Anyone ridden a kwaka zx1400

[grog]

Nic, PIA plastic covered bikes, such a nightmare to do little things.Diavel was prime example. Around 3 hrs to change battery, i dont miss it, except for its power, handling, sound & braking. Yeah, sometimes would like it in shed.

[Nic]

I've been working on it all day. Got the rear shock preload adjusted. Fitted heated grips so had to take off a cover or two to get at the battery, not too bad once you do it and work it out. Price you pay I spose.

[MickyJB]

It's interesting reading how others perceive different bikes. When I bought the GTR1400 it was going to be a keeper, it was immaculate.. previous owner spent more time cleaning than he did riding .. I adapted to it easily but there was that feeling it wanted to drop when doing tighter turns at low speed ... certainly the power was there and it handled well for this old guy .. what turned me off was character and ease of doing stuff myself .. for example my son and I just changed brake and clutch lines to braided and flushed and new fluid and it took a couple of hours and that was with lunch in between ... I'm a big fan of simple not 1000klm rides in a day.

Anyhow, I can say I owned one for a year and a bit ... but very happy with the GSX & XJR 1300

👍🙏

[Nic]

Well I know this is a Suzuki 1400 forum but as you know I bought the ZX14 and yesterday for the 1st time since buying the zx I took the GSX14 out.
I thought some might be interested in my observations???
The first thing I noticed with the Suzuki is the butter smooth gearbox, super nice, the ZX is a bit of a clunker, you need to rev match quite accurately to get close to a nice shift, at least on this bike.
The Suzuki suspension: even though I have Race tech fork springs, compared to the ZX the GSX is very spongy. Of course I could stiffen it up but not for my local back roads, so the ZX suspension is much better, rail like around corners and sweepers and about the same with the bumps but rock solid, hit a bump mid corner, no probs.
The Suzuki power is plenty for me, no complaints there and I never let the ZX have it's head anyway. I've become quite good at staying reasonably legal in the speed dept.
I think the ZX feels way lighter to move around in the shed, much easier.
The ZX requires high octane fuel so that costs you more.
In the end if I had to only have one I think I'd keep the ZX. Still, for the moment I'll keep both, don't know for how long though. I still love the 1402, but I think when you ride the ZX, maybe because of the riding position? I don't know but it makes me feel like riding more than just cruising on the GSX.
I took the ZX on a twisty ride with immaculate roads, all I can say is I was thankful there were a few cages on the road to hold me up. The bike was exceptional in the twisties even though I just meandered along really. Also the ZX feels like it wants to lean into the corners, I had to work at turning the Suzuki after riding the ZX for a month, that's something you get used to but yesterday it was very obvious how the Suzuki has to be manhandled into corners compared to the ZX and I remember when I first got the Suzuki I could feel it then, going into corners, esp around town, it never wanted to lean over, maybe just this particular bike, I dunno.
The yoshi exhaust on the ZX sounds rather harsh and obnoxious to me, I have ordered the db killer insert and hope that will tame it down a bit, should be here soon.
So those were my comparisons after almost a month of riding the ZX.
That'll be the last I say about the ZX because I don't want to upset the GSX purists. Thanks for indulging me with my new ride 
PS: Of course, the big differences are the riding positions on each bike. The hands down approach of the ZX is probably the thing I sometimes don't like but for some reason I never get a sore arse on the ZX and I had almost given up riding when trying to address the sore arse issues I've had with the Suzuki, so that alone would sway me towards the ZX.
Cheers again.

[grog]

Good write up Nic. I like hearing about other rides, we all know or should 14 far from perfect.Rode a Harley Sportster couple of days back, that makes 14 seem like something special.Terrible bike.

[Eric GSX1400K3]

Nice write up mate, horses for courses I think.  Tyres and suspension settings make all the difference, could be why the 1402 doesn't want to turn as opposed to the ZX?

A faired vs a naked on long hauls, I think the faired bike would win each time, you are better protected from the airflow and that may make a more comfortable ride.

I dunno, I have both styles like you, and love them both for own capabilities. 

[Andre]

Tyres and suspension settings make all the difference

They sure do. Find mine quite agile. Wilbers springs in front, YSS RG362; settings for them for my weight by a former Suzuki race mech. Michelin Road 5. But then I don't have a ZX to compare.

[Nic]

I did get used to the gsx, you get so you don't hardly notice after a while but yes, riding the ZX for a month then get back on the Suzuki it was very noticeable then.

[Roo]

I did get used to the gsx, you get so you don't hardly notice after a while but yes, riding the ZX for a month then get back on the Suzuki it was very noticeable then.

Yeah mate, I'm old school never really gelled with clipons, busa's, and my last bike a K6 gsxr1000. Where you have to lean off and hang a knee.
 I loved the gsxr it was a rocket ship. But on the gsx1400 I can muscle the bars with push /pull and I just feel at home,its me !

[grog]

I sort of agree Roo. 14 is a muscle bike, you have to use them. Diavel i had was a mind reader, it just knew where you wanted to turn, or stop where you wanted, at least thats how it felt to ride. Loved both of them but very different.