In Alberta Canada I ride when its above 40F. Got my ZX-14 in Feb. and have ridden every chance I get. Here's a picture of my second ride - the snow in the back is real! I've got over 600 miles on the bike now...

Having trouble posting inline so here's a link:
The Picture

* Last updated by: iceman99 on 4/10/2009 @ 7:22 AM *

those are some nice pictures! are you a photographer?

Thnx, not a pro, just like taking good pictures.

I hear ya iceman, I am like you, 5 degrees I am out there!!! Finally spring has sprung in southern Alberta!!!! Hopefully it stays!!!! I have put 700km on mine now.... picked her up in January

Hey Fuzz, do you keep your bike 100% clean or when its cold do you not fuss to much about a little dirt and grime? Cause, I just cleaned my bike yesterday and am wondering how clean the pipes need to be kept so they don't stain or discolor - any thoughts?

I try to keep it totally clean, cause I am a bit of a clean freak... but its impossible when you can't use the hose and the snow is constantly melting making the roads wet and dirty from the rock they throw on the roads, so I have left it for a few days..... The pipes should be okay i think they are stainless, as long as you don't leave it too long and if you do, theres always stainless polish.... I used a tonne on my Vulcan when I had it.... Its actually nice riding the 14 in the colder temps, legs stay warm!!! Are you in south or north AB??? I had the bike done in 3m rockguard are well, they did the front fender, upper and lower fairings and the tank so that helps with the dirty roads...

Iceman, assist with posting pic. Looking good.

Thnx Steven14 for the pic assistance.

Fuzz, I'm just north of Calgary. Perhaps one of these weekends we could get out for a ride together. Today is out as my family is all getting together for Easter dinner. Send me a private message with contact info if you're interested.

Rock guard eh! Look forward to seeing that... Did you do the first service yet? I'm up to 700 miles now and went through all the service items at 500 miles. The oil came out like water - yike! I'm using MOTUL oil now which seems pretty good. The chain stretched quite a bit the first 600 miles but seems to have slowed up dramatically. I've never had a bike with throttle adjustments that I messed with - wow, I've got it set pretty tight and its awesome!

Have you adjusted your suspension much?

Ice.... no haven't done the first service yet, gonna take it into Redline to have it done probably the beggining of May, I can see that my chain is sagging a bit as well so I'll get em to snug it up when I am there.... I bet they use pretty generic oil from the factory.... how do you like the Motul??? Notice a difference in the shifting or performance?? I haven't messed with anything yet still getting used to her and her power, but I would like to play around with the suspension... I am over 200lbs and the bike feels a tad mushy.. Ya the rockguard you can't tell its on unless you are looking for it, they did a good job.... Ya we will for sure have to meet up for a ride one of these days.... How do you find the flat colours for cleaning?? Can you wax like normal??? I really liked the flat black I wish Kawi made one straight flat black.... I was worried about cleaning and bug guts leaving it shiny.... Have ou messed with the suspension at all??

Well, after changing the oil I thought the bike had a much more consistent cold idle and drop to the warm idle setting. From posts on this site it looks like Mobil 1 synthetic gets a higher rating although the "stealer" I bought from said Motul was better, which translates to "it cost more". So, I know its better oil than was in the bike but that's about it for now.

Yeah, I'm over 225lbs and the front shocks would bottom out over railway crossings. So I went through some recommended settings by others on the net, did a little riding and made a couple more adjustments. It's a little strong for riding around town but perfect for a little more aggressive riding.

The flat colors seem fine with wax, I just did a complete clean on Friday and it seems to hold a pretty consistent shine. I like the colors of your bike, in 5 years we'll see which tend to look better after some use. I really like the Orange for the '09's... stay in touch!

hey iceman how far north and were you at bragg creek on saturday. I've just got 950kms and am going to do the oil change today but am using bel-ray semi syn because no one seems to have the opti-4 anymore

Hey otrfab, I'm 1/2 mile east of Airdrie. On Saturday I was got out riding around Airdrie and into Calgary but that was it. I've heard the cops patrol hwy 22 pretty strong on Saturdays - did you see any?

otrfab, can you post a full screen shot of your avatar?

thank for the interest I will post a picture after my new pipe is on and my friends will be there too!

my friends will be there too!

then i won't have to do the any more