All good things must come to an end. I sold my 2006 zx14 this weekend for $6300 dollars. I was really bummed out to see it go but its time to move on. It was by far the best all around bike money could buy period. I put 21,045 miles on the bike in two short Midwest seasons. I replaced the tires, changed oil adjusted the chain (about 20 times) and changed spark plus and brake pads (neither really needed to be changed at the time). The only problems I ever had out of the bike have been known issues with early examples of the bike. The valve cover gasket went before I put a hundred miles on the bike and it was replaced under warranty however it continued to slowly seeped oil the entire time I owned the bike. The front rotors warped badly with only 7500 miles on the bike and they were replaced under warranty. The bike was an absolute beast in terms of straight line performance and could cover long distances in short periods of time like no other bike can. The upside is I will be picking up a liter bike in the next week or so.

You shoulda held on to the 14 wili, why not have both? The CBR is a hoot...for about 30 minutes then wrists and shoulders start aching, it's also a pain in the butt if you get caught in traffic. It's sure fun though when the road gets curvy, I'd love to have the '09 Repsol..very cool bike.

Kruz

* Last updated by: Kruz on 6/1/2009 @ 8:55 AM *

Yes I really wanted to keep the zx14 but it had 21,000 thousand miles on the clock. I took great care of that bike but I also beat the heck out of it from the moment I left the dealership up until the day I sold the bike. The bike ran great but I did not want to push my luck. I’ will suffer through the ownership processes of a 08 CBR for a while and if KHI fixes the soft suspension and or gives the zx14 a meaningful boost in power I'll be the first inline to pick one up.

I am in the same boat. I am very seriously considering selling the 14 and getting a an 08 cbr1k

Well, the 2009 CBR 1000 is once again top of the heap in the liter class so I can't really blame you guys for jumping ship. They're definitely a blast to ride but the ergos can get to you. I'll wait til early next year when they start discounting 'em and pick an '09 up for a deep discount. The left over '08s are selling cheap right now but theres always the chance you might get an oil burner....not worth the risk. I would like to catch a ride on one though and compare to my '07.

Kruz

Sorry to see you go to the cramped side of things. I must admit getting $6300 for an 06 with 21K sounds like you found the right buyer. Strike again while the iron is hot.

You must be kidding! A CBR 1000 for a zx 14? The 09 GSXR 1000 and the R1 will and do kill it> (the CBR) Hellllooooo! Are you Americans behind time? Check Ben Spies out, dude! No disrespect to the Nation. Are you guys really with it? I know that I will get all sorts of clever and silly comments and abuse for this, but facts is/are/whatever facts!!!!

harleyzx1400 stop reading those magazine shootouts. The fact a CBR1000 wins those things means nothing to me. Yeah see I'm not a 130lbs nor a world class rider so those 4/100 of a second mean nothing to me at all. I buy bikes that look good to me,perform well and I can get the best deal on at the time. The fact that you would compare a zx14 and a cbr1000 really begs the question........do you even own a bike????

The 2009 CBR 1000 is mopping up in every literbike shootout I've seen to date. Nothing but first places while the new R1 has ranged from 2nd to dead last. Spies could win races riding a Vespa, Rossi the same. It's the rider not the bike. Honda rules! Maybe I'm reading the wrong mags.

Kruz

* Last updated by: Kruz on 6/2/2009 @ 2:23 PM *

Great choice of bike (1000RR), and you will love the agility compared to zx14. Enjoy the ride. I am sure you will be back on ZX14 soon enough though. :))

From what I am reading the new BMW 1000 may just lead the liter class. I have not seen a comparison yet as it is just being released.

Let's not make stories up around here!

The 09 R1 is the top liter dog... the gsxr 1000 is the worst
jap bike according to most magazines for this year.

The R1 even bested the groundbreaking RSV4!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiUsvQg1gs0

Not sure where the sound on this one is...

but they said that the R1 makes the CBR feel like a 600 cc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST4rDqrnVZ4

Can someone find the "sound" version of it too?

Hey, willidx4, I knew someone would not be able to resist posting a dumb comment. Shame on you. Actually, dear, I am on my second ZX 14 and they are absolutely awesome. Bye.

Dumb comments are the ones typed out of ignorance.
I don't test ride for the motorcycle magazines around the globe.
And btw there's the 09 R1 parked next to my a 14 for that same reason.

but they said that the R1 makes the CBR feel like a 600 cc.

They must have gotten an R1 that had been a bit "massaged". Check out Fast Bikes Liter Bike shootout this month on newstands and read their commentaries on how the bike they rode when that Youtube video was shot was much different from their actual test machine. They thought the R1 was pretty good until they got on the CBR. I've seen two '09 Literbike shootouts so far and CBR has topped both. Hey, they're all fast though and probably much better tham most of us riders can use anyway.

Kruz

* Last updated by: Kruz on 6/3/2009 @ 7:40 AM *

There's one area where the new R1 will be untouched by the rest... ugly and then some!

Never saw any pics of the new bike in this thread

Hey, I would love an R1, but I am quite tall and I do not think that my wrists would stand the long distances we can do in SA on our bikes. I just find the ZX 1400 very comfortable (with a bit of leg numbness after 400km or so, but a good shake fixes it for a while). I really love bikes and as I said, do not mean to show anyone any disrespect or look down on their choice of bike, but it is a forum afterall, and by the sounds of things, the previous forum did not go to well. I just love bikes, am 54 years old, and if any of you guys from this forum ever come to South Africa, please send me a mail and we can get together. It would be great to hear firsthand about your experiences in other parts of the world.Cheers.

I must confess, though, I have looked at the K1300S (great bike, nice driveshaft,too slow), and at the 09 Busa, also too much lean on the wrists. 09 Busa,stunning bike, and really performs well, unfortunately better than a stock ZX1400, although you have to really be hammering it to notice.

^^^++++++++1 Never could take my eyes off that G2 busa. I plan to pick up an 08 very soon. Not letting go of the 14 though - mods starting on that one.

All this liter bike talk is crazy. One guy says one thing, the next guy says something else, then somebody has another totally opposite opinion. I haven't been conducting research on liters lately but the last time I did, the ZX-10 seemed like it would be my pick. I love to sit on it when i go to the showroom. That rear fender looks so COOOOOOOOOOOL!!

Why no ZX-10 for you, willid? Best hp and almost as light as the Honda, no? Cheaper, too I think.

Rook

Rook, what part of the world are you?

Rook, what you have to do is filter through all the tests realizing that different testers will have different riding styles and different preferences and see if you can find some kind of consensus of opinion. Masterbike is a great example..... 16 test riders and they all seem to have a different opinion about the best bike.... but the lap times don't lie...or do they? After all this is on one track that may favor a certain power delivery, handling characteristics and riding style. In '07 the Honda CBR was dead last in the Masterbike competition but in '08 it was number one. The track they used was fast and favored top end power and speed, perfect for the '08 Honda. The Ducati 1098 didn't fare so well, a different track (tighter)could have meant different results. I feel your frustration bro, I went through the same thing for a year looking for the right liter machine, listening to all the BS and opinions til I was totally confused. I could afford just about any liter bike (except Maybe a 1098R or MV Augusta) but in the end it came down to the machine I thought looked best, had the qualities I was looking for and just tickled my fancy. After a year of looking it came down to an impulse buy made with less than 24 hours deliberation. I really believe you can't go wrong with any of the current crop and how you set it up, ergos, suspension etc. is going to make more of a differnce in the end than what bike your on. That explains why one bike can win one year and come in dead last the next even though on paper nothing has changed...it's all in the setup. If you want a ZX-10, buy one, the '08 and '09 are identical and the '08s are selling for under 10k out the door so there's bargains aplenty. Just save back a thou or so to get rid of dem ugleeeee pipes.

Kruz

* Last updated by: Kruz on 6/3/2009 @ 1:37 PM *

Rook wrote:

Why no ZX-10 for you, willid? Best hp and almost as light as the Honda, no? Cheaper, too I think.

It had come down to the '08 CBR 1000 and the '08 ZX-10 for me Rook but this is how I ended up going in a completely different direction. I sat on the ZX-10 in the showroom and the odd angle on the bars made my wrists hurt before I ever took it out on the road. Not good, the ergos just weren't right for a 6'3" guy. The ZX-10 topend rush is brilliant but I talked to an owner and he told me the midrange was soft (where I ride 90% of the time), low rpm vibration was omnipresent and the suspension was setup way too stiff. Worked great on a smooth track but beat you senseless on city streets with pavement joints and potholes (again where I do most of my riding). The '08 CBR fit me like a glove, ergos were dead on but the pug nosed look left me cold and the reports of high oil consumption and spotty quality control i.e. thin paint, rusting exhaust and notchy gearboxes turned me off. I kept looking at the last '07 CBR on the dealers showroom floor in Black/Red and thinking "gosh I like the looks of that bike, sure wish the '08 looked that good". I went home, dug up every road test I could find on the '07 and the more I read the more I realized this was the bike for me. It was not the most powerful, not the sharpest handling and didn't have the best brakes of the competition but what it did have was the best overall package, in a word synergy, where the sum of the parts is greater than whole. I kept hearing testers say things like,"this is the easiest bike to just jump on and go fast, it won't scare you senseless" and they were right. The midrange vibes are a bit bothersome (after coming off a 14 anything feels vibey) but I'm getting used to that and the bike just works for me. It's not scary at all and I can just pitch it in to a high speed corner without worrying if it's going to throw me off. Going fast is all about confidence and this bike delivers in spades, probably worth 10 hp on the top end. I don't think you'll be happy on a Gen II Busa Rook. It's too close to what you already have in performance, it's heavier and vibrates a bit. The literbike is a new world, light weight, quick turn-ins and transitions and just as fast as your 14 just a whole lot different feel that makes you look forward to riding it.

Kruz

Here's the results of the latest '09 shootout, another Honda win. complete article here:

http://www.motorcycle.com/shoot-outs/2009-literbike-shootout-88218.html?page=4

The Finish Line

First Place
Honda CBR1000RR – 96%

We liked the CBR so much last year that we knew it was still going to be a contender. But we weren’t sure how it would stack up against its newly minted competition. We need not have worried, as the 1000RR is a stellar performer regardless of what a rider asks of it.

“This bike is just so perfect!” raved Speed Kelly. “It’s so easy to ride – fast or slow – and no other bike has such a complete package. It’s so good that I want one.”

Highs: Lows:
Best in class agility
Stonkin' midrange power
Perception of quality
Gauges need updating
Tight fit for tall riders
Most expensive

Second Place
Kawasaki ZX-10R – 94%

We were more than a little surprised at the Ninja’s high overall ranking, so much so that we double- and triple-checked our math. Turns out that we got our sums correct, and the 10R accumulated a score a scant 0.4% higher than the next best. It has an admirable powertrain with the most horsepower, first-rate brakes and the lowest MSRP in the segment. And it looks way cooler in its optional new graphics package.

“The Kawasaki was probably the biggest revelation of the group, between street and track,” said Gardiner. “On the track it felt the ‘raciest.’ It was eager to turn and the motor is a monster, though far more tractable than it was in its two previous iterations.”

Highs: Lows:
Horsepower king
Reasonably priced
Feels wicked
Not the prettiest girl in school
Ergos don't suit all
A beast

Third Place
Suzuki GSX-R1000 – 93.6%

Coming in at a virtual tie with the ZX probably wasn’t what Suzuki was expecting when it reinvented its venerable Gixxer Thou. But that shouldn’t detract from what is perhaps the best all-round streetbike in this test, a totally competent handler and a class icon.

“Its plus points are the cool, easy-to-use dash, human-sized ergonomics that fit my six-foot frame, and that killer motor,” said Kelly, an owner of a K7 GSX-R1000. “My main dislikes are the styling. Suzuki seems to have tried too hard and ended up over-styling it with unnecessary angles and lines that just don't flow well.”

Highs: Lows:
Ergonomics and comfort
Tons of power
Best instrumentation
Mildly balky gearbox
Unremarkable styling
Untidy exhaust

Fourth Place
Yamaha R1 – 93.5%

If Suzuki won’t be thrilled with our shootout results, it’s a safe bet Yamaha won’t, either. But, really, we’re talking fractions of 1% here. The R1 is full of laudable characteristics, including its interesting new engine design – the sound alone is worth the price of admission. But that new engine has to be made heavy to control the cross-plane’s unique firing order vibrations, and that contributes to its chunky weight.

“What impressed me the most with the Yamaha was how easy it was to ride at a really fast pace on track – great brakes and handling,” said Mr. Speed. “What Yamaha has achieved is to make the R1 into a superbike for the masses.”

|
Highs: Lows:
Sexy engine sounds
Stable handling
Nice build quality
Not its weight!
Heavy steering
Looks fast

Kruz

Rook I went with the 08 CBR because I won it in an Ebay auction for 8200 bucks. I'll pick the bike up this Saturday from Mason City Iowa. Yeah I was going to go with the 10 simply because of the Kawi Green and I thought there was no way in Hell I could get a new 08 CBR1k for 8200 plus tax. I know its boring to hear but the resale on a zx10 is going to suck in two years the hit on a 8200 CBR 1k will be far better. It seems no one in Chicagoland wants to let one go for less than 9500 plus bullshit fees plus tax. I was thinking about just getting a left over 08 Busa but that’s too much like the zx14 but with liter bike like bars and seating position. If I'm going to suffer I would rather it be on a bike thats 120lbs ligther,handles better and is just as fast as a Busa. I'll wait to see if KHI makes some significant upgrades to the zx14 like better forks (springs) a stiffer rear shock and maybe some more power just to to piss off the Busa crowd. Just for the record there are people that join forums and talk shit that don't even own a bike. If you simply read there post it becomes obvious who they are. LOL True Story