Adventure on the ZX 14

[VMike]

I know this isn't a ZX 14 Forum but just wanted to share some pics and observations of the big Ninja. I picked up the bike on Sunday August 5th in Atlanta and six days(2472 miles) later arrived in San Diego on Friday August 10th. My friend rode from San Diego to Dallas and met me for the ride back which was great. Nice to have someone to ride with and watch your back. I've never rode any bike quite like the ZX 14. Most of my bikes have been Harleys for the last 25 years except for the V Max about 2 years ago so I have no comparison to any other bike like it. It was a blast riding this thing cross country. Big,suprisingly comfortable,handles and brakes fantastic and the power and torque of that engine is phenominal. Need to get a throttle lock to rest my hand a little and maybe raise the bars an inch.My neck and shoulder muscles were alittle sore at the end of the day and my throttle hand but not bad at all.I was expecting much worse.Throttle response is very smooth and the speed you are going is very deceiving. Cruising at 90-100mph is effortless on this thing.At 95 the rpm are right around 5,000 rpm. The fastest I had it to was 145 mph and it was rock stable with more throttle.It's the fastest I've ever gone on a motorcycle and what an adrenaline rush.I really can't say enough good things about this bike. I still love my V Max too but it's a whole different animal. We averaged about 400 miles/day with stops about every 70 -100 miles for gas,hydration,stretching,snacks,etc. The Bilt cooling vest and Heat Out under garments saved our asses.We would soak down the vest in water at every gas stop and they would last til the next stop.
We usually left around 6:00 am and by 1:00 pm looking for a room. My friend has a 2003 ZX 12R with over 145,000 miles and he's never replaced the clutch.His maintenance regimen is borderline OCD but his results speak for themselves. Anyway this little blurb about the trip is getting way more long winded than I had planned.lol Forgot to mention that I averaged 38.8 mpg for the trip with speed on the Interstates between 90- 100mph. We were so lucky not to get a ticket.A few times we had to tap the binders to slow down after spotting one parked off to the side or in a median.We did take a break one day from the super slab and got off on some scenic twisties in the White Mountains of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in Arizona.Highway 60 from Socorro New Mexico to Phoenix Az is a great riding experience. Here are a few pics.
Mike

 

[VMike]

Some more pics.

 

[VMike]

More pics.

 

[VMike]

More pics of Atlanta to San Diego trip.

 

[VMike]

Trip pics.

 

[VMike]

Two quick trip stories that I wanted to share.
The first happened in Atlanta when taking delivery of the bike. I was picked up at the airport by a lady named Carolyn who I later found out is the owner of Metro Shuttle Service. Very nice lady who I got to know a little along the 21 miles from the airport to the Carmax where I was to meet the seller of the bike. It was about a 20 minute wait at the Carmax for the seller to show up so I had paid her and was justing chatting in the air conditioned van. I told her I could just get out and wait under a shade tree but she insisted that I stay in the van. I wasn't going to argue since outside was brutally hot. Anyway when the seller showed up on the bike I guess I got so excited that I bid farewell grabbed my gear and jumped out of the shuttle. Did the paperwork,checked out the bike,got on my gear and split. It was right at 11:30 am and I had planned on being on the road by noon to make Jackson Ms. Perfect,I was right on schedule! Problem was about 25 miles out of Atlanta I felt my back pocket for my wallet.Don't ask me why,just did and lo and behold it wasn't there. Took the next exit pulled over,tore into every pocket and my tank bag.No wallet! Not only did I have a large some of cash in the wallet,but my license,my proof of insurance and my credit cards. Needless to say I was stressing hard. I immediately called the seller thinking I may had left it in his van where we sined the paper work. He checked,Nothing! I then called my wife all stressed out and she started checking into Western Union to wire me money. Then I called Carolyn from the shuttle and she said"Well,I've haven't picked up any fares since you so let me check" Her next words were" Was it a black wallet?" I said yes and she said "I got it and it's safe" She was back at Atlanta airport and told me where she would be so I hauled ass back almost 50 miles got my wallet,gave her a big hug,kiss and a nice tip for being so honest. A very honest lady who could have totally taken advantage of me but didn't. Anyone going to Atlanta airport who needs a ride please contact Carolyn at Metro Tour Shuttle (404) 629-0556 and tell her Mike from California sent you.

One more bone head story.
On a stretch of two lane highway in New Mexico I forgot to zip my pocket with my smart phone. We're about 80mph when my buddy zips up next to me and said he saw something fly off my bike.I reached down and felt my pockets.Wallet,there.Cell phone not. Dam! We pull over and he said that it was probably instantly destroyed when it bounced off the highway. I said maybe but I had the phone in a rubber case that was inside a leather belt holster so maybe it survived. We each took a shoulder and started looking for it. Man there was tons of shredded truck tire and chunks that looked like my cell phone. We probably looked for almost 30 minutes and were just about ready to give up when my buddy spotted it out of the leather case and then found the leather case a few feet from the phone.One corner of the leather case was pretty tore up and the rubber case had a small scuff but the phone was intact and working. After that I was anal about checking my pockets for zipped up.
Mike

 

[twistedmax]

:clapping:

 

[sdt354]

Great read, best of luck with the new machine.
Steve-o

 

[rusty]

Great story Mike, even with those dua moments I really envy you.What a great trip.Hope you don't have any trouble with DMV registration.Sometimes they can get fussy with 49stater's.I Love yer new bike...........Rusty:biglaugh:

 

[NHVmaxpower]

Great story. Seems many people are buying this bike. My buddy just got a 2012i haven't ridden or seen it yet cause he's in Massachusetts. Hear it's crazy fast. I was never comfortable on my cbr900 hope the zx is more comfy.

 

[VMike]

Thanks Guys!
Rusty--I did some research and found out that if the bike is "used" with more than 7,500 miles you're ok. Less than that and you can get some grief. At least I hope I'm right.lol!
Mike

BTW--This was my 58th birthday present to myself.
Old Guys Rule! :rofl_200:

 

[rusty]

I think you'v had one hell of a birthday VMike:clapping:unk: :band: :eusa_dance:

 

[Redbone]

Great pictures and a couple nice ending stories! I'm glad to hear your trip went well, rider, bike and gear all passing the long distance testing!:thumbs up: :thumbs up:

 

[mckzx9]

Great read thanks for sharing

 

[2fear]

Good luck with your new ride! I sure miss my ZX10R some times.....

 

[Rollie]

So glad you experienced some Southern Hospitality. I know there are a lot of big cities where your wallet would have been just a statistic. Looks and sounds like a great bike and trip. Sorry I wasn't able to meet & greet you in town while you were here. :clapping:unk:

 

[VMike]

It was a birthday I will remember forever Rusty.

Thanks Brian! Yes, the bike ran flawlessly even in the high temps we encounterd coming across the desert. The Bilt Cooling Vest for $35 I believe on sale were worth every penny and I highly recommend for hot weather riding along with a ventilated jacket. I think we were about as prepared as you could be for the weather.If I had my druthers no way would I have made this trip in August but the deal was there and just worked out that way.

Thanks MCKZX9!

Chuck after the experience of riding this thing cross country I bet you do miss your 10.

Rollie I wish we could have met in person but I was in such a time crunch. I really appreciate the call while I was waiting in the airport. Makes you feel good when you're a long way from home. There are some fine folks down in your neck of the woods!
Mike

 

[ouchez]

Thank you for sharing.

I hope your new ZX14 is all you hoped it would be,,,please keep us informed.:clapping:

O

 

[wildweasel_pt]

Thanks for the stories Mike. I especially like the bullet pierced plate of New Mexico... LOL

 

[customizedcreationz]

I think the bike is cursed and you need to sell it..... I just happen to be looking for a Busa, but I GUESS I could settle for the ZX14