ZX-11 or a Birdie

[windsorgreen]

Hi All,
Come summer I'll be in the market for a new-to-me bike and I've narrowed it down to 2 bikes a zx-11 or a blackbird.
If I go with the bird it'll be a carburated version due to cash flow restrictions.
The vibes thing is probably not an issue as I currently ride a concours-it's vibey. I heard the balckbird runs hot & the linked brake system sucks- yea or nay ?
Any opinions or comparisons of the 2 bikes will be greatly appreciated.

Many Thanks,
Green

 

[Gatso shy]

1000 +

There's 1000 + Blackie owners here, and all will tell
you the same thing,....get a Blackie

Cos it's built better and it handles. (compared to the ZX 11)

+ very few of us have ever experienced the mysterious vibration

+ or been troubled by the bike running hot

+ or worried about linked brakes

our biggest problem is what to buy if our beloved Blackie
ever wears out,........

Cos for most of us, nuffink comes even close,


PS.......don't ask Samster or Joe,.........cos their..... weird

You will get more intelligent and in depth replies than this but
they will all add up to the same answer................

:beer:

 

[Wolfie]

buy a scooter.:neenaw: :neenaw: :neenaw:

 

[EdCBRCastrol]

errrrrr..............what's a ZX-11???????:f

I would agree with Gatso, if i couldnt have the Blackbird i cant imagine what i would buy to replace it, would probably go for a completely different style of bike.
Dont have any problem with the brakes at all and if you dont like them they can be de-linked for a few quid.
What vibes????????

Go and blag a test ride, you should be impressed.
I am a relatively inexperienced rider and will admit that the first time i jumped on a Blackbird i was a little apprehensive but the bike is so user friendly and forgiving that i just had to have one!!!!

What sort of riding do you intend to use it for???

 

[XXrider]

Hi!

My piece: go with the XX.

I just wrote a reply to Spyker, who started a thread regarding choosing between a Blackbird or a ZZR. He went with the Blackbird (smart man). I won't repeat it here since you can look at it in this forum.

I've owned motorcycles from all 4 Japanese makers at one point or another over the years. I can honestly say each is quirky in one way or another. It just depends how much you're willing to put up with. The XX has the least quirks, and what it does have are minor. Yes, it runs "hot" if you compare it to other machines. But it's designed that way. I live in the desert in southern California, where the temp is 110F for weeks at a time. Ride the Blackbird in it, too. Even in summer stop and go city driving, the temp remains constant, albeit appearing "high" to some people. Never a problem. Not an issue to me.

Vibration? With the Blackbird? Ha ha ha. Any machine will vibrate/buzz when it's running. The XX just does it a shitload less than anything else. Smooth is the word here. I imagine you could make it vibrate more by, oh, yanking off a sparkplug wire or two before you ride. It's the first thing you notice about the XX when you first ride it: silky motor.

And the linked brakes....hmmm....only hardcore fastriders mention them. They're transparent to 99% of the riders. And effective. Nice to get two-wheel braking with either a hand or a foot...sometimes I'm lazy about it just because of the linked brakes. You'll be hard-pressed to notice them during most riding. Even then, they're predictable and function very well. If you hate them THAT much, there are ways to de-link them. To me, it would be too much of a hassle to even bother. I like them just fine, and have no complaints.

The ZX-11 was great in its heyday. Then XX came along and put it to shame. Go with the XX. It was MY latest choice after checking out the others.

Mike

 

[Tipi]

Go with a Blacky mate, i have had mine for 7mths and find it a great bike, i have no problems with the linked brakes and as for any vibrations,i have never felt any on mine. The beauty of the Blacky is that it will go as slow as you like if your in town or as fast as you dare.

 

[Jaws]

A word from an official old fart..
Been riding ( officially ) since I was 16.. Had every make and model under the sun ( cept most of the Triumphs cos I just never have liked them )..
Never EVER have I bought the same bike twice 'back to back'. ( i.e. one straight after another ).
Then by accident I ended up with a Bird...
That was about 1997 98 ish..
Now on my own personal 2nd one ( about the 5th or 6th to pass through my hands though ) and IF I change it it will be for yet another Bird !
I say IF cos
1) I got the same buzz this morning when I went to the garage to get her out as I did when I first rode a Bird..
2) Apart from the one big change from carb to injection they have more or less remaine dthe same in handling and urge ( yes, there are changes but not huge ones before someone rips me a new bum ! )
3) There are now Birds out there with a milage in excess of 500,000 that are still fine and dandy.. so WHY would I want to chop mine in for a new one !

 

[Wolfie]

so WHY would I want to chop mine in for a new one !

cause yours is gay boy blue.

 

[Jaws]

Just cos you cant be arsed to clean yours so like a black one so it dont show the muck, dont mean we ALL wanna ride something that has a colour the same as a 40 year old piss pot that has never been cleaned ! :f :f :}

 

[Wolfie]

if you ride it it gets dirty.:f

clean bike = not ridden bike :t

mine is clean now cleaned it xmas eve, not been on it since. :neenaw: :dunno: :f

 

[XXrider]

Understandable. Clean that bad boy!

Real Blackbird owners don't like seeing a dos equis tarnished longer than necessary, so we clean 'em up as soon as possible no matter how minor the smudge. And any reason to be near the thing is considered valid, even if we have to "find" dirt. Case in point:

It was nasty here the last few days for riding, so I rolled the XX into the living room (through the patio door) to be able to fuss with it, drink beer, and watch TV. Weather's clearing up, so I'll roll it out for a scoot later this weekend. Still, no hurry. The mrs is an XX fan and doesn't mind having a "guest" in the house for the holidays. (Hey, the XX is FAMILY, goddammit!)

Hope you guys get some seat time. I'll remember ya.

Best to ya!

Mike