Seriously, there is truth to the 'flat' spot in the powerband and on an open throttle acceleration you can really feel the powerband in the bike. You can even feel the falloff after 12k. But I have to say, once past break in and you hit 8k, hang on tight! This bike pulls crazy hard in the upper rpms. Sometimes it scares the piss outta me cause I'm not ready for it. I have to say the low rpms are great for cruising around town thru traffic, and the high rpms are for the real rush. You ask will it get to 14K? Find an empty deserted road (after break in), start from a complete stop and pin the throttle running every gear up to atleast 12k before shifting. Make sure you lean forward to keep the front end down. Your question will be answered with an exclamation point. You will find 60 in 1st, 85 in 2nd, 110 in 3rd, and thats about as far as I have topped the gearing. I've hit an indicated 137 in 6th but not topped out.