2006 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 Motorcycle reviews

This bike is Godzilla and King Kong all rolled into one. Mind you, the fact that I haven't ridden a bike of any appreciable size for at least 25 years might have something to do with the shock and awe factor of the big Z. Coming off a single cylinder Honda SL125 trail bike and then stepping onto the Z is an experience in itself. The power is awesome with eye-watering acceleration in straight lines and the enormous capacity of the Z to turn mountains into mole hills is just unbelievable. Long live the King. May it reign forever. Show less

This bike is awesome and I would definitely buy it again. I bought the bike to do some sport touring and I believe I made the perfect decision. I could not be happier. It's powerful, it's comfortable, it handles very well and it's everything I want it to be. This bike can do it all - cruise, tour, and yes, carve the canyons. I am very happy and would suggest this bike. Show less

I have had the bike for about seven months. It has 3500 miles on it. My opinion on the bike has not changed since the day I bought it. I LOVE the bike. The power is amazing, the riding position is comfortable for all day riding, the mirrors are very usefull and stable at higher speeds, unlike my GSX-R1000. The clutch works very smoothly when I don't screw up a shift. The headlights, especially the hi-beams, work great for those dark stretches of road. About the only thing I don't like about the bike is having to lube and adjust the chain. I sat on a Busa but did not get a change to test ride it. The ZX-14 felt more comfortable for me. Show less

I have owned some of the sickest bikes ever produced, but most are just too uncomfortable to be ridden any amount of time. It was always a trade off, if you had performance you couldn't have comfort. This bike is the best of both worlds, it has limitless horsepower and speed, but can be eased around at 30 mph all day long if you choose to. Kawasaki has nailed it this time. I recommend to anyone who likes to have a great time without compromising speed or comfort. Show less

I've had it for close to a year. Loved it the first time I sat on it. I hadn't ridden in close to 20 years. Last bike was KZ750. I bought the bike without knowing what I was buying, but I was able to sit on it with cracking my back (like ZX 10R). Got home and read some blazingly fast reviews. I asked Zeus what was I getting into. He said it was a mild manner bike if you aren't throttle happy. He was right. But watch out after 6g's! Put Muzzy carbon fibers on. Increased mid-range punch. Bike rock steady at 160mph. Seat gets hard after a couple of hours and pushes you forward. MPG is about 40 for me. The only real downside to the bike is that everyone wants to race you. Altima's, Bimmers, 600's, GSXR's... EVERYTHING! NO buzzing at ANY speed for me, whether 4k up to 10k. I love it! Show less

This is not my first bike yet it is nothing like any other bike I have ridden thus far. My first bike was a Suzuki Katana 1989 GSX. My next official bike was a Kawasaki Mean Streak 2002. I have ridden a BMW GS 650, Kawasaki 600 2006, Kawasaki 12R 2005, Suzuki 600 GSX-R, Yamaha FZ1 2005 and a few others I can't think of right now. Anyway, I recently went on a 365 mile ride through twisties and hwys and it took about 12 hours with all our stops and I have to say, this was one of the best days of my life with some lessons learned the hard way. Bottom line is that this bike is simply unbelievable. I was out with a small group of friends and none of their bikes can even fathom a thought to try and compare themselves in speed/power. On the straights, I can't be beat but on the twisties my skills weren't enough to keep up with my friends Suzuki 750 2004 and the Yamaha FZ1 2005. Any trip under 200 miles on this bike is very comfortable but above that I would recommend some kind of gel seats or pads. I love this bike and would never trade it in. I have hit between 140-165mph on it with zero effort and zero shakes. It truly inspires confidence which can be good and bad. I would definitely recommend this bike to anyone because it is very controllable/ manageable in terms of throttle control. It's not like a Kawi 10R or Hayabusa from what I hear because the power comes on only when you command it. Although, I notice the first 2 minutes of warming up is the most dangerous because a slight sneeze with the throttle in your hand when the bike is super cold can be dangerous. It seems like the computer isn't paying attention and it just goes until the first bar shows up on the temperature gauge. Other than that, it is super calm. My biggest complaint and it truly is a huge frustration is that there is a lot of heat near my right shin and I only noticed this since I lowered my bike. But on cold days you pray for this warm spot to warm the bike's surroundings for sure. If you want more info on this bike email me directly at rpmcode22@hotmail.com Show less

....Badest bike ever owned. GSXR 1100 was a toy compared to this beast. Bear Mountain has the best swepers in NY and I ride them to the fullest... Just wish someone would come out with a real tire set for them.. Show less

Being the prior owner of a pair of Busas, an 05 ZX10 and a hand full of other go fast toys, I will admit that Kawasaki hit the nail on the head with the ZX14. Smooth, powerful, wicked fast are all ways of describing the bike but what I like about it the most is that it's everything in one package. No, it's not a track bike but for a sport tourer with emphasis on sport, you can't go wrong. The only gripe I had with it is that Kawasaki neutered it to much from the factory. While Suzuki controls the power output on the Busa up to 3k rpms, the 14 is limited to over 6500 in the first 4 gears and it leaves a lot of people wanting the horse power to roll on sooner. Of course you can remove the secondaries and load a good map to your power commander but then the bike is dicey when the roads are wet. I'm just hoping that since motorcycle manufacturers have started to dabble in the rhelm of selectable maps (ala 07 GSXR 1000) that this technology will come to the rest of the high horse power crowd. Show less

Ok, so I am not an expert. I haven't raced for factories or worked in product design for Kawasaki. What I have done however is ride motorcycles for forty six years. Since motorcycles were intended for that purpose and I have accomplished that (so far) without killing myself or anyone else then that sort of implies some sort of expertise. No, I do not do wheelies or fronties nor burn away from lights. I did not purchase my ZX as a phallic symbol. I guess if I had, I would have been telling one very large lie (but that's another story). The fact is that since I have been riding so long, I get bored with the more of the same ole thing sportbikes and I cannot bring myself to get into cruisers. Standards? A thing of the past. So then, what is left? At the risk of offending the less liberated females, I liken motorcycles to women. If you love them, you love them and there just isn't anything more to say. They come in all shapes, sizes and temperament. Some are easier to tame and are quite compliant. Some are just the opposite and try as you may, you will never be able get them to do what you want. My ideal is one that is strong and beautiful, compliant but not submissive. She must be exciting and never boring, capable of raising me to my highest of highs and gentle when she has to be. That my friend is just what the ZX-14 is all about. Back around 92, Kawasaki came out with the ZX-11. At that time I was tooling around with a Honda Sabre V65. It had been totally tricked out by a firm in California and among its goodies was a roots type three vane supercharger unit. I spent large amounts of dead presidents to get it to be what it was...A fire breathing demon from hell. Scary fast and unique, the sound that emanated from that beast was enough to calm the most passionate street racer that ever pulled up to me at a stoplight. In a straight line it was awesome. In anything other than that, it was a horrible machine. I learned to hate that thing. One loose screw that got sucked into the carbs cost me a very expensive motor and so I bought one of those new plastic bikes that I had been hearing so much about, the ZX-11. The fire was lit and I fell in love. Smooth, powerful, comfortable, fast as hell compliant and beautiful. It had it all. It had so much that I actually sold it and decided to give up motorcycling because I figured that this was perfection and I had experienced it. There just couldn't be anything better. As things usually happen though, the other guys more or less caught up. Kawasaki came up with the ZX-12 and out of curiousity I bought one. Had to shut those guys mouths with that motorcycle that has that oriental writing on the fairing. I learned to despise that bike even more than the V65 Sabre and sold it. I mean, it was fast enough but...it had a lousy personality. Then just as I was about to plunk down my good cash on that bike with the oriental writing because that was all there was, along came Ms. ZX-14. One look at her front end and I knew I had to see more of her. This is one downright spaceship looking machine. This ain't no shuttle partner, this is the whole starship Enterprise. The helm is loaded with enough toys to entertain a video game addict. The gauges are white and easily visible. The bikes lines are not melting ice cream like. They are angular and purposeful. It looks like something that was designed to go fast and everythings shape has function as opposed to just looking pretty. There is a down side to this however and that is that it becomes a long process when you have to clean out all those nooks and crannies. The engine has gobs of power and it is delivered in a smooth and docile manner. This bike is very easy to get going and it feels like a well mannered middleweight at first. Once the revs start rising however all bets are off. This is one seriously powerful machine. The ride and seat are very comfortable and the handlebars are high enough to make long rides (even for old timers) do-able. The transmission shifts positively and missed gears are non existent. The mirrors are vibration free and the windscreen provides good protection from the wind which means less battering for the rider. The brakes are very strong and seem to be fade proof. The bike is not perfect though. For short riders like myself (5'7) it is kind of tall and I could use some lowering brackets. The mirrors are dificult to adjust and smallish. There is a reflection from the windscreen to the digital readout that makes it impossible to see during bright daytime hours. The cockpit area seemed rather large when compared to the bike with the oriental writing on the fairing and less cozy. I didn't like the way the machine is engineered to shut down when in gear with the side stand down. My 12 didn't do that and we got along just fine. Finally and this is just personal taste. I like my bikes like I like my..ahem..love affairs and that means they must have nice endings. This bike is one serious looker until you see her tail and it looks like a piece of plastic afterthought. Fix her tail up some so that it matches her front and this baby is a keeper. Show less

I bought my red 14R in May 06 and this is the best bike I have evered owned. I have been riding a lot of years. I have owned many bikes, but this one is the best. I own an 04 ZX10R and an 02 Intruder also. Neither one of them get any time, just the 14R now. Show less