Well you are only as old as you feel

[betoney]

5 minutes ago, roy826 said:

Lol had a concours 14 once that poured oil out of the valve cover. Never again will I buy a Kawasaki.

 

Any bike can have issues, the Tracer included, -don't let isolated issues make you completely write off a manufacturer.

[roy826]

2 minutes ago, betoney said:

Any bike can have issues, the Tracer included, -don't let isolated issues make you completely write off a manufacturer.

Well I didn’t but when I googled the issue all Kawasaki in-line fours suffered from it at some point. Seemed pretty cut and dry to me. 

[johnmark101]

8 hours ago, roy826 said:

Well I didn’t but when I googled the issue all Kawasaki in-line fours suffered from it at some point. Seemed pretty cut and dry to me. 

Interesting........I never heard of this issue and have owned Kawasaki motorcycles.  Currently have a Ninja 1000 with 34,000 miles.  Damn thing has been bulletproof and not a drip of any fluids.  

[betoney]

2 hours ago, johnmark101 said:

Interesting........I never heard of this issue and have owned Kawasaki motorcycles.  Currently have a Ninja 1000 with 34,000 miles.  Damn thing has been bulletproof and not a drip of any fluids.  

Same here, I have owned a few Kawasaki's and have several riding buddies who have or currently own Kawasaki's and none of us have ever had any issues, they are every bit as reliable as Honda or Yamaha.

[texscottyd]

11 hours ago, roy826 said:

I just wanted this bike from the time I laid eyes on it to be honest.

Congrats!   I know that routine well, and understand the draw when you just HAVE to have something.   I've had an H2 SX SE+ burned into my brain since the day I first saw one, and a test ride just further cemented it for me...  

I've had a long love affair with the GSX-R as well, having raced many (and destroyed a couple) over the decades.   The last one I rode in anger was around 2012, when I was filling in on a friend's WERA Endurance team for a couple of rounds.   It was a 2010 or 2011 model GSX-R1000, and it was damn fast.   I can only imagine how intense the new one is, regardless of the magic of modern electronics. 

Beautiful bike!  Enjoy... 

[Salish900]

4 hours ago, betoney said:

Same here, I have owned a few Kawasaki's and have several riding buddies who have or currently own Kawasaki's and none of us have ever had any issues, they are every bit as reliable as Honda or Yamaha.

Yep. As a long term Concours 14 owner and active on that forum like I am on this one, those bikes are rock solid. Rock solid. No more issues than mama Yama or Mr. Honda. All far better than the Germans, Brits or god forbid the Italians. My Aprilia had a part designed and installed that was the Cam chain roller that was designed without proper lubrication and with cheap steel. Aprilia fails to recall. Every one begins to fail and rattle within 10K. Forums filled with issues on that one part. Major surgery and home engineering to try and fix and replace. Aprilia attitude is just, well, you bought Italian, isn't it beautiful? I'll stick Japanese, and admire the looks of the Italian bikes. Isn't that Aprilia 660 beautiful? 

[tktplz]

3 hours ago, Salish900 said:

Aprilia attitude is just, well, you bought Italian, isn't it beautiful? I'll stick Japanese, and admire the looks of the Italian bikes. Isn't that Aprilia 660 beautiful? 

IKR? I LOVE the Turono but living in Louisiana, being 200 miles or so from a dealer I'll stick to the Jap Bike. The V4 has all the power you could ever need and weighs about the same as an FJ-09. Really tempting but couldn't pull the trigger. Could have gotten 1, low miles for about the same price as my used FJ. Just couldn't pull the trigger. Maybe if I trailered to all the meets every year, maybe. But I bought the FJ to RIDE to every event except NC at 850 miles away, freeway miles that is. I do The Hill County at 450 miles each way and Arkansas at 325 miles each way. The Turono does have handle bars though. The GSXR doesn't. Can't ride it that far at this age. Still looking for that 16 year old kid that wants all my crap and that big ole 401K for that kid body. Hell I'll even give him all my experience, LOL!

Edited March 26, 2021 by tktplz

[texscottyd]

On 3/25/2021 at 3:04 PM, Salish900 said:

I see having a machine like that in the garage is just like a piece of art. Ride it once in a rare while, and park it. It's a piece of art

Can I interest you in some fine vintage Italian art?   It’s for sale (relatively) cheap...  I could make more parting it out, but this one is just too nice to do that.  

Runs great.  Usually.   Unless it decides not to on any particular occasion...

[roy826]

Breakin heat cycling done, this one is fast as all get out and damn near scary how quick it gets it done. 
 

I could remove the lights and mirrors or tape them up, catch can under it for oil or liquid spillage, set of slicks and grid it up with wera in A class. It’s so refined and the electronics are really good. I’m still playing with all that. The suspension is so much better than my last big GSXR (2011 which I raced with Ohlins front and rear) right off the floor. 
 

Little sluggish off the bottom end with torque but when that VVT hits in the healthy midrange hang on it’s a rocket. The stock Bridgestone RS11s are very good for off the showroom floor. Just do not run the recommended pressures by Suzuki lol 

Very happy with it. 

[Salish900]

4 minutes ago, roy826 said:

Very happy with it. 

So happy for you. It's a great feeling. You are riding a work of art that just happens to 0-100 faster than 99% of vehicles on the road. Enjoy it and keep the rubber side down! 

[roy826]

2 minutes ago, Salish900 said:

So happy for you. It's a great feeling. You are riding a work of art that just happens to 0-100 faster than 99% of vehicles on the road. Enjoy it and keep the rubber side down! 

Yeah I pinch myself often. I can really appreciate this work of art a kid can’t. Only suspension adjustment I made was one turn off compression up front, as I got more confident in the front end feedback I added 1/2 turn back. Rest of the settings are spot on for my 138 lbs and is a rocket straight line with me on it. It has broke the rear loose once on a left hand corner exit in 3rd gear and I was with TC 1 on so I got a little spin up drift before the TC caught it. All controlled none the less just brought a huge grin inside the helmet. The quickshifter is best I’ve ever felt and I’m not even in short throw mode yet on it. The auto blipper I’m not crazy about cause I’ve never had it but I’m adjusting to it. I still like the bang 2-3 gears down with clutch in and do my own back slipper thing at the lever but this bike doesn’t like that it wants to do it all on its own. We are adjusting to each other I’m from another era where manual manipulation was paramount. This one wants to do it all you just lift or push the levers and electronics do the rest. 

[Salish900]

2 minutes ago, roy826 said:

Yeah I pinch myself often. I can really appreciate this work of art a kid can’t. Only suspension adjustment I made was one turn off compression up front, as I got more confident in the front end feedback I added 1/2 turn back. Rest of the settings are spot on for my 138 lbs and is a rocket straight line with me on it. It has broke the rear loose once on a left hand corner exit in 3rd gear and I was with TC 1 on so I got a little spin up drift before the TC caught it. All controlled none the less just brought a huge grin inside the helmet. The quickshifter is best I’ve ever felt and I’m not even in short throw mode yet on it. The auto blipper I’m not crazy about cause I’ve never had it but I’m adjusting to it. I still like the bang 2-3 gears down with clutch in and do my own back slipper thing at the lever but this bike doesn’t like that it wants to do it all on its own. We are adjusting to each other I’m from another era where manual manipulation was paramount. This one wants to do it all you just lift or push the levers and electronics do the rest. 

You are clearly old school. Respect, sir. To be honest, guys now in their 50's and 60's and 70's will be the last generation on this planet to have grown up with manual cars and distributors and drum brakes and all the other perfectly reliable but far more maintenance intense mechanical wonders to come out of the dawn of cars and bikes. My sons have no idea what we used to do to maintain our machines. They never will. My yet to be born grandchildren will likely only know electric vehicles. That's all good, and I know for a fact that modern cars and bikes are far safer and more reliable. But the mechanic in me will always lament the loss of knowledge my dad had, who could fix any damn machine with a few wrenches, a hammer, and some colorful language. Men like him don't really exist anymore, or they are dying away quickly. Guess I'm rambling here, but you inspired me to think about the old ways of machines and men. 

[roy826]

54 minutes ago, Salish900 said:

You are clearly old school. Respect, sir. To be honest, guys now in their 50's and 60's and 70's will be the last generation on this planet to have grown up with manual cars and distributors and drum brakes and all the other perfectly reliable but far more maintenance intense mechanical wonders to come out of the dawn of cars and bikes. My sons have no idea what we used to do to maintain our machines. They never will. My yet to be born grandchildren will likely only know electric vehicles. That's all good, and I know for a fact that modern cars and bikes are far safer and more reliable. But the mechanic in me will always lament the loss of knowledge my dad had, who could fix any damn machine with a few wrenches, a hammer, and some colorful language. Men like him don't really exist anymore, or they are dying away quickly. Guess I'm rambling here, but you inspired me to think about the old ways of machines and men. 

No not rambling at all. I’m going to celebrate tomorrow my dads 80th birthday, he’s still in good health and active. Does not ride anymore, we took him off the Harley bike about 5 years ago due to concern with his motor skills. He misses it alot but has me to live through. That is a blessing, he put me on two wheels long time ago and shaped my future that day. Little did he know. My mother is still alive at 79 and has never liked motorcycles.