2012 Kawasaki ZX-14R Review [Video]

[The Spaceman]

Originally Posted by sarnali2

Ken when I was in High School the girls gym teacher who was Japanese and a stunner bought a brand-spankin' new white 240Z. We used to stand under the eves of this garage and smoke cigerettes between classes, the teachers parking lot was right there so we got a nice view of her coming and going. I'm talkin' total package here my friend..totally hot Japanese lady, the coolest car on the road at that time and she wore skirts and tall leather boots...........

Unbelievable, we used to just stand there and drool like idiots.....

The stuff dreams are made of, no doubt! My uncle had the lime-green version. I loved all the details like the little hatches on the hood that opened for the washer and brake fluid, the twin SU style carbs, all of it was perfect. I even got my own '72 in...IIRC...81 or 82, a couple years out of college. Unfortunately it was a Cocoa Beach car, so although it ran and looked great, it had serious cancer in the rocker panels, lower doors, etc. I finished it off on River Road one night driving in the rain.

I sure hope my kid isn't as stupid as I was with cars and bikes. If it hadn't been for them (and women) I'd be a millionaire.

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by The Spaceman

The stuff dreams are made of, no doubt! My uncle had the lime-green version. I loved all the details like the little hatches on the hood that opened for the washer and brake fluid, the twin SU style carbs, all of it was perfect. I even got my own '72 in...IIRC...81 or 82, a couple years out of college. Unfortunately it was a Cocoa Beach car, so although it ran and looked great, it had serious cancer in the rocker panels, lower doors, etc. I finished it off on River Road one night driving in the rain.

I sure hope my kid isn't as stupid as I was with cars and bikes. If it hadn't been for them (and women) I'd be a millionaire.

It must be tough carrying 6 or 7 alimonies.

[sarnali2]

Originally Posted by seruzawa

Don't forget that in the early 80s Kawasaki and Suzuki were the performance kings while Yamaha kept the overweight XS1100 and Honda flailed around with those V-4s. I don't think Honda's street machines ever competed effectively against the big KZs and GSes. Though the CB900F was a real deal pricewise. Today's brainwashed idiots think that a 750 is a small weak bike.

One of the guys I rode with back then had a GS1100 that just dissapeared over the horizon every time he wicked it up, another guy had a Shovel that he threw thousands of dollars at trying to beat him. He wound up with what was essentially a drag bike with lights on it and he still never could catch him.

I had a GPZ 750 tariff bike at the time that was a real screamer and much later an ZX1000R that was beat to tears when I got it but still scary fast. Kawasaki's always been at the top of the heap as far as I'm concerned. The only Hondas that caught my eye were the CBX which a friend of mine had and the CB900F Super Sport which I thought was really cool looking. 750 is an ideal size because you have plenty of power but still reletively light weight. If it wasn't for the Import tariff that gave 600's the leg up I think 750 would still be the standard for performance.

[The Spaceman]

Originally Posted by seruzawa

It must be tough carrying 6 or 7 alimonies.

Never had one, actually; I always married women who made as much or more money as me. I had child support for a few years till the kid's mom died, but even that was trivial because I always had 50% custody.

Ladies, I am willing to learn. If you're a smokin-hot 30-something with your eyes on the Sugar Daddy prize, send me a PM and let's talk. There's a nice home, all sorts of property, and the Grand Prize: $750,000 Kid's College Trust Fund, all awaiting the winning contestant!

Remember, you can't win if you don't play!

[12er]

My '72 240 got stolen and stripped, I saw 158 on the speedo, 2 short of the 160mph dial. Ran out of road... R.I.Pieces...

[sarnali2]

Originally Posted by The Spaceman

Never had one, actually; I always married women who made as much or more money as me. I had child support for a few years till the kid's mom died, but even that was trivial because I always had 50% custody.

Ladies, I am willing to learn. If you're a smokin-hot 30-something with your eyes on the Sugar Daddy prize, send me a PM and let's talk. There's a nice home, all sorts of property, and the Grand Prize: $750,000 Kid's College Trust Fund, all awaiting the winning contestant!

Remember, you can't win if you don't play!

"Lonely LOTTO winner seeks lady friend for fun and frolic, small breasts a plus, must be 3 way" Call Today!........

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by sarnali2

750 is an ideal size because you have plenty of power but still reletively light weight. If it wasn't for the Import tariff that gave 600's the leg up I think 750 would still be the standard for performance.

I agree that 750cc bike engines are a sweet spot in displacement, but I think the 750cc tariff was over in 1987.

[sarnali2]

Originally Posted by Kevin_Duke

I agree that 750cc bike engines are a sweet spot in displacement, but I think the 750cc tariff was over in 1987.

Agreed, My point was that the tariff on 700 and above bikes caused the Japanese manufacturers to concentrate on the 500's, bumping them first to 550, then up to 600, in effect creating the 600 Supersport class. The Yamaha FZ, Suzuki GSXR, Honda Interceptor and Kawasaki GPZ all originally came as 750's. When the Tariff was enacted they simply warehoused them and concentrated on the smaller bikes. I think the only way Kawasaki was able to bring over the original 900 Ninja was under the 6000 unit limit taxed at the old rate.

The 6000 unit clause was what allowed BMW, Ducati and Moto Guzzi to continue business as usual as well, and it was on a sliding scale that increased by 1000 units per year just in case.

The biggest bonus of the tariff was the flood of heavily discounted brand new 4 year old Japanese bikes that hit the market in '87 such as my $2000 GPZ 750 that had been sitting gathering dust in some warehouse. A new battery and an oil change later you had a brand new bike for 1/2 the cost of the current year.