Picked the bike up yesterday and made the most of the good weather today to get its first 120 miles or so in
So, a mini review:
I've had quite a few bikes of various shapes and sizes (and power outputs). Only one other Gixxer though, a 750 K5.
Fit and ergonomics: First impressions, after the Blackbird - wow this is light! Then, wow this is small! It feels like being sat on a toy bike after the Blackbird and ZX12R before that. The seat it quite high and the bars are low, however the biggest surprise was how comfy the bike is. The ergonomics are very very good, and much better than the K5. Its a short reach to the bars, so you can sit very comfortably at slow speeds, but its easy to get into a crouch at high speeds and the screen gives good protection. After 120 miles I'd say its actually more comfy than the Blackbird was with bar risers!
Engine: This is a very very easy bike to ride. The power delivery is gradual and smooth - really its like the 750 until about a 6k. In fact I was surprised how little torque the bike has at low revs really. Theres still plenty to make progress, but the Blackbird was gutsier in the lower half of the rev dial and the ZX12R was brutal in comparison. Its certainly not intimidating in any way. Fuelling is ok - not fantastic. It has that annoying small throttle on/off common to so many FI bikes. The Blackbird was definitely smoother....but I've always preferred carbs. Can probably dial that out with a Power Commander. Now bear in mind I was running the bike in, so I've not been thrashing it, but I did have a few cheeky short blasts to to *ahem* loosen it up and its pretty much a missile after 8k ish. It just takes off. Faster than the Blackbird - probably similar to the ZX12R. The noise is also lovely - that slightly metallic Gixxer noise. The stock cans look gash but actually sound ok.
Handling - this is really why I bought the bike and I'm not disappointed! The handling is simply astonishing. Whilst the power is comparable to what I've ridden before, you can just go so much quicker and the bike doesn't flinch at all, even on crap bumpy sufaces. The Blackbird becomes a real handful quite quickly as the speed increases, but the Gixxer is just so light, supple and flickable - you can see its just got 10 years more suspension development. I felt like I was cornering far faster than usual, but looking at the tyres I have plenty to explore yet!
Summary - this is the most I've spent on a bike and I don't regret it at all. Its just got that adreneline and fun factor to it that was a bit missing in the Blackbird. The comfort is a bonus I wasn't expecting - I was resigning myself to shopping for bar risers and buying an airhawk seat for my annual tours, but I think I can ride this all day no problem. It also looks horny as hell in the garage, which is always a good sign!
Anyway, a few pics from todays ride to Settle and Hawes:
Massacre!
Yes, yes, I WAS just running it in
Trackday to be booked soon to ride of those!
Mods to come:
Tail tidy
Exhausts & Power commander (maybe)
Carbon side infills - they are currently in a sort of fake carbon / plastic
Thats probably it to be honest, apart from some sort of luggage solution for a Euro trip in September.
