I finally got out on the bike after a long winter. I just had to get in a ride because it was such a beautiful evening tonight. i rolled the bike out to the curb and started it up. It was really thrilling to hear that motor leap to life and know I was going to jump on and take a ride. I swear this never gets old. As much as I always wanted a sportbike, I would have guessed that my enthusiasm would have dwindled pretty much after 4 years. No way. As I walked back to the garage to get my helmet I turned and looked at the bike standing at the side of the street. The vinyl applied to the fins is untrimmed and raggy looking and I haven't gotten the lowers or the belly pan on yet. Still, I just had to stop and smile and shake my head. It has been so long since I looked at the 14 all ready to be ridden. It has been sitting up on stands, defaired most of the winter with a dust cover over it---or with pieces taken off or hanging off half dismantled everywhere. "DAMN<" I thought to myself, "that thing is SO FREAGIN'cool!" It looks so mean and so mysterious sitting there idling. I got on and rode after 4 months and for the first Spring since I bought the bike in March of 08, it felt like I had been on the bike all my life. There was no period of getting reacquainted. No hesitation. It feels like the bike is a part of me now. I just went for a 40 mile ride, just around the town, on the expressway, through the neighborhood. Nothing remarkable to report but what a great feeling to just be on the bike and ride again. Best money I ever spent in my life. I sincerely doubt I will ever be as happy or proud of any other belonging I am blessed to acquire for the rest of my days.

Here's to a great season of riding everyone!

* Last updated by: Rook on 4/10/2011 @ 9:45 PM *

felt the same way yesterday, first day out. pulled into the local gas station for a couple lbs of fresh air for the tires...lol several guys there on their goldwing trikes and they get off and surround the 14 just staring and complimenting the 14 ...sure is a good feeling. rook if your up in the U.P this yr let me know were planning to ride up there this yr maybe stayin in marquette for a few days and just takin in the sites on the 14.

I'm going to get to experience this soon.. After not having ridden her on the street in 2 years!

rook if your up in the U.P this yr let me know

After not having ridden her on the street in 2 years!

That was like poetry Rook, hope you have a wonderful season, as yours is starting up ours is drawing to a close. Although I don't think our winters are anywhere as severe as yours.

The air here is starting to warm up again. Until yesterday, we'd been having sunny days with cold air.

Summer is on the way in the USA.

I fired up the compressor in the garage and put about 12 psi into each tire. Fired her up, let her warm up, and proceeded to make a long trip around the neighborhood. Gingerly braking until I was certain I had bled the brakes properly. Everything working perfectly as far as I can tell.

Next Saturday, the new tires and 90 degree valve stems go on.

Soon enough it will be time for the first ride of the season, up to Wellsboro PA for 4 days.

Im loving the ZX-14 as well. Just bought mine a few weeks ago. Got a left over 2010 Special Edition. Seems that everywhere I went yesterday I got complements on the bike! Going from a ZX-6R (636), I LOVE this bike! The ride, the power is just what Ive been looking for. In a couple more weeks I get my PC V and Brocks Full Alien Head Exhaust! Every day I look forward to hopping on, even if its just to ride around the block a few times. Im glad I got the ZX-14 rather than a M109 or a Busa. I had one guy even mistake it for a busa till he got up on it. Asked me if I was gonna STRETCH it and said that stretching made it handle better. I told him that the ZX handles like a dream as it is!

WHEEEE!!!!What's not to Love!!!14's baby.....SHWEET!!!

retsam wrote:

Asked me if I was gonna STRETCH it and said that stretching made it handle better. I told him that the ZX handles like a dream as it is!

First, welcome to the forum!

Secondly, anyone that tells you stretching or lowering makes the ZX14 "handle better" is either talking about "for drag racing" or some kind of looser poser person.

Handling is pretty much maximized on the ZX14 given its power to weight, weight, weight, well, weight. She is too low to the ground for serious roadrace track use, though some do it by trimming the lower cowling off, and setting the suspension up for it pretty stiffly.

Stretching it changes that geometry and has mathematically predicted turn in and braking effects that are not positive for road uses. Lowering the front end slightly improves turn in, but limits maximum braking without hitting the horns on the front fender.

So just smile when someone says to do that, and do what you know is best for the way you ride. If all you do is burnouts and straight line, stretch and lower, she will look smoking good. But if you ride the mountain roads like many of us do, I'd think about spending the cost of a stretched swingarm on Ohlins fork and rear shock instead.

And I promise, on this forum, you will get many points of view, and possibly a post following mine taking a completely different point of view. Which is why zx14ninjaforum.com is the very best ZX14 forum in existance.

I agree with Privateer.I know nothing about stretching a bike...how it'll handle.But I can say,lowering mine one inch front and back ruined the high speed cornering.I could not get the suspension dialed in "hard" enough to stop her from weaving all over the apex.It wasn't very fun tryin to dig deep with the bike doin that.That little experiment lasted all of 3 or 4 hours.On the straights...there wasn't any difference in frame performance...she has always gone straight and solid.Just wasn't worth doing for me.Perhaps if you never intended to go over 80 in a curve,maybe.And there was one other thing that really helped me decide to go back to stock settings.In the apex of the corners,the "body" felt as if it was gonna slide out from under me any time.Could have just been cause she was "closer" to the ground leaning,but it wasn't a solid reassurring feeling I'll tell ya that.

When I raised er back up,the corner feel was there again....digging in deep was fun again.Feeling like you're sitting "in" the bike may seem "cool"...but it's not very good IMO for rollin in on the sweepers.Perhaps on a different bike...maybe...IDK.I just felt WAY more in control with her set up to stock height.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 4/11/2011 @ 4:10 PM *

Thanks for the welcome privateer. I have absolutely no desire to stretch or lower my bike. All of my mods are going to be geared toward more power (and a few led accents). Eventually I may had better suspension / tires and a new seat. But other than that its about power and carving through the curves. So far I have on order a full Alien Head exhaust and a PC V. I've also got a fender eliminator that I need to get a light for and install. Anyway, thanks for the advice! I do love my bike!

yeah I loved my ZX14....

it breaks my heart to think of her with her frame broken in 6 places :(

rest in pieces my love

OZ

Sometimes when you have the king of sport bikes people will seem to find any reason to act like they know more than you do. Talk is cheap.

All of a sudden I am looking down @ 3,900rpm. What made me think the bike was not UNDER ME anymore? What made me look at the tach to sea change something has changed.

THIS BIKE IS TOO SMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTH!!!

Finally got back on mine also.The last time I rode it was the day before my deer hit.Now it's got a new battery and a Sargent seat I picked up for $200.Felt SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good!!!!Can't wait for some nice LOOOOOOONG rides this year!

Edgecrusher wrote:

Sometimes when you have the king of sport bikes people will seem to find any reason to act like they know more than you do. Talk is cheap.

The trick is to be able to detect when it is deep knowledge and experience talking, or just bravado and exaggeration. They sound a lot alike if you are intimidated by it.

Rook, I know how you feel. My last ride was early August 2010. It was a good one, over 600 miles in one day. By the time I got back how, my left knee was sore. The next morning, it was quite swollen and would not allow me to bend it. I saw a couple of doctors and was told I had a severed ACL, and torn meniscus. Surgery was scheduled for mid-September and a year of rehab. My doctor gave me the okay to ride back in February, nice (way too cold for that in Virginia). Long story short, I was able to throw a leg over her and sit comfortably about three weeks ago. I even took her out for a quick spin. I don't think my FIRST ride on her felt as good as this 20 minute bolt! When I got on her in January and my knee wouldn't bend, I thought I'd be missing the spring if not the summer! As soon as I was able to go more than a few miles, I did my annual tear down and spruce up; new chain, inspect and lube wheel bearings, check the now infamous well-nuts, and gave her a good bath and a coat of wax. Now I just need a day with nothing else on the calendar to take her on a nice all day run.

Smoother than ever before! I'm looking at that duc and aprilla, thinking, what the fuck for???!! This bike moves... does it move! Lean, mean, cool running machine!

Those subthrottle are no fluke. You're missing it!

Right on guys! absolutely the BEST! I've had and ridden alot of bikes in my 55 yrs. but never thought I could feel the exhilleration that I get from this awesome machine! Traded in my old '79 Suzuki GS1000 and thought it was a pretty fast and powerful bike, and guess it was, for it's day......BUT......WOW!!!! Now when I get on the '08 1600 Vulcan, it feels like there's something SERIOUSLY wrong with it, LOL! Only 1350 mi. on her so far, and this is my first sport bike, but the more I ride it the more confidence it inspires and the smoother it seems to get. Just ordered the OEM center stand with the cool knurled aluminum lift handle and was wondering if anyone knew if the front pit bull would work with the CS? Also wondering if when I take off the pipes to install the stand if I'd hurt anything to fire her up for a short just to hear that bad boy with just the headers? I know without a pc and back pressure the air/fuel won't be right but will it hurt the valves or anything to just run it for a couple minutes? Gettin' alot of great info from you guy's and like Rook says...THIS BIKE IS THE BEST!!!

Welcome Mad...Centerstand?...it's gonna allow the front to come up off the ground as you know.Just curious here...what do you want to do with a front stand?That centerstand should allow any frontend work to be done....OH...I think I see now.You want something to stabilize the front when the wheel's off,yes?

It won't hurt to fire her up...just for a couple o' minutes...maybe a tad less.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 6/20/2011 @ 1:12 AM *

Make a block to stick under the engine to lift the front end. No, no harm will happen you rev the header up. The cool air going in will no affect the valves... Besides, it's a fallacy. Board trackers ran open head up front, pipe in the back so they would not get burned.

Hi, Mad. If I ever need to support the front w/o a stand, I put a strap under the airbox and hook it around overhead ceiling joists. I use a front stand to lift and then tighten the straps and remove the front stand. You could construct a short ramp for the front wheel to avoid the need for the front stand. Just be sure the joists will hold the weight--I go close to a wall as I can get. JNHO, the wood under the oil pan with a jack to lift makes me a bit nervous but I have not heard of anyone damaging the bike in this way.

Your center stand should distribute the weight almost perfectly in the center like a teeter totter. This stand I use does the same thing --great for keeping the front light enough to safely hang the bike and prolly bestif you opt to use a jack. (personally, I would not want to use a spool stand and the jack/wood under oil pan --tremendous downward leverage against the oil pan with the bike supported way at the back of swingarm JMHO )

Looks good Rookster!

Hub....you're not the ONLY one has to look at the tach to see IF she's actually runnin!Get a lot of comments about..."how can you be comfortable on THAT THING?"...shit man....obviously they've never ridden a 14(well,yeah ).

I rode this girl's NEW Sportster one time back....couple o' years ago now.I all honesty,it's unimaginable to me how ANYONE could actually be happy with a bike that shook and stumbled as much as that poor thing.Geez....fergettabout using ANY rear view.It was SO bad....I honestly couldn't tell WHEN to shift.The engine never did smooth out...no matter where I shifted or what rpms I was trying.Insane!And she spent at least 13,000,14,000K on that deal.

The ONLY thing I could see her getting that bike for was a REAL thrill ride(for a girl).It definitely had the capacity to do THAT.

* Last updated by: blue07 on 6/20/2011 @ 1:51 PM *

Delayed reaction....working nites I don't get online that often, but thanks for all the tips and the welcomes. It's nice how most everyone tries to be helpful....great forum and members! ( plus I think we've all got the best of the best bike made! )

Ya...I work nites here as well.Last season,a bunch of my rides were at nite...usually from about 1:30 am to around 4:00 am or so.Hid's definitely make it much safer and better.