Kawasaki (ZX-14R) and Sport Rider Magazine.......Tell us how you really feel!!

[Stilslo]

I Just bought my busa last month from a Suzuki/Kawasaki dealer. I could of had either, picked the busa. Even checked insurance on both and the zx-14 was 200 cheaper per year thru Geico. I went from bike to bike, sitting on both and looking at them. I had to have the busa. I guess it was the styling and huge aftermarket support that got me, that and I couldn't deal with those zx-14 fins. I'm glad Kawasaki built such a great bike, I don't know why everybody is complaining. Competition between manufactors is a good thing. I remember when chevy stopped making camaros and the ford mustang rested on its laurels.

 

[JGGUNS]

I went by the stealer today to look at one first hand. They had both the green and the black on the floor. Right off the bat, once you straddle it there is a noticeable difference in seating position and reach to the bars. It looks sporty but the seating position is not nearly as aggressive as the GenII. I don't think that I personally would ever be tempted to shell out $15K for one but I was tempted to buy an '09 Gxxr1K for $10.8K. I may not be done with that deal yet.

 

[outlawbusa]

I went by the stealer today to look at one first hand. They had both the green and the black on the floor. Right off the bat, once you straddle it there is a noticeable difference in seating position and reach to the bars. It looks sporty but the seating position is not nearly as aggressive as the GenII. I don't think that I personally would ever be tempted to shell out $15K for one but I was tempted to buy an '09 Gxxr1K for $10.8K. I may not be done with that deal yet.

If Suzuki does take a few years to get the power back then the they need to fight back with is the electronics capability, brake upgrades, etc to speak on more even grounds with their competition.

The prices are so close right now that a bike with those "upgrades" is probably more tempting for some riders.

If I were in the market for a new Busa right now, and seeing what Kawi just came out with...I would not buy a Busa this year knowing that something has to be in the works from Suzuki in the near future. At least it better be is what the money in my pocket would be saying.

 

[The Big Red One]

I know the new 14 has got a pretty good edge in power over the busa, but the busa is STILL a ridiculously fast, very comfy and very nice handling bike with a ton of low end (my favorite part ) . Heck my first gen with all the usual bolt-ons and gearing is a blast to ride I don't think anybody could go wrong buying a busa now if they ride for the pleasure of riding......needing to own the most powerful.....well, thats another story :mwink:

 

[HOOKDADDY]

remember this the busa claim to fame is not a 1 trick pony like the 14 the hayabusa is the all around best big bike power.handleing,touring,draging and comfort for the long haul .Now think 215 hp OR WHAT EVER THE 14 HAS u will not use that on the street on a daily ride. those that have the 14 half of them dont drag and wil never use all that power/meaning u just have an uncomfortable no conering short distance ONE TRICK PONY damn it suck being u ive riden a 14 b4 (forgive me gsxr gods for i have sined)and its comfort SUCK im 5'7 and the busa is just a better fit for me. oh yea just like the 14 its aftermarket is LIMITED on a personal note kawi can kiss my

 

[2Wheels2Live]

Whether or not you like the bike or the brand, the new zx14 is the king of the street and strip as far as power and performance goes, and I think it will be for quite awhile to come I recently got to ride one, and even though I love the busa, the 14 is WAY quicker than both the gen1 and gen2. It feels lighter and handles just as good, plus its more comfy and has crazy good brakes. If you like to ride bikes anybody who gets on the new 14 will love it.
If you're manhoods threatened because your busa just got dethroned then continue to hate
Or go buy a 14 so you can get your d$ck back
Or you can just ride the bike you have and enjoy riding?
I needed to add I won't be buying a new 14, because my 03LE busa modded the way I like it does the job of making my rides a blast just fine

 

[lankeeyankee]

remember this the busa claim to fame is not a 1 trick pony like the 14 the hayabusa is the all around best big bike power.handleing,touring,draging and comfort for the long haul .Now think 215 hp OR WHAT EVER THE 14 HAS u will not use that on the street on a daily ride. those that have the 14 half of them dont drag and wil never use all that power/meaning u just have an uncomfortable no conering short distance ONE TRICK PONY damn it suck being u ive riden a 14 b4 (forgive me gsxr gods for i have sined)and its comfort SUCK im 5'7 and the busa is just a better fit for me. oh yea just like the 14 its aftermarket is LIMITED on a personal note kawi can kiss my

Maybe you don't ride your Busa WOT redline all gears but some of us do on some straight runs squeezing every last HP from our engines. Horsepower, Money, Hot Women, Ammunition are some of the things you can never have enough of
There are times I think I am going to snap my throttle cable from 3rd gear on at WOT wanting more pull, and I know the first time a ZX14R rolls away from me at 100+ I will be cussing and possibly snap a throttle cable.
Thumbs up to Kawi on this one for making the Horsepower and the electronic technology to put it to the ground with control.

 

[2Wheels2Live]

Maybe you don't ride your Busa WOT redline all gears but some of us do on some straight runs squeezing every last HP from our engines. Horsepower, Money, Hot Women, Ammunition are some of the things you can never have enough of
There are times I think I am going to snap my throttle cable from 3rd gear on at WOT wanting more pull, and I know the first time a ZX14R rolls away from me at 100+ I will be cussing and possibly snap a throttle cable.
Thumbs up to Kawi on this one for making the Horsepower and the electronic technology to put it to the ground with control.

Then don't take a ride on a new 14, even if its stock, cause you'll want one bad That thing flat out PULLS.....all the way through the tach in every gear. A little freaky actually. I'm not personally into that kind of acceleration like others, but if you like a freaky fast bike the 14 is the way to go. Plus it has a ton of low end torque as well, so it feels mega strong everywhere. I can see that bike hurting some folks

 

[lankeeyankee]

Then don't take a ride on a new 14, even if its stock, cause you'll want one bad That thing flat out PULLS.....all the way through the tach in every gear. A little freaky actually. I'm not personally into that kind of acceleration like others, but if you like a freaky fast bike the 14 is the way to go. Plus it has a ton of low end torque as well, so it feels mega strong everywhere. I can see that bike hurting some folks

Thats what I am afraid of... Hust hope in a way I dont ride onelease:
Seems the bikes I always got hurt on were small bikes such as the Honda Z50, it always started with hold my beer and watch this chit
I respect the big bikes its the lil ones that hurt me

 

[peterbusa]

Hey Blanka good point,but suzuki will find a way around it,the busa has b een their flagship bike for soo long,still sooo much money to be made on sales and aftermarket .

 

[peterbusa]

I Just bought my busa last month from a Suzuki/Kawasaki dealer. I could of had either, picked the busa. Even checked insurance on both and the zx-14 was 200 cheaper per year thru Geico. I went from bike to bike, sitting on both and looking at them. I had to have the busa. I guess it was the styling and huge aftermarket support that got me, that and I couldn't deal with those zx-14 fins. I'm glad Kawasaki built such a great bike, I don't know why everybody is complaining. Competition between manufactors is a good thing. I remember when chevy stopped making camaros and the ford mustang rested on its laurels.

Funny that you mentioned one reason for not buying the 14 were the side vents,that was my reason for not making the purchase ,aside from that i liked the 14,rear, the front,but just couldnt get used to those ugly finns.

 

[Taylor]

Well I have 65 miles on my 14r now, planning a good ride tomorrow so I will have more of a update, so far, very comfy, great brakes, although not near what my Ducati had, bike runs hot if you stop, likes to be in clean fresh air, don't think it will like a lot of hot climates, it does kick off a lot of heat on right side, reminds me of the concours, very comfy bike, cant believe they made a bike this fast and still this comfy.

I have been taking it somewhat easy, but the midrange power, or roll on power is like a turbo bike, builds thrust like no other bike I have ridden.

More to come, not riding today as its all day drinking and pretending I am Irish.

Oh yea mirrors are so ugly from the side.

 

[2Wheels2Live]

Well I have 65 miles on my 14r now, planning a good ride tomorrow so I will have more of a update, so far, very comfy, great brakes, although not near what my Ducati had, bike runs hot if you stop, likes to be in clean fresh air, don't think it will like a lot of hot climates, it does kick off a lot of heat on right side, reminds me of the concours, very comfy bike, cant believe they made a bike this fast and still this comfy.

I have been taking it somewhat easy, but the midrange power, or roll on power is like a turbo bike, builds thrust like no other bike I have ridden.

More to come, not riding today as its all day drinking and pretending I am Irish.

Oh yea mirrors are so ugly from the side.

Wait till you get it broke in and can wind it up, all I can say is hold on tight!! Plus like any bike as it breaks in and loosens up its going to just gain power

 

[Squishy7465]

Suzuki will answer back!!! They should give us a bike that will out run the new 14 and the bmw 1000rr.

 

[Blubaru]

I Just bought my busa last month from a Suzuki/Kawasaki dealer. I could of had either, picked the busa. Even checked insurance on both and the zx-14 was 200 cheaper per year thru Geico. I went from bike to bike, sitting on both and looking at them. I had to have the busa. I guess it was the styling and huge aftermarket support that got me, that and I couldn't deal with those zx-14 fins. I'm glad Kawasaki built such a great bike, I don't know why everybody is complaining. Competition between manufactors is a good thing. I remember when chevy stopped making camaros and the ford mustang rested on its laurels.

Same here.

The Busa is a bike that has been around for some time and has been refined over the years. It is beloved for its characteristics and pedigree. The ZX14 seems to me like something Kawi just came up with on paper to be able to one up Suzuki. They put it into production but it hasn't had the time to grow and evolve like the Busa.

It all kind of reminds me of the old Subaru STi vs. Mitsubishi EVO battle.

The lancer EVO had been around for some time and was on the eight iteration once the WRX STI was released in the US. The STi had a bit more power and some interesting tech, but the EVO was a much more refined beast. The WRX may have been slightly quicker in a straight line, but the Mitsubishi had the pedigree and was the car you wanted to drive to the track.

 

[Big Moe]

Well I have 65 miles on my 14r now, planning a good ride tomorrow so I will have more of a update, so far, very comfy, great brakes, although not near what my Ducati had, bike runs hot if you stop, likes to be in clean fresh air, don't think it will like a lot of hot climates, it does kick off a lot of heat on right side, reminds me of the concours, very comfy bike, cant believe they made a bike this fast and still this comfy.

I have been taking it somewhat easy, but the midrange power, or roll on power is like a turbo bike, builds thrust like no other bike I have ridden.

More to come, not riding today as its all day drinking and pretending I am Irish.

Oh yea mirrors are so ugly from the side.

Keep us informed!

 

[Kildore]

Im not worried. It is good competition for sure. I do see Suzuki coming out with something in a year or 2 that trumps all our expectations. Aftermarket R&D will be in full swing!

 

[2Wheels2Live]

Same here.

The Busa is a bike that has been around for some time and has been refined over the years. It is beloved for its characteristics and pedigree. The ZX14 seems to me like something Kawi just came up with on paper to be able to one up Suzuki. They put it into production but it hasn't had the time to grow and evolve like the Busa.

It all kind of reminds me of the old Subaru STi vs. Mitsubishi EVO battle.

The lancer EVO had been around for some time and was on the eight iteration once the WRX STI was released in the US. The STi had a bit more power and some interesting tech, but the EVO was a much more refined beast. The WRX may have been slightly quicker in a straight line, but the Mitsubishi had the pedigree and was the car you wanted to drive to the track.

You have to remember the new 14 is built off the original 06 14 platform, just like the gen2 busa is built off the gen1 platform. They're both just refined versions of the originals. The new kawi is just a little more "refined" in the hp department

 

[faster]

Sales are still doing terrible for Suzuki as well as the other Asian manufacturers. I know a salesman real well at a dealership and he said that the new 14's weren't exactly rolling out of the shop very fast. It's an expensive bike in a horrendous economy and I'm certain Suzuki is very aware of this and is watching to see how many bikes are actually sold. Just because all the boards are all raving about it and the magazines love it, the bottom line is how many are really moving off of the showroom floor. Does it make money sense for Suzuki to come out with a new model when the market for it is very limited.

The same salesman told me that they sold over 100 2008 busas but come next year when the economy really crashed, they had only sold 3 of the 2009's through July. Sales just stopped because of the bad economy and also because credit dried up. It became very difficult to qualify for a loan which stopped a lot of younger people from getting a loan. No loans.....no sales.

Harley's are still selling good but there are a lot of older people with money buying them. Even on this site; you don't really see many people buying new, current models of the busa. What I mostly see is people talking about getting their 2008 or 2009 for $8500 or $9000. Why buy new. Those are used bikes Suzuki already sold, not new units coming off of their floors. The manufacturers need people to buy new models and if the 14's aren't selling that good,then why would Suzuki have any incentive to come out with a Gen III. I would love to see a Gen III just for bragging rights because I do like Suzukis. However......would I actually sell my current pristine Gen I just to have the privelige to have to spend maybe $16,000 with taxes and fees just to have the latest and greatest? I doubt it. I would buy a new car first.

It may be fun to read about the horsepower wars but its very expensive to actually participate in them.

As far as i know, Suzuki sales have been in the toilet. Uhhhh.......they even had to skip a year of production just to compensate. Remember ?? I don't see them trying to design a new contender to compete in a shrinking market. People just haven't been buying brand new bikes as quickly as they did a few years ago. I would not have great expectations for 2013. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Big Moe]

Sales are still doing terrible for Suzuki as well as the other Asian manufacturers. I know a salesman real well at a dealership and he said that the new 14's weren't exactly rolling out of the shop very fast. It's an expensive bike in a horrendous economy and I'm certain Suzuki is very aware of this and is watching to see how many bikes are actually sold. Just because all the boards are all raving about it and the magazines love it, the bottom line is how many are really moving off of the showroom floor. Does it make money sense for Suzuki to come out with a new model when the market for it is very limited.

The same salesman told me that they sold over 100 2008 busas but come next year when the economy really crashed, they had only sold 3 of the 2009's through July. Sales just stopped because of the bad economy and also because credit dried up. It became very difficult to qualify for a loan which stopped a lot of younger people from getting a loan. No loans.....no sales.

Harley's are still selling good but there are a lot of older people with money buying them. Even on this site; you don't really see many people buying new, current models of the busa. What I mostly see is people talking about getting their 2008 or 2009 for $8500 or $9000. Why buy new. Those are used bikes Suzuki already sold, not new units coming off of their floors. The manufacturers need people to buy new models and if the 14's aren't selling that good,then why would Suzuki have any incentive to come out with a Gen III. I would love to see a Gen III just for bragging rights because I do like Suzukis. However......would I actually sell my current pristine Gen I just to have the privelige to have to spend maybe $16,000 with taxes and fees just to have the latest and greatest? I doubt it. I would buy a new car first.

It may be fun to read about the horsepower wars but its very expensive to actually participate in them.

Very good insight here!