New to the Kawasaki 600 ZX-R

[LuckyinVA]

I have just purchased a 2007 600 ZX-R and I so far I am enjoying the bike but I do have some questions for those of you who are willing to answer.

First off I used to own a Honda F3 and then a few years later a brand new Suzuki GSXR 600 (2004)

I felt the Suzuki was smooth and fast and was fairly easy to corner with.

The Kawi seems to be a noiser ride with a bit more vibration however the bike seems to handle even better then the GSXR does.

Is it fairly common of the Kawi to be noisier and have more vibration?

not to whine but my hands are fairly numb after just 3 days of riding

I'm still inside the first 500 miles so I have yet to really tap into the bikes high end.. is that what I am missing here?

I also noticed that I have what are known as "wuss strips" on the sides of my tires yet I have been taking turns and gradually getting the new tire broken in.

I have ridden on and off for several years and have never really tracked my bikes. I'm sure I have tons of room for improvement but I feel like I am getting into the turns fine without getting to the end of the tire. I won't get into whether or not if makes me a wuss because I am not out to impress but honestly am I just not pressing enough?

I'm a confident rider and I respect the bikes power however I have been scared shitless a few times on the past bikes and in past situations in traffic.. like I said I was just looking for imput on whether I'm perhaps not leaning the bike to really get what it's totally capable of or if there is perhaps something else I'm not doing yet.

3 days back on the bike after being off since 2005 I guess my other questions about the bike are fairly common.

I would like to know if the maintenance packages the dealers are pushing are really worth the $. I remember taking my GSXR in once at 600 miles and then again considerably farther down the line. I guess without specific dollar amounts here it makes it hard for you to help but I thought after a first service it was pretty much just the basics.. oil / filters etc..?

I also find I am up on the tank quite a bit and not so far back on the seat on this bike is that fairly common? It feels normal except when I get my boys into the tank on a hard brake..

What other caviats will I be facing with this bike? So far I like it but I don't have that "warm and fuzzy" that I had initially with the GSXR. I don't want to be a brand whore but can anyone tell me why they feel this bike would be or is better then the other 600's I passed on?

If you own one of these I'd really like to talk about the bike.. The guys at the shop who own them seem to love em.. I'd like to feel the same..

I appreciate your feedback...

Lucky

[OreoGaborio]

Falls Church huh? I have, er... had family in Falls Church

My best suggestion to you is check out the Cornerspeed school. Those guys are TOP KNOTCH and will help you hone your cornering skills in NO time. I've been going down there for the last three years (from Massachusetts!) to ride with them & it's always a pleasure.

in regards to your seating position, sit wherever you feel comfortable... if that's on the front 1/2 of the seat, so be it. that's where I spend most of my time as well.

As for your hands, concentrate on using your legs, abdomen and lower back to hold yourself up, NOT your hands, wrists and arms. Keep your grip AS LIGHT AS POSSIBLE, almost to the point where you're not even gripping the bars. This will help w/ "numb hand" as well as sore wrists, arms & shoulders.

Lastly, don't worry bout your Wuss Strips... or as we call em, Chicken Strips. Just do some reading on proper riding technique & concentrate on that.

Check out Twist of the Wrist and Twist of the Wrist 2. Great books. If i recall correctly, 2 concentrates more on street riding technique than 1.

[LuckyinVA]

I appreciate your feedback. I think the bike is gaining on me. I think the review are pretty straight forward and with just a few mods it can be clearly be brought up in speed and power. I am going to work on the cornering and I am investingating the info you passed on as well. I found the info easily when googling so I think I am off to a good start. It had rained last night and decided to ride again for my commute... sucks to get sweaty before sitting the office but its worth it when I sit there all day knowing I am going home on 2! I read there are few easy changes that can be made to the bike and I gather the maintenance is really a choice of best practice. Since I am not sure I am going to remain here for more then a year its best to not get locked into a single dealership for the plans they offer. I think the info on not using my arms and wrists was dead on and I tried to work on using the rest of the my body instead... having just gotten back im pretty sore all over.. but with a smile that assures me it won't be the last of the aches.

thanks again.

Lucky

[velocity bmg]

Originally Posted by OreoGaborio

As for your hands, concentrate on using your legs, abdomen and lower back to hold yourself up, NOT your hands, wrists and arms. Keep your grip AS LIGHT AS POSSIBLE, almost to the point where you're not even gripping the bars. This will help w/ "numb hand" as well as sore wrists, arms & shoulders.

Even at high speeds, turns, hairpins.

Unless you are under heavy braking, you should be able to tap a tune with your fingers on top of your hand grips.

Just lay your hands on the grips...relax.

Your lower body and body position do more than counter-steering will ever do, unless you are at the edge of Doohan style skill.

[Ozy]

At the risk of starting a war, I had the suzuki K6 600, If i had my way, I would have bought a Kawasaki.

you will get used to it...good luck

[OreoGaborio]

Originally Posted by velocity bmg

Even at high speeds, turns, hairpins.

Unless you are under heavy braking, you should be able to tap a tune with your fingers on top of your hand grips.

Just lay your hands on the grips...relax.

Your lower body and body position do more than counter-steering will ever do, unless you are at the edge of Doohan style skill.

i agree, except for the lower body & body positioning statment doing more than counter-steering.

go ride around using NO body & JUST countersteering, then ride around as if your hands are not even touching the bike using just your body to steer and NO countersteering.... doesn't work so well.

Countersteering is much more useful at being used to initiate and maintain a turn... body positioning is used to "trim" it out (reduce the amount of countersteering needed) and keep the meat of the tires on the ground.

[deaninlbc]

Originally Posted by OreoGaborio

i agree, except for the lower body & body positioning statment doing more than counter-steering.

go ride around using NO body & JUST countersteering, then ride around as if your hands are not even touching the bike using just your body to steer and NO countersteering.... doesn't work so well.

Countersteering is much more useful at being used to initiate and maintain a turn... body positioning is used to "trim" it out (reduce the amount of countersteering needed) and keep the meat of the tires on the ground.

I will usually start my turn-in with my body, weighting the inside peg, but as stated by Oreo counter-steering is what changes the bike direction more easily. I start my turn-in this way because I've already positioned myself off the bike which gets it leaning in and then counter steer for a more controlled turn-in. For me this makes a smoother turn-in and forces me to put my body in the correct position, more hanging off to keep the bike more upright and in the meat of the contact patch.
Not sure if this is the correct way but it works for me and keeps my pucker factor at a minimum.

[OreoGaborio]

I do something similar but w/ a twist....

Like you, I set my body well before the turn, but i use countersteering to keep the bike straight up and down until i get to my turn-in point... at which point I release the countersteering used to keep the bike straight and initate the turn w/ contersteering in the direction i want to go. Again, using my body only to 'trim' out the turn.

makes for a nice quick flick, Keith Code style.