Motorcyclist Magazine Kawasaki Z14 Rumors

[southjersey636]

Just picked up the latest Motorcyclist Magazine which has 2 pics and rumors of possible Kawasaki ZX14 derived bikes that could appear. One will be the GTR1400 which would replace the Councours and have the 1400cc motor under it with anti-lock brakes, hard ludgage, adjustable windscreen and all the goodies to compete with the Yamaha FJR1300, Honda ST1300 etc..

Next would be a naked version of the ZX14 called the Z1400, this would have the same motor, specs there saying would be 150horsepower at the rear wheel with about 100lbs torque.

Very interesting but short article but neverless I can see the GTR1400 becoming reality soon, as the Councours is due for replacement.

[zedx11]

here are the pix

[Crue]

Something to watch for.

[anrfknm]

i like that

[ispeed77]

that GTR looks pretty darn nice ! now i'm gona have to sell the FJR after only a short time and buy the GTR
nah, the wife would kill me. i will wait at least 2 years

[zedx11]

yeah, you don't want to get the first year. let other people find out what needs tweaked.

[Ant650R]

Think the GTR1400 might be a hard sell since the FJR1300 & ST1300 are pretty well established, still it would be good to see Kawi make the effort. The Z1400 would be killer, realisticly doubt I could afford it or the insurance but would LOVE to see what they had in mind. Hopefully it would draw from the Z1000's killer looks.

[ispeed77]

yeah, you don't want to get the first year. let other people find out what needs tweaked.

yup, that's what i was thinking

[ispeed77]

Think the GTR1400 might be a hard sell since the FJR1300 & ST1300 are pretty well established, still it would be good to see Kawi make the effort.

yes, i agree. if they undercut Honda and Yamaha on price and offer as many or more options then they might just break into the market, especially since the FJR's are so hard to get. just making them easily accessible might be a big selling point.

[NYcruiser]

Thats gotta be a photochop..

Keep making them faster and we will buy...

[zedx11]

Thats gotta be a photochop..

Keep making them faster and we will buy...

they are artist concept drawings

[Thmastr]

NOw thats a touring bike that I would buy!!!!!!

[Always4Kawis]

Both bikes are excellent ideas! The GTR looks good to go as is. My opinion is Kawasaki should market it as a sport-touring bike. I don't ever see anybody knocking the Gold Wings off the top, but I can see it competing with the FJR and Honda's ST models. No reason at all Kawasaki couldn't dominate that market sooner rather than later.
Now the Z1400 may have a harder battle. I know us 'Mericans have been clamoring for a big-bore "standard" bike since the '80s when the cycle market got so fragmented (sport, touring, off-road, etc).
But none of the manufacturer's have ever really hit the head of the nail. Some have gotten close, but there's always been a drawback or compromise, whether it was price, size, performance, or whatever.
Now we have some really interesting possibilities with a the 14. I thought Kawasaki pretty much hit the mark with the ZRX series, but I don't know how well they support these type bikes. I thought they were pretty popular, but I'm guessing they didn't sell well enough for the brass to keep it in the lineup. The Z1000 was/is a love it or hate it kind of bike, both in terms of performance and styling. So I'm not sure what it will take for Kawasaki to produce a winner in this market, but I do believe it should smoke the V-Max or its' replacement in a drag race; it should be at least on par or better than the FZ1 in terms of handling, and maybe styled similar to but not as aggressive as the Z1000. (None of those funky pipes though.)