Novice purchase advice please - ZX6R vs ZX10R

[DMS050572]

Hi,

ZX6r or ZX10R is my dilema...Advice from more experienced people is what i'm after (Trust me - if you're reading to this, you are probably more experienced than me - i've only been riding a short time)

Had an ER-5 for a couple of years to gain some experience / basic skills etc, on a 'larger' bike, and now i'm looking at a 6R or 10R (2006 models), but i'm unsure which to plump for. I'll mainly be riding solo with friends, but will be taking my wife as pillion sometimes etc.

Bascially, i'm struggling to make my mind up between the 2 bikes. Also, there's a vast upgrade in performance and just about everything else etc. from my bike so there's a couple of things i'm curious about...

i) Safety, first and foremost. This will be my first supersports - Do either of the bikes have any tendancies / quirks that i ought to be aware of, which could easily catch a novice rider out etc? i.e. For example, am i better off learning the handling / cornering of a 6R before i try a 10R etc or vice versa? Am i best avoiding a particular model? Which is the more forgiving bike?

ii) Comfort - Is there much difference in the postions of the pillion rider between the 2 bikes? - the photos look almost identical as regards the seating... Whilst she won't be on it as often as me, i do want my wife to be comfortable, so regular trips out are an option etc...

iii) Smoother ride. Does the 10R, with it's greater available power, provide a smoother ride when low - mid range etc? I'm guessing that the smaller engine is more aggressive from the off, whilst the larger one is more a little more progressive...Am I miles off?

Any advice / recommendations on what to buy?
Apart from power, what are the differences riding each bike?

If it helps any - I'm 34, so have 17 years 'road sense' and i've been riding for about 5 years, so i'm not completely naive - just where supersports are concerned My riding style is fairly relaxed - I like to accelerate quickly, and ride fast where safe, but i'm never going to be a 'knee on the floor' kind of guy, so i'll never push these bikes anywhere near their limits...

Any advice for a novice on the merits / downsides of the respective bikes would be greatly appreciated. I'm really struggling on making my mind up which to buy and can't seem to find good advice on either bike...

Thanks,

D.

[vulcan500rider]

You don't sound like a knuclehead so either should be fine. Both bikes have very aggressive riding positions so I'm not sure how comfortable they would be for your wife.

What bikes do your riding buddies have?

Enjoy which ever you get.

[dsg2003gt]

I find the riding position on the 6r to be the least painful of all the supersports. In my opinion the seating position is a mix between a sport tourer and 2006 yamaha r6. I am still quite upright when I am on the bars on my friends bikes.

Also if you want to be able to "blast off" sometimes and just cruise around and have a good handling bike the 6r is all you will need.

The extra .3-.5 seconds off the 1/4 mile(which will never be fully realized on the street) on the 10r doesnt really justify the extra price. Both are great bikes, but I think the lower rotating mass of the 636 also makes it more flickable in turns.

Although, if I was ready for a liter bike-I would get the 10r that Yellow color is the ****.

[BigNinja]

A friend I ride with owns a 99 ZX-6R and he has taken his girlfriend on a couple of rides, one being a 60-70 mile round trip. She didn't think it was too bad. Me and my friend were ready to get out of the saddle more than she was I think. I do know that he does plan on upgrading to possibly the 10R or 12R after only a year on the bike. I have compared it to the honda, yamaha, suzuki 1000cc bikes and find the Kawasaki line to be the most comfortable. I am a bigger guy so it makes more of a difference to me. I hope this helps a little. Best advice. Get a little more than you think you need, and try to ride or at least sit on everything. Good Luck!!!

[taro]

I'm curious as to why you still consider yourself a novice after riding for five years. Also, based on your riding style, I'm wondering why you would want a supersport when other types of motorcycle might fit the bill better (e.g., a sport touring bike). Anyway, whichever one you choose, have fun and be safe.

[Army_of_Ninja]

well... i absolutely love my zx6-r its a fun bike and is really fun in what we call twisties here... of course with the liter bike i would be a lot more profecient at these damn wheelies i'm trying to learn how to do. lol

[SixFiveOh]

How about a nice 650R.

[zedx11]

Originally Posted by SixFiveOh

How about a nice 650R.

for riding 2up you need a zzr

[SixFiveOh]

Originally Posted by zedx11

for riding 2up you need a zzr

Naw

Kawasaki 2 Up

57 seconds in...

[Thmastr]

Originally Posted by zedx11

for riding 2up you need a zzr

Thats right and here I am to talk about it!

The 04-06 zzr 600 is the same as the 98-02 zx6r..

It is confortable to ride on 200+ mile loops more so than the 636 (zx6r).

Powerwise.. it has plenty... enough for even 2 up riding (although I havent tested that one yet) it is very confortable and it is not a supersport (now anyways) so the insurance is cheaper but you can still drag knee if you feel like it. I dont really think that the bike is short on power at all in fact I would like to see it on the track side by side with the 636... although the 636 would pull away fron it on straight aways I am confident that it can handle the twsities just as good!


you said that you have been riding for a while...

I started riding this year on an ex500 and after 10k miles my old engine crapped out so I upgraded just 100 ccs to this.. now instead of redlining it in second to get to 60 I can get to 60 in first w/o redlining, and 85 in second w/o redlining it...

this bike is definately fast! and confortable to just get out and ride... I found when I whent up from the 500 to the 600 that it was much harder to turn at high speeds since the 600 is sooo much stable than the 500... If the same thing applies then the 10r will be harder still.

[Pace]

The ZX-6R with its 636cc motor is more than enough. The 10R is a beast according to magazine reviews but the greater torque of the motor would be welcome in city traffic i.e, less shifting. My first bike was a Ninja 500R which is similar to the ER-5 and now I own a 2006 ZZR600. The jump from 60hp to 100+hp was very noticeable, I rarely ride more than 6/10ths of what the bike is capable of and in a way the old 500R was just as fun because I could push near its limit and it felt manageable where as the ZZR limit is never reached unless your at a race track. The 10R seems like a waste for general street riding or even the odd track day. ZX-6R is the better choice.
My bike

[dsg2003gt]

Originally Posted by Pace

The ZX-6R with its 636cc motor is more than enough. The 10R is a beast according to magazine reviews but the greater torque of the motor would be welcome in city traffic i.e, less shifting. My first bike was a Ninja 500R which is similar to the ER-5 and now I own a 2006 ZZR600. The jump from 60hp to 100+hp was very noticeable, I rarely ride more than 6/10ths of what the bike is capable of and in a way the old 500R was just as fun because I could push near its limit and it felt manageable where as the ZZR limit is never reached unless your at a race track. The 10R seems like a waste for general street riding or even the odd track day. ZX-6R is the better choice.
My bike

exactly what I was saying...

[diablo13346]

i jsut recommend the 600s for 1 trhey are lighter, cheaper,and htey have more tahn enough power my 1996 zx6e is crazy and im hoping to upgrade to a 6r next year but idk they are ver nice bikes i highly douby youll be disappointed with it if . if you test it out and think its fast enough for u they go like 160-170 top speed and accelerate hard from stuff i see but if u want that more weight but LOTS more power and go like 180(capped) and then go for the zx10 id just jump up the 136 ccs first b4 doubleing you bike ccs b.c that could be a very bad mistake on your part if u are used to riding a slower bike and tehn u get on this and the bike goes WAY FASTER than u expect that first turn can be your last one

[diablo13346]

Originally Posted by dsg2003gt

exactly what I was saying...

same here i have the 1995 zx6e or know today as the zzr ^^^ and mines more than enough if i turn that power on ive gone 120 like nothing from rolling at liek 55 and hitting and taht bikes enough for me being a new rider and all but i definatly know my limits a 600 right now and its gonna stay there for a lil while cuz it is a fast bike yeah and i so to rarely go over 6/10's of the power of this bike some times i will go like 90 and hardly accelerate just use 7.5-8/10ths of power and i can go threw gears and also having the power band at the 8-16 from full exhaust doesnt help lol (street riding) but when i get on those straights and jsut go it helps alot

[diablo13346]

Originally Posted by Thmastr

I started riding this year on an ex500 and after 10k miles my old engine crapped out so I upgraded just 100 ccs to this.. now instead of redlining it in second to get to 60 I can get to 60 in first w/o redlining, and 85 in second w/o redlining it...

this bike is definately fast! and confortable to just get out and ride... I found when I whent up from the 500 to the 600 that it was much harder to turn at high speeds since the 600 is sooo much stable than the 500... If the same thing applies then the 10r will be harder still.

the highest ive been with my first gear was i think close to 5045-50 range that was in first may i reminde u and it as not redlineing at all it was ahh about 11-13k

[grog312]

Originally Posted by Thmastr

Thats right and here I am to talk about it!

The 04-06 zzr 600 is the same as the 98-02 zx6r..

2002 zx-6r was a 636

[diablo13346]

Originally Posted by grog312

2002 zx-6r was a 636

no they werent the 636's came out starting 03-07 sofar teh zx6r hes talking about is identical to teh zzrs now it might have been a 636 cc engine but not a 636 model as they are refered to today the 636 engines started comming out in 2002 but they didnt take the 636 name til early 2003 so if u wanan get technical yes your right they came out in 202 but if u wanna jsut fudge it they didnt call them the 636 til 03

http://www.motorbikes.be/en/Kawasaki...0_US_2005.aspx
http://www.motorbikes.be/en/Kawasaki_ZX-6R_2002.aspx

[Thmastr]

06 zzr is 599 cc and carbed as the zx6r it was 02 the last year they had the carburated supersport.. then in 03 they jumped to FI and 636 as Diablo said.


It is amazing what this bike can do... I do miss my ex500 for tat reason that you could push the bike at ok speeds..

This bike is so planted on the road that I would have to do insane speeds to push the bike...

Just to give you an Idea.. I bought the bike in a thursday.. on that saturday I was out wearing the chicken strips down to 1/4 or 1/8 of an inch. It didnt seem like I was pushing it! lol

[grog312]

check it out man

http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/kaw...ninja_2002.php

Originally Posted by Thmastr

06 zzr is 599 cc and carbed as the zx6r it was 02 the last year they had the carburated supersport.. then in 03 they jumped to FI and 636 as Diablo said.


It is amazing what this bike can do... I do miss my ex500 for tat reason that you could push the bike at ok speeds..

This bike is so planted on the road that I would have to do insane speeds to push the bike...

Just to give you an Idea.. I bought the bike in a thursday.. on that saturday I was out wearing the chicken strips down to 1/4 or 1/8 of an inch. It didnt seem like I was pushing it! lol

[grog312]

ops sorry man, didn't get read all the way through your post. got in a rush, my bad.