With a planned upgrade around June sometime next year, I’ve begun really paying attention to the newer models being revealed these months…
At the moment, I have my eyes on two models:
The ZZR1400/ZX14… over the top power, nice styling, a little heavy.
or
'07 (new) Z1000… beautiful, muscular, awesome, umm… drool hopefully cheaper than the ZX too
While I was originally just thinking of power and the fact that I can never complain that I haven’t got enough with the ZX, the more I see pics of the new Z1000, the more I love it. I was always a fan of the Z1000, but it seems that every 3rd bike you see here is a Z1000… they’re everywhere… so I don’t want to buy the older model. This new model is (IMHO) even more beautiful and muscular. But, I’ve been trying to get the missus on the back of a bike, and she seems (for the moment) like she would willingly sit on the back of the ZX…
My plan for the moment is to buy the ZX if the missus agrees to go with me on rides… else I’m going to scrap that and get the Z…
next thing you know is these things come with a number plate - nothing is too strange here…
and as for you question: i think in your heart you know already. you simply have no other choice than get’em both. that’s the only way. combine the best of both worlds in 2 bikes
I’d laugh off the 1400… Now that it’s on the streets in Europe it’s been widely received as “oh… is this really what all the fuss was about?..” It was hyped as the fastest, biggest, baddest thing on two wheels ever… and it does look the part… but… it’s not… It could be a Busa-beater but since the electronic limiter has yet to be circumvented by anyone, it’s basically a huge great, tire shredding, gas guzzling, mothership of a vehicle that’s all talk and only a reasonable, health & safety approved amount of go… Also it’s handling attributes have been described as "great considering it’s bulk "… hardly lavish praise then… what it boils down to is a rolling compromise in the name of hauling about an inordinately large engine…
now as you know, I’m not the type to wish anything but the least inclement weather on any man’s parade, but, if I’m honest, I’m not sure the Z is what you’re after either, at least not in stock form… I had the previous Z and the engine was an out and out hoot, but the old steel frame and massive cans lead to a very high sprung mass… add Taiwan’s unique [read: fcking horrendously shte] road surfaces into the mix and the task was more than the rather budget Kwak OEM shocks could handle… this lead to wallowing, bouncing up and down through corners, head shaking at the drop of a hat and suspension tracking over uneven surfaces that made the CWB seem like the last word in accuracy by comparison…
Maybe they’ve fixed the new model, maybe it’s wonderful, maybe I don’t know a good bike from a hole in the ground, all eventualities are entirely possible… But as my GSX-R1000 mounted mate who constantly laments having his ass handed to him to the tune of about 5 mins from the top of Zeng Wen Reservoir to the bottom gas station can attest, the most important advice I can offer is this… the single most critical criteria when evaluating a bike for Taiwan is suspension… What leaves the Power Ranger boys sheepishly silent in the back row isn’t only their “sky high in the rev range power” or lack of low down grunt, it’s mostly the inability of suspension designed for silky smooth European race tracks to keep things composed enough on Taiwanese “roads”… on the power, on the brakes and especially mid corner on poor surfaces [read:Taiwan] their ultra powerful mega-HP race reps are doing nothing for their riders other than doing their damndest to spit them off at every bump…
Alternately budget an additional NT$75,000 for a set of long travel Ohlins forks and rear shock and buy whatever the hell bike takes your fancy…
You’re right you know. My biggest piss off with the Ninja 650 has to be the harsh suspension. I’ve seen BMW’s go by that don’t seem to notice the stuff the Ninja is bucking around in. Had a few nasty high speed bumpy corners and some pretty out of shape low speed bumpy corners. Not sure where the hard suspension kicks in as being a good thing.
I’m damn close to buying a Sprint in Australia in December and have taken a fancy to the Buell as well. Did not like the 21 degree rake on the Lightning but they have a 23.5degree rake model that looks better. Around $18,000 Aussie or NT450,000 for either bike.
Clear fuel tank area because that is the air filter. Fuel is in the frame and crankcase oil is in the swingarm. Notice the disc brake, that design is 7lb lighter than a twin disc and apparently works better. Under slung exhaust has already been taken up by other bike makers such as on the Ninja.
Buell Lighting
Triumph Sprint
The Sprint would be the more sensible purchase because it is a more refined design and the 25 extra ponies (125HP) but who knows. Sensible might not be where its at.
Since I’m also looking at buying a new bike around CNY, I may as well lump myself in this thread with x08… but I want something a bit smaller than that lunatic is looking at
What I’m looking for:
lots of torque, wide powerband, not too fussed about top end speed
solid frame/suspension
naked bikes look cool
easy access to shops with maintenance facilities
budget NT$300k-400k (flexible up to maybe NT$600k if I really fall in love with something… and I want to buy new).
I’ll be keeping the RZX for throwing around the mountains so I’m not necessarily looking for an all-purpose machine. I want a sports-cruiser for long, comfortable rides up, down and around the island with enough low/mid-end power to have a lot of fun while I do so. Looking at bikes readily available in Taiwan I’m not sure what’s available for this market… suggestions?
It seems like for budget bikes in Taiwan it’s either the Suzuki SV650 or Kawasaki Ninja. I really want to like the Ninja but the niggles I keep hearing about it (namely suspension) are the sort of thing likely to drive me nuts after a while. I had a brief run on an SV650 back in the UK and admittedly didn’t get much time on it but wasn’t blown away. After a lot of reading it seems like the Ninja owners are happier and have more fun with their machines, and I know there are a whole heap of Ninja riders on the 'mosa, so…?
PS: Is there anywhere in Taiwan that will hire out these bikes on a daily/weekly basis so I can get a proper test-drive and not throw a few hundred grand at a piece of kit I’ve graciously been allowed to sit on? Failing that, what about Thailand? I have a friend out there who keeps inviting me over for a holiday and I always hear people talking about Thailand bike rentals.
I’m on Plasma’s side on this one…it was nice to thrash around a few years back on the CBR and the Z1000. It seems as if the roads were still half decent back then and took a turn for the worse in recent times…It must be because there’s such a fiasco in the government, that they all forgot that they have a country to run and maintain…The CBR had the handling and the Z1000 had the power…both became useless as the roads got worse. In came the GS with not much in terms of power and not much hope in handling…but it had the suspension…and it even turned out to be quite the slick handling bigtrailieendurosupermoto bike that it is…without a milion horsepower…(the GS isn’t a rocket but it’s power is sufficient for all Taiwan can throw at it)
So, ride quality and suspension quality take top spot on my list of key factors in purchasing a bike in Taiwan. That being said, it puts you in a bike category that you might not like or have considered. KTM (990 ADV, 950SM, 950SE), BMW(1200GS, 1150GS, 650GS Dakar), Triumph(New Tiger 1050, Kawasaki (New Versys), Suzuki (DRZ400SM, DL1000 V-Strom) are just a few of the bikes that have or are close enough to having decent suspension set-ups for Taiwan roads…(feel free to add to the list)
It also depends on your budget…do some shopping around and try to test ride some bikes…there’s always the option of buying a sportier bike and swapping the suspension components for top drawer stuff.
actually… i’m not too fussed aboput the power… the zx14 got my interest because a) i think it looks nice, and b) it’s the first bike ever that the missus has seemed agreeable to sit on apart from a goldwing - which won’t fit in my door…
and the z1k… it’s just plain sexy… i’ve actually decided i don’t wanna be the fastest in the world anyway and just want to cruise in style. the new z1k is IMO pure sex on wheels
if mad crazy Japanese manga bikes with killer cans are your thing, maybe you should consider the new Suzuki B-King… 5 years after it’s arrival as a concept only show bike, it’ll at last be in production for 2007…
[quote=“Ironman”]I’m damn close to buying a Sprint in Australia in December and have taken a fancy to the Buell as well. Did not like the 21 degree rake on the Lightning but they have a 23.5degree rake model that looks better. Around $18,000 Aussie or NT450,000 for either bike.
Clear fuel tank area because that is the air filter. Fuel is in the frame and crankcase oil is in the swingarm. Notice the disc brake, that design is 7lb lighter than a twin disc and apparently works better. Under slung exhaust has already been taken up by other bike makers such as on the Ninja.
Buell Lighting .[/quote]
I’ve never heard a good word said about a Buell except from rampant HD fans who’d love anything as long as it’s a v-twin made in the USandA… okay, that’s not true… I’ve heard loads of people praise the innovations of oil in the swingarm, gas in the frame and most of all bellypan exhaust which is such an obviously common sense good idea it’s amazing nobody bothered before (on a production bike anyway)… but it’s when viewed against the alternatives that the Buell argument falls apart… in every comparative review I’ve ever seen the Buell finishes stone last in it’s class… Physically they’re tiny and there’s hardly any room for a rider so you can forget about a pillion or luggage… the ultra short wheelbase and aggressive rake makes them handle like a 3 wheeled shopping cart, twitchy and easily upset on anything short of perfect surface… the oddball disc may save weight, but putting the weight there is so far away from the center of rotation and only on one side generates strange centrifugal forces that wreak havoc with handling and flickability and the acting point of the brake being so far from the wheel axle makes it try to turn itself inside every time you get on or off the brakes at any amount of lean other than bolt upright… Lastly the engine may be a very tuned up version, but it’s plodding agricultural roots remain apparent in it’s clumsy throttle response and breathlessness at high revs that just don’t fit with it’s performance streetbike mission statement… also the “rubber band” final drive system requires frequent and finicky adjustment and alignment to deliver proper function…
Overall as a concept and a fresh breath of air in the motorcycle design world, it’s great… but in the real world you’d be better off getting something else 99% of the time… Buell’s rather dismal sales outside the US attest to this…
as always with something as subjective as bikes… YMMV…
[quote=“plasmatron”]Overall as a concept and a fresh breath of air in the motorcycle design world, it’s great… but in the real world you’d be better off getting something else 99% of the time… Buell’s rather dismal sales outside the US attest to this…
as always with something as subjective as bikes… YMMV… [/quote]
Yeah, I’m sold on the concept and daring design. Not so sold on the pitfalls. I was aware of the twitchy rake angle but did not realise the outside mounted disc was causing grief in the handling. Buell will come of age I think, a brand worth keeping an eye on as they mature.
Triumph on the other hand seem to have it all together. I talked to an owner in Australia who had run up 180,000km or so and then parked the bike and purchased the latest model and that was the one I spotted. It had run up 60,000km without a problem. He also said the Triumph finish stays fresh looking as the bike ages.
I suspect the Buell would become tatty looking in time.
I’m willing to ride custom rigid frame pre-60’s HDs but only to the beach and back with a gal on the pussy pad, but why spend a load when you can get a better handling bike for less money. I rode two buells here in Taiwan on mountain roads–torque yes- but I was doing the St. Vitus dance after getting off it and walking across the parking lot.
Ironman why not just do what I did? Spend a little money on suspension upgrades. Not to mention the first suspension upgrade anyone should get is…tires.
I just got back from the race track in Longtan…and with my new front springs and cartridge emulator…along with new tires…I was doing an average of 5 seconds quicker per lap. I’m still slow…but I’ve only been there a couple of times per year…maybe 4 times total.
And I still think for the price…no one can go wrong with the 650R. But it does have shit suspension…but it doesn’t cost much to get a drop in kit…maybe 15,000nt. And then it’s fine.
Then again…maybe you should get the 1400cc bike…that way it’ll be all the more funnier when we ride together and you can’t keep up.
[quote=“Mordeth”]Ironman why not just do what I did? Spend a little money on suspension upgrades. Not to mention the first suspension upgrade anyone should get is…tires.
I just got back from the race track in Longtan…and with my new front springs and cartridge emulator…along with new tires…I was doing an average of 5 seconds quicker per lap. I’m still slow…but I’ve only been there a couple of times per year…maybe 4 times total.
And I still think for the price…no one can go wrong with the 650R. But it does have shit suspension…but it doesn’t cost much to get a drop in kit…maybe 15,000nt. And then it’s fine.[/quote]
Let me know and I’ll come down on my Ninja and watch you race your Ninja around. 10 minutes from home. That track would be bloody good for sharpening up your cornering skills. Tight and quick repeats of the corners so you can keep pushing techniques.
you haven’t ridden with me yet mordeth… only on the kart track on 4 wheels…
as i said, style is more my concern than power, then comfort, then power… i would actually be going for a big touring BMW or something except it won’t fit in through my door, as the missus would probably happily sit on one…
like i said in the original… my first choice is the z1000, 2nd is the zzr1400… but only if the missus swears upon her grave that she will come riding with me… both of those choices would make me extremely happy, as i know it’s gotta be something i need to be very happy with, because i probably won’t be allowed to upgrade for another 10 years or so…
plasma > as for the b-king… i actually considered it… but i prefer the kawasaki… still… if it turns out cheaper than the z1k, then who knows… though i seriously doubt that
To what are you referring? That’d I’d be quicker than you on my 650, if you were to ride a 1400 face bike? I don’t need to have ridden with you before to know that. I’ve played with enough Hayabusas already to know that those kinds of bikes are sorrily out of place in Taiwan.
Sorry if I sound cocky…maybe it will make you feel better to know that Ironman handed my ass to me today…riding his Ninja.
