RaWarrior
Well-Known Member
I bought a Z1000. the same one Garret suggested in another thread.
2003, 22k miles, it's been down but damage is fairly superficial....some scratches on exhaust, a scrape on the tail fairing, and a small dent in the tank that's hardly noticeable. Mechanically it's 100%. Has virtually new Metz M3 tires, new battery, new plugs, new K&N filter, and had the valves checked.
The riding posture is a bit more forward than the Max, a bit sportier, but still not nearly as hunched over as a sportbike. Very little weight on your wrists. The seat could be a bit squishier but overall it's pretty comfortable to ride.
So here's all the things I like about it
- It has EFI, with flawless fueling
- It has radial tires
- It has a 6 speed
- It has a gas gauge
- It holds 5 gallons of gas
- It doesn't wobble. Ever. Speed, corners, bumps, nothing.
- Last fill up was 43mpg with average (for me) riding. So pretty fast.
And things I don't
- The motor is pretty buzzy at highway speeds, resulting in
- The mirrors are completely useless blurs
- The seat is kind of hard
- The stock exhaust is far too quiet and boring, though that's kind of expected since this actually has catalysts shoved in there.
- I'm fairly sure the speedo is quite optimistic, though that also seems typical of bikes like this.
Overall though those are pretty minor quibbles....there's just so much more fun to be had on a bike like this. I can take corners far faster....one particular 35mph posted sweeper I could do on the Max at around 55, pushed harder and it got wobbly. I sailed around it at 70 on the Z and it was like being on a rollercoaster. Goose it in first and the front end pops up like a happy dog. Wheelspin is pretty much nonexistant with the 190 rear.
The motor doesn't have the personality of the Max's, though in reality it's more effective. Low end torque isn't as strong, below 3000rpm it doesn't have much of anything to give, but starting at around 4000 there's a solid torque hit and even in 6th gives a very satisfying acceleration. On the highway, which is around 5500 for 75mph, a roll on gives exceptionally smooth, immediate power, building as the revs climb. Past 8k, to the 11k limiter, it has a serious hustle. Though unlike a sportbike, you don't have to keep it up near redline for a good time, there's enough power and torque in the midrange to bomb around.
It uses a somewhat interesting dual-throttle setup...one is cable driven from the actual grip, and the second is driven off a servo by the ECU. Says this is to smooth out response and avoid abrupt jerks of accel or decel. Well that works great, it's incredibly easy to ride smoothly and the EFI tuning is flawless. The interesting thing is, that since the throttle is ultimately controlled by the bike, is that it adapts to what it thinks you want. So if you're lugging it around in sixth and slightly roll on to accelerate, it adjusts to give the optimal throttle position for the EFI tuning. If you suddenly whack it wide open, it actually feels a bit slower for a second until the servo catches up, though this is a fraction of a second at best. It really does work well.
Another Kawi trick I'm a fan of....is has "positive neutral". Meaning that if the bike is stationary, you cannot shift from 1-2. Only to neutral. So click down to 1 as you approach a stop, once stopped, heave up and you get neutral every time without accidentally getting 2nd instead. Love it.
The brakes rock, the clutch is light and easy, the gauge cluster is excellent(giving digital RPM, speed, engine temp, fuel level, and your choice of odo, trip, or clock), the ride is nice, and most of all for me, it's stable. It's also got phenomenal headlights.
So my Max is now in the for sale section. Oh well. All good things must come to an end. I can't go back to it now I've done a couple hundred miles on the Z....I hate to say it but it's just superior in every way. It's not as bad-ass looking or sounding as my Max, but that'll change before too long once the mod monkey nests in it's new home.
2003, 22k miles, it's been down but damage is fairly superficial....some scratches on exhaust, a scrape on the tail fairing, and a small dent in the tank that's hardly noticeable. Mechanically it's 100%. Has virtually new Metz M3 tires, new battery, new plugs, new K&N filter, and had the valves checked.
The riding posture is a bit more forward than the Max, a bit sportier, but still not nearly as hunched over as a sportbike. Very little weight on your wrists. The seat could be a bit squishier but overall it's pretty comfortable to ride.
So here's all the things I like about it
- It has EFI, with flawless fueling
- It has radial tires
- It has a 6 speed
- It has a gas gauge
- It holds 5 gallons of gas
- It doesn't wobble. Ever. Speed, corners, bumps, nothing.
- Last fill up was 43mpg with average (for me) riding. So pretty fast.
And things I don't
- The motor is pretty buzzy at highway speeds, resulting in
- The mirrors are completely useless blurs
- The seat is kind of hard
- The stock exhaust is far too quiet and boring, though that's kind of expected since this actually has catalysts shoved in there.
- I'm fairly sure the speedo is quite optimistic, though that also seems typical of bikes like this.
Overall though those are pretty minor quibbles....there's just so much more fun to be had on a bike like this. I can take corners far faster....one particular 35mph posted sweeper I could do on the Max at around 55, pushed harder and it got wobbly. I sailed around it at 70 on the Z and it was like being on a rollercoaster. Goose it in first and the front end pops up like a happy dog. Wheelspin is pretty much nonexistant with the 190 rear.
The motor doesn't have the personality of the Max's, though in reality it's more effective. Low end torque isn't as strong, below 3000rpm it doesn't have much of anything to give, but starting at around 4000 there's a solid torque hit and even in 6th gives a very satisfying acceleration. On the highway, which is around 5500 for 75mph, a roll on gives exceptionally smooth, immediate power, building as the revs climb. Past 8k, to the 11k limiter, it has a serious hustle. Though unlike a sportbike, you don't have to keep it up near redline for a good time, there's enough power and torque in the midrange to bomb around.
It uses a somewhat interesting dual-throttle setup...one is cable driven from the actual grip, and the second is driven off a servo by the ECU. Says this is to smooth out response and avoid abrupt jerks of accel or decel. Well that works great, it's incredibly easy to ride smoothly and the EFI tuning is flawless. The interesting thing is, that since the throttle is ultimately controlled by the bike, is that it adapts to what it thinks you want. So if you're lugging it around in sixth and slightly roll on to accelerate, it adjusts to give the optimal throttle position for the EFI tuning. If you suddenly whack it wide open, it actually feels a bit slower for a second until the servo catches up, though this is a fraction of a second at best. It really does work well.
Another Kawi trick I'm a fan of....is has "positive neutral". Meaning that if the bike is stationary, you cannot shift from 1-2. Only to neutral. So click down to 1 as you approach a stop, once stopped, heave up and you get neutral every time without accidentally getting 2nd instead. Love it.
The brakes rock, the clutch is light and easy, the gauge cluster is excellent(giving digital RPM, speed, engine temp, fuel level, and your choice of odo, trip, or clock), the ride is nice, and most of all for me, it's stable. It's also got phenomenal headlights.
So my Max is now in the for sale section. Oh well. All good things must come to an end. I can't go back to it now I've done a couple hundred miles on the Z....I hate to say it but it's just superior in every way. It's not as bad-ass looking or sounding as my Max, but that'll change before too long once the mod monkey nests in it's new home.
unk:
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