Damnit

[G]

I thought I got a good deal with my £3775 zx6r but my flat mate's just got a 99 R6, 2400 miles, mint, full akrapovic exhaust system, imombiliser for £3900.
Every other R6 he called was allready sold but this one was advertised as 24000 miles, so no one had shown much interest and he managed to knock a coupla hundred off the asking price of £4100.
Now of course I'm gonna have to get hime to give me a go, so I can 'compare' the bikes

[Rob]

Let me know what his insurance is like!! Has he been riding long?
I'm always on the look out for cheaper insurance!!
____________________
Love is 1050cc

[G]

Have a look at my website (follow the 'ZX6R insurance link')... Details are pretty much the same as mine, except that he got 3 points for riding with no L plates & Carrying a pillion about 4 years ago.

He did ring a couple more which he didn't record. I'm sure he could have saved at least £100 if he had had the time to phone more companies, the one he went for (£756 I think) did offer loads of extras including free breakdown cover and TPO insurance on any bike even though it was TPFT insurance for the R6.

[Stevo]

Hey G by all means try the R6, but once you've had a ninja nothin else quite does it, i reckon. The thing with our Kwaks is that they are slightly rough and raucous and they sound louder, deeper and more throaty than any CBR or R6. The early GSXR's were also a little similar in that respect, my m8's Fazer is like a sewing machine, its just too damn quiet! but despite the little quirks of a kwak i still think they are the best bike for me. I read in MCN that out of all jap bike owners that kawasaki riders are far more likely to buy the same make again, think it was somthing like 58% of kwak owners buy another kawasaki! The enthusiasts machine indeedy!

[G]

AFAIK they actually tune airboxes on Kwaks for a meaty sound... As I've got the standard pipe on and he's got a full akrapovic system the R6 will definatley be a bit louder.
Am getting very tempted to put my Art can on but I'm told that they don't actually help with the power much, they're just loud and thus a cop-magnet :(, while the akrapovic system (worth over £800!) should actually give a few more mid-range HP on the R6.
Just sitting on it the way bias seemed a bit too forward and I don't reckon I'd want to do long journeys on it but my flat mate doesn't mind doing a few hours motorway riding on his NC21, (which has got pretty high pegs) so he'll probably be okay on the R6.

I'm told the zx should have a better midrange which seems to be held out 'cos the only bike I've been out accelerated by was an R1... and I got him on the next set of lights as well :)

[stevo]

The R6 is a bit more extreme in the riding position and its overall set up. i have heard that unlike our kwaks they really do get frisky on a bumpy road, and the bars can waggle a bit when pushed, but i wouldent know about that. I know a guy in Bham with same bike as us and he rode his m8's R6, and wasnt as happy on it as on his ninja. The ZX is widely acclaimed to be stable and solid in corners, instead of getting in a flap. I find that it take a bit of effort to turn my bike into some tight bends, and this guy agreed with me. He then set his bike up according to the Performance bike track day settings (of which i have got a copy). He says that its a different bike now and just drops into corners with no effort, so im seriously thinking of doing the same to mine. The rear ride height is raised by about 6-8mm and the rear preload is reduced by a full turn, as many people say that kwaks have traditionally had hard/stiff rear suspension, and i have noticed that my back end occasionally skips over bumpy roads. Your right about that airbox howl it sounds gr8. The ZX9 is reputed to be the same for its trademark induction roar. As for cans well i still have the std one, but i asked a guy at PDQ (last yrs NEC show) to show me a dynograph from their database. with a race can, K&N, and dynojet kit the midrange was identical, and the gain was 3.5-4hp from 8000 to the red line which isnt much help to me, cos im a bit of a potterer! Apparently some bikes respond to exhaust and jetting changes differently, but the std ZX6 doesnt really have any holes in the delivery so a jet kit dont do much. I find that its far to easy for me to end up going much to fast enough as it is, so im probably gonna leave mine std for a bit longer. Famous last words!

[G]

I'll probably set up my bike to the PB settings before I go on a track day (got it from the[url href=https://communities.msn.com/MCNNinjas]MCN Ninja[/url] forum). Handling wise the only problem is a slight reluctance to turn in fast at high speeds. I'm quite happy to sacrifice the extra 2% for the comfort & rideability and as you say it's far too easy to go fast anyway.