Ok guy's don't bitch me out ZX14???

He said your bike and $5500? I personally would keep the VFR and get a bike with hp with the $5500. There are plenty of bikes out there second hand that fit that description. Plus Kawi has had a reputation for service problems that Honda hasn't. And I'm talking about brand in general. So if you had 2 when the Kawi broke down you'd still have transportation. IMOP

 

I'll second this choice!! I hate dealer pricing and dealer trade-ins more...

 

Dude, you live in CT with all the twisties and hills. Where the eff are you going to let that ZX14 rip?
They aren't many straightaways, maybe RT8 for a little distance, but it's slim in our small state.
If you trade it in, at least let me grab some of your goodies.

My Kawasaki opinion - I've owned 97 ZX7R, 02 ZRX1200, 05 Z1000. All great bikes, with one thing in common - RAW. They have power, plenty! Mechanically, you scrape your knuckles everytime, the most difficult Japanese bike to work on. My brother had ZX12R, that was a rocketship to the moon and the black seat turns to brown easily, but it's relieving!

Kawi is well known for clunky 1st gear shift with all bikes, nothing wrong with that.

FYI - I know a good deal on a great Kawi - it's sitting in my garage and it's perfect for you. You'll have plenty of money in your pocket after the purchase

 

Two bike’s just won't work for me...I wish I could. I hear you Kobe but man the acceleration would be great and hopefully you wouldn't have to do much on a new bike....I can't see the 14 handling a whole lot different...it's only 25lbs more and pretty much the same chassis size. Hell a good 4 into 1 ex system and rims would more than take care of the difference.....The only other thing that drive me a little crazy and again don’t get me wrong I love the VFR but the V Tec is wearing on me…….

 

Hey you keep out of this, I got first dibs on the goodies.:thumbsup:

 

LOL thanks guys!!! I'm trying to make one of my hardest decision I've had to make (as far as my toys are concerned) and you guy's are already parting my crap out!!!! LOL

 

Try wearing earplugs..... I'm not even getting into it's being better for your hearing later in life..... I'm talking about the difference in being able to keep the rpms up...... I can't keep the rpm's up without earplugs, it just puts me in a let'r rip frame of mind as long as I wear them. I started wearing them long before I was concerned about going deaf....

 

come on Doug we are just having somefun ( LOL get it )
really I think you will be happier w/ VFR and wait to see what the 2010 brings.
What is your issues w/ the V-tec????

But really if you do get rid of it DIBS

 

I know just kidding.....I like the motor but the transition is kinda a pain in the ass if your riding hard in the twisty....Hey does that V-Tec have a temp sensor that will not allow it to work before the bike warms up?

 

Yes it does.... 165º IIR...
Also I'd like the K&N air filter

 

yes bike needs to be above 140 before it will open up.
I have been able to use higher gear in corners to all tourqe to pull the bike thru turns and allow me to get the bike some what upright before V-tec kick in.

Food for thought I have been kicking around changing rear cam and lifters to rid myself of V-tec and see what kinda power the engine really has - most of the tuning will have to be done on dyno w/ power comander.
to me V-tec is more like 1st gen traction control and keeps the rear tire from lighting up coming out of the corners.

 

There are other ways and means than temp. I had a race CDI box on my 04 VFR - it was wired parallel to the stock CDI (ECU/PGM-Fi call it what you will) and kept the VTEC on full time. The miles/gallon went down the tube, but the bike felt a fair bit more powerful (the VTEC was not the only change - it relaxed the O2 sensors and some other bits). Supposedly torque went down, but I only noticed the mpg hit...

 

torque would go down at lower RPM's due to all the valves opening.
can you provide info on RACE CDI you speak of, as I am very interested in this.

 

go for it if thats what you think is the right bike for you. me I coulda had the 14 but i asked myself do i really need a bike this fast?186 governed, who am i impressing?and now i look like the rest of da hood..givi makes bags for all bikes...and its 169 at rear wheel...for me the rwb is not seen much people always look it over when they see it cuase the vfr has uniqueness and the sound,but the 14 is a very very fast bike,, so it looks like the rest..ever consider the new bmw???? but if its the 14 for you, wear your pants falling off your but,, and hold your pee pee when you walk you don't want to stand out in the 14 crowd..maybe a gold tooth not sure.. good luck dawg...

 

Ever spend a day on the track? I can almost guarantee that you will forget all about a 14 this or Busa that if you learn to ride what you have. Save yourself the cash, buy some leather and learn to ride the VFR properly...seriously. It'll change your outlook.

In my years and miles of riding one fact is becoming blatantly clear. Those who want more power can't use the power they already have.

OK now that my public service announcement is over I did in fact spend about 40 miles on a 14 a few weeks ago. My initial impression is if you like to twist a grip for your riding enjoyment, there might not be a better bike. If you like to ride for the sport aspect, not so much. The riding position was not very comfortable and the handling was long as I expected. You have to seriously arc that thing to keep it off the center line. The brakes were great I will say that. I didn't experience any transmission issues whatsoever. I thought the shifts were precise and smooth. This bike had about 2500 easy miles on it when I rode it.

Like someone said previously, this is a drag bike and that's about it. Not comfy for long rides, not able to corner very well for serious fun. That's just my take though...

 

It was a custom made unit from a specialist in the UK - costs 550GBP + shipping but (I know this is subjective) the bike gained the ability to stun, especially midrange. Outfit claimed it gives about 10hp, more if you gut the cat and put on the brand of cans they tell you (but you need to do this before they program your box). A side effect was that there was no more 'turbo lag' (which I don't mind anyway).

The main problem for me was in Europe we have HISS which (as you probably know) makes the machine useless to a thief except as a spare parts bin. This Race CDI bypassed HISS (in fact, I'm not sure why the stock CDI had to be there at all...) so I had major insurance concerns if the bike were ever to be stolen.

I also wasn't sure what messing with the o2 sensors would do to the life of the cat...

If you're still interested despite the drawbacks and price, I'll dig out their email address for you.

 

yes please send me the E mail addy :thumbsup:
Thanks

 

DJones@racetechdev.co.uk

Enjoy :smile:

 

You don't need to change any parts to try it out. All you need to do is hotwire the VTEC solenoid. I briefly had mine connected to a switch on the left handlebar so I could feel the difference while riding. There isn't much difference except the sound.

 

Well I decide to try the 14 I'm picking it up this Friday. Like I had said before I love my VFR but when I first got it (for me) it was not exactly how I liked things. So I made some changes...And they really made a difference....So I buy the 14 ride it make some changes to suit me better (if I need to) and see what happens....Worse case I hate the bike and get rid of it....However I will say I never hated anything the made me pucker!!! LOL :crazy:

PS. I have no gold teeth and I always wear a belt! lol

As far as track time I would love to but with small kids I lucky to get out and just ride....Thank for all the help guys...Don't hate me for going over to the dark side...