Z1000

[JulesW]

Rode Kawasaki's new naked Z1000 today. Wow, what a wonderful motorbike feels like a Street Triple to ride, ok the suspension isn't quite as good as the STR but the engine is superb. 140 hp and absolutely tons of torque at all engine speeds. Fantastic ride :)

[kaivalagi]

I assume you're trying things out for a future bike?

Just make sure you try and few other thou's before passing proper judgement ;)

Lots complain of it's poor brakes and suspension, the engine might be powerful but it is from old stock and not in the same league as proper sports bike thou's...don't get me wrong, it's a nice bike, just that there are other good and great bikes out there too so get lots of rides in before you pick a winner for your future stable

[JulesW]

Hi Kaivalagi, dunno if we're talking about the same bike. This Z1000 is new this year and is the Z1000SX with shorter final drive gearing and minus the fairing. And it's a feckin' beast with awesome handing, flicks about like a 400, great brakes, fully adjustable suspension. It's got a weird 'angry insect' type look with a funky LED headlight thingy. Looks cool, bit weird but cool. I liked this a lot.

I am looking around at the moment and have ridden three Street Triples, R and std, and they're great. This felt very similar ergonomically and railed around corners in similar fashion to the STR coupled with great stoppers. I liked it more than the STR for the huge torque and power building from 2.5k all the way up. The STR seemed to lag on acceleration from lower down the revs (I put this down to not being used to the bike), this beast just leaped forward with urgency. Was giggling like a little girl in my helmet:) The STR has better suspension in my opinion and it felt smoother on very similar ground. The STR is also cheaper so is still the current fave.

[JulesW]

You're right though, its best to look hard at what's out there. The process of riding lots of great demo bike to help in buying the next ride is turning out to be lots of fun, trouble is I fall in love with all of them. It seems that almost all modern motorbikes are amazingly good.

[kaivalagi]

You're right though, its best to look hard at what's out there. The process of riding lots of great demo bike to help in buying the next ride is turning out to be lots of fun, trouble is I fall in love with all of them. It seems that almost all modern motorbikes are amazingly good.
You are right, all bikes these days have something to give and you'll have fun on all of them, leaving a demo ride with some satisfaction but it's about which gives the most :)

Not a bad price for the z1000 and it looks amazing IMHO but it's still based on the older S1000zx which is what I was basing my statements on, still a major step up from an SV but there are lots out there to give a chance :)

Have you tried any of the big twin nakeds yet? Does it have to be new? A 990 Superduke? the older V2 Tuono?

I know my SM-T doesn't have the HP of either the Z1000 or even the Superduke but that motor, suspension and brakes are a lovely thing, nothing like an inline 4's or triple, more visceral and raw, it's amazing how quick it'll climb the revs :)

Do yourself a favour and get on as many of them as you can.....I'm sure you will anyway!

[JulesW]

Kaiv you read my mind, both the older Tuono and the KTMs figure in the reckoning, and no it doesn't have to be new. In fact I can't afford new at the moment and only do finance when the APR is minute or 0%. I'm not that power hungry, my main interests with a bike lie in handling and versatility.

There's a lot to choose from :D

[kaivalagi]

Just think of all the fun to be had trying them all out! If you can fit on an Sm-t give one a go if available ;)

[JulesW]

MCN really like the SM-T, sounds like a brilliant all-rounder.

[650]

Rode Kawasaki's new naked Z1000 today. Wow, what a wonderful motorbike feels like a Street Triple to ride, ok the suspension isn't quite as good as the STR

Ugh, awful then? The STR's suspension is amongst the absolute worst I've ever encountered, as is the seat. Had to buy a Sargent seat to make it even remotely rideable for anything longer than 20 minutes. Any time spent on roads other than baby smooth, virgin tarmac resulted in some of the worst, skittish behaviour. And yeah, I had it set up right, and yeah I tried it with all sorts of different settings but made no difference. Shockingly bad suspension for a bike that really isn't that cheap off the line.

[NTECUK]

Its different strokes for different folks.
I can ride a Daytona 675 for about 350 miles no problem. Same basically as a street triple.

[650]

Massively different riding position, apples & pears that comparison. It's not about the engine, it's about the absolutely woeful out-the-box suspension, it's amongst some of the cheapest tat I've ever seen.

[NTECUK]

Yes but the world and his wife moan about sports bikes comfort.
Just re inforces the different strokes theory and why you need to test ride lots

[650]

Couldn't agree more, but the STR is universally slated by real world owners for it's huge lack of comfort.

Personally prefer sports bike positioning, the confidence of having your weight over the bars is, in my opinion, better. I have tendon issues in my left wrist though (8 hour wankathons, etc) which means I'm on nakeds for the foreseeable future. People with issues purely based on positioning on sports bikes need to question their physical health over the bike itself. Deadlifts, squats and bench press combined with a diet rich in healthy fish oils will sort just about all aches and pains out.

[NTECUK]

And stem cells.

[JulesW]

650, I rode two Street Triple R s this year and found them to have good suspension and reasonably decent comfort. I really liked the ergos, especially compared to my SV. Of course as a long term owner I might change my mind. I'll have to dig deeper on the forums and take a much longer ride on one after reading your posts. Thanks for the heads up.

[kaivalagi]

Its all subjective Jules, just make sure you try a few different bikes to get a feel for what each offers. Only once you've ridden a variety of bikes will you know what good suspension, brakes and engine is for you. All the bikes you are likely to try will have better suspension and brakes than a stock SV, but it's from those bikes you need to get a feel for what's best and not from an comparison to the SV!

[JulesW]

Kaiv, couldn't agree more. The first test ride was a reaction to discomfort on the SV after several days of big miles on difficult roads, bit of a knee jerk. The SV is actually a brilliant bike but sadly she's gotta go (hopefully to my brother). So going to follow your advice and ride and compare loads of bikes before deciding, I'm hoping to choose something I'll be happy with for many years rather than constantly swapping.

Watched a bunch of youtubes on the KTM SM-T, oh boy they look great! Bit tall for me perhaps as I'm a shorty but I'll have to ride one sometime.

[kaivalagi]

I'm 5'8" and 31" inside leg and it's fine if that helps :) A little bit of tip toes takes some getting used to but it's perfectly okay to handle...it weighs nothing for the engine size and if very controllable. One other thing to mention is on the SM-T as you sit so high up the vantage point you have is excellent, makes for an easy time on the B roads and overtaking etc

I have been spoilt with long travel suspension and brakes and an ABS system that kicks ar$e on the SM-T, hard to find something to replace it with to be honest, the Triumph Explorer 1200 is a good fit surprisingly but just not the same raw and engaging feel as a KTM...if KTM come out with a new SM-T using the 1190/1290 setup I might be interested but that's likely a few years off.

I lasted 8 months on the SV until I decided it was either upgrade the front suspension and brakes or switch, and I switched...I did about 5K miles on the SV over that time and it was a great big bike to learn on, just needed to "go large" really after sampling some of the rides. I did make a conscious decision to stick with a V-twin though, something very addictive about them ;)

[JulesW]

Had some brilliant rides on the SV over the last month. Over a thousand miles in Scotland and nearly a thousand in Wales. Just returned home after 270 miles of twisties in north and mid wales, on the last few miles home I noticed myself thinking "what a fantastic all rounder the SV is" and next moment I'm thinking "why don't I keep her another year?" I'm getting really used to the old girl and my body has more or less adjusted to the slightly weird ergos. Hmmm, what to do ????

[kaivalagi]

Don't rush it, keep demoing and make the move if you REALLY want to

The engine in the Sv makes it an enjoyable thing for sure

[JulesW]

Cheers Kaiv, I guess you've been in that same place trying to figure the 'perfect' next move :) My mind will surely spew out dozens of solutions before the choice is made. Got to rustle up the wonga yet, but that will come eventually. This little SV has never put a foot wrong over the almost 9k I've put on her, I love this bike :)

[kaivalagi]

Get a go on an SM-T, that thing made my mind up when I was looking to move on to something else. Then much later the mrs helped with decide on the Rocket, well that and 220nm of torque :)

[Andy_J]

I just sold my z1000. I loved it, but I went back to a sports bike (fireblade).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/dogzero1/z10003_zps0b24ac79.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v230/dogzero1/z10002_zpsbcb9d956.jpg