autofreak
12-24-2008, 05:12 AM
Soft, hazy sun warms through a ceiling of wispy cloud, casting edgeless shadows across the flicks of our B-road test route. With the temperature in the high teens and sparse mid afternoon traffic, we're on our second lap, having pitted the Suzuki and BMW against each other this morning. My first turn on the Kawasaki is a revelation.
After teasing the Suzuki's throttle, waiting for it to settle over bumps and generally being as smooth as hammy fists allow, the way the ZZR can be slung about and glued to lines makes it feel like a sportsbike. Admittedly, it's a quarter of a tonne of bulbous sportsbike, but a sportsbike all the same. The ride's firmer, more controlled than the Busa's, and the ZZR does a better job of hiding tourer-shaming weight. The riding position is less encumbering, while feedback is easier to fathom than the unfamiliar banter streaming from the BMW. There's a slight choppiness to the ride, which suggests the damping isn't as plush as the Suzuki's, but it's the sort of thing you only. notice
riding the bikes back-to-back. Confidence spirals.
But as faith grows, things get ragged. Gassing the ZZR out of second and third gear cor-nefS can get the rear end loose - not sliding, but writhing as the tyre calls time and the shock 'struggles with bumps and hard acceleration. Things peak when Bruce corners over a crest at the sort of speeds these bikes make so easy and the rear kicks out while the front is six inches off the road. The ensuing violent slapper empties photographer Chippy of expletives ami. shakes Bruce, saying it's the closest he's ever b8errto crashing without testing leather.
Our own stupid fault? Perhaps, but the other bikes made the pass at similar speed without incident. The ZZR looks to be on the same Bridgestone BT-014 tyres as the KI200S but with a different suffix. Kawasaki sometimes specify OE tyres with the focus on making them hard wearing (ask any ER-6n owner), but it's counter-productive on the 1400. The tyre can't grip, spins up more easily, upsetting the handling and wearing out quicker than a grippier compound. Ours is shot in 600 miles.
And there's humongous shunt trying to break traction. When the ZZR appeared in 2006 we loved the top-end rush but were disappointed by low-rev power. Th~ engine felt restricted below sooorpm, missing the expected instant wallop and giving an awkward bump in the delivery.
Not any more. Peak output is the same but revisions for this year have given the ZZR the bottom-end it sorely lacked, with part-throttle response improved everywhere. There's the surging, elastic, horizon¬wrenching urgency a bike called ZZR should have, though I assume they've achieved it by pouring more fuel in. Economy is the worst. Response and fuelling are fine, and the motor has none of the BMW's rasping gruffness, but it doesn't have the Suzuki's creamy smoothne-ss either, with tingling secondary vibration on motorways.
Other gripes? On open routes the ride isn't as supple as the GSX1300R, and repeated stopping and turning to appease Chippy soon cooks the front brakes, the lever coming back to the bar. The ABS is too keen as well.
138
If this sounds down, it shouldn't. Splitting the Kawasaki and Suzuki is difficult the Busa wins on faster roads, motorways, test strip and image the ZZR almost pulls it back with taut handling, comprehensive clocks and an understated, classier persona. But not quite.
Second opinion
The first thing I notice is that it feels lighter and slimmer than the Hayabusa. It looks great from the front, too, the headlights giving a purposeful look, and viewed from the side the ZZR appears long and sleek, maybe aided by the 1980s Ferrari fairing louvre. Pity the back end looks dated.
The engine still lacks the low¬down pulling power of the Suzuki, but it's far better than the previous model and there's still a massive amount of torque. It's plenty fast enough - though I managed to get the onboard computer to show 14mpg - and has the flexibility to pull from low revs in a higher gear.
During speed testing the ZZR is excellent throughout its speed range and remains stable in all areas - riding fast on the circuit it turns in and corners well, coping with bumps and holding crisp lines. It also feels more neutral at the bars t'lPn the Busa, like it's protesti ng less.
One gripe I do have is with the stock tyres. They lack outright grip, even when given plenty of time to warm up and you never feel like you can confidently ride hard. On a bike like this they should be 'capable of handling the bike's output, but the OE tyres aren't as good as the equivalent replacements.
On the road the ZZR can keep up with the Suzuki, dusts the BMW, 'and the Kawasaki's ability to ride round corners and carry more speed gives it an edge. This is short lived whenlhe Busa drives out of turns with superior grunt, and this balances out the two bikes. But the Kawasaki, for all its styling attitude and horsepower, simply doesn't appeal like the Suzuki.
Living with it
FUEL ECONOMY
Those of a nervous disposition, and pregnant ladies, sit down. On our B-road loop, the ZZR returned only l0.05kpl, averaged 12.17kpl over its time with us, and returned a best of 15.82kpl on the motorway. The 22-litre tank gives an average range of 267 kilo metres.
FIXTURES AND FITTINGS
There's a single, sizeable wire bungee point on each side at the rear of the seat unt, but the tank is half metal and half plastic - so forget magnetic tank bags and there's no stashing space beneath the one-piece seat. Up back, pillions get a single, rearset grab rail. Rear damping adjustment is easy to locate, but the locking ring preload is difficult to get at and there's no C-spanner provided with the toolkit.
CLOCKS
Not the most glamorous design but everything's there, with large analogue speed and revs supported by a digital display that shows the odometer, two trips, time, plus either volts, average mpg, current mpg or range. They're not that accurate, mind. There's also a small gear position indicator, fuel load and engine temperature.
After teasing the Suzuki's throttle, waiting for it to settle over bumps and generally being as smooth as hammy fists allow, the way the ZZR can be slung about and glued to lines makes it feel like a sportsbike. Admittedly, it's a quarter of a tonne of bulbous sportsbike, but a sportsbike all the same. The ride's firmer, more controlled than the Busa's, and the ZZR does a better job of hiding tourer-shaming weight. The riding position is less encumbering, while feedback is easier to fathom than the unfamiliar banter streaming from the BMW. There's a slight choppiness to the ride, which suggests the damping isn't as plush as the Suzuki's, but it's the sort of thing you only. notice
riding the bikes back-to-back. Confidence spirals.
But as faith grows, things get ragged. Gassing the ZZR out of second and third gear cor-nefS can get the rear end loose - not sliding, but writhing as the tyre calls time and the shock 'struggles with bumps and hard acceleration. Things peak when Bruce corners over a crest at the sort of speeds these bikes make so easy and the rear kicks out while the front is six inches off the road. The ensuing violent slapper empties photographer Chippy of expletives ami. shakes Bruce, saying it's the closest he's ever b8errto crashing without testing leather.
Our own stupid fault? Perhaps, but the other bikes made the pass at similar speed without incident. The ZZR looks to be on the same Bridgestone BT-014 tyres as the KI200S but with a different suffix. Kawasaki sometimes specify OE tyres with the focus on making them hard wearing (ask any ER-6n owner), but it's counter-productive on the 1400. The tyre can't grip, spins up more easily, upsetting the handling and wearing out quicker than a grippier compound. Ours is shot in 600 miles.
And there's humongous shunt trying to break traction. When the ZZR appeared in 2006 we loved the top-end rush but were disappointed by low-rev power. Th~ engine felt restricted below sooorpm, missing the expected instant wallop and giving an awkward bump in the delivery.
Not any more. Peak output is the same but revisions for this year have given the ZZR the bottom-end it sorely lacked, with part-throttle response improved everywhere. There's the surging, elastic, horizon¬wrenching urgency a bike called ZZR should have, though I assume they've achieved it by pouring more fuel in. Economy is the worst. Response and fuelling are fine, and the motor has none of the BMW's rasping gruffness, but it doesn't have the Suzuki's creamy smoothne-ss either, with tingling secondary vibration on motorways.
Other gripes? On open routes the ride isn't as supple as the GSX1300R, and repeated stopping and turning to appease Chippy soon cooks the front brakes, the lever coming back to the bar. The ABS is too keen as well.
138
If this sounds down, it shouldn't. Splitting the Kawasaki and Suzuki is difficult the Busa wins on faster roads, motorways, test strip and image the ZZR almost pulls it back with taut handling, comprehensive clocks and an understated, classier persona. But not quite.
Second opinion
The first thing I notice is that it feels lighter and slimmer than the Hayabusa. It looks great from the front, too, the headlights giving a purposeful look, and viewed from the side the ZZR appears long and sleek, maybe aided by the 1980s Ferrari fairing louvre. Pity the back end looks dated.
The engine still lacks the low¬down pulling power of the Suzuki, but it's far better than the previous model and there's still a massive amount of torque. It's plenty fast enough - though I managed to get the onboard computer to show 14mpg - and has the flexibility to pull from low revs in a higher gear.
During speed testing the ZZR is excellent throughout its speed range and remains stable in all areas - riding fast on the circuit it turns in and corners well, coping with bumps and holding crisp lines. It also feels more neutral at the bars t'lPn the Busa, like it's protesti ng less.
One gripe I do have is with the stock tyres. They lack outright grip, even when given plenty of time to warm up and you never feel like you can confidently ride hard. On a bike like this they should be 'capable of handling the bike's output, but the OE tyres aren't as good as the equivalent replacements.
On the road the ZZR can keep up with the Suzuki, dusts the BMW, 'and the Kawasaki's ability to ride round corners and carry more speed gives it an edge. This is short lived whenlhe Busa drives out of turns with superior grunt, and this balances out the two bikes. But the Kawasaki, for all its styling attitude and horsepower, simply doesn't appeal like the Suzuki.
Living with it
FUEL ECONOMY
Those of a nervous disposition, and pregnant ladies, sit down. On our B-road loop, the ZZR returned only l0.05kpl, averaged 12.17kpl over its time with us, and returned a best of 15.82kpl on the motorway. The 22-litre tank gives an average range of 267 kilo metres.
FIXTURES AND FITTINGS
There's a single, sizeable wire bungee point on each side at the rear of the seat unt, but the tank is half metal and half plastic - so forget magnetic tank bags and there's no stashing space beneath the one-piece seat. Up back, pillions get a single, rearset grab rail. Rear damping adjustment is easy to locate, but the locking ring preload is difficult to get at and there's no C-spanner provided with the toolkit.
CLOCKS
Not the most glamorous design but everything's there, with large analogue speed and revs supported by a digital display that shows the odometer, two trips, time, plus either volts, average mpg, current mpg or range. They're not that accurate, mind. There's also a small gear position indicator, fuel load and engine temperature.