To all, Hide the children... and don't look at one!!!!!! Well, I went and did it today... I looked at one... the new zx 1400 kawasaki, and sorry, to those that are going to put good money down. It is probobly one of the ugliest bikes, I have ever seen.
Lets start w/ overall proportion... this rig is going to need tugboats. Take, oh say a 'busa and add a yamaha worrior goose neck stretch. theres just got to be a hiden panel that pops out for a six'er ,up there!!!!!!!
The closest description to how it struck me, is the old MAD magazine rear cover, that folded up to look normal...
It looks like some body spliced in a 9+" chunk, It just dosen't look "right".
Lucky for all, the "funny" stretch is some what distracted, by an equaly wierd, headlight treatment... Six, in a "UFO SMILEY FACE". Do you know the feeling... when you look at something that should be pleasing, and you end up having to look away, and look back, and away again? Not, to be confused w/ look'n back again at your bike, when walk'n away.... If you like the Duc projector beams, you may find solice.But... then the UFO SMILEY face arachnid dna... The only other thing,I can relate it to is Frosty, the snowman's coal lumped grin.
OK, moving on... the tank proportion, yup, found abunch of that stretch, In the adds,(latest blue sky one) look at the length of the tank/ airbox(?), thats no illusion, Hey, another six'er !!!!!!!!!
When comparing (forgive me) to others, the tail is a wanna be drag bike, w/ that low taperd pillion.A real wanna be, w/ out much consideration for aerodynamics. Looks tacked on. Hey if there was a hump back there... we'd be up to 15+ cool cans!!!!!!!!
Oh, the cans, well by now you ether love or hate, the new gixxer "cans". These are so plain, and look like a HS shop project,w/ cans, just welded on the pipe. "Flood tubes, 1 & 2..." they need a "prop" to finish off the look. And, there a couple of feet+.... they look incredably heavy too.
That "mandolin, cheap slicer" panel on the side... oh, PLEEEZE
Kaw... always cool look'n bikes, Ninja's... you kind of know what to think, before you see it...huh ???
sorry, all bets on family dna, are off. Whats up w/ this misproportion stuff... the engine is justa bored and stroked zx1200... not, a new massive engine casting, that has to find room... somewhere. Had they stuffed this motor, into a "real" ninja... Again, PLEASE, anyone that likes it... cool, thats OK, this could have been the 'busa better, alas.... Clean and free, Ripp'n

 

[quote]ORIGINAL: The closest description to how it struck me, is the old MAD magazine rear cover, that folded up to look normal...

Lol, man I remember those.[sm=smiley36.gif]

 

ya busa's are fugly too, but hey it can do the 1/4 mile in 9.3 sec,( according to the june ish of " CYCLE WORLD") you can't see it []

 

busa? MMMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO the ZX14? just as ugly. IMO, the busa, looks like a fat cyclops or something, while the ZX14, is uglier. the look is just too weird, I'm more into SUBTLE design, not something that screams look at me I've got the biggest bike available. if you asked me, its more fun to sneak up on em with something they'd never suspect to be fast, and blow em away.

 

CW, I agree, they haul A$$... My point being, I think... I'ts so sad, kaw had the chance to dethrone 'busa, in every catagory, and IMHO, totaly droped the ball. nothing much high tech, bored and stroked, so what... fast/quick, it better be.
Wheres the soul stirring, the leap forword, the stuff that enthusiests of motorcycling,will tell there children about... It was fast/quick, by virtue of a couple hundred CC's...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. I hear Ducati, is going to make a 1200cc (naked) monster... soul + cc, no wonder they have such a following. Can't wait to see what the others build... I'll bet it's miles ahead.. Clean and free, Ripp'n PS. I like 'busa's and fast!!!!!! ... But I LOVE, trick !!!!!

 

i had one pull up next to me when i was on my 05 1krr and i felt sorry for the guy. he couldnt stop saying how nice my bike was. i dont see how that thing is even gonna come close to the busa in time because its way to freaking big. looks like they put together 2 bikes to make the one. the size reminds me of an old cruiser bike like the gold wing my grandfather still has. waste of money if u ask me

 

I heard there thinking about making a 1700 cc bike or something. Now this is just what i heard from my buddy who
Knows alot about bikes... but i don't see how it could get any bigger!!!

 

It is a marketing thing. The Kawa people are geniuses.

To get what i'm saying, look at the Ninja 250. It is just cool enough looking for you to think, "Ok, i can buy this to learn on and not look too stupid." But, it is not cool enough to keep for the long haul. Could Kawa make it looks a heck of a lot cooler with a different fairing and headlight design? Of course they could, and it would be very easy. They want you to learn, then get something cool looking, hopefully another Kawa.

Now, the zx1400. It is the fastest production bike ever made and is brand spanking new this year. Kawa KNOWS that the die hard speed freaks will go out and buy this bike. Kawa KNOWS the 'must have the newest' crowd will go buy this bike. Kawa KNOWS that the 'i like to drag' people will buy this bike... all REGARDLESS of what it looks like. It beats a busa, it doesnt need to look pretty for people to pony up a bunch of money. The real kicker is next year, or the year after, Kawa will come out with an all new redesigned zx1400 that will look the ****. All those people who wasted their money on the 06 will now need the new cooler looking on.

Nintendo is famous for money sucking people like this. They come out with bulky Gameboys and DS's that everyone buys, then come out with the slimmer model a year later... iPods are another great example.

Damn you Kawa, and **** you Nintendo, and eat a dick Apple.

 

The ZX-14 is definitely different in appearance, and IMO color makes a huge dif on this bike. There is a guy here with a black one, and he has PM Torque wheels on it, CF slip ons and a tinted windscreen, and I gotta say, it doesn't look half bad. and unfortuntely the rear view (which is we will most likely see) isn't half bad on the kaw or the busa

 

Lol, have to disagree with some of the comments here im afraid, you carnt beat Hondas build quality or reliablity that go's with out saying, I own 2 Hondas, 1 old and 1 new, ones my "only on summer days" bike, the other is my ride most days in snow sleet and crap weather bike, my 3rd bike is a Kawasaki, this is my lunatic mood bike, my go to the North West 200 or zip off to Estoril bike and guess what it is?? yep a ZZR1400 in blue,beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I think this bike is beautiful, not only that it tours, scratches, drags and gives me the choice of riding like a loon or cruise down to the Nuremburg ring on a long weekend to embarass other "fast bikes" for fun.
This dont mean I prefer it to my other bikes , just differnt strokes for diferent folks