thats right, every week or so, i am fascinated with a new machine. one of these days i am going to come home with a new toy, once i've savored every tidbit of info about any and every bike i can lay my eyes on.

i got the motorcycle bug. bad, if you didnt notice.

this week, its the kawasaki zr-9r.

every time i begin a new obsession its because what i think i want in a bike has changed.

i want: a liquid cooled bike that is smooth, comfortable, and relatively agile for the street. and it has to be right at home on the highway.

my current ride, kawi zr-7s is nearly perfect for me. its a comfy ride, its been a great first bike, and i will probably keep it since it meeds MOST of my needs.

but its wheezy on the highway. its only a 5speed, and its buzzy at freeway speeds, around 6krpm at 80mmph....clikc it down to 4th and crack the throttle slightly and you mosey on up to 100 with little effort. but still, she's buzzin in a way that leaves you tingly all over even after my 15 mile commute, and thats not the good tingle, but a "i cant feel anything" tingle...

if i could drop in a smoother liquid cooled zx-7r motor, boy that would take care of me just fine. but i have no idea if i could, and i kinda doubt it would drop right in tranny and all.

so my thoughts are on the slick zx-9r. i know the more precise and more open-class racer oriented zx-10r is coming, but i want the comfort and practicality (what little there is) in the 9r.

apparently it gets good mileage too, which i do care about.

oh yeah. the question...anyone ride a 9r? would it be comfy for a 6 ft 3in 250lb rider? i can sit on bikes all day and it doesnt tell me whether or not its a good fit for me or not...

 

I rode a zx-9r once for just a short trip and I did find it to be more comfy than my 600rr, really the only other bike I can compare it to. The seat is nice and soft as oppsed to mine that is like a brick. The only problem I ran into is my knees seemed to hit the tank when ever I changed gears (I'm 6'5" 210). Something you may want to look into since you are close to my height.

Performance wise, it did not handle as well as my bike. It seemed much larger and was a little slower on turn in. Throttle response was also noticabley different. Of course this is due to the carb vs FI. Crack open the throttle on the 9r and it hesitated before it took off. Only for a split second, but noticable to me. But then of course it pulled much harder!!!

Nice bike, but I still prefer my 600rr over it.

 

6 foot 5 on a 600RR. is that comfortable? have you ever sat on it and gone though a whole tank of gas without stopping to un-pretzel?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by falconGSR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">6 foot 5 on a 600RR. is that comfortable? have you ever sat on it and gone though a whole tank of gas without stopping to un-pretzel?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I've never really ridden any other bike for more than a half hour so I really don't have much to compare the 600rr to. But for me it really is not too bad, and I have ridden it for almost a full tank, ~135 miles straight. I dont feel cramped at all and I beleive this is due to the tank design as it seems to be fairly narrow. The only thing I notice is my wrists get a little sore, but I can see that with any sportbike.

 

The 9r is like a couch compared to my 6r. I rode a riding buddy's and it was great. I had room to stretch and change positions. And well the powerband is very literish. Turn in was a bit slower but mid corner lines were as stable. Exit is tricky for me coming from a 6. Very easy to lose the rear getting greedy. I'd suggest it. From what the girls say, 2up is a little better on the 9r. It's not obvious to me but I'm never back there anyways.

 

this is killing me. i really cant afford to get a new bike if i plan on getting a house next year. damn i hate financial responsibility.

 

My mate has a ZX9-R and we swap bikes allot. My advice is stay away from them. They are quick enough but feel really vague at the back end, don't know why. Ususal Kwak strongpoints i.e brakes, and front end.

Its a shame that they were never 'sorted'

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Luke &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My mate has a ZX9-R and we swap bikes allot. My advice is stay away from them. They are quick enough but feel really vague at the back end, don't know why. Ususal Kwak strongpoints i.e brakes, and front end.

Its a shame that they were never 'sorted' </TD></TR></TABLE>

i honestly feel that i lack the experience AND the necessary roads to notice if a bike is "vague" or "sorted". but, alas, the point is moot, as i really cant score a new bike... and i cant get away with a midlife crisis at 25...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by falconGSR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
and i cant get away with a midlife crisis at 25...</TD></TR></TABLE>

I do daily, I'm 33

 

i cant afford a midlife crisis right now. i think i know what you do for a living and its no suprise you can afford it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by falconGSR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i cant afford a midlife crisis right now. i think i know what you do for a living and its no suprise you can afford it.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

'accomodation of one's needs is wholly relative to emotion not money'

Luke 2003

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Luke &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

'accomodation of one's needs is wholly relative to emotion not money'

Luke 2003 </TD></TR></TABLE>

easy for you to say perhaps. unfortunately not a valid statement in my eyes.

 

My friend has a zx9 and loved it until he got his new sv650. Then he realized how bad the handling was and is trying to get rid of it. He's still faster on his 9 but it'll just take him a little longer until he gets used to the sv.