Sportbikes.net - View Single Post - Would you guys buy a ZX-12R again?

ronhix · 09-27-2004, 01:18 PM

Hey Guys,

Finally got a chance to ride my friend's 2000 ZX-12R on Saturday. Good news and bad...

Good news is that the bike is unbelievably fast. You guys obviously know this since you own one of these. But for me, it was definitely a pleasant surprise. I expected it to be strong, but not ridiculously strong. Oh my...all I can say is wow. It felt like it was trying to pull my arms off, no joke. On a lonely straight deserted country rode, I ran it through the gears and before I looked down at the speedo it was well over 150...it was still pulling...HARD! On the straights, the bike was just awesome...tons of power.

The curves however were a nightmare. At first, I wasn't sure what the problem was but the bike was VERY loose in the curves. I looked the bike over good before we got out and started riding and the tires looked like they had plenty of tread and everything looked solid on the bike. The tires had dust and spider webs on them from the bike not being ridden, so at first I thought maybe the tires were just kinda slick...so I gave them some time to heat up as we rode pretty aggresively down these country roads.

Some of the roads we ride have nice twisties that I ride all the time. I could not get comfortable on this bike at all in the corners. It just felt very loose and even wanted to wobble at times. I was baffled so I pulled over and asked him about it (he was following me on my 1995 Honda CB1000 while I rode his bike). He told me I was spinning the rear tire as I was going through the curves. WHAT?!?! I have done power slides before, and they felt much different than this loose feeling that I was currently experiencing.

We went out again and I intentionally lugged the bike in a higher gear to prevent any possibility on spinning the rear end. That's when I realized what it was...the front tire was kinda bouncing a little and then slipping...big time! I wasn't experienced on this bike and it took a little time for me to tune into what it was, especially since it wasn't noticeable until the bike was leaned over agressively.

I immediately stopped again and inspected the front wheel more closely. I realized that the front tire was "ridged up" slightly along each tread pattern. The bike had the stock front tire (Dunlop) on it with 3000 miles on it and the tire looked fine! But, when I rubbed my hand from the bottom of the tire up toward the top I could definitely feel the ridges all along the front tire. I can only guess this is cause by a combination of the soft compound of the tire, the weight of the bike and the very strong brakes on the big Ninja.

There is a lesson here! The tire looked fine, but wasn't...inspect the tires, rub them...don't just look at them. Since the owner was selling the bike, he just bought a rear tire but didn't replace the front...BIG MISTAKE!

He agreed to replace the front tire and I plan to ride this bike again soon.

09-27-2004, 01:18 PM	#11 (permalink)
ronhix Track Addict Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Chicagoland Area Posts: 46 Casino Cash: $250 Sportbike: 2005 Jiggy Thou	Hey Guys, Finally got a chance to ride my friend's 2000 ZX-12R on Saturday. Good news and bad... Good news is that the bike is unbelievably fast. You guys obviously know this since you own one of these. But for me, it was definitely a pleasant surprise. I expected it to be strong, but not ridiculously strong. Oh my...all I can say is wow. It felt like it was trying to pull my arms off, no joke. On a lonely straight deserted country rode, I ran it through the gears and before I looked down at the speedo it was well over 150...it was still pulling...HARD! On the straights, the bike was just awesome...tons of power. The curves however were a nightmare. At first, I wasn't sure what the problem was but the bike was VERY loose in the curves. I looked the bike over good before we got out and started riding and the tires looked like they had plenty of tread and everything looked solid on the bike. The tires had dust and spider webs on them from the bike not being ridden, so at first I thought maybe the tires were just kinda slick...so I gave them some time to heat up as we rode pretty aggresively down these country roads. Some of the roads we ride have nice twisties that I ride all the time. I could not get comfortable on this bike at all in the corners. It just felt very loose and even wanted to wobble at times. I was baffled so I pulled over and asked him about it (he was following me on my 1995 Honda CB1000 while I rode his bike). He told me I was spinning the rear tire as I was going through the curves. WHAT?!?! I have done power slides before, and they felt much different than this loose feeling that I was currently experiencing. We went out again and I intentionally lugged the bike in a higher gear to prevent any possibility on spinning the rear end. That's when I realized what it was...the front tire was kinda bouncing a little and then slipping...big time! I wasn't experienced on this bike and it took a little time for me to tune into what it was, especially since it wasn't noticeable until the bike was leaned over agressively. I immediately stopped again and inspected the front wheel more closely. I realized that the front tire was "ridged up" slightly along each tread pattern. The bike had the stock front tire (Dunlop) on it with 3000 miles on it and the tire looked fine! But, when I rubbed my hand from the bottom of the tire up toward the top I could definitely feel the ridges all along the front tire. I can only guess this is cause by a combination of the soft compound of the tire, the weight of the bike and the very strong brakes on the big Ninja. There is a lesson here! The tire looked fine, but wasn't...inspect the tires, rub them...don't just look at them. Since the owner was selling the bike, he just bought a rear tire but didn't replace the front...BIG MISTAKE! He agreed to replace the front tire and I plan to ride this bike again soon. Last edited by ronhix : 09-27-2004 at 01:24 PM.