After kicking tires on a lot of bikes, I finally bought a ZX14 three months ago. It is an '08 in Atomic Silver. Bike had just under 14K, appears to have been treated pretty well by previous owners. Here are my thoughts after riding it for about 1500 miles. the good...

The power is effortless. No surprise here except that the torque starts at about 2500 rpm and builds easily from there. As everyone on this forum knows already, the bike can be ridden gently and responds smoothly, but that amazing acceleration is always just a twist away.

Engine vibration is pretty minimal. I also test rode a Ninja 1000 and felt that the vibration was intrusive. Plus, the Ninja 1000 was revving a lot higher for a given road speed. The ZX14 is quite smooth and relaxed at moderate speeds.

The ride quality is comfortable for a sport bike. The previous owner said that the suspension settings are in the middle of the ranges. Since he weighed about same as me, I just left the settings alone.

The not-so-good list is pretty short...

The riding position is not the best for my old (68 yrs) frame, especially at 6'-3" and 34" inseam. After about an hour I have to get off. But I bought it to ride in my rural immediate area, not for long trips.

Fuel mileage is about 37 mpg. The low fuel light comes on after after about 150 miles. I guess that there is a price to pay for this kind power.

Overall, I like the bike more than I expected. It's a blast to ride and I like the aggressive looks and high quality finish more all the time.

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* Last updated by: 2fast4me on 9/22/2019 @ 7:44 PM *

No surprise here except that the torque starts at about 1500 rpm and builds easily from there.

1500 is about as low as I would ever think about riding my 08. That's probably only at takeoff or if I'm purring down an alley. I guess the engine will pick up but I doubt you can give it more than 20% throttle without laboring the motor at that low of an rpm. I don't think I'm ever much under 3000 rpm during normal riding and that's where it jumps into action at any throttle position. I was successful in tuning the AFR with flies out so that I can now open the throttle wide open from 2000 rpm in 6th gear and the engine accelerates smoothly. I don't know if I will ever need that but it was interesting to know it's possible.

The riding position is not the best for my old (68 yrs) frame, especially at 6'-3" and 34" inseam. After about an hour I have to get off. But I bought it to ride in my rural immediate area, not for long trips.

I was about 45 years old when I got my 14 and my hamstrings would cramp after about 30 minutes. Neck was sore too. I guess I got used to it. No problems after year 1.

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Do the basics and drop the pegs 1 in with Buel or other pegs and raise the grips 1 in and it helps a bit with the position.

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Put a set of bar risers on, this will solve your problem

Rook, you're right about the rpm of 1500. I should have stated 2500, so did change that. It will pull from a stop at idle but at steady speed 2500 or more is a good place to be.
The bike did come with 1" risers, of which I'm glad. It also came with rear sets, but those were really uncomfortable for me. So I reverted to the stock footrests, which came with the bike fortunately. That helped, but as cruderudy and bbird1400 suggest, a better answer is lowered footpegs. I'll look into those.
Thanks for your responses, guys.

08’s are cool...congrats...mine has a LSL handlebar kit and a Sargent seat...most comfortable bike i’ve ever ridden.

* Last updated by: morgstang on 9/22/2019 @ 6:12 PM *

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Nice ride, very clean looking. At 60, I know what you mean about the aches and pains. Lower pegs help with the leg/knee issue. As Rook said, you get used to it with time.

I wouldn't mind some more detail on that tank bag. It looks fitted. Magnetic? If so, how is the abrasion on the paint?

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ahhlou, the tankbag is a "Cortech Dryver" ring lock tank bag. There are 2 mating lockrings, one is attached to the bottom of the tank bag and the mate is fixed to the gas tank. The ring attached to the gas tank uses existing screw holes, so there is no modification involved. Neither the tankbag nor the lockring touch a painted surface. It's a pretty slick setup. To add gas you just rotate the tank bag about 20-30 degrees and it lifts right off. There are absolutely no mars, scratches, or blemishes on my gas tank from the tank bag. The bag itself is rubber lined so should be fairly water resistant.
Here's the bottom of the tank bag.

This is the lockring which stays attached to the gas tank.

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This setup was on the bike when I bought it in June. The receipt shows it was purchased in 2011 for about $160. Let me know if you need more info.

Magnetic? If so, how is the abrasion on the paint?

been using magnetic tank bags for a few years now, with no damage to the paint
the trick: adding a thin anti-slip rubber mat under the bag & the magnetic pads
the kind of rubber mat that people have on their car dashboard, to prevent stuff from skidding and falling down...

Nice looking bike 2fast4me. Yours is also a nice looking bike morgstang.

Similar to morgstang I got a sergeant cycle seat and LSL handle bar conversion kit, made a world of difference for comfort. I also added on top of the LSL kit a set of bar risers so I'm sitting pretty up right now but still have good handling.

As for fuel mileage, 37mpg was about what my 08 got stock as well, after a new exhaust and power commander 5 + autotune I'm now hitting 50-52mpg. The PCV alone with a good map would probably get you closer to that fuel economy without the NEED for an aftermarket exhaust but why only go half way ;)

Nightmare, the bike has a PC3. Do you think that the PC5 is enough of an improvement over the PC3 to make that much difference in fuel economy? I'm not questioning at all what you are saying, I'm just asking because I am pretty ignorant about the technical details of this bike. It does also have Yoshi carbon fiber mufflers. I bought the bike 3 months ago and have done nothing to it but ride it, after changing the levers and footrests back to stock. The bike seems to run well, no surging or other misbehavior. But it is the only ZX14 I have ridden so have nothing to compare it to.

Also, morgstang, I really like the orange highlights on your bike. They set it off nicely.

Thanks, everyone, for your comments.

* Last updated by: 2fast4me on 9/24/2019 @ 11:35 AM *

Thanks for the info on the tank bag 2fast4me, I will be putting it on my Christmas list...

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My dad and I both had Cortech Dryver bags. We made a 6k mile 2 week trip to Calif using these. They work very well. After 2 years though, there is an interior coating that kind of flaked off causing a black dust on the inside contents. I went and got a Givi tank lock system that I feel is a little better, and the interior coating doesn't look like it can flake off like the Cortech. If anyone would like my old Cortech with the tank lock for my 2016 ZX14, I'll let it go cheap. I can't bring myself to toss it out.

ominousone

No I don't think it would be worth switching to a PC5, making adjustments to the fuel maps will yield you the same results on the PC3 (for some reason I thought they didn't make a wiring harness for this model year...)

The hardest part will be determining what adjustments to make, that's where the autotune helps as it has an oxygen sensor that you can use to determine what air-to-fuel ratio (AFR) the engine is currently operating at. A dynomometer at a shop will work just as well for a "one time" change to you fuel maps. I'd recommend changing the cruising range (5-20% throttle 2,000-4,000RPM) to close to 14.7:1 AFR as that's the stoichiometric ratio of fuel to air for gasoline and in theory results in the most efficient use of fuel (not the most power!).

Of course if it ain't broke, don't fix it, so if things are great and you're happy then be happy and enjoy the ride. But I personally consider poor fuel economy as something being broken so yeah...

PS: making these changes isn't as hard as it sounds, you just need a laptop and the correct cables (the PCV were USB A to mini USB) and the free software from the Dynojet website. There are lots of people on this forum who would be happy to help you through making these adjustments.

Nightmare,
Thanks for all the helpful info. My bike just turned 15K so is due for a valve check. I have spoken to a local independent repair shop about doing the valve check. Sometime back I read through Rook's tutorial on valve adjustment and it looks like a pretty involved process. I had mentioned to the shop that the bike has PC3, which the owner seemed to be familiar with. They also have a dyno, so conceivably could tune for best power. Frankly, the way it runs now is fine with me- starts easily, runs smooth, no stumbling or surging. Fuel mileage is not so good, but I am riding it only 2-3K a year with no long trips, so max. fuel mileage is not a primary concern. The Kawasaki dealer nearby just closed its doors suddenly 2 weeks ago. They were part of a 5 store chain in the Seattle area that sold the major Japanese brands, plus BMW, Ducati,KTM. The other Kawi dealer within reasonable distance sells a few Kawi bikes as something of an afterthought, concentrating on side-by-sides, snowmobiles, etc. So in some ways the independent repair shop may be the best choice but I am not sure. Believe it or not, I remember from college chemistry almost 50 years ago what stoichiometric means.
Sorry for wandering all over the place with this post, but I will take your info and present it to the local independent shop mgr and see if he even knows what you're talking about. I am also curious what the bike will do on the dyno, having read so much on this forum of peoples' efforts to increase HP and torque.
Thanks again

2fast,
Who is your local shop? If you look eastside maybe look at 2wheeldynoworks. Nels is awesome and has a lot of experience with the 14s. He has a dyno and can direct tune and flash your ecu for limits, mapping and flies. If you have someone in the top end of your motor for valve you might want to have them do the PAIR block offs then get tuned.

Dave

david5525, I was assuming that the PAIR valves are already blocked off by the previous owner as I would expect that he would be complaining about deceleration popping, worth double checking that and the hole in the air box to make sure it was blocked as well. This is also assuming an aftermarket exhaust.

2fast4me,

If the valves have NOT been adjusted you absolutely need to get that done this winter, I did mine at the 10,000km mark and almost all of them needed adjustment (checked again at 30,000km and everything was still good). The process is somewhat involved but not nearly as bad as it looks. If you have a garage (heated preferred) and are reasonably mechanically competent (eg changing brakes is a non-issue) then I'd encourage you to check it yourself.

Rook's tutorial is quite good, most of the time will be spent removing/reinstalling the various components, mainly fairings & throttle bodies, as the clearance between the engine and frame is very tight. When it comes to actually checking the valves, that's easy if you've ever used feeler gauges before and know how they work. As for replacing the shims to adjust the valves, the scariest part is making sure you label the parts (which cam cap goes where, VERY VERY important), mark the position of the chain on the cams and use a bungee cord to hold some tension on the timing chain so it doesn't move on the crank sprocket. Honestly, its easier to do then to explain and the only specialized tools that you need are a torque wrench and GOOD feeler gauges. Some silicon lube is really helpful for reinstalling the throttle bodies.

Hold off on the dyno until after the valves are adjusted as that will definitely change the results and you may want to consider replacing the spark plugs at this point (service manual recommends this) although I didn't bother for quite a bit longer.

david5525, NobleRush was the local shop but is closed for good now. I had never dealt with their service dept so have no idea if they were any good or not. The other shop nearby is in Enumclaw but they seem to emphasize ATV's and snowmobiles. What are your thoughts about having 2wheeldynoworks do the valves and other factory recommended service appropriate for 15K miles?
Nightmare, thanks for all the good info. I did all the routine and non-routine work many years ago on my Norton Commando but just am not interested in a lot of wrenching anymore. But now I would attempt the valve work myself only as a last resort. I sure appreciate the time you spent putting your thoughts together.

What are your thoughts about having 2wheeldynoworks do the valves and other factory recommended service appropriate for 15K miles?

Take a look at this thread HERE.....

2 Wheel Dynoworks is probably not far from you. If you prefer not to do your own wrenching, 2 Wheel Dynoworks is highly recommended.

2 Wheel Dynoworks
13209 NE 126th Pl Suite 460, Kirkland, WA 98034
(425) 269-5332

* Last updated by: KoflaOlivieri on 10/1/2019 @ 1:18 PM *

Thanks for dropping that link in there Kofla,

My dyno sheets are in that thread with info about my setup. I have always done my own work on my bike but definitely listen to knowledgeable people on here and people like Nels. He has a good shop and technicians. Valve inspect and adjust is not a cheap job because of the shop time required but if you want someone to do it for you I would recommend 2wheeldynoworks. I did mine at 20K this last winter and most of the exhaust and half the intake were out of spec.
Sad about those bike shops closing down. Microsoft guy got over his head. I heard the service guys and sales guys were going the extra mile to try and get customers taken care of.

Dave

david525,
My initial response to your question "who is your local shop" was confusing.
The local independent shop in Enumclaw is PNW Powersports. https://www.pnwpowersportsshop.com/
NobleRush in Auburn was the Kawasaki dealer (among other brands) which just closed, as you know.
Clem's Enumclaw Powersports is also a Kawasaki dealer. But they seem to emphasize ATV's, snowmobiles, etc.

After reading your posts about 2 Wheel Dynoworks I'll give them a call.

Thanks for your patience and help

* Last updated by: 2fast4me on 10/9/2019 @ 8:07 PM *

My initial response to your question "who is your local shop" was confusing.

All good, I hope we are all here trying to help each other out. I have had good experience with Nels and 2wheeldynoworks with my bike. Its all about what you are comfortable doing or what we want help with right? PNW has some awesome rides, and you are going to love the 14.
Dave

2fast
If you want some real fun check out OPRT for some track days. They also have a shop and dealership OPM. They do service and also have dyno tuning. They do track days at The Ridge Motor Sports In Shelton, ORP Oregon Raceway and Pacific Raceway the old SIR in Kent. Ran my 14 for a couple years improving my rider skills with them. Have a devoted ZX10 now for track but the 14 can really hustle around the track too. Always open for a ride if you want to get out. ST Helens, Hurricane Ridge?

Dave