Hey every one,

Hopefully soon i will be a member of the big boys clubs. Been riding for a long time. The last bike was a vfr 800 fully set up for touring. Sold it recently against my good judgement and now about to get a zx14 to fill up the gap. Always wanted to try out a zx14 or hayabusa. Waited to see a good deal on the newer ones with electronic aids but alas too costly.

So as of now about to close a deal on gently used 2008 zx14 Would need a lot of advice from the zx brotherhood as its a complete new bike to me and i am mechanically challenged :(

Wanted to ask few quick questions?
1. Anything major i should look for? i read through many topics here and came up with the "rattling" and those rare #3 cylinder problems. Both seems pretty rare or its not? other common one was heating problem.

2. Not having traction control and ABS is scary to ride? or its all just in the right hand and head :D

3. Being a 7 yr old bike i am planning on changing all the fluids on the bike,
- oil > okay to use mobil synthetic? seems some threads otherwise, can some one confirm the volume needed and torque specs on the bolts and filter. Tried using search to find a tutorial couldnt get any :(

- Brakes - Bleeding anything i need to keep an eye out for? VFR linked brake bleeding was a pita :(
- Coolant- so many threads suggesting engine ice. Any tutorials some one can point out. ( iknow i am bad with the search thing - some thing i am doing wrong i guess)

4. Any electrical issues i need to watch out for?
5. is there a center stand option? How difficult will it be to get a center stand installed?
6. Tires, seen many back and forth discussion about 190/55 vs 50% > roughly majority go with 55?

Sorry for lot of questions, based on the difficulty level i might have to bargain more on the price with the seller, or might have to drop the idea of buying all together :(

i take it back, i sort of found the oil change volume 4Quart + 300ml it seems

and got a good write up on coolant change as well Thx rook > http://zx14ninjaforum.com/messages.cfm?threadid=F254810E-D56B-84E2-1F1AD6A6050349E8

I did the same as you are about to do. Bought a used zx14 se last august. First changed coolant, oil and brake fluid. Bought a givi trunk, heated grips, sw-motech centerstand (easy to install). I use this bike for my transportation back and forth to work and when my wife does not want to ride.

Zxtouring, I did exactly what you are doing now.
I had a 2005 VFR800 and loved that bike.
My brother then bought a new 2012 ZX-14R. Once I rode it the Viffer was advertised the very next day. I had never ridden such a smooth bike that had such power but also handled easily in city riding.
I bought a 2007 Gen1 ZX-14 soon after.
Never looked back. Best move I ever made.
I too had the same concerns of no traction control with a bike of such power. Don't worry. As long as you have some reasonable experience on larger bikes and are relatively sensible you'll be right. That is definitely not saying don't give it some stick! The bike will look after you.
I now own my brothers 2012 Gen2 ZX-14R.
I have never considered another bike since.

Enjoy...

thank you guys, hope it all works out well. Looking at tires as of now, cant really find an answer for 190/ 55 or 190 /50 :(

Welcome zxt,
Synthetic oil is a good choice for the ZX. A lot of guys put in Engine Ice or Evans coolant since this bike does run warm. I still have regular coolant in mine and have had no problems. Running warm just seems to be the way this engine is. A few guys have put on a 2nd fan and wired into the system.
You can buy a centerstand from Kawasaki or Twisted Throttle. I bought one off a Connie 14 and did a couple of minor mods to make it work. Much cheaper this way.
The rattle the guys are talking about is when the cam chain tensioner fails. I have 57K on my 06 and still have the stock tensioner with no problems but if yours does start rattling, fix it right away. Most guys put an APE manual tensioner on. Rook has an excellent tutorial on the swap.
About the ONLY negative thing I can say about this bike is the way it eats up rear tires. Funny, it eats them even faster when I smash the throttle open all the time. I'll have to do more research on that....
Enjoy the forum!

Mad

OH, brake bleeding is straight forward since you don't have ABS. Rear 190/55 will give you faster turn in, a slight decrease in stability.
This bike, despite the outrageous motor, is a pussycat to ride. It's all in the right wrist. And it is an excellent sport tourer. Get some bar risers, a Connie or aftermarket seat, some bags and off you go.

Mad

Look for oil seeping out from under the valve cover gasket on the left front. There is a gasket update that solves 87% of the leak. Also make sure the valves have been checked and adjusted as needed, expensive job if you are mechanically challenged. I would also take off the left side upper faring and pull the air filter and look into the intake plenum. Some idiots will run w/o a filter because they think it increases the HP at the strip, then they sell the bike.

Good luck, hope it works out for you!

I seriously considered a VFR800. If it had been a mid-10 second bike, it's probably what I would've went with. Still a quick bike, just not quite fast enough for me. Love those Honda VFs though...they got game.

Everyone loves those VFRs if they owned one.
The ZX14s are pretty bulletproof really. Everything Kawasaki makes is.
If it was taken care of, it should be fine.

I've had ZX14 cam chain rattle at start-up. It's fine. Just ride it.

Thx for the suggestions guys, he said he is using a BMC filter muzzy slip on and PC some random map.

I think I will go with 190/50 since bike is new to me. Stability > flick ability for now :D

Really worried about not having abs on this heavy rocket. Hope I learn to trust her and tame her soon.

Vfr800 is an awesome bike, silky smooth. I haven't exp the legendary smoothness and raw power of the zx yet. So will be able to judge soon.

..welcome zxtouring! i've had my 07 zx14 for 2 years now and find that i ALWAYS want to be on it! i've owned a couple bikes before this, and none of them come close to the ride of the zx14! Be sure to check all of the things the other guys mentioned. As far as the ABS--mine doesn't have that and i'm fine with it! I don't do the track, but i definitely push my bike when i'm on the open roads! Once you take your first good ride, you'll feel exactly what i'm sayin! you already know how to ride, so just allow yourself the time to get used to the power and be safe bro!

* Last updated by: sharp609 on 5/5/2015 @ 6:13 PM *

Thank you guys. I am spending 7k on a 2008 model :( I guess I will always wonder why not spend additional 3 for a 2nd gen model.

Planning to get a ST screen, throttle lock, and tail bag as first set of mods :)

Nothing wrong with the Gen1's.
I loved mine while I had it.
And Rooks amazing "How to's" on the Gen1 are a huge advantage.

But perhaps read through the changes Kawasaki made in 2012 for the Gen2.
The list is long and is not just TC and engine modes.
When I picked up the Gen2 I was most impressed with the redesign. So many things added and updated, large and small.
If you research this, it may very well justify the extra $3k for you.
Up to you.

But you won't lose regardless...

Check out the ZX-14R posts. I just started a new thread on the changes...

* Last updated by: yannih on 5/7/2015 @ 2:18 AM *

Got the bike in hand, rode just a bit to home as it was too late. Feels like it needs a quick overhaul of all the components. will start with tires, Will need flush of all fluids and possibly brake pads too.

may be i was expecting too much, i did not get that wooooow feel so far. But i rode it pretty mildly

yannihhhhhh ur causing more distress by that comprehensible list of changes :D now i feel like i should have gone for gen2 lol

Any time I feel my 2008 zx14 is boring me or I find myself thinking the bike is underpowered I just remember to crank up the revs. Then it reminds me of a few things such as breaking the tire free, wheelies or just going so fast I start looking hard for the police and wondering about my license. How are you liking your new bike now?

Nothing wrong with 14 or 14R. What can one say, 14R is just overall a tad better except in the weight department..it does weigh a few pounds more.

I would assume your ride home you just kind of cruised. It'll let you ride it around like a moped if you want. When you start cracking that throttle open you'll understand what makes your 14 a 14. If not, could be it needs some maintenance (sync'd, plugs, air filter, etc.) or something wrong with it. You'll know if there's something wrong with her, she won't be the fastest bike you've ever ridden.

Also the best brakes available on a bike. Period.
No one has better brakes.

Had the suspension adjusted for my weight, put in handle bar risers. a large tail bag, ram mount usb port and more importantly new tires, new oil and coolant. Pending clutch and brake flush

then i went for a short ride. ... oooooooooh booooooy i love it :) the PC3 needs some tuning to get that good clean response, but other than that this bike is staaaaaaabbbbblllleeeeeee and smoooooooottttthhhh. Had to keep peeking down at the speedo.

Will post a detailed ride report and pics etc by next week. Going for a trip this weekend.