If this has already been covered, so very sorry. But I was wondering if anyone else experiences a very rough 1st gear engagement from neutral. I have had a very hard clunk and even a grind a couple of times. It seems to be at its worst when the bike is warming up, and I hit 1st to start out on my ride. My bike is still in break in, so perhaps it gets better with more miles?

Completely normal for the ZX14. Make sure your clutch system doesn't have any air in it.
Called the "Kawasaki Clunk"

Mad

Unfortunately, it a forever. You see, the one [output] transmission shaft is constantly turning with the engine. The other [output] shaft is connect to the rear wheel via chain. The clunk is when a sliding gear enters a spinning gear as it enters 1st gear.

For the clutch workings, the big clutch outer runs with the engine, the clutch inner spins with the engine [when in N], but when you pull the clutch in, the inner is still spinning; but once you step on 1st, the clunk, then the clutch inner stops spinning.

Does not matter new, well broken in, or a high miler, it's the spinning, noisy mechanics of the bike and that gear separation method. You won't find any posts about 1st gear replacements; so there really is no worry about.

For the clunk; I start in 1st, then slowly take off and let the bike pull me at idle to warm up. No clunk. 20k or so miles, if the traffic light is short, I hold the lever in and am always in 1st if it calls for a stop. No clunk. If I think I'm making heat, clutch in, not transfer of plate to plate for heat dissipation, I still catch N as if new.

Take it for what it worth... propane torched a new steel clutch plate, discolored blue and all, put it on a surface plate and notice no warp. So I figured if that plate takes the kind of heat, then a steel plate will never see kind of heat with my long holds, doubt it will turn color with the oil feed it gets anyway.

All I know is if it does not clunk then I must have no 1st gear left but then it is the same way with my ZRX and FJR.

I agree with everyone else and this has been discussed a jillion times so don't worry about a clunk. I used to roll the bike forward while clicking to 1st gear and that helped soften the clunk a lot. I never heard a grind though. ...maybe if you tried to engage 1st gear very gently?

Thanks for all the info fellas, sounds like nothing to worry about then. :)

My 2012 has been like it from new but it's no big deal. Don't be afraid to be positive with the lever and never try to use a "light touch" to engage. My 1000RX and ZX10 from the 80's were the same. A "clunk" = solid strong gearbox IMO. The slickest box I've ever used was on a 1990 GSXR1100 I owned back in the day.