ZZR12 has an awesome engine

[1KPerDay]

Got a rare opportunity to redline the bike in the first couple of gears on my way to work this morning... man, the bike has so much torque down low that you could ride it all day using the first 1/4 of the throttle (and I have recently). I forget how much raw power it has up top until I get a chance to let it spin up a bit.

Very addictive.

[windsorgreen1]

No doubt but I hated the handling. I honestly think my concours with a fork brace & sonic 1.1 rate springs handles better. The ZZR just doesn't provide enough feedback, but power ? dang do i miss that !!

[1KPerDay]

A good shock really helps the handling. Still not the best-handling bike I've ridden, but it's getting better...

[No Cam]

How would you rate it in smoothness//buzziness compared to your GPz?  My GPz is about the smoothest bike I've ridden.  I've synced the carbs a couple times but never touched the balancer.  

I rode a ZZR a few years ago and it was buzzy, but it was a bike that was ridden very hard by the owner.  At 23k miles it was smoking and burning oil.  I also thought it steered lighter than my GPz but I had Conti tires on then and my steering head bearings were too tight I discovered later.  

NC

[dalan]

+1 1K!  lovely motor in there.    I know what you mean about rarely using the upper half of the tach; seldom is there any opportunity or need to go there since there is so much down low.  The ZX14 is the same way: I've still yet to see anything north of 7k on it.


Regarding buzziness, yeah, the ZZR is a little buzzy but not unpleasantly so.  Never enough to cause any kind of numbness or tingly hands.  The worst of it is a vibration right around 3500-4k that sets up a harmonic in the front plastics resulting in a rather annoying fairing buzz.

[1KPerDay]

How would you rate it in smoothness//buzziness compared to your GPz?  My GPz is about the smoothest bike I've ridden.  I've synced the carbs a couple times but never touched the balancer.  

I rode a ZZR a few years ago and it was buzzy, but it was a bike that was ridden very hard by the owner.  At 23k miles it was smoking and burning oil.  I also thought it steered lighter than my GPz but I had Conti tires on then and my steering head bearings were too tight I discovered later.  

NC

The GPz is definitely smoother. Great bike. The Zed has a bit of buzz around 4-5K, but I don't find it particularly annoying. Certainly not like a Concours . I feel the GPz handles better than the Zed overall, though the Zed has quite a bit more cornering clearance (at least compared to my 20K GPz with shagged-out suspension). I grind peg feelers pretty regularly on the Geep but have only scraped a couple of times on the Zed; that may be because until recently I haven't felt too confident on the Zed at 90% pace and up. Hopefully when I get the forks rebuilt and superbraced the mighty Zed will handle as well as it goes. It was great fun on the track but Miller is very smooooooth. I think you could get away with riding a hardtail there.

If I could have a GPz with the power of the ZZR I think it'd be my perfect bike. The GPz is much easier to work on and has more legroom.

[ZED]

I don't actually have a ZZR12, but I can certainly relate with my Z1000.  Same basic engine I believe.

I find I rarely use  more than 1/3 throttle or have it over 5000rpm.  There just isn't a need.  Definitely lends credibility to those who say 600cc is all you really need.  Still, on the rare occasion when I do wind it up over 8000rpm, what a blast!

[Dakota]

This bike has so much torque and power it is just sick.  Man, I routinely wind it out thru the first three, hitting shift points at about 10.5k, this bike has more power than any sane rider should need.  It makes me shudder to think what that ZX-14 just feel like......  

[GS1100GK]

No doubt the ZZR1200 motor has some major power.  Very rarely do I get the chance to wind it out and find myself short shifting most of the time.  One thing that amazes me about this motor is that if you baby it you can get 50+ mpg out of the beast!

I get some minor vibes between 4600-5100 rpm.  Nothing to worry about though.  Gel grips and some bar end weights help to quell what vibes gets through.  I did an Iron Butt 1000 ride last August and had no issue with the vibes putting my hands to sleep.  On occasion, I would put on my throttle lock to give my right hand a rest, but that was it.  

I know the ZX-14 has a fantastic motor and will out perform the ZZR1200 in every category except overall comfort and fuel mileage.  IMHO.  However, the ZZR1200 is a great bike in it's own right even if it won't hang with a liter bike in the corners.  I'd have no issue mounting up and heading to the other coast on it in a heartbeat since I know it will get me there as quickly as I would want and keep me comfortable along the way.  

[1KPerDay]

I don't actually have a ZZR12, but I can certainly relate with my Z1000.  Same basic engine I believe.

Not really, but the power-to-weight ratio is probably close. The ZX-9R (from which the Z1000 derived) is a blast also... but you do have to rev it.  

[1KPerDay]

One thing that amazes me about this motor is that if you baby it you can get 50+ mpg out of the beast!
(snip)

I know the ZX-14 has a fantastic motor and will out perform the ZZR1200 in every category except overall comfort and fuel mileage.  IMHO.  However, the ZZR1200 is a great bike in it's own right even if it won't hang with a liter bike in the corners.

Depends on the riders of both bikes.

As for mpg... don't ask.

I need to put the stock jets/needles back in. But then I might lose some of that mighty wall of power from 3K to 11K.

[GS1100GK]

Depends on the riders of both bikes.

As for mpg... don't ask.

I need to put the stock jets/needles back in. But then I might lose some of that mighty wall of power from 3K to 11K.

1K,

On trips I can get 50+MPG if I baby it.  Stock exhaust, jets, shimmed carbs.

[1KPerDay]

I know. Lots of folks get good mpg on stockish Zeds. Just not me. I regularly get mid to high 20s now.

[GS1100GK]

I know. Lots of folks get good mpg on stockish Zeds. Just not me. I regularly get mid to high 20s now.

1K, a mid to high 20 mpg from the big ZED tells me that you suffer from cronic Maximus Throttle Applicatis in conjunction with a fear of using 4th , 5th , and 6th gears.  A somewhat common disease amongst high performance motorcycle enthusiasts.  The cure for this ailment is to ride a moped for approximately 1 month and wear leg chaps and Tshirt that proclaims...."Hi, my name is 1K and I'm recovering from Maximus Throttle Applicatis!" every time you ride the moped.

 

[PhilBiker]

Doesn't the ZZR have the same basic frame / layout as the old ZX-11C?  Maybe that would be a more apt comparison than the GPz, though in the marketplace the ZZR was/is the obvious successor to the venerable GPz.

From a showroom sitting experience, the GPz 'feels' a good deal smaller than the ZZR even though it's probably heavier.

[1KPerDay]

The GPz is about 20 lbs lighter than the ZZR12 (590 and 610 lbs wet, respectively) but feels a LOT lighter, particularly at parking-lot speeds.

GS1100K, I really ride like a little old lady going to church most of the time.

I hear that some people riding my ZZR have gotten as low as 19 mpg, though... on NV highway 50 in the middle of nowhere, tripling the speed limit. Rumors, I tells ya.

[1KPerDay]

Doesn't the ZZR have the same basic frame / layout as the old ZX-11C?

The ZX-11D, yes. Pretty much the same bike, though the ZZR (on some dynos) has about 10 more HP and more torque due to its punched-out cylinders. The ZX-11 looks better, IMO (particularly in candy burgundy or whatever it was.

The ZZR is very sexy to my eye also, though.

The ZZR is indeed a worthy successor to the "practical", "competent," "very good" GPz (that nobody bought). Nobody bought ZZRs either. I guess I'm a sucker for Mama Kaw's sales underdogs.

[PhilBiker]

The ZX-11D, yes. Pretty much the same bike, though the ZZR (on some dynos) has about 10 more HP and more torque due to its punched-out cylinders.

You sure about that?  I've had friends who have owned ZX-11 C and D model, and I always thought the aluminum frames on those bikes look quite different, and the on on the ZZR looks almost exactly like the one on the C model, and not as much like the D.  Well, nice frame nonetheless, all three are quite competent and closely related!  Kind of like the GPZ frame and the old Ninja 900 steel frame.

[1KPerDay]

No, I'm not sure about it.  

[Fast Blue]

The fact that the big Z has so much hp in the well, amazes me.
With a slight twist of the throttle I'm passing a line cars with out effort - with or with out a passenger

No complaints here about this powerful machine

[GS1100GK]

The fact that the big Z has so much hp in the well, amazes me.
With a slight twist of the throttle I'm passing a line cars with out effort - with or with out a passenger

No complaints here about this powerful machine

Add to your list....without a downshift either!

[Spectreman]

I average about 35 MPG from my ZZR. The only engine mods have been Muzzy slip-on cans & the needles being raised slightly. I'm a little dissapointed w/the gas mileage but certainyl not w/the power the bike puts out cuz it's a rocketship!!!
Lee

[Squareman357]

I know the ZX-14 has a fantastic motor and will out perform the ZZR1200 in every category except overall comfort and fuel mileage.  IMHO.  

Don't believe the hype.  At 65-70 in 6th gear I can get 50 mpg easy.  I average about 36 city and 42 highway.  Running the highway at 85-90 mph I routinely get 200 miles out of a tank, filling up with about 5.2 gallons, for a 38.5 mpg average.  Having ridden a ZZR1200, I can tell you that matching the comfort is a set of bar risers and a peg lowering kit away, depending on the rider.  Stock for stock, the ZX-14 felt as comfortable to me over a 100 mile ride as the ZZR1200.  Trust me, the ZX-14 is, or can be made to be, every bit as comfortable as the ZZR1200, while out performing it in every measurable way.  The ZZR14 (European designation) IS the successor to the ZZR12 after all, so that should come as no surprise.

[blakebird]

Don't believe the hype.  At 65-70 in 6th gear I can get 50 mpg easy.  I average about 36 city and 42 highway.  Running the highway at 85-90 mph I routinely get 200 miles out of a tank,

What he said.

I've gone well over 200 miles per tank many times. 80mph in top gear is loafing at 4k rpms. The ZX-14 motor is based more on the ZX-10R architecture, and is 'next gen' in all respects. Very smooth, very refined.
I'm at just under 18,000 miles and have had zero issues with anything on the bike.

not to hijack a ZZX1200 love festival or anything....but the 14 is the shizzle, right squareman?

[Squareman357]

What he said.

I've gone well over 200 miles per tank many times. 80mph in top gear is loafing at 4k rpms. The ZX-14 motor is based more on the ZX-10R architecture, and is 'next gen' in all respects. Very smooth, very refined.
I'm at just under 18,000 miles and have had zero issues with anything on the bike.

not to hijack a ZZX1200 love festival or anything....but the 14 is the shizzle, right squareman?

All day every day.  I was experimenting coming in today, and at 60 mph, talk about loafing engines, I was barely pulling 2500 RPM.  65-70 pushed me to a hair under 3000 RPM.  I have no doubts I could do 250 miles BEFORE reserve at those speeds in final gear.  The ZZR1200 is a great bike with loads of power, panache, and comfort, but the ONLY thing it has over the ZZR1400 (ZX-14) is the hard bags.  I really wish it had come with hard bags, and the US version had gotten the ABS, but at about 13,000 miles, it's nothing but smiles every time I throw a leg over.

[1KPerDay]

Get your own thread, you dorks.




(P.S. I want a ZX-14 baaaaaaaaad. )

[GS1100GK]

Don't believe the hype.  At 65-70 in 6th gear I can get 50 mpg easy.  I average about 36 city and 42 highway.  Running the highway at 85-90 mph I routinely get 200 miles out of a tank, filling up with about 5.2 gallons, for a 38.5 mpg average.  Having ridden a ZZR1200, I can tell you that matching the comfort is a set of bar risers and a peg lowering kit away, depending on the rider.  Stock for stock, the ZX-14 felt as comfortable to me over a 100 mile ride as the ZZR1200.  Trust me, the ZX-14 is, or can be made to be, every bit as comfortable as the ZZR1200, while out performing it in every measurable way.  The ZZR14 (European designation) IS the successor to the ZZR12 after all, so that should come as no surprise.

Sorry fellas.  Just quoting what I saw posted on zzrbikes.com from 2 people who I know have the ZX14.  Most people over there agree the ZZR1200 is more comfortable at least in regards to wind protection.  Similarly, the gas mileage figures were provided by those other riders as well.  Given a restrained wrist and I'm sure the ZX14 will return good gas mileage too.  Just quoting what my friends who own them have told me.  I own a ZZR1200 and have ridden the ZX14 and can say definitively the ZZR1200 pushes more air around the rider.  The ZZR1200's profile is wider and I believe taller so there is more frontal area to push the air away from the rider.  Then again, comfort is all just opinion isn't it?

 

[Dakota]

It is just hard for me to imagine the 14 being more comfortable than the ZZR.  Smoother, yes, I can buy that.....

[Squareman357]

The way the bike is sculpted, the only area where you're getting much wind is over the short windscreen.  An appropriate double-bubble, or touring screen like the Laminar Lip will fix that. The air I get coming over the windscreen is very clean though, not a lot of buffeting or noise, and I have a fairly long torso at 6'3", and I've done nearly 1000 mile days on it with no fatigue issues.  As far as the gas mileage, either bike will suck down gas faster than a thirsty man in the desert at an oasis, if you're grabbing the go-handle too hard LOL! Didn't 1K say he was getting mid to upper 20's?    Moderate user of the go-handle nets better mileage, both in fuel consumption and tire consumption.  And GS1100GK, I didn't say MORE comfortable, I said it could be AS comfortable.  The ZZR1200 is a very comfortable long distance mount, that's for sure.

[Dakota]

The way the bike is sculpted, the only area where you're getting much wind is over the short windscreen.  An appropriate double-bubble, or touring screen like the Laminar Lip will fix that. The air I get coming over the windscreen is very clean though, not a lot of buffeting or noise, and I have a fairly long torso at 6'3", and I've done nearly 1000 mile days on it with no fatigue issues.  As far as the gas mileage, either bike will suck down gas faster than a thirsty man in the desert at an oasis, if you're grabbing the go-handle too hard LOL! Didn't 1K say he was getting mid to upper 20's?    Moderate user of the go-handle nets better mileage, both in fuel consumption and tire consumption.  And GS1100GK, I didn't say MORE comfortable, I said it could be AS comfortable.  The ZZR1200 is a very comfortable long distance mount, that's for sure.

I'm also 6'3"...damn, now I will be thinkin' about the damned ZX-14..lol

[Spectreman]

I don't ride my ZZR like a madman at all & only average 35 MPG. The only mechanical mods done were shimmed needles and Muzzy slip-ons. I love the ZZR's power but am sorely disappointed w/the MPG quotient. My ZRX averaged 43+ no matter how I rode that bike; sometimes I was over 50+ MPG if it was a highway ride- not so w/the ZZR.
Lee

[ZZR12]

I agree mine is a tad thirsty,but with the Ivan's jet kit and the Remus 4-2-1 exhaust who cares about mileage the bike hauls. Also the bike only will handle as good as the rider,I routinly ride with repliracers and I'm never at the back of the pack everyone tells me its heavy (thats true) but I've never had a grip problem (Conti road attacks) and I surprise a good deal of people on a twisty road, and all I've done is installed a fork brace.

[1KPerDay]

I don't ride my ZZR like a madman at all & only average 35 MPG. The only mechanical mods done were shimmed needles and Muzzy slip-ons. I love the ZZR's power but am sorely disappointed w/the MPG quotient. My ZRX averaged 43+ no matter how I rode that bike; sometimes I was over 50+ MPG if it was a highway ride- not so w/the ZZR.
Lee

Yeah, but the ZZR's got about 30-40 more HP.