What a Joke (zx12r)

O

OB_jeffw

Registered
So here are the facts from the June 2000 issue of Cycle World zx12r test:


2000 Kawasaki ZX12R
-------------------
156.6 rwhp
90.3 #/ft
187 mph
10.04 1/4
513 dry
545 wet
$11,999

The rest of the article is nothing but excuses. Hmm, I wonder where the 513 lb dry weight came from? were we not told it was under 480 (less than the 474 lb Hayabusa)? I guess they had to add weight to meet Euro standards :) Or everyone was weighing the Daytona show bike w/o a crank & pistons!

Nice try Kawasaki, it's a good bike but still 2nd place.
 
Actual real world weight comparison, full tank of gas, same scale. ZX-12: 550 lb / Busa: 560. Weights are not meant to be absolute, in themselves, as much as an actual look at the relative weight difference between those two bikes. Z-12 was 49 state bike. Busa was '99 Calif. bike.

[This message has been edited by c.dolan (edited 22 April 2000).]
 
Manufacture dry weight is
1.No Fork Oil
2.No Engine oil
3.No Brake fluid
4.No Fuel
5.Maybe no Battery

the 513lbs dry is probably no fuel.Since gas weighs about 6lbs per gallon and the ZX12 has a 5.3 gallon tank that is just abou right.The bike is suppose to weigh 547wet.
 
The busa rules...........and we have had our bikes for a year now. The busa will continue to rule.............I think the 99 busa'a are faster for some reason..........
 
What's so funny about a bike that goes 0-60 in 2.6 or so seconds, 9's in the quarter and top out at better than 180 mph? The joke is on Kawasaki and their not laughing!
 
What's so funny about a bike that goes 0-60 in 2.6 or so seconds, 9's in the quarter and top out at better than 180 mph? The joke is on Kawasaki and their not laughing!
 
i guess we can say to all those jabronies that found it appealing to come on here and hype up the zx-12 those 4 little oh so painful as hell words...

we told ya so...
 
I don't see what difference it makes whether the ZX12 is restricted or not. Bets and bragging rights are based, at least initially, on stock bikes. It appears that the Kawa. will come up a little short, and whether it is because of engineering or is just a management decision, results are all that count. SCOREBOARD! is the retort of a winner when a whining loser starts to make excuses.

If the aftermarket starts to make add-ons that move the ZX12 past the stock Hayabusa, who cares.The Kawa. will no longer be stock. There are plenty of non-stock Busas to take up the challenge.

Having said that, I think that the evidence is starting to mount that the 12 is restricted.

I have a copy of "Fast Bikes" mag., May 2000. I'll give a short quote.
"We would have liked to have told you ourselves how fast the ZX12 is but due to a recall of the press bikes to complete a longer running in period, we haven't got a clue. Thus the only two publications to get a look at the top speed of the ZX12 were BIKE magazine and the weekly comic and the general conclusion was that, as the bike ran the same speed both ways downhill and uphill and into and with the benefit of a tailwind, it must necessarily have been restricted."

Kawasaki supposedly denied this, but the mag mentions two previous bikes, the 125hp ZZR 1100 and the 1992 100bhp ZXR 750 that were restricted in the UK.

My view is that the ZX12 could be a better bike overall than the BUSA without being faster on top.With most of us, top speed is only theoretical,and not indicative of any real world advantage.

At this point I'm not convinced that the 12 has any significant advantage anywhere. Time will tell.
 
A dip on the dyno doesn't mean it was restricted unless it was dynoed in 6th gear, and the rpms where the dip is coincides with the top speed achieved. Most dyno operators run 3rd or 4th gear, so it has nothing to do with being restricted. A restrictor abruptly cuts the fuel or the spark, and comes back on after the bike slows down slightly, quite obvious to any rider. Kawasaki would be the first to yell RESTRICTED to justify why it is slower if that was the case, don't you think? In addition, restriction was talked to be 186 mph (indicated, same as cars, which is about 170 real) which clearly wasn't the case. The real question is: who cares? Even if the busa had been slower, I wasn't about to trade it for a 12.
 
The 12 is no more restricted than my Dodge pickup!!! I never will forget the quote the Kawasake representive stated a couple of months ago when asked how it would compare to the Susuki---I quote "We sure did not build it to be slower than the Suzuki". That sounds like a man not talking about a "restricted" bike. The only restriction is has is Aerodynamics.
 
I was with a friend of mine last night who is a wrench for a Kawasaki dealership here.

THE 12R IS RESTRICTED. THE ECM HAS BEEN MESSED WITH.(maybe more)

This is not what I wanted to see. Look at the power curve in CycleWorld. There is a suspicious dip in power/torque at about 8000 rpm.

They will soon have a fix for this in the aftermarket world.
The government messing with this crap really upsets me.
2000 Busa came up slower than last year too. Different ECM? Maybe not
Bob
 
Is the ZX12 restricted?

Only in the imagination of the Hayabusa haters. They cling to this idea, hoping it's true so they can once again talk trash
without feeling stupid. The ZX12 is Kawi's
best effort and a great bike. You Kawi faithful should stop crying and take your medicine!
 
The numbers Jeff quoted in the first post on this thread are perfectly consistent with an unrestricted bike. The weight, power, speeds and times are virtually identical to what we get on our 99 Hayabusas.

But I don't get why Gadson (who rode for Cycle World) ran a slower quarter than the moto-journalist for Motorcyclist who got a 9.96 on a ZX12R that ran only 183 mph top speed.

Mags are all over the map, aren't they?
 
dp.i guess gadsons not use to a bike not lowered!now you see why i get good at the stock bike setup.later you can lower it, but on the street you need to be familiar with its setup ,to be able to win any unpredicted stoplight races.

[This message has been edited by THE MOTORHEAD (edited 22 April 2000).]
 
Got my magazine in the mail yesterday.

I have nothing against the zx12, very nice bike. What I dislike are the prople who whine and make excuses when they have lost.

Want to earn respect? Then just state "the zx12 was beaten..." plain and simple. Much better than whining and complaining... the racer way.
 
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