Dark Angel
Still kickin' it!
Well, it’s been quite a day - and I’ve made my mind up!
11 o’clock found us at Blackpool Honda to take a ride on a Kawasaki GTR1400 – and I loved every minute!
It’s an incredibly luxurious feeling to sit in one of these cadillacs, with all the tricks and trimmings you could dream of, or wish for. I won’t rhyme them off here (you can look them up for yourself, if you’re sufficiently interested), but get a test ride if you’re thinking of changing your bike in the near future.
It’s a very good touring machine and the engine needs no mention. Brilliant mirrors - and the front brake is awesome. The rear brake, though, felt woolly by comparison: maybe a bit of TLC is needed on a two year-old bike that has done just over 10K miles, but in fairness I have to add that it had only been received into the dealership as a part exchange the day before, so it hadn’t been through the workshop.
The high bars and generous lock make it an easy bike to turn and manoeuvre at low speeds, while the seating position and dashboard layout are excellent. I was also very pleasantly surprised by the agility of such a big, panniered bike, especially through the twisties and when negotiating roundabouts of varying types and sizes. After a while I relaxed and let the bike find its own way through the corners and, while it tended to wander a little wide sometimes, it only needed a little bit of input to sort it out: no dramas and, yes, I know: it’s a tourer.
Against all of this, there was a distinct whine from, either, the gearbox or the shaft drive, especially when pulling away in first gear. Which also reminds me; the gearbox itself could only be described as adequate: “silky”, it wasn’t. I found it almost impossible to change up smoothly through first and second to third gear, and that makes for an unsettled bike and a disconcerted pillion passenger. I never got the hang of things but, with a little more time, I reckon that normal service would soon have been resumed.
Finally, low-frequency vibrations were noticeable through the bars and footrests, even when cruising on the motorway. With 10K on the clock, a good service and a general “tightening up” all around would probably do a world of good. All in all, I was very impressed with the GTR; very impressed indeed.
We retuned to the showrooms and left again, almost immediately, on a Pig-bike.
Lorraine loved the way it handled and accelerated – and so did I. Yes, really! It was great fun – but – I was appalled by the vibration from the engine, which transmits through the whole machine; bars, seat, frame, footrests; the lot. Lorraine even commented on it when we were halted, and I remember thinking that I could get the same kind of sure-footedness, acceleration and handling characteristics from my old Gixxer 750 – but with a lot less in the way of the “bad vibes” of the Honda.
Besides the awful styling, the vibration factor has come, not so much as a disappointment, but as more of an outright shock that no one has mentioned it before. Was it a “rogue” bike, or is this a trait of the V-4 that is taken for granted by the cognoscenti?
Anyway, it was fun – but neither I, nor Lorraine would contemplate riding across Europe on one. The Pig-bike is not a Tourer. It is a wanna-be sports bike-toy on ugly pills (very BIG ugly pills!), albeit a very competent one.
A while later and we’re walking into Preston Superbikes, on our way home. Earlier, I’d tried with other dealers to arrange a test ride on a Triumph Sprint GT (not available until next week) and a ZZR1400 (closed on Sundays), so we called in on spec. and there, in the showroom, was a silver “Z” that had just been received, awaiting inspection and valeting. First registered in 2009 – 410 miles on the clock. That's right: four - hundred - and - ten - miles. (Pause for reflection here: VFR Pig-bike £12K+; ’08 GTR @ 10k miles £8700+; brand-new ZZR at “pre-loved” price!)
Having ridden one before, I was prepared for the worst when the Preston guys very generously allowed me a test ride when we’d only walked through the door a few minutes previously. What I discovered, though, was that riding the GTR and the Pig-bike had removed all thoughts of the Blackbird from my head, so my preconceptions and expectations were swept away, along with any thoughts of making a direct comparison between the ZZR 1400 and my sweet, sweet Honda B. When we got back, Lorraine said, “I really liked it! It feels really impatient to get going, but it feels really good through the bends!” And me? I loved it!
Previously, the ZZR had felt alien, as I’d climbed straight off the Honda onto a bike with a comparatively upright riding position. The footrests felt too low and the bars were set wider and higher and too close to me; so I thought I didn’t like it and the bike didn’t “fit” me properly.
Only after riding the GTR and the VFR1200 was I able to approach the ZZR from a new perspective – and this time, it was obvious. The “low” footrests mean that you only have to “work” to go faster – you don’t have to “work” to make yourself comfortable. The bars may be wider and closer, but that means you’re not reaching forward as much; there’s more leverage available when travelling quickly through corners; and more lock for manoeuvring the bike at low speed. It all made perfect sense. Now I understood. Everything slipped into place. Brilliant! Proper clocks with moving pointers reminded me of my old Blackbird; the smooth power delivery and slick gearbox were distinctly Honda; the hyper-speed response to throttle-opening was refreshingly scary and the brakes were mind-boggling. Catch ma drift?
Stepping back from the bike – well – it looks good enough to make me want to take a backward glance as I walk away after parking up; I feel the same about the GTR, too, and those panniers take a full-face helmet each – no problem. The VFR is a brilliant bike to ride if you just want a bit of fun, or if you want to learn to ride quickly without having to suffer aching wrists/back/knees. A proper “old man’s bike” that’s so easy to ride that it may just be the new C50 – apart from the price, that is! h1d1ng2
So – as I said at the start of this rant – I’ve made my mind up.
I’m gonna buy a renovated Volkswagen “Beetle” and keep me licence!
11 o’clock found us at Blackpool Honda to take a ride on a Kawasaki GTR1400 – and I loved every minute!
It’s an incredibly luxurious feeling to sit in one of these cadillacs, with all the tricks and trimmings you could dream of, or wish for. I won’t rhyme them off here (you can look them up for yourself, if you’re sufficiently interested), but get a test ride if you’re thinking of changing your bike in the near future.
It’s a very good touring machine and the engine needs no mention. Brilliant mirrors - and the front brake is awesome. The rear brake, though, felt woolly by comparison: maybe a bit of TLC is needed on a two year-old bike that has done just over 10K miles, but in fairness I have to add that it had only been received into the dealership as a part exchange the day before, so it hadn’t been through the workshop.
The high bars and generous lock make it an easy bike to turn and manoeuvre at low speeds, while the seating position and dashboard layout are excellent. I was also very pleasantly surprised by the agility of such a big, panniered bike, especially through the twisties and when negotiating roundabouts of varying types and sizes. After a while I relaxed and let the bike find its own way through the corners and, while it tended to wander a little wide sometimes, it only needed a little bit of input to sort it out: no dramas and, yes, I know: it’s a tourer.
Against all of this, there was a distinct whine from, either, the gearbox or the shaft drive, especially when pulling away in first gear. Which also reminds me; the gearbox itself could only be described as adequate: “silky”, it wasn’t. I found it almost impossible to change up smoothly through first and second to third gear, and that makes for an unsettled bike and a disconcerted pillion passenger. I never got the hang of things but, with a little more time, I reckon that normal service would soon have been resumed.
Finally, low-frequency vibrations were noticeable through the bars and footrests, even when cruising on the motorway. With 10K on the clock, a good service and a general “tightening up” all around would probably do a world of good. All in all, I was very impressed with the GTR; very impressed indeed.
We retuned to the showrooms and left again, almost immediately, on a Pig-bike.
Lorraine loved the way it handled and accelerated – and so did I. Yes, really! It was great fun – but – I was appalled by the vibration from the engine, which transmits through the whole machine; bars, seat, frame, footrests; the lot. Lorraine even commented on it when we were halted, and I remember thinking that I could get the same kind of sure-footedness, acceleration and handling characteristics from my old Gixxer 750 – but with a lot less in the way of the “bad vibes” of the Honda.
Besides the awful styling, the vibration factor has come, not so much as a disappointment, but as more of an outright shock that no one has mentioned it before. Was it a “rogue” bike, or is this a trait of the V-4 that is taken for granted by the cognoscenti?
Anyway, it was fun – but neither I, nor Lorraine would contemplate riding across Europe on one. The Pig-bike is not a Tourer. It is a wanna-be sports bike-toy on ugly pills (very BIG ugly pills!), albeit a very competent one.
A while later and we’re walking into Preston Superbikes, on our way home. Earlier, I’d tried with other dealers to arrange a test ride on a Triumph Sprint GT (not available until next week) and a ZZR1400 (closed on Sundays), so we called in on spec. and there, in the showroom, was a silver “Z” that had just been received, awaiting inspection and valeting. First registered in 2009 – 410 miles on the clock. That's right: four - hundred - and - ten - miles. (Pause for reflection here: VFR Pig-bike £12K+; ’08 GTR @ 10k miles £8700+; brand-new ZZR at “pre-loved” price!)
Having ridden one before, I was prepared for the worst when the Preston guys very generously allowed me a test ride when we’d only walked through the door a few minutes previously. What I discovered, though, was that riding the GTR and the Pig-bike had removed all thoughts of the Blackbird from my head, so my preconceptions and expectations were swept away, along with any thoughts of making a direct comparison between the ZZR 1400 and my sweet, sweet Honda B. When we got back, Lorraine said, “I really liked it! It feels really impatient to get going, but it feels really good through the bends!” And me? I loved it!
Previously, the ZZR had felt alien, as I’d climbed straight off the Honda onto a bike with a comparatively upright riding position. The footrests felt too low and the bars were set wider and higher and too close to me; so I thought I didn’t like it and the bike didn’t “fit” me properly.
Only after riding the GTR and the VFR1200 was I able to approach the ZZR from a new perspective – and this time, it was obvious. The “low” footrests mean that you only have to “work” to go faster – you don’t have to “work” to make yourself comfortable. The bars may be wider and closer, but that means you’re not reaching forward as much; there’s more leverage available when travelling quickly through corners; and more lock for manoeuvring the bike at low speed. It all made perfect sense. Now I understood. Everything slipped into place. Brilliant! Proper clocks with moving pointers reminded me of my old Blackbird; the smooth power delivery and slick gearbox were distinctly Honda; the hyper-speed response to throttle-opening was refreshingly scary and the brakes were mind-boggling. Catch ma drift?
Stepping back from the bike – well – it looks good enough to make me want to take a backward glance as I walk away after parking up; I feel the same about the GTR, too, and those panniers take a full-face helmet each – no problem. The VFR is a brilliant bike to ride if you just want a bit of fun, or if you want to learn to ride quickly without having to suffer aching wrists/back/knees. A proper “old man’s bike” that’s so easy to ride that it may just be the new C50 – apart from the price, that is! h1d1ng2
So – as I said at the start of this rant – I’ve made my mind up.
I’m gonna buy a renovated Volkswagen “Beetle” and keep me licence!
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