ZX10R - Setting
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Well, its one sexy machine... its fast, REALLY fast... hehe. Actually if you want to find some good info on it do a google search and spend an hour looking at sites, you might get lucky and find a review. Also, check out the ezines and other magazines from this year. Its a brand new bike so there is bound to be some reviews in them.
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27 Posts
I have had mine for 4500 miles now. I am 6 - 1 and 175 lbs. I found the bake to be a bit stiff on bad roads but left the settings for the rear and front alone. The rear did get just a little softer as miles went by but even though it seems harsh at times if it was any softer it would not handle the power as well. The back tire wore out at 3000 miles without doing any burnouts or anything else to wear it premature. The front is getting a little thin now.
MAKE SURE THE DEALER REPLACES THE FRONT RIM IF IT IS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL.
MAKE SURE THE DEALER REPLACES THE FRONT RIM IF IT IS INCLUDED IN THE RECALL.
Like what idrather said, make sure that bike isn't part of the recall. If it is, make sure the dealer takes care of the wheel before taking delivery. If you have a VIN for it, you can punch it in at the Kawasaki website to see if it was part of the recall.
As far as the suspension settings go, the bike does come from the factory set pretty stiff. You need to set the preload on the suspension before you mess with anything else on the rebound/compression settings. This should help smoothen out any harshness in the suspension.
Here are some other things about the bike. The 10 makes a LOT of noise. I thought I had a valve lash problem when I first got the bike. The 10's motor makes a lot of clanging and tapping noises. The motor also whines a bit which most people seem to agree comes from the clutch driven generator that spins at 2x crank speed. The engine also has a resonance at about 3k-4k which pretty much disappears by 6k RPMs. The bike also vibrates a lot which has led to a lot of complaints about numb hands; especially the right hand on the throttle. Some people don't seem to be bothered by it but others like me have problems with it. My fix to the problem was to get some solid brass bar inserts used in motocross bikes and shove it into the handlebars of the bike. Has helped but not totally eliminated the problem. The mirrors are absolutely useless. You only get a nice view of your elbows. I'm seen frequently doing the funky chicken dance to try to see things behind me. The tach presents others with problems too. I'm 6'5" and at the angle I view the tach I can't see anything above about 8k RPMs if daylight hits it just right which is pretty much all the time. Some say the bike really needs to have a steering damper...some say it doesn't. I put one on just to be safe. If you have questions on which ones to get let me know. I don't like the fact that the clutch lever has no reach adjustment like the brake lever. I have since replaced them with some Pazzo racing levers that allow full adjustability even while riding the bike. The first gear on the bike is pretty tall. So be prepared to keep the revs up or you'll bog or stall the engine. It's a fine dance because too much throttle will cause you to pull away faster than you'd expect. Some have had engine block casting problems so keep an eye on your oil and coolant levels. Also inspect around the block to see if there are any leaks. Some people have complained about some loss of coolant which was traced back to an air pocket in the cooling systeml...depends on how careful the dealer was in prepping the bike for delivery. Some people have complained about losing fasteners from the vibration. So they've fixed the issue by applying Locktite on the replacement fasteners. The bike (well at least mine in the environment I ride it in) is prone to overheat. So becareful about letting it sit too long without any airflow through the radiator. I've added some Water Wetter and a Muzzy fan upgrade that hasn't totally solved the problem. My bike will still shootup in temps but maybe at a slower rate. Some people have complained about some slop in the gearbox. I've had some of that problem initially but with the miles piling on it seems to have gone away. Also check your clutch cable slack after putting on a few hundred miles. Mine was way loose and was causing problems shifting.
Now the good. The beast has lots and lots of torque. I can cruise around town in 6th if I want to and not really worry about not having the pick up I need to get around most situations. Lots and lots of power. I can't see why anyone would want to add more power but some people are never satisfied. The exhaust note is very throaty which I like. Handling this thing is great. Definitely feels like a very nimble bike. Attracts a lot of attention which can be good and bad. The riding position isn't bad for tall people. And the seat is very comfortable. I've never had any problems going on long rides with my butt. Brakes to me are very good and I've been able to haul the bike down without having the brakes fade or lock up.
Would I want to get ride of the bike at anytime in the future? No way. Only way the bike is going if I'm too old to climb on the bike.
As far as the suspension settings go, the bike does come from the factory set pretty stiff. You need to set the preload on the suspension before you mess with anything else on the rebound/compression settings. This should help smoothen out any harshness in the suspension.
Here are some other things about the bike. The 10 makes a LOT of noise. I thought I had a valve lash problem when I first got the bike. The 10's motor makes a lot of clanging and tapping noises. The motor also whines a bit which most people seem to agree comes from the clutch driven generator that spins at 2x crank speed. The engine also has a resonance at about 3k-4k which pretty much disappears by 6k RPMs. The bike also vibrates a lot which has led to a lot of complaints about numb hands; especially the right hand on the throttle. Some people don't seem to be bothered by it but others like me have problems with it. My fix to the problem was to get some solid brass bar inserts used in motocross bikes and shove it into the handlebars of the bike. Has helped but not totally eliminated the problem. The mirrors are absolutely useless. You only get a nice view of your elbows. I'm seen frequently doing the funky chicken dance to try to see things behind me. The tach presents others with problems too. I'm 6'5" and at the angle I view the tach I can't see anything above about 8k RPMs if daylight hits it just right which is pretty much all the time. Some say the bike really needs to have a steering damper...some say it doesn't. I put one on just to be safe. If you have questions on which ones to get let me know. I don't like the fact that the clutch lever has no reach adjustment like the brake lever. I have since replaced them with some Pazzo racing levers that allow full adjustability even while riding the bike. The first gear on the bike is pretty tall. So be prepared to keep the revs up or you'll bog or stall the engine. It's a fine dance because too much throttle will cause you to pull away faster than you'd expect. Some have had engine block casting problems so keep an eye on your oil and coolant levels. Also inspect around the block to see if there are any leaks. Some people have complained about some loss of coolant which was traced back to an air pocket in the cooling systeml...depends on how careful the dealer was in prepping the bike for delivery. Some people have complained about losing fasteners from the vibration. So they've fixed the issue by applying Locktite on the replacement fasteners. The bike (well at least mine in the environment I ride it in) is prone to overheat. So becareful about letting it sit too long without any airflow through the radiator. I've added some Water Wetter and a Muzzy fan upgrade that hasn't totally solved the problem. My bike will still shootup in temps but maybe at a slower rate. Some people have complained about some slop in the gearbox. I've had some of that problem initially but with the miles piling on it seems to have gone away. Also check your clutch cable slack after putting on a few hundred miles. Mine was way loose and was causing problems shifting.
Now the good. The beast has lots and lots of torque. I can cruise around town in 6th if I want to and not really worry about not having the pick up I need to get around most situations. Lots and lots of power. I can't see why anyone would want to add more power but some people are never satisfied. The exhaust note is very throaty which I like. Handling this thing is great. Definitely feels like a very nimble bike. Attracts a lot of attention which can be good and bad. The riding position isn't bad for tall people. And the seat is very comfortable. I've never had any problems going on long rides with my butt. Brakes to me are very good and I've been able to haul the bike down without having the brakes fade or lock up.
Would I want to get ride of the bike at anytime in the future? No way. Only way the bike is going if I'm too old to climb on the bike.
Joined
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27 Posts
ZX10 Guy - how many miles do you have on yours and what oil are you using. I saw a major drop in engine temp when I did an oil change at 3000 miles and switched to full synthetic oil.
I havn't noticed all the noise and vibration you seem to be experiencing however it does have a resonance at 4k as you said but nothing I can feel I just hear it going down the road in 6th gear.
I havn't noticed all the noise and vibration you seem to be experiencing however it does have a resonance at 4k as you said but nothing I can feel I just hear it going down the road in 6th gear.
I've got about 3000 on my bike now. Yes, I plan on switching to synthetic on my next oil chane. I may wait till about 4000 miles since I did a change at 1200 miles. I'm also gonna try a bigger filter. There's a guy on the Kawiforums that found a bigger Purolator filter that works on the 10s.idratherBzx10en said:
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