of it and some people who don't give enough credits, especially about how well the bike handles. You add my mods and you've got a pretty good machine. Someday, I'll add light wheels and upgrade the rotors and calipers and she'll be complete.

* Last updated by: dragking on 7/20/2012 @ 1:40 AM *

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"I have ridden the BMW1000RR, the new ZX-10R and the new R1. All of them felt weak ass hell compared to my 14R. It's not even close. Big torque and HP makes the 14R feel like King Kong. The liter bikes are SUPPOSE to be faster in roll-ons because they are racebikes but it's not happening IMO. They can't touch the 14R on the street. The fun factor of the 14R is much higher and I don't need a deep tissue massage after riding it".

That's probably because you were trying to ride them like the 14R. You can't do that on a bike giving away 40% engine capacity. I've also ridden the 10R, the R1 and found the same thing. You just have to recalibrate and realize where the torque is on each bike and then it's real close.
As for the 1198 vs 14 situation, I sold an 1198SP for the 14R (ZZR1400 over here), primarily 'cos I was fed up with poor road manners and lack of long distance comfort on modern track bikes but IMO the 1198 has an explosive off the throttle response from midrange on up that puts it closer to the 14 than the other litre offerings.

There's an interesting 14 vs S1000 article in this months PB magazine.

I sure did make that mistake. Liters and 600 are screamers, next time I test ride one I will try to stay above 6k rpm. I was at 4k most of the time (14 habit) and it took an eternity to get the bike going from there. Liters and hypers are both good, fun machines. The liters have evolve greatly since 2006 while the 14 just got an overhaul this year. I wish they were putting more r&d in the hypers but then again it's a small market

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I have an 09 14 SE, 12 14R SE and an 11 gen4 10R. All are modded and make approx. 175, 200 and 185 hp respectively. The 10r also has the Ohlins TTX, so the suspension is now very good on the bike. Both 14's have full TiForce exhausts and are close in mods. My 2 cents is as follows:

Both the 10r and 14r have run in the 8's at 160+ in drag races by guys that know how to ride these bikes. (Way way beyond my abilities) Both of these machines have crazy acceleration and probably the rider is more of a determinant in the outcome in any speed contest, than which bike is "faster". The 10r is a much more focused and intense bike to ride than the 14r. I am much more connected and involved with the 10r due to the single purpose for which the bike was designed - it's really a track bike that you can ride on the street. 3-4 hours on the 10r and it's time to switch to the 14. My 10r incidentally , is nearly as smooth as the 14's. Below 8K there are virtually no vibes coming through he chassis. For a liter bike that weighs just over 420 lbs wet (exhaust & Shorai bat.)this is really sweet.

The 14's are the best rounded bikes that I have owned. I have an 09 C14 sport tourer that gets very little use, except in cold weather (much better wind protection). The 14's are really do it all street bikes and the big torque, smoothness and comfort of the 14 bikes are in a class of their own. They are very satisfying on both short and long rides. If I had to pick just one bike, if the others had to go, I would keep the 14r. However for 98% of street riding the differences between the 09 and the 12 are not overwhelming. If you buy new, get the 14r. If you have a Gen1 already, unless you race he thing, the bikes are still pretty close.

One thing I would like to add is that I have always had a preference toward Honda bikes, cars and small motors. Honda used to be on the cutting edge in motorcycle development and has always had an impeccable reputation for quality. Somehow Honda has lost that edge. They still make great motorcycles, but no longer class leading. I feel that Kawasaki has overtaken Honda in these areas. The 14r, in particular, is first rate in fit and finish. All of my Kawasaki motorcycles have been rock solid in reliability and power. It's possible to nit pick anything but for 15 grand and a few grand more in mods, a motorcycle that could reach nearly 200 mph and last for more than a 100K miles is quite an achievement. What more could you want?

* Last updated by: bluestar on 7/21/2012 @ 2:53 PM *

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