Was out riding the VF700 yesterday and decided to stop into the Kaw dealer to say hi. This was sitting there..... It's a 2014 EBR 1190SX.....WOW! Why haven't I heard of these before? For those like me who don't know here are some numbers, 185 hp, 101.6 ft-lbs torque and only weighs 414lbs wet! (but sans fuel) They have it intro priced at $14,995.....2 grand under MSRP. They let me sit on it and start it up but I didn't even ask for a test ride. They might let me but with 185hp I better check on my life insurance policy first and make sure its paid up. :eagerness: That's 100 more horses and 100lbs less weight than anything I've ever ridden. The color display looked amazing, so did the rest of the bike. It looks straight up race bike to me. I bet it would smoke just about anything around here....if you can keep it on the ground! http://www.erikbuellracing.com/motorcycles/1190sx-2/
I think both of those bikes are beyond me. I'm still very interested in the FZ-09 but I need to check one out in person. At $8,190 its less than half the price of those $17K brutes! Dyno testing has the FZ-09 at 107hp and 62lb-ft at the wheel. I think that's a better fit for someone who has only ridden a '77 KZ1000 and an '84 VF700. Gotta work up to something like those two 150+hp at the wheel monsters! Someday!
If you don't weigh about 130lbs, you better get ready to spend about $1000+ on suspension on the FZ-09.Great engine, but the suspension is made for little kids and svelte ladies. Cycle World and Motorcyclist have both done long term tests on them and they both changed suspension front and back. I haven't yet ridden the 1190RX nor SX, but I can tell you that even tho I weigh 265, they felt very good, not hard, but not wallowing either. SInce I used to sell Yamaha, alog with Suzuki and Triumph, I can definitely say that there is a huge difference in the springs between the FZ-09 and other bikes.
Set up like the one we saw at Simi Yami & Suzuki...that thing had just about every upgrade..and the guy was what 6'4.....swwwweeeet
Ya, like here... http://www.cycleworld.com/2014/10/22/yamaha-fz-09-long-term-test-update-2-review-specifications/ I'm sure not 130....more like 230. Every review says the suspension on the FZ-09 is too soft. Why the heck would they do that, gotta be price point, no other reason. Up the price by $500-$700 and put a better suspension on it I say. If it really is that bad. Is it really that bad? It can't be worse than the two bikes I am currently riding can it? The KZ has no suspension at all, feels like riding around on a marshmallow. I'm not sure how the Vf700 ranks but I figure it can't be great considering it's 30 yrs old. I saw on forums lots of guys waiting for the '15 hoping Yamaha would do something about the suspension. Nope.....just changed the colors. Have you seen the yellow? I dunno about that....makes it look like a dirt bike to me. But I do like the matte gray.
Any opinions on the Aprilia Shiver 750? It's not the powerhouse the FZ-09 is but no complaints about the suspension I can find. The Shiver is $8,699...with the FZ-09 bump up to $8,190 this year that's only $500 more for the Italian bike and probably no need to mess with suspension or anything else on it. http://www.apriliausa.com/motorcycles/shiver-750.html
