I think a lot of what you are disliking are just standard characteristics of the vehicle you have purchased. It is probably 100lbs lighter then your old bike, which ill bet has a lot to do with the decreased highway stability. Additionally, sport bikes these days are nothing like what they were in 2001. We are currently riding the pinnacle of agility, performance, speed, etc... something not widely available in the recent past.

I do feel you on the rpm issue, you really need to lay into it to really get her up and going, getting on the highway can involve some serious downshifting.
There is however a reason for this! High engine rpm allows for extremely sensitive throttle response. Your girl will move from 15 to 9k rpm in milliseconds, or vice versa when operating in the engines powerband. This is huge in high speed cornering applications, allowing massive control when your down on your knees, and eliminating SOME brake usage, making high lean angle operation more manageable. It can be somewhat annoying on the street, but remember your riding on the step-child of a race bike, not the other way around.

As for your parts issue, I think that you can find them, I have. The 2007 and 2008 model years are identical with the exception of the color schemes. I have a large number of aftermarket stuff on my bike, its out there. Check out www.motorcycletoystore.com, they have tons of stuff, and if you speak to patrick, he will totally hook it up, he rides honda, and knows all about what will fit and what wont.

Finally, there is a reason you are on a honda my friend. I cannot affirm this issue you nearly as well as others can. All I can say is go chat with the boys who have 30,xxx-ish miles on there 2007, daily driven, that still run like brand new. Your, or any kawi, would not achieve that milestone, even if you rode them in a glass room on hand made fuel crush from diamonds and princesses. She will last, have faith.

Hope I could be of help. If you have any question feel free to PM. I have done a ton of my own work and know these bikes pretty well, id be glad to help.

On a side note to everyone else, I have an awful stealership story. They lie about the 600mi service, saying they have to do it or it voids the warranty: LIE! When I went in about a problem I was having with a headlight they wouldnt even look at it without the 600mi service reciept...LIE, all hondas are covered regardless. When I asked them to look it up, cause, well, you know.. I dont carry receipts around in my pocket 24/7, they said that they didnt keep records of the service that they do? WTF, and that it was on me to show them the receipt. These are the people I am supposed to trust with my life? Cause if you think about it, if they f up, I die, or become seriously injured. No thank you. Finally, when I got the bike back from the 600mi service, it looked like ron jeremy lubed my bike with white lithium grease, and they changed the oil, all for a bargain. I think they are ridiculous. This is a 'factory direct' dealer by the way... Needless to say I gave honda a nice little phone call, telling them about how wonderful there service was. Problem handled.

 

damn vertical that was an intense show of knowledge..thank you for your input.. and advice...im definitly going to check out that site..i appreciate it..the only thing you said that i dont agree with is kawis not lasting...my 2001 zx7r had right around 17k when i baught her, she was a daily commuter in Marine (nor cal).. when i sold her she had 37,612 mi. never having any sort of mechanical issue, minus me droping it and breaking the shift linkage..easy fix..i believe this honda will last from my experince with their dirtbikes, i know they offer a wonderful product. and when you can buy a honda protection plan for 4 years with unlimited miles that means something..

 

Glad I could help. That website is amazing, and they have great prices. Sometimes they ship a little slow, but you should have this one for a while, so and extra week wont kill you. Honestly I have no first hand extended experience with kawis, I only go by what I hear and read. Ive ridden a few, and they are mean as hell, but hard to get used to on a day to day basis. All bikes will last as long as you treat them well and change the oil. I was reading something interest in a noob physics book today that might actually be of some use to you, and that you might find interesting with your stability issue (which I totally agree with you on)...

Its on the subject of torque and rotational mass: "Rotational Inertia" Basically the sum of the part I am talking about it about weight distribution among circular rotating object (ie: your bikes wheels). It states that a wheel with its weight concentration in the center will accelerate and decelerate much more quickly than one that has its weight concentrated around the perimeter. Its also states that the one that has the weight concentrated around its perimeter will move with much greater stability, and will be much less effected by external forces. Some of this is irrelevant, but just think about the weight, and how its position is crucial. It also states that circular rotating objects spin on a vertical plane, once they have achieved a velocity (rpm) where the angular momentum offsets the weight of the spinning object. The point of the matter is this 1) I have waaay too much time on my hands, and 2) the fact that new sport bike wheels are much lighter than those of a few years ago have a lot to do with the stability. Less weight = less stability, but has less rotational resistance, allowing them to accelerate and decelerate much more quickly. I think that is a very large contributing factor in your highway issue. This is also why changing your wheels to even lighter ones (marchesani's, etc...) has such a drastic difference on performance. Sleep on that.

Also, if you have any questions I would be more then happy to help you out with your adjusting.