I'm Leaving

[?]

Well guys, I've had a great couple of years owning/piloting the ZXR. It tought me how to ride a bike properly, showing that handling over horsepower can defeat all

I have since bought one of these


and loving it.(Yes it's a 1200 Harley engine and YES IT IS AWESOME)

So a fond farewell to the 'baby ninja' but will check in every now and again to relive the good times.

so adieu.

Dave.

[masterofinsanity]

sorry that you're leaving but that bike is mint ! love it!

[MillaMeter]

Sorry to hear that, bike looks awesome btw!

Gotta love that petrol tank frame!

[rene]

id love ago on one ment to handel like nothing else

[RedexRobB]

Sorry to se you go, but you can still talk to us here if you want.

Always fancied a buell, but cos of the harley engine they get alot of unfair criticism i think.

[deviant]

Always fancied a buell, but cos of the harley engine they get alot of unfair criticism i think.

They haven't exactly been paragons of build quality either. I don't know if that's changed in recent years - I suspect not given some of the press comments about the new 1125R.

I love some of the ideas built into them. But it seems the execution is a bit hit and miss.

I'd still like to ride one tho!

[Xphyral]

i test rode one of those at the NEC and for a 1200cc engine it is gutless, has a fuelling glitch at higher revs and handles like any other upright naked bike.

They do however look mint.

[?]

i test rode one of those at the NEC and for a 1200cc engine it is gutless, has a fuelling glitch at higher revs and handles like any other upright naked bike.

They do however look mint.

Well I think your talking shite, I wouldn't call 84ftlbs of torque gutless.
Fair enough the horsepower is fairly low at 100bhp. But as we know with the zxr bhp isn't everything.
It also handles beter than any naked bike i've ridden and I would go as far to say as it's almost better than the ZXR, alot more stable through corners on 'real' roads.

[Xphyral]

The spec sheet might say 84ftlbs, but it really doesnt show anywhere. Especially when setting off from parked.

The handling is no better than any other naked bike, it has black round things and wide bars. If you want to talk "real" roads then many many bikes are more stable than the zxr400. But then again, there wasn't a largely discernable difference between the two bikes other than you dont get your thumbs trapped when on full lock with the buell.

So if we take it to the road, you wouldnt know the difference between the buell and say a z750, because someone told you it handled better you think it does. Tyres seem to do the same to people. You can talk about stability under braking, faster turn in, holding corner speed, feedback, and driveout but they are useless terms for road riding. wide bars and a more open steering lock on any bike makes it a better handler, at lower speeds, buells claims are all well and good but at the end of the day i was sorely disappointed with the ride. There are so many aspects of 'handling' that an ambiguous claim that it handles better is just retarded. I think i was a bit abrupt in my previous post, it was a nice pleasant bike to ride and what i should have said was it doesnt live up to it's claims and that for 1200cc's it's well and truly gutless, quite possibly due to the delay on pickup with it's fuel injection and that unless you were looking for a mentally quick and sharp handling bike the buell is decent enough. If you wanted a mentally fast, sharp handling bike then:



best bike i've ridden in years.

[Jamz]

Hmm.

Raised bars are for 'comfort' - not handling.

If raised bars made for better handling you wouldn't see every single sports and race bike with drop bars.

[masterofinsanity]

raised bars are for streetfighters!

[jake]

I like em, good choice. It would be nice to keep yr zxr aswell.....
I thought there sharpness was due to there weight didtribution, rake angle and wheelbase? dunno, but they are sposed to handle great.

the statement about handling no better than any other naked bike, as im sure you realised when you reread your post is bolox.as is the statement about tyres, and steering lock. Altho, you touched upon truth with 'being told it handles good', can inspire confidence.....but that alone wont make that yamaha divy handle like that benelli pictured.
As for your trapped thumbs on the zxr, drill your lockstops and put bolts thru them before you have a tankslaping moment that hurts dude

[?]

The steering lock is worse on the Buell than the ZXR, as to saying because someone 'told me the handling is better' that makes me think so, what kind of fool are you? I know the difference between a shite and decent handling bike. The steering geometry on the bike is a bit twitchy and does shake it's head whilst on the power, but on turn in it's perfect, maybe the one you rode had a fault, because I've rode three different Buells and found them all to pull like a train. They are easy to ride fast and to give you confidence, I went past a CBR600 the other week whilst I was two up. You can keep the rice rockets for me thankyou.

[greengoblin]

Take it to a track day, that should settle things for once and for all.

Last guy I met at the track with a Buell thought exactly as you do.

[Xphyral]

Hmm.

Raised bars are for 'comfort' - not handling.

If raised bars made for better handling you wouldn't see every single sports and race bike with drop bars.

clip-ons are where they are because it's more aerodynamic to have the riders body in that position, very little to do with handling.

I like em, good choice. It would be nice to keep yr zxr aswell.....
I thought there sharpness was due to there weight didtribution, rake angle and wheelbase? dunno, but they are sposed to handle great.

Suspension, tyre size/profile, less unsprung weight, rake, wheelbase, weight distribution, rider position, low center of gravity and... wide bars.

the statement about handling no better than any other naked bike, as im sure you realised when you reread your post is bolox.as is the statement about tyres, and steering lock. Altho, you touched upon truth with 'being told it handles good', can inspire confidence.....but that alone wont make that yamaha divy handle like that benelli pictured.
As for your trapped thumbs on the zxr, drill your lockstops and put bolts thru them before you have a tankslaping moment that hurts dude

your right, a diversion wont handle like the x12 or the benelli but you have chosen one of the worst upright bikes there. give me a speed triple, a z750 that benelli and an x12 and i'll drive the things at a walking pace around however many cones you want. I'll take em around a track just as fast as each other and tell you once again there just isnt all that much difference.

why would you have your thumbs trapped at tankslapper speeds.. honestly that's got to be the stupidest comment i've read yet.