In the inaugural edition of this esteemed new publication the editor casually mentioned that there would be imaginative new articles such as “living with a ZZR1400”. So no pressure there then Pete! In fairness he did ask back in August, but just before I went to stay in a chalet 50m from the gentle lapping of the Med, where any form of work was strictly banned. Sorry, but it’s the law down there. Honest!
Anyhow, Kawasaki’s flagship ZZR 1400 was launched, pretty much literally, to great acclaim and with much hyperbole in 2006. It has been called a rocket ship, a ‘busa beater and is probably the single main cause of global warming (okay, so I made the last bit up). It is, arguably, the fastest standard production bike in the world (didn’t make that bit up!).
So what is it like living with one...?
Well, basically, awesome. I use mine for everything from commuting into London, motorway busting, ride outs and especially touring 2-up across Europe. I have even taken students out on CBT road rides, though given that I didn’t get out of 1st gear trailing round Haywards Heath with two 50cc ‘peds in tow it was a bit of overkill!
You’d think a 1400cc engine putting out around 200bhp and capable of (a restricted) 186mph would be intimidating, but actually the Zed is very easy to ride.
Kawasaki have restricted the amount of power available in lower gears through the fuel mapping, so below 5000 rpm the bike is relatively tame. In fact, some bike mags have slated the bike as too tame at low revs, but on balance I’d say the mapping is a good real world compromise. Having ridden her safely home when it was minus 4°c and I could barely stand up on the twinkling frost, I know I’d take the all round ability over too focussed aggression any day.
In practical terms the bike probably has a little less initial zip and aggressive responsiveness than most sports 1000, but hit 5k rpm and wind on the throttle and you better be hanging on. Tightly!
The acceleration of the Zed never fails to bring a huge grin. From a standing start it can go from 0 to 12 month ban in 1st gear and well under 4 seconds, whilst a reasonable spell slopping out can be had before you reach 3rd! If looking at the horizon in your mirrors (eh!?) is your thing this bike will not disappoint.
But for a straight line rocket ship the ZZR is also surprisingly agile. Unless paddling backwards and uphill you will not notice the 224kg dry weight – just sit on one and feel how balanced it feels underneath you and how light the steering is for such a behemoth.
The poise and handling of this bike is excellent – the weight is carried low, so handling is responsive and it doesn’t take too much work to lose the chicken strips. Even fully loaded with panniers, top box and missus the twisties of the Ardèche and Tarn gorges were an absolute hoot. The radial breaks are also awesome. I didn’t bother with the ABS option; the standard stoppers will have you eating clocks quite happily!
The bike is ergonomically comfortable, with low 800mm seat height, an easy reach to the bars and the pegs are not cramped given the clip-ons and sports riding position. For my 6ft /14st (ahem) frame I find it a perfect fit and a taller screen and heated grips make it year round comfortable. The standard seat is a bit on the hard side but okay for 80-100 miles before you become convinced that granite hedgehogs have taken up residence in your boxers.
The single piece seat is also good for pillions, they are not perched above you taking face-fulls of windblast as they would be on a sports thou’, but I staple gunned one of those sticky webbing nets that go under tank bags to protect paintwork to the pillion bit of the seat to reduce the potential for the pillion to nut the back of my Arai if/when breaking firmly.
Practical extras I’ve also invested in include the Kawasaki taller screen, which is better than the standard, but probably not as good as a double bubble.
I also have a Scottoiler touring kit. The bike puts out 114ft/lb of torque, but I’ve done just over 8000 miles with no apparent wear and minimal stretching so I’d say that was a good investment. On the autoroutes with Missus and fully packed she cruised comfortably at 150+kph – no weave or loss of performance and I didn’t really even change the suspension settings or notice the extra load. Best thing is the whole lot removes with quarter turn quick lock bolts once you get to the hotel/campsite and you can go mental on the local roads without the visual or physical encumbrance of luggage.
Fuel wise, she takes 22 litres so if you are intent on destroying continents before breakfast (not to say the contents of your wallet with current fuel prices) aim to refuel every 150 miles. The bike may do more (and averages about 48mpg fully loaded) but unless you have a gel seat or iron butt you might want to stretch anyway.
From motorway and twisties and most things in between she is impeccable. Even on loose gravel she’s not too bad as long as you sit upright and are careful with the throttle. In central London it is not so lithe – but then you tend to expect the turning circle of a cross channel ferry when you have clip-ons on a bike this size. If you spend all day dodging taxis and pedestrians then you will notice the weight a bit more. The hydraulic clutch is light but the gear box clunks quite substantially and if you are stop - start it can begin to annoy. But these are minor quirks in an otherwise excellent package.
The looks scream brutal and muscular efficiency, especially in the deep metallic (Kawasaki call it “diablo”) black. Personally I think it’s a cracking looking bike, but then I’m biased. Truth is she draws interest whenever you stop. It even provoked a minor scuffle in a French service station– between two French guys who spent a long time pouring over the lines and then started arguing about top speed, having spotted the speedo goes up to 300 kph. A swift exit was made as they started to shout at each other ...! Build quality wise, the ZZR is better than Suzuki, but not quite as good as Yamaha or the Big H. I’ve seen one that was used through the winter without any TLC and was a real mess of salt eaten alloy. From new I treated mine, fairings off, to a coat of ACF50 and that has kept everything spanky, even with some winter road use and riding through France in monsoon conditions. Mechanically it has never missed a beat and servicing costs are pretty much average. Rear tyre lasts about 3-4k miles if you are lucky!
I didn’t start out looking for a ZZR – actually I wanted a litre sports bike and spent several months test riding the 07 ‘blade, R1, Gixer thou and ZX10. Whilst sat on a ZX10 in a show room the sales guy asked me if I’d sat on the ZZR. I said I didn’t want anything that big or heavy, but he challenged me to sit on it – which I did and I was instantly hooked. Way more comfortable than the standard praying mantis sports position. When I took one for a demo ride and felt the acceleration there was only one choice!!
It is not as instant performance focussed as the litre bikes, but in roll-on acceleration from 40+ there is not much that will keep up with you!
So, what I found, quite by chance, was my perfect all rounder. This was me having just ridden through the Gorge d’Ardèche. Inside the lid my grin is slightly wider than the grin of the tell tale ZZR smartie headlamps
You should add “test ride one” to your bucket list before the Euro-monkeys catch on and succeed in banning fun like this altogether!
I want to go faster, I want to go faster..
