ME_with_a_B
New Member
OH. MY. GAWD.
One of my buddies has been shopping for a Kawasaki ZX-14 for a while now, and asked if I wanted to go with him up to a dealer on Saturday to check one out -- they turn over used bike inventory a lot, so every week they've been getting in new models. This one, he really had his eye on -- a 2008 Special Edition with only 9k miles on it. So we rode 2-up to the dealer in Wisconsin on his ZX-11.
He spent a good hour there deciding if it was really what he wanted and if he was ready to pay for it... and eventually decided he couldn't leave without it. So...... it was decided that I would ride his ZX-11 back to Chicago-land from the dealer (just south of Milwaukee). "Okay, I can do this" -- I told myself. Up until yesterday, the only bike I've ever ridden was my own FZ6R. I've been pretty terrified of getting on anything bigger because I've thought all these big bad-@$$ bikes were crazy-powerful and would throw me off -- or be a nightmare to control, etc. Oh well, I figured, it was now or never to give it a shot. So I hopped onto the ZX-11 and away we went.
Ok and ya, that ZX-11 is crazy-fast compared to the FZ6R. And it corners LIKE A DREAM. Seriously though. Ya don't have to do ANYTHING. Its like, you literally think "turn right" and it does. And I honestly suck at cornering.... so wow.... I was really loving the ZX-11, despite the throttle being so stiff my hand was going numb within the first 5 minutes.
So we get about 45 miles away from the dealer, and stop at an Oasis along the toll-way to rest, stretch, get some coffee, etc. We're walking back out to the parking lot and my buddy is all "Okay, so you liked the 11, how about you ride the 14 the rest of the way home?" I'm like "Uhhhh no, dude, that's your brand new bike.... and its HUGE". Well, I honestly was curious, so I didn't protest too much... hopped on and said to myself "here goes nothin'..."
It took me all of 30 seconds to feel as at home in the saddle as I do on my FZ6R after nearly 2 years. The throttle snaps quick so it wasn't wearing out my hand... the bike slows immediately upon release of the throttle, and the front brake is out-of-this-world. And OH MY GAWD that bike is fast. Like -- knock your eyes through the back of your head and into yesterday -- fast. But smooth. Smoother than any bike I've ever been on. So smooth, you can drop it down into 3rd gear at over 100mph and it doesn't buck the tiniest bit.
So I rode the 14 the rest of the way back to my neighborhood (about 120 miles) and bought my buddy dinner for allowing me to experience the thrill of a lifetime.
Well, he let me ride it to our breakfast meetup this morning too. LOL And after breakfast, we went for a cruise with his "ZX-11" twin. So it's me on the 14 and my two buddies on their 11's. And ya, it was a little tough for them to keep up. Which really had me smiling. Seeing as how I'm always the one in the back because sure, the FZ6R isn't going to stand up next to an 11. But today was my day. And I'll never forget it.
View attachment 20095 View attachment 20096 View attachment 20097 View attachment 20098 View attachment 20099
*and since speeding is illegal and all, I won't say how fast I had it going... but it was a new high for me, and wow... my heart is still racing
One of my buddies has been shopping for a Kawasaki ZX-14 for a while now, and asked if I wanted to go with him up to a dealer on Saturday to check one out -- they turn over used bike inventory a lot, so every week they've been getting in new models. This one, he really had his eye on -- a 2008 Special Edition with only 9k miles on it. So we rode 2-up to the dealer in Wisconsin on his ZX-11.
He spent a good hour there deciding if it was really what he wanted and if he was ready to pay for it... and eventually decided he couldn't leave without it. So...... it was decided that I would ride his ZX-11 back to Chicago-land from the dealer (just south of Milwaukee). "Okay, I can do this" -- I told myself. Up until yesterday, the only bike I've ever ridden was my own FZ6R. I've been pretty terrified of getting on anything bigger because I've thought all these big bad-@$$ bikes were crazy-powerful and would throw me off -- or be a nightmare to control, etc. Oh well, I figured, it was now or never to give it a shot. So I hopped onto the ZX-11 and away we went.
Ok and ya, that ZX-11 is crazy-fast compared to the FZ6R. And it corners LIKE A DREAM. Seriously though. Ya don't have to do ANYTHING. Its like, you literally think "turn right" and it does. And I honestly suck at cornering.... so wow.... I was really loving the ZX-11, despite the throttle being so stiff my hand was going numb within the first 5 minutes.
So we get about 45 miles away from the dealer, and stop at an Oasis along the toll-way to rest, stretch, get some coffee, etc. We're walking back out to the parking lot and my buddy is all "Okay, so you liked the 11, how about you ride the 14 the rest of the way home?" I'm like "Uhhhh no, dude, that's your brand new bike.... and its HUGE". Well, I honestly was curious, so I didn't protest too much... hopped on and said to myself "here goes nothin'..."
It took me all of 30 seconds to feel as at home in the saddle as I do on my FZ6R after nearly 2 years. The throttle snaps quick so it wasn't wearing out my hand... the bike slows immediately upon release of the throttle, and the front brake is out-of-this-world. And OH MY GAWD that bike is fast. Like -- knock your eyes through the back of your head and into yesterday -- fast. But smooth. Smoother than any bike I've ever been on. So smooth, you can drop it down into 3rd gear at over 100mph and it doesn't buck the tiniest bit.
So I rode the 14 the rest of the way back to my neighborhood (about 120 miles) and bought my buddy dinner for allowing me to experience the thrill of a lifetime.
Well, he let me ride it to our breakfast meetup this morning too. LOL And after breakfast, we went for a cruise with his "ZX-11" twin. So it's me on the 14 and my two buddies on their 11's. And ya, it was a little tough for them to keep up. Which really had me smiling. Seeing as how I'm always the one in the back because sure, the FZ6R isn't going to stand up next to an 11. But today was my day. And I'll never forget it.
View attachment 20095 View attachment 20096 View attachment 20097 View attachment 20098 View attachment 20099
*and since speeding is illegal and all, I won't say how fast I had it going... but it was a new high for me, and wow... my heart is still racing