Hi !
I recently read that, the 2020 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R will be its "Final Model". Does this means the bike will be discontinued ? I am currently planning to buy it since its been a dream bike, but with its discontinuation... Should I ?
Thanks !

Well, I'm pretty sure the only opinions you will hear from this board are "definitely get the bike!!" what are your concerns IF Kawasaki decides to retire the model?

And on that note... where did you hear that this is the final model year? I did a quick search and wasn't able to find anything obvious but I didn't put a lot of effort in either.

Well my major concern is parts, I live in Bali, Indonesia and parts are a major drawbacks here. Even with the most sold bike here (Ninja 250) I'm having problems with parts
I'm planning to keep this bike since it's something you can live with, but I can't see it running for 10+ years !

Oh and I found out in Twitter, it came from a Kawasaki dealership in Japan. I googled "Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R High Grade Final Model"

* Last updated by: kresna113 on 9/9/2019 @ 10:29 AM *

You'll never run out of parts for the 14r in your lifetime!LOL.And

Hahaha
Thanks !

But hey, can I get a custom factory color ? Or I should paint it myself ? I'm looking for a bright blue one, like the 2013 model year

You can buy Kawasaki bodywork forever as well!...lol...2013 didn't have 'bright blue' bodywork...

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 9/9/2019 @ 6:53 PM *

So I guess custom paint by myself it is then ?

I think they did for US Market, it was Surf Blue

Oh and btw, how's the bike cope up with traffic ? I've only ridden it during night time (where most of them, like 2 or 3 bikes rides) and are very curious about traffic situation

hi Kresna,
nice to know a fellow forum member who lives in Bali
am staying in Bintan, Riau Islands

Hi there ! Glad to see fellow Indonesian

How's your bike so far ? I really wanted to get a ZX-14R so yeah
Have it overheat during traffic? I hope not

* Last updated by: kresna113 on 9/9/2019 @ 7:47 PM *

If that's the read, it would be a nice departure since it's had a 14 year run at it. If that too was a press release and some of the bits read: polished intake ports, head chamber reworked, compression ratio change, harder treated valves for longer lasting wear, bungee cord hooks, helmet hooks, modified muffler internals, suspension internals... you'd have the top of the heap of the 14 product line, and engine family. Many parts can be swapped between years, yes. From 2006 to 2020, a high percentage of chassis parts can be interchangeable between years. Engine family parts are from 2012 up to 2020.

I doubt the bike will overheat in traffic. To many years of too many 14's says too little blown head gasket threads; if any at all.

11, 12, 14, and now what is next?

To be honest, I'm starting to think I'm an idiot. It could be ZX-14R H/G a.k.a Performance Sport a.k.a ZX-14R Öhlins. And the Final Model means the final model to be unveiled

Do you think the big ZX will survive Euro 5 and 6 to come?

RE: 2020 is the final year for ZX-14R?
09/09/19 7:46 PM

Hi there ! Glad to see fellow Indonesian

How's your bike so far ? I really wanted to get a ZX-14R so yeah
Have it overheat during traffic? I hope not

well, to be exact am Swiss, been in Bintan for 30 odd years though...
just got back from a Sumatra road trip, Toba, Banda Aceh, etc...
30k on the meter after 3 years, no major issue to report... the double cooling fans on the radiator sure help
the only problem with this bike... once you have one, you don't want to switch to any other kind

you must have heard of Kawasaki Indonesia letting the 14r go at 30% discount... time to buy, i would say!

Oh sorry about that
Yeah, that 30% disc surely is tempting. Now my old Ninja 250 had issues with the cam chain and tensioner, what are the odds of it happening on the big ZX ?

Oh an, is that 125mm ground clearance a problem ? My scooter which has 128mm always scrapes something on the road

Kresna...yes,you were correct about that blue colored one.I totally forgot about that.That was my second choice,white was first but they didn't have it in abs.So I went with goldblazonedgreen...never looked back.

Cam chain tensioner problems?Nah...seriously doubt you'll have problems with it.Clearance?Just be careful I guess...or stiffen the suspension some...

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 9/9/2019 @ 11:38 PM *

Oh sorry about that

no reason to be sorry, he he he...
am riding solo, so far ground clearance has not been an issue...
as a teaser for the great touring potential of the bike... pic taken last week in Aceh, on the way down Sumatra's west coast

A few forum members have reported issues with the cam chain tensioner on the ZX14, the stock unit uses oil pressure from the engine to push the tensioner against the chain. I'm not sure what percentage of people replaced the stock tensioner with a manual one because of paranoia or if they actually had an issue. My 2008 with 85k on it still has the stock cam chain tensioner with no issues.

Similar for heat, haven't heard of any bikes overheating and causing problems, but quite a few people who live in hotter climates (Canadian summers are NOT known for being hot) have installed a second radiator fan to help keep the engine cool in traffic. The biggest downside is that the hot air has to go somewhere and at least on the old models that somewhere typically is your legs as I'm not sure if they adjusted the fairings at all on the new model years.

Despite that, I'd still personally recommend the bike and I echo islandninja's comment of once you ride it you won't want to go back to something else. When you have a nice open stretch and you hit the throttle there's nothing like the feeling of literally having to hold on while this beast lets loose.

Manual cam chain tensioner
https://www.aperaceparts.com/tech/tensioners.html

Radiator fan, Muzzy's Performance used to sell the second fan "kit" however they have since closed business, so I'm not sure if this is a replacement of the stock or an add-on kit.
https://store.schnitzracing.com/kawasaki/ninja-zx14/engine/cooling-system

That's awesome !
Any recommendations for getting the 14R ready for touring ? What about the fuel ? Have you been forced to run 92 ? Is it okay ?
And 85k miles on its original tensioner ? My 250 died at 20k ! Ran for another 10k and boom, the tensioner failed

And I guess I'm worrying too much about that ground clearance, he he he

Oh and I've no clue how to reply properly, so sorey if I created confusion

* Last updated by: kresna113 on 9/10/2019 @ 8:05 AM *

Gen 1's had a single fan and Gen 2's have dual fans.

Some Gen 1 people would add a 2nd fan.

So far this summer 30+ days with temps over 110+f degrees, no problems.

Indonesia high temps in the 80f's I'd need to wear a sweater!

* Last updated by: piken on 9/10/2019 @ 8:30 AM *

well, to be exact am Swiss, been in Bintan for 30 odd years though...

* Last updated by: extrapolator on 9/10/2019 @ 8:32 AM *

Any recommendations for getting the 14R ready for touring ? What about the fuel ? Have you been forced to run 92 ? Is it okay ?

if you are touring beyond the island where you live, get a Surat Jalan from the Traffic Police (Satlantas)
my preferred touring luggage: Kriega US30 rear seat bag with Rok straps + Givi Xstream 15lit. magnetic tank bag
would also recommend to get a KRS insurance (Kawasaki Road Service) for 24/7 emergency assistance
the 14r fuel tank comes with a sticker requesting petrol with minimum octane 95 = Pertamax Plus
i try to run only on Pertamax Turbo 98, but had sometimes to accept some Pertamax 92 top up

islandninja ... How does a Swiss end up in Indonesia? (for 30 years?!)

job in the offshore oil industry, which brought me to the Far East in 1982, coz no oil & no sea in Switzerland
fell off the boat in Indonesia, liked the place and decided to stick around as oilfield tubulars consultant
switched career in the early 2000's, now running a small beachfront guesthouse on Bintan Island, near Singapore
... we have a great resort team, this allows me to periodically disappear on road trips
the Indonesian archipelago has a excellent network of car ferries, this helps too!

job in the offshore oil industry, which brought me to the Far East in 1982, coz no oil & no sea in Switzerland
fell off the boat in Indonesia, liked the place and decided to stick around as oilfield tubulars consultant
switched career in the early 2000's, now running a small beachfront guesthouse on Bintan Island, near Singapore
... we have a great resort team, this allows me to periodically disappear on road trips
the Indonesian archipelago has a excellent network of car ferries, this helps too!

Awesome

My better half is Swiss heritage ... Mom, dad and 3 older sisters all born there. She was the first born in the US. BH loves Switzerland ... I hear about it all the time HAHA! That's OK, I've been there 3 times and it is very nice. Never been to Indonesia; would like to go one day

hey extrapolator, nice to know that you have a link to Switzerland too!
motorcycle touring there is great, but only during summer...
cheers

kresna113,

For touring mods it depends on what your needs are, for me I wanted better comfort so I started with an aftermarket seat (I got a Seragent Cycle seat but Corbin is also very good), then I did a LSL handle bar conversion kit to get me sitting more upright and a touring windscreen. You might not need any of these and are more interested in what islandninja mentioned regarding luggage but there's lots of options out there to fit your needs.

As for octane rating, both the 2008 & 2018 have the same compression ration (12.3:1), my user manual called for 91 rated octane and I've run anything from 89 to 92 and didn't notice any difference nor any pinging. BUT this will depend on your situation as well, I live in a cool climate at an altitude over 1000m high with quite a few hills in the area, while I didn't have any problems running the lower than recommended octane rating you might have issues being in a warmer climate at/near sea level.

The other thing to consider is how do the gasoline stations in your area calculate the octane rating of their fuel and what exactly does the motorcycle call for? RON is most common, MON also exists and Canada we use AKI (the average between the 2) so just make sure you get fuel that is close to what is called for (I'd suggest if it calls for RON 91 get that, not higher not lower)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating#Measurement_methods

Hey is the seating position on a ZX-14R really that bad so you'll need a riser ? I've ridden one for an hour so I couldn't tell.

Well for the octane rating, Indonesia used RON and bukes that has a compression ratio above 12 is recommended to use RON 98. However not many petrol station sell the RON 98 so I was curious if its okay to fill it up with RON 92 IF there's no RON 98 anywhere to be seen
Oh and btw, does fuel tuning needed for this bike ? I read it was running lean for 2016-onwards due to Euro 4 regulations