Kawasaki ZZ-R1400 (2006-2012)

Hei, guys, I like the bike, I did not ride it until now and I ride only in the summer mostly at around 30'C, I heard about overheating problems for the ZX14 and also that it is a recall about a very dangerous situation with the frame. Are your bikes overheating and has someone had problems with the recall? Thanks

Had my zx14 for 6 months now and clocked up 18700km so far and my only real gripe is the paint work, i brought the limited edition with "the special paint job" and let me tell you it's not so special , marks very easly and almost impossible to keep clean, im going to get it repainted. Other than the paintwork the bike is fantastic, grunt like no other bike i've had including my 1999 busa and so much smoother. My running in method is somewhat controversial... i just ride it like i stole it .... redlined it right from the word go and considered it runin after 30mins. So far its not missed a beat and runs so strong its really easy to get into strife even in first gear... anymore tickets and my licence is toast so i have to pull my horns in. Tis the perfect tourer and i just completed a 4000km tour 2 days before xmas 2008 and it performed flawlessly . In fact i love it for its comfort, handling and power. If you get one of these beasts be prepared to shell out lotsa bux for tyres and gas as neither last long if you use this beast to its potential... it loves to be hammered, and for those of you that have never tryed it the rev limiter kicks in about 12k revs. Yes I love this beast and have a feeling we will be firm friends for many years, would i recommend this bike .... well yes if you have at least 10 yrs of big bike experience under your belt, if your straight off a 250cc and feel you have the measure of this beast you had better think again, put ur pecker back in ur pants and live to play with it another day. Cheers from NZ

I recently purchased the big Zed 14 after having a very pleasant time with an older ZZR1200 which covered a good many miles and a trip to the Nurburgring, I was expecting much the same kind of machine but found I was in for a bit of a surprise. Firstly I noticed the size of the ZZR1400 was actually smaller than the 12, it had a much sportier attitude and felt considerably lighter - This is good. Once I had become familiar to the new 14 the improvements began to become very noticeable. In true big boys toys fashion I fitted a power commander, removed the secondary flies and fitted a set of Yoshimura Cans, My ZZR14 was now personalised the way I like it. Braking is nothing short of astonishing, my old 12 use to anchor up quick enough but the new ZZR14's vented petal discs up front and rear rip speed off so easily and with alarming agreesion if you squeeze that brake really hard, This a very major plus - as this bike travels quickly with the minimum of effort. The suspension is leaps and bounds ahead of the old ZZR12, it never feels vague in cornering and behaves far better than it should, getting the pegs on the floor can be done without any drama. Comfort is another big plus, My old 12 use have me zinging and tingling after a few hours in the saddle, but the 14 is way more comfortable and although the bike feels smaller there feels like you have more room to move around. The futuristic lighting on the front works fantastically, in fact I would go as far as saying that NO other bike lights up the road at night as well as the ZZR14. Then comes the power, which is why you probably thinking of buying one, it is just staggering, open the throttle in an gear and the bike surges forward effortlessly, red line it and your in for a serious white knuckle ride, it accelerates so fast and hard that the first few times you let rip you mentaly cant take all of the data in, you have to re-develop you gear changing technique as releasing the grip on your clutch hand makes it very difficult to hold on to the bike under warp acceleration. Dont get me wrong the bikes not perfect and has it's niggles, like a digital speedo would have been better, paint work on the front mud guard seems not to be very durable, one thing you need to take into serious consideration if your thinking of buying one of these bikes is the tyres - The worst mileage i ever managed to get from a brand new rear tyre was 700 miles before it was totaly goosed

i have done 12600 miles on my 14 in all weathers,uk and europe it does it all with ease,solo or two up, servicing is not to bad and i have been putting avon storms on it which are very good and last a lot longer than the bt014. and its quick

Before I start let's get one thing clear before people start crusifying me. I really do like this bike its just I'm going to start with the negatives first and finish with the positives as everyone goes on about how great this bike is (and it is mind), but I think you should know about some negatives. (even though it is only a few). That engine is awesome, above 6000rpm its off like a banshee on Hyperdive, however what happened to all that low down grunt, this is a 1400cc bike afterall. Below 5000rpm its like a 600cc bike, no go at all. God forbid get it in the wrong gear around 4000rpm and crack that throttle hoping it will take off and your in for a shock, you will have to bang this bike down a gear to get round that arctic wagon. Luckily the man I bought mine from fitted it with a centre stand but why don't they come as standard? After all this is a bike worth £9500 new. I also do like a bike with a bit of underseat storage but this bike has none (and I mean none), unless you remove the tool kit and it has space for, well a small tool kit. I also have to say 40mpg? hmm, maybe on a run, but more like 30mpg in town and giving it a handful when you get chance, must be my riding, but isn't that why you bought this bike? Lastly though, if you cant watch your speed, this is not the bike for you, think your just cruising at 70mph? guess again I bet it's 85-90mph more like. Overtake that car thats only chugging along and if your not careful you will be 15-20mph over the limit in a split second. This bike is seriously fast but so smooth with it. I have heard people say to me I'll lose my licence and I have replied "yeah right, a bike is only as fast as you twist the throttle", but this one makes me think "check your speed" many times over. Right thats all the negatives out of the way here comes the positives. Super smooth engine and as everyone including me has said WOW this is seriously fast and a buzz with it, ever done the "WHOH-HOO" under your lid and grinned like a Cheshire cat, if not have a go on one of these. Secondly the brakes are just superb but not dangerous, for such a big bike you may just kick that back wheel off the ground without thinking or even trying, there that good. Handling and ride for such a big bike is also good, yes its heavy pushing it round in the back yard but just get it above 2mph and its like a 600. Yes maybe a quick left to right bend takes a bit more work and it will never flick like your last 600RR but its pretty good for a big bike and as its a big bike it handles those pot holes, man hole covers, rubbish tarmac far better than your flighty sports bikes. That is a good thing in my book with Britains ever increasinglly bad roads, but thats another subject. It has plenty of usefull stuff on the digital panel, comfy riding position. Its one of those postions that you think I bet after 200 miles I'll be uncomfy but then for some reason your not, (Im 6ft 1" tall by the way). Overall I really like this bike, but I wouldn't say love it, its just bikes these days are just so good I think they lose a bit of character, anyone remember the original 1200 bandit? great engine but spongy suspension, but didn't that give it character? (might just be me on that one). This bike does deliver some of that back though. Anyway enough Jackanory, go have a ride yourself and see what you think. Ride Safe.

After months of thinking about it, finally went for the '08 ZZR14. Absolutely no regrets, this is one awesome machine! As a real world, road bike it's just about perfect. The riding position is spot on, with no aching wrists or sore shoulders. Power delivery is smooth as you like and the brakes are phenomenal. Apart from the motor the thing that impresses most is the quality of the ride, this thing has top drawer suspension components that give a superb magic carpet ride that feels sorted whether attacking bends or doing mundane stuff. Handling is both flickable and planted in the bends. Love the trick digital read out. Everywhere it goes it gets attention. Will replace the exhaust with a Yoshi 4-2-1 system when I've got a spare £1k knocking about ;-). Off to Europe this summer to take on France, Italy and Spain with friends on BMW K1200Ss, I just know the ZZR is the bike of choice for a trip like that. Top marks!!

Been charging around on the 14 for 4 weeks now since trading my zzr12. Can't believe the difference...sharper, lighter, flickable, focused and much much quicker. Thank you Mr Kawasaki, I'm in Heaven!!!

Everything said before is right (except the stone-chip sufferer - sounds like a warranty job cos I've had none after 4000 miles). Replaced the screen on mine with a Puig double bubble and the pipes with an imported Tsukigi full system - lurvely! Also, and this is crucial, you MUST do the 'flies out' mod (removal of secondary butterflies). It's dead easy and it puts back all the power and torque below 6000rpm that mama kawasaki dialled out because she didn't think you'd be safe with it. Woohoo! You need a power commander with this mod but you'll need it for the new zorst anyway. Flies out, Tsukigi and pc have together added just short of 20bhp. The front goes airborne in 4th now as well as 1, 2 and 3. Handling was a bit soft to begin with (factory set-up optimised for lightweight riders) but firming up the preload and compression at both ends has sharpened things up nicely.

This is it !!!!!!! Far more sexy than the jelly mould Busa and when you twist the throttle you better have arms of steel cos this baby will rip them clean off ! WHAT A BIKE !

Blinding acceleration at moderate revs, utterly ballistic if you use all the revs. It's the unabated acceleration at very high speed that makes the ZZR special. Crack open the throttle at 150mph in 5th and it still threatens to rip your arms from their sockets. Keep going and it remains totally stable and confidence-inspiring all the way. The bonuses are low speed docility, long-distance comfort / ride quality, beautiful build, crowd-pulling looks, comprehensive instrumentation and superb lights. It's also excellent through the twisties, though not quite as flickable as, say, a ZX10R. The standard screen is for tucking behind - if you want high speed wind protection while upright, especially if you're 6ft+ like me, get a proper tourer instead. The only downsides I can think of are running costs - fuel consumption (if you use it to the full), tyres and insurance. But if you want a missile that uses a completely different scale of speed from anything else on the road, the ZZR is king.