First, I apologize for using the general forum for this topic. My computer is getting cured of a nasty virus and I do not know if can access PMs without my email running. Also, I wanted to make sure the mesasage was seen as the following situation could involve some tight scheduling.

Have a somewhat desperate situation. I went to price ZX-10s at the dealer. He offered me a blue 08 ZX-10 for $8300 + 400 prep + ~400 tax + 100 licence and title = $9200 OTD - offer good until the end of the month when rebates may be over. Should I grab it or is that deal not so good? I don't think this guy bargains, ever. The ZX-10 seemed to be my pick from the research I had done 6 months ago. I imagine you guys (and others, perhaps) have more more recent info.

What can you tell me about street or track riding on the ZX-10.

Thanks. I will be checking for replies via a friends computer or work. Please you guys or anyone give me some input.

Rook

Jump on it Rook, lowest price I could find on an '08 ZX-10 here in the DFW area was $10,013 drive out. Good choice on colors, out of all the '08 colors I thought the blue looked the best. From what I know the ZX-10 is very track oriented setup, midrange a bit down but screaming topend power transition. Ride is going to be stiff on the street depending upon how much you weigh. If you're a lightweight there is a lighter spring rate available for the fork. Go with the Akropovic full system and a PCIII with remap and your good for 175 rear wheel hp and much better midrange. Ergos are tight for a big guy like me, check out the bars, the angle was a bit sharp for my wrists, this can be a factor if you ride long and far. Gearing is tall and the bike really comes alive above 100 mph, nothing will stay with it stock for stock between 100 and 180 and that includes Busa and 14. It also has the highest top speed of any of the current liters if that's your thing. Congragulations and ride safe.

Oh, one last thing, stock Ohlins steering damper is not up to the task, replace it or spring for a re-valve. The 10 is a real head shaker.

Kruz

* Last updated by: Kruz on 6/24/2009 @ 3:16 PM *

^^Thanks, Kruz. I'll let everyone know what I do.

Gearing is tall and the bike really comes alive above 100 mph, nothing will stay with it stock for stock between 100 and 180 and that includes Busa and 14. It also has the highest top speed of any of the current liters if that's your thing. Congragulations and ride safe.

Kruz

tell me it ain't so

it even faster than a mighty honda cbr1000..

oh and go back and look cause you done forgot at the last mag bike shootout .. the busa and zx14 crushed the liters to 180mph

rook tell that stealership you ain't paying 400.00 on prep when its their job to prep these bikes before sales.. other than that it look good

* Last updated by: Badzx14r on 6/24/2009 @ 2:30 PM *

ok now whats the top speed of a zx1o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avaNXo5Pnyg&feature=related

* Last updated by: Badzx14r on 6/24/2009 @ 3:08 PM *

well here's my mag reviews

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQKZtjSU--c

i didn't see that zx10 come around that zx14

this got some good racing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0Ik1zjBW1E&feature=related

* Last updated by: Badzx14r on 6/24/2009 @ 3:47 PM *

That's a good deal.
Buddy is picking up an '08 zx10r for $9600 OTD today. Only better deal he could find was $9500 OTD in Oregon, but that was a 200 mile drive and they only had one left.
http://www.zx-10r.net/ is a good site for info on the zx10r.
Can't go wrong with the Kawi.
PULL THE TRIGGER!

I had a chance to run a 08 zx10 this weekend and it CAN'T out run the 14 to 180. he was -1 +1 and full exhaust and we stayed pretty even until 150 and I pulled away. Then we switched bikes and he got me on my own bike ALL the way up(he's 50lbs lighter). I don't care what the mags say I go by what happens on the street!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQKZtjSU--c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0Ik1zjBW1E&feature=related

Bracket Bandit Strikes again!

I went to look at the blue zx-10 tonight with my checkbook in hand. It was close to closing time. I looked the bike over really closely and found a few minor mars in the paint. It is a floor model and it is the only one he has in stock so if I buy, I buy this one. I'm sure the scuffs will polish out but I was thinking of trying to get a hundred off. I suppose that's a little bit cheap since the price is good.

Badzx14

rook tell that stealership you ain't paying 400.00 on prep when its their job to prep these bikes before sales.. other than that it look good

I will mention the unnecessary dealer prep that doesn't assure you of anything more than it has coolent and oil in it. I sure don't need to pay for that but this guy previously told me they don't sell unprepped bikes.

I'm going back tomorrow. After looking at the 14 so long, that zx-10 is not any kind of pretty. It looks all business like all the liter bikes.

Rook

Rook, read this one through- 7.2K otd!

http://www.bikeland.org/board/viewthread.php?FID=2&TID=47659&set_time=

Rook, it's a good deal, if that's the bike you want I'd buy it. They can play with the numbers all day long and call it what they want i.e. take $400 off the sale price and add it back in as dealer prep. The bottom line is, are you happy with the bottom line? Decide what you want to pay and let him juggle the numbers to make it come out. Tell him you want $100 off for the scratches and wave a stack of crisp greenbacks in his face, that'll get his attention! If the OTD price looks good to you grab it and go have some fun....it's an awesome machine.

This makes me want to go out and buy one now! LOL! Ditch the exhaust, add an Akro pipe and she's a looker!

Kruz

* Last updated by: Kruz on 6/25/2009 @ 8:26 AM *

My brother has the blue 08 10R, full akro and juice box. Fun bike to ride, very fast. Front end sure is ugly

Ummmmm yea, much better now!

Kruz

* Last updated by: Kruz on 6/25/2009 @ 1:23 PM *

Thanks, guys.

Mass, that dude in your link got incredibly lucky. I'll keep my fingers crossed, but I don't think the VP of my stealership will even let any of his sales assoc. close a deal or give quotes. The VP isn't going to F up like that guy who sold the zx-10 for 7K but I'll be watching just in case. LOL Stan, I've been thinking about what you have said about matching the potential of the bike to your skills when buying a track bike. I guess a 600 would actually be something I might hope to max out in performance after a couple years of practice. Still, the price isn't that much more for a liter and it would be a bike I could expect to keep for a long time....like the 14...and the price on the blue 10 is low now - best of all worlds. ???

Yes, I've wanted a liter bike. I'm pretty sure a hyperbike fits who I am as a person better but we all will agree the 14 or the busa isn't going to cut it in the track performance dept. I feel like i could be cornering harder on my 14 but I'm not willing to because it is just too long and heavy. I am going to check another local stealer and see what he's offering a 10 for.

Kruz, I'll have a wad of 100s in my pocket for persuasion if I decide to buy. Just hope no one buys it out from under me in the next few days. If that happens, I guess it was not meant to be yet.

haha if I woulda bought this thing instead of the 14 one year ago, it woulda cost me about 12K OTD!!!

Rook

Front end sure is ugly

Agree with you Monster14. I do like the previous model more, even though it was considered too mellow for highly competitive literbike class.

Rook, one reason I went with the '07 CBR 1000 was that it had a reputation for very predictable handling and power delivery, next best thing to riding a 600 and dramatically improving my chances of survival on the learning curve. I'm way too big for a 600 but you might just be able to ride one. You'll definitely be able to use a larger portion of what a 600 has to offer. I wasn't sure what you were buying the liter bike for but the '08/'09 ZX-10s are known for being an experts bike on the track i.e. quick handling, exposive top end power and the aforementioned head shake when hard on the gas. The go fast guys love 'em but they're not known as a beginners machine. I'm not trying to put you off, you can ride it, just go easy at first and explore the limits of what it has gradually.

Good Luck with your purchase,

Kruz

Agree with you Monster14. I do like the previous model more, even though it was considered too mellow for highly competitive literbike class.

Mellow is a relative term here Steven, they're still crazy fast!

Kruz

I feel like i could be cornering harder on my 14 but I'm not willing to because it is just too long and heavy

I think a lot of it is psychological Rook. I am carrying higher speed in the corners with the literbike but I think it has a lot to do with the fact I KNOW it's lighter and has higher cornering potential and so I push it harder, it's all about confidence really. The 14 really feels more stable when hitting the high speed sweepers, the liter moves around a lot under me when hard on the gas and less than a perfectly smooth road.

Kruz

* Last updated by: Kruz on 6/25/2009 @ 3:22 PM *

Mellow is a relative term here Steven, they're still crazy fast!

* Last updated by: Steven14 on 6/25/2009 @ 3:30 PM *

KMC?? it's KHI

Kruz wrote:

I wasn't sure what you were buying the liter bike for but the '08/'09 ZX-10s are known for being an experts bike on the track i.e. quick handling, exposive top end power and the aforementioned head shake when hard on the gas. The go fast guys love 'em but they're not known as a beginners machine. I'm not trying to put you off, you can ride it, just go easy at first and explore the limits of what it has gradually.

Oh, I had tremendous respect for the power of the 14 when i first got on it and I still do. I don't see me approaching the 10 a lot differently but I would like to do a much more severe engine break in. That'd be all straightline and easy rolling on the throttle so I don't think it would be too risky. I'm not imagining the front will lift if the throttle is applied gradually up to 8-10K rpm in 1st gear...or am I wrong about that?

Rook

I went to another dealership in town and they gave me a price $300 lower ($9,050 OTD) + I would have my choice of blue or black. I brought that to dealer #1 and he said he couldn't give me anything lower than he had yesterday. I gave him my # and told him to call me if he reconsidered before noon tomorrow.

I noticed that both the 10s I looked at had tiny pebbles like road debris in the front lip of the lower fairing. Also, the rotors still had the new "wire brush buff swirl" but it was obvious that the front and rear brakes had a small amount of ware. All the other bikes in the showroom had similar rotor ware. He said it was just from rolling the bikes in and out. I told him he must roll them pretty fast to get road debris up in the fairings. He assured me that they have no oil or gas and have not been started. The tires had no ware at all - still had blue and red stripes. Is this guy trying to sell me a used bike?

Also, there is a Kawasaki credit card that would allow me to pay the bike off over 6 months with 0% interest. I have all the money now but it might feel better to let it slip away a little at a time. Is the Kawai credit card something to avoid, will they scam me even if I pay the balance each month? What effect would it have on my credit score?

Rook

* Last updated by: Rook on 6/25/2009 @ 6:49 PM *