View Full Version : David has a big brother!


gogoKawi
March 22nd, 2010, 01:24 AM
The stork brought in a new family member, a green 08 ZX6. I named him Bruce. (The 250 is named David. See the connection?) The deal was too good to pass up, especially for a new bike from the dealer. The "Sugar Momma" made a good choice in getting this for me. Her intentions were quite obvious. She wanted something that could handle her on sitting on the back. :D

I still have the 250. I couldn't give him up. But, he will be going to a very close family member in the next month or so. If she is able to ride comfortably, without aggravating her bad back and muscle spasms, the 250 is hers. We shall see...

After riding the ZX6 for almost 500 miles, I have to say that I'm not too sure about it yet. The seat is hard as a rock. Absolutely abysmal!!!! My rear felt like it was about to fall off. And, it's tough getting used to the aggressive handlebar position. I have 2 bad shoulders and slight carpel tunnel. I never realized how comfortable the 250 is. It's literally night and day between the two. I sat on the ZX several times at the dealer, and I didn't feel uncomfortable at all. I guess it's a different ball game when you are on the road and riding for an hour plus. I'm going to give it another week. If it continues to kill my wrists and my tail bone, I will be trading it for a 650.

Other than those two things, the bike is great. It's taller than the 250, which means my feet aren't quite flat while sitting. I was told to shave down the seat and it will be fine. I met a zx-10 rider who did that and he has no problems reaching the ground, and he is 5' 2". That just amazed me. Instead of just shaving the seat, I'm going to go a bit further by replacing the foam entirely. I'll try that before I start talking to Corbin.

I'm keeping it stock, except for the frame sliders and rear spools. No reason to make any other changes. He is just fine.

I will give another report when the break-in period is done.

sharky nrk
March 22nd, 2010, 03:44 AM
The are night and day as far as rider geometry, and the seat does suck. But I love mine so give her some time to win you over.

Snake
March 22nd, 2010, 05:11 AM
Congatulations on the new bike.

cnichols79us
March 22nd, 2010, 04:13 PM
Congrats! I love the looks of the ZX6. :)

MKlein3004
March 22nd, 2010, 04:38 PM
congrats

mike_sema
March 22nd, 2010, 08:29 PM
nice

miks
March 22nd, 2010, 08:31 PM
HOW IS THE POWAAHHHH ?

Seriously, very nice bike, but yeah if its uncomfortable you should really consider something else.

gogoKawi
March 22nd, 2010, 11:37 PM
congrats

Congrats! I love the looks of the ZX6. :)

Congatulations on the new bike.

Thanks all!

The are night and day as far as rider geometry, and the seat does suck. But I love mine so give her some time to win you over.

Yeah, I'm going to give it some time. I just realized that I rode for over 9 hours between Friday and Saturday. Sunday was another hour. I'm guessing that may have had a "little" to do with the soreness. :bangdesk: How long did it take for your to get used to the position?

HOW IS THE POWAAHHHH ?

Seriously, very nice bike, but yeah if its uncomfortable you should really consider something else.

The "POWAAHHH" isn't as good as the 250's, at least during the break-in period. :D 4,000 RPM is such a tease. 6th gear on the highway at that RPM is a tad over 50 mph. I had to go slightly pass that a couple of times because of tractor trailers being on my rear. And believe me when I say I babied the heck out of it. Can't wait to get the oil changed this week!

I hear you. The last thing I want to do is not enjoy riding. But, I want to give it some time before I make a change. I've already talked to the dealer, and we have something worked out if my body continues to dislike the bike. Hopefully, things will be ok.

gogoKawi
April 5th, 2010, 09:03 PM
So... After a couple of weeks with the ZX6, I have to say that "I LOVE IT!!!!" I've already put 1300 miles on it, which I figured I would since I ride every where.

The handling is great. It's definitely not as nimble as the 250 when just cruising, but still adequate. The highway (actually the track) was meant for the ZX. It feels extremely planted. And the wind seems to be less of an issue compared to the 250. I'm guessing this is because of the weight of the bike, not it's ability to cut through the wind.

The POWAH is ridiculous. Going from 35 to 55 is insane. It took some time to get acclimated to the power difference. I really had to pay attention to how much I twisted the throttle. It's so easy to get in trouble with this thing.

The seating position on the ZX is much better now. It took some time to get used to it. What's funny (at least to me) is that riding the 250 feels so different now. I never realized how straight up the seating position is. It is literally night and day compared to a true sports bike. Even highway riding feels different when tucked.

Overall, I'm very happy with the bike, EXCEPT (there is always one thing) for the seat. It is awful. Every person that I've met with the same bike says so. I really wish I would have known beforehand. But, oh well... I'm preparing to change the foam this week with memory foam and gel pads. That should be fun.

I'm trying not to neglect the 250. It's difficult though when you have a new toy. I still say that the 250 is a better bike all around. I had an argument with someone about this very topic. All he kept saying was that it didn't have enough power. I guess if you have never had the opportunity to ride it, you will know how great it is. It's really a shame...

Anyways, since the 250 isn't going anywhere, I will still be on the forums. Even if I didn't have the 250, I would still keep coming here. This is such a great community. I just couldn't give that up. :D

Here is a pic with the the 2 brothers. Trying to do some maintenance on both of them. By the way, I saw a blue 08 250 in DC coming down Brentwood road. I wonder if that person is on the forums? I'm starting to see 250s everywhere.

kkim
April 5th, 2010, 09:07 PM
Enjoy, Andre. :thumbup:

shellneil
April 17th, 2010, 08:09 AM
ive recently got a 99 zx6r..you are right they are night and day..it is more heavy and seating is different...my tip toes touch the ground...but i have a corbin seat so my butt feels good:thumbup: but still getting used to the power as i got it about week ago,,,,def taking it easy!

gogoKawi
April 17th, 2010, 09:48 PM
ive recently got a 99 zx6r..you are right they are night and day..it is more heavy and seating is different...my tip toes touch the ground...but i have a corbin seat so my butt feels good:thumbup: but still getting used to the power as i got it about week ago,,,,def taking it easy!

I just read your post. Congrats on the new bike. I'm sure you will enjoy it. Definitely fix the tip toe issue. I had to shave my seat down. I couldn't get any traction when I needed to back up or just at a stop. I'm pretty close to being flat-footed now. Makes a world of difference. I also added a softer foam pad. It feels just like the 250 now. :D

Be safe and have fun!