Here it is then, My test ride report.......
Firstly, I actually got out on the 999r on Saturday and went for a mental blat along my regular route of fast A roads, I have got to admit that I was a little disappointed with my bike... My old 999s was almost perfect out of the crate. The R needs some suspension set ups and some decent rubber on it as the Michelin Pilot Race H2 are not really suited to the R in my opinion..... back to topic.....
Woke up bright and breezy this morning with the sun still shining from the weekend... headed off down to Bournemouth Kawasaki to see Pete, the head honcho whom I have known for years...
The ZX10 I had was NOT my choice of colour ..
flat silver and black
and I had to chuckle at the size of the chicken strips.... but to be fair we have had cruddy weather and salty roads and the bike only had 240 miles on it.
Set off gingerly through the town, and noticed straight away how much easier the bike was to ride, smaller,lighter, and so much easier at lower revs.
Got out of town and started some fast stuff towards Dorchester, everything about the bike just got better and better... the bike is so blindingly fast but so composed at the same time.... and it wheelies for a past time :P
Banging down the box the slipper clutch worked perfectly. I was amazed at how much better the brakes were in comparison to my R, considering my R uses Brembo and the Kwak uses Tocicko ( sp ?? ) Yeah, I know that they are both radial, but the ZX has a better feel to the lever. Considering the bike was totally standard, it had a really nice rasp to the exhaust note.
All of the controls were easy to use, the pegs are at a good height for road riding and the bars are set at just the right height... you do need to tuck in behind the screen at speed, but a double bubble would sort that out !
The only criticism I had with this bike was the excessive play in the throttle cable... easily remedied.....
I cannot believe how quickly this bike turns and flicks from side to side. Kawasaki have appeared to have gone from one extreme to another.. from very hard to suspension on previous models to softer suspension on this one... ( could actually do with a little firming up ) On hard acceleration, the rear end does seem to squat a little. But at standard settings, I found it pretty impressive.
I ran pretty much the same route that I used on Saturday on the R and I have to say that I covered ground faster on the ZX . I seemed to be able to scrub off speed a lot faster, and corner harder, with more composure. I always feel like I am fighting with my Duke.
I cannot describe the feeling that the ZX gives under hard acceleration .... other than.. Its Mental !!!!!! In the wrong hands this bikes is SERIOUSLY dangerous.
For harder road riding this bike does need a steering damper, I had a couple of slappers today ( yeah, ha-ha, no need to comment on this )we are not talking vigorous here, but more controlable twitches. The bike power wheelies in the first 3 gears and in higher gears it only takes a quick flick of the clutch or going over a small crest in the road and she still rears up...... I LOVE IT !!!!!!!
Heading back now, I did approx 100 miles and a tank of fuel and took the bike back with no chicken strips.
You are all right about Japanese bikes having no soul or character, but who really gives a monkey when a bike is THIS good and half the price of my Duke... not to mention the reliability and exorbitant servicing costs for the Duke.
I still love my Duke for its character and its soul, but at the end of the day, the ZX does it so much better and without all of the dramas .... and I got off the ZX and still felt human, whereas, after getting off the Duke on Saturday, I was ready for the knackers yard.
Not too sure what to do now.... Rattler is right.. in an ideal world I would have both, but you can only ride one at a time... Maybe it is time to sell the R, and buy the ZX.. but who knows, It 21.30 and I am still buzzing though
Could be time to defect from Camp Ducati ?????
Will keep you informed !:P