2001 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-9R Motorcycle reviews

I got the ZX-9R a year ago. It had 13k miles on it and I put 11k on it. The power is awesome. The seat from stock was replaced with a Corbin which made a big differance on my butt. The brakes are weaker than say a CBR but once you get used to squishing or pushing the levers and peddle, it's OK. I been getting around 45-51 mpg.'s depending on how much throttle I use. It's a comfy ride. There's a big tank so you can go a little farther. There is no fuel gauge so have to use the trip meter. Show less

I bought the ZX9 2 weeks ago and the first time I rode it home, it stalled on me. Fuel ran out without any warning of any sort. I've been wondering eversince what my mileage per gallon was on the ZX9, and finally got an idea. I used the trip odometer and a full tank to get an average. Almost got it the hardway though. Since the bike doesn't have a fuel gauge or any kind of low fuel indicator warning, the bike sputtered and almost stalled AGAIN until I switched the petcock to reserve. I get around 160-170 miles before going on reserve. Aside from that, the missing fuel indicator flaw, the ZX9 is an excellent ride. It's very comfortable with lots of power and lots of torque. Caught myself in 6th gear at a stop with a passenger and rode it out from there! Show less

First I will give the negatives: <br />It doesn't have a fuel light, it has the annoying petcock thing, and it takes a little longer to warm up than I am used to. I am not too thrilled about the color scheme (mine is red/purple). The seat was a little uncomfortable (not too bad), but I replaced it with a corbin seat that really wasn't too expensive (about $60) and I haven't had problems since. Another problem I had was with a rear rider leaning a little too much on to me, but that could have just been the girl I was with or the height difference between the new corbin seat and the stock rear seat (I never did find a Corbin or Sargent seat for the rear). That is really it for the negatives. As you can see it is just little nit-picking things. As far as the upside, it is unbelievable. One of the most important things to me is long term comfort, something not easy to find with my lanky 6'4" frame. Not only is it the most comfortable pure sportbike that I have ridden, it is more comfortable than the previous sport tourers that I have owned (2001 BMW R1100S and Triumph Sprint RS), and the cruisers (Honda Shadow and Victory V92C). It is fast enough that I have yet to be consistantly beaten by any other bikes (I generally ride with sport bikes of all sizes), and it is just a blast to ride. Most importantly of all, I have yet to have to do any work on it at all. All in all I would recommend this bike to anyone and I plan to keep this one a very long time. Show less

This is a great all around performance bike. It's good for long highway rides, city riding and loves the twistys. The motor is a little loud from the cam or valves but never affected the performance. Once you get the suspension dialed in, you can do whatever you want on this bike. Overall great bike, no regrets about buying it. Show less

I just purchased my 2001 in August 2003 BRAND NEW!! It was a leftover and they gave me a deal I could not pass up. I have been riding a very nice Suzuki GSX-R 750 for the past few years and I loved it, but my 40 y/o body hates it after 1 hour. I wanted a bike that is sporty but comfortable. I am still in the break-in period and have not gone over 110mph, but I can tell that this bike is a monster!! This bike is not the on the magazines 'wish list' because I think that they focus too much on the 'track'. Frankly, I may NEVER go to the track and I'm certain that 90% of the folks who ride these do not either. I wanted a bike that would exceed where my Gixxer failed; be less twitchy in the corners, be comfy, get better fuel economy, have more low and midrange power, do highway speeds without buzzing me to death, etc.. My new ZX9-R does all of these things great and more. It has the longer wheelbase and a lower center of gravity which makes it feel much more planted at speeed and in the corners. It is very comfortable to ride. I have yet to go on a very long ride, but so far it feels wonderful and at my avg. speed of 80 mph the rpm's are at 5,100, so I'm not getting buzzed to death by vibration. It's five gallon fuel tank combined with the 43mpg I seem to average, this bike will be great for long stretches!! The power down low is awesome, a couple of times I forgot to downshift when traffic slowed and found myself in 6th gear, but you can just roll-on the throttle and the torque is there! No downshifting required. With my Gixxer, I had to be above 5K rpm's in order to access the power, this bikes power is available as soon as you press the starter button. The only complaint that I have is that it has no fuel warning light/gauge. I'd hate to get killed someday as my bike sputters to a stop in on the freeway, before I can turn the petcock(I thought they stopped making bikes with these in the 80's?)to the 'reserve' tank. Besides that one item, I love everything else about this bike!!!! I highly recommend it for anyone who wants a sexxy looking sport bike, but is not yet ready to buy the Gold Wing- ok so that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but you get the point. Show less

I love this bike! I've been devoted to Yamahas for the last 5 years but this bike is increadible. I've looked at and riden the 3 competitors (R1, CBR, and GSXR-1000) but this is by far my first choice. The Niner makes more ponies than either the CBR or R1 after just a little carb tunning, K&#038;N filter and a Yoshi pipe. Which all together with the cost of the bike still beats compitition prices. My bike is pushing 139.6 HP at the rear wheel. The wheight difference is nominal between it and other liter classers. For street use this is the best 01 bike you can buy. Especially if your a large rider 6 foot +. The ergos are comfy for hours at a time and the bike will do everything and then some. I started riding this bike in the rockies, on nice twisty mountain roads, handling is excellent, and you come to appreciate the stability gained from the extra weight on poorly maintained roads. If your looking for a bike that is capable of anything on the street and more than enough for local track days, this bike is awsome. Show less

I recently purchased my first 2001 Kawasaki Race Green ZX-9R. I&#8217;ve been riding off and on for several years now, my very first bike being a 1975 100cc Yamaha Enduro. From the dirt I graduated to the street with a 1984 Honda V-45 Interceptor, 1988 Ninja 600, and the last bike before my ZX9-R was a 1989 FZR 1000. My ZX9-R is fantastic, very quick, and the bike seems as if it reads my mind when I want to turn (very light feel). Arguably, it has more than enough power for the street, in any gear. In sixth gear at 40mph I rolled the throttle back and I was nudging 100mph before I knew it. No lag, hesitation. I&#8217;m not too interested its top speed of ~160mph on the street, I&#8217;m not brainless. At a stop from 1st the bike will stay with and beat most anything I come across. I haven&#8217;t done any serious &#8220;canyon carving&#8221; yet, but from what I experienced my bike will hold its own. Some &#8220;crazy&#8221; riders on the new 600s and good riders on the GSXR 1000, Honda 954RR, and the R1&#8217;s might give me some trouble and pull away (just a little) in the turns, but I&#8217;ll suck the headlights out of those new 600s on the straights. Besides, the R1 and Honda 954 the Pros say are the best on the track won&#8217;t get away from me in the real world. Overall I love my ZX9-R. Not to mention it has better looks than any other bike out there. Can&#8217;t beat the price either. Show less