Today I had my knee down in the rain.

And yes...I was absolutely shitting myself.

Not because I was on a close mate's ZX10R[1], not because I was going
round Gerards at Mallory, not because I was doing about 95mph at the
time...but because I was out there on slicks. I had gone in harder
than normal once I'd got used to it, only to find the track was damp
on the far side and rain spots on my visor. I just held it there
through the corner and pulled in asap. It cleared up so I went back
out to play.

How fucking awesome are those ZX10Rs? You think you're going some, and
then it goes some more. You go to turn in, and the bike is there all
turned in and on its side waiting for you to dial the throttle in a
bit. It's like motorcycling on a different level to anything I've ever
known.

[1] Danny's race bike.

 

Great aren't they? And the thing that shocked me, is that compared to
the GSXR1000, it's really easy to do as well. Although I have a
girlie one.

 

I thnk I'd prefer the gurlie one tbph

 

.....and he was on the phone.

I never forget Woody gooing out at Snetterton on slicks in the
wet....Aweseome.

Yes they are sort of nice.

 

Well I'm guessing that warm slicks on a damp but not wet surface should be
ok, where there is no water to sluice away BICBW. Still it sounds like a
shedload of fun, you lucky Spic.

 

I've ridden a couple of road going late models, early model race bike
and a few Gixer K5/6s. I prefered the Gixers to the others.

The ZX I rode today is an early model - fast and uncompromising with
168bhp at the rear wheel. Everything is race orientated, so the
steering damper is whacked right up, the rearsets are extreme, WP
shock set up for a rider 3 stone heavier, Pretech brakes are mind
blowing etc. I'm not in a position to judge it against the Gixer in
road terms as it's a race bike, but it is good at what it does,
there's a whole office full of trophies and hats to prove it.

The road going ZXs were obviously softer but still retain that
focussed feel - they are uncompromising in a way that the Gixer isnt.
They are flighty, unstable and not at all comfortable, whereas the
Gixer makes a fantastic road bike.

 

wrote:

The new model isn't actually all that flighty, or uncomfortable, you
know.

 

Compared to a Gixer K5/6 they are.

 

Oh, ok.

The only bike I can think of as feeling really flighty was my old R6,
it'd shake the bars just by accelerating over ripples in the road, even
as slowly as 40 or 50.

That's probably why your man bought it.

 

The raearsets on the uber-man's version are uncomfortable in extremis.
I don't like the way the gurlie version feels either.

 

I'd have to ride a road-going example to compare, but everything felt
so responsive and even though the set-up was for Danny it still felt
absolutely perfect.

 

I've never thought of the R6 as being flighty at all, especially at 40
or 50 mph. The front end on mine is dropped 10mm for nicer turn-in and
even spirited hurtles up the A54 are no cause for concern.

flook

 

On Fri, 27 Jul 2007 11:47:51 -0700, wrote:

snip>

I'm sure that's not what you said when they were first let loose on
the unsuspecting public. Give it another 12 months and they'll be
accepted as just another lardy arsed tourer.

 

I don't think I ever said anything about them when they were released.

They are already, now Ginge has bought one.

 

Pretty fugly though.

 

The K1/2 are an icon. The K3 is tolerable for having radial brakes. It went
downhill from there and the K7 is a dog.

I fancy a K3 with brembo master cylinder and the bodywork off. Don't scoff,
eveyone knows I'm a sick puppy already.
I'd want a 5 gallon tank on it too ;o)

 

I meant the 10R. The original was quite pleasing on the eye, with the
exception of the mile long silencer which just didn't quite sit at the
right angle. The newer model has a back end worse than the Daytona which
is really going some.

The original Gixer thous look rather dated now. The K5/K6 is quite
pretty - I think I've finally got over the batmobile-esque rear
indicator pods - though I do agree it's all going a bit naff where the
exhausts are concerned.

 

You really do want my crashed one, don't you?

The tank is one of the fwe absolutely pristine bits left on mine.
Given that it had a aglux cover on it from the age of just a couple of
weeks.
--
_______
..'_/_|_\_'. Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
\`\ | /`/ DS#8 BOTAFOT#3 SbS#2 UKRMMA#13 DFV#8 SKA#2 IBB#10
`\\ | //'
`\|/`
`

 

Says the man who doesn't know what Wonder Wheels is for! and it isn't all
that dilute BTW, get it on your clothes and skin to see.

They can talk about whatever they like. I've moved on to Gixxers. I have a
minor obsession going on this week.