I have a gen 1, personally think it looks better which is why I went for it, tried both and thought why spend loads more money they felt the same to ride. Never had a bike with traction control, anti wheelie that's what your wrist is for.if it does lose traction its very stable and easily corrected because of the long wheel base, also as these bikes age I feel there is less to go wrong not having the electronics package as friends of mine are experiencing with newer bikes, costing loads just having problems diagnosed.
I wanted one when they came out in 2006( of course). But couldn’t afford it at the time. A couple of years ago I got offered a Gen 1 with only 16k on the clock. It’d been sat in a garage for 4 years! How much? £2000. Dragged her out, took her home , full service, fork seals, mot. Hasn’t missed a beat since and in a beautiful Mettalic ocean blue she looks brand new. I love you’re PS Gen 2 buddy and would love one but my cheap Gen 1……. It’s just everything you could want, for 2 grand.! You’d be welcome to try it out sometime to compare it to the Gen 2. Cheers Mr. G. 😎🏁👍🏻. Bob.
Im on my 2nd gen 2 now. Awesome bikes. im sure the gen 1 is a pretty awesome machine also, but i just dont like the aesthetic of the light cluster. and, for me, if you're spending your hard earned cash on something, the aesthetics have got to be a consideration also. so, i agree that the little extra power is almost inconsequential, i'd always personally spend the little extra and get a bike that i like to look at.
Bought a 2007 ZX-14 a couple of weeks ago, 17,900 miles, no ABS, no traction control, no TFT, but near perfect condition, $6,500, $7,500 out the door. Flashed, piped, and dyno tuned, hit 185 mph a couple of days ago with more to go.
I have a '98 Blackbird that i love. Just had the 80000 mile service and only 1 valve was a teensy weensy bit out of spec. After 80000 miles. Had to replace the hero blobs twice so far. I basically love my 'Bird and the only bike i would swap it for is the zzr1400. Ridden both gen1 and gen2 and didn't really feel much difference. They just felt like a slightly bigger version of my bike which is probably why i like them so much.
Fantastic bike and great choice, you can go forever with the bird.. I swapped my bird for the zzr1400, I do miss that bike, one of my favourite all time bike ever..
@@sijonda I had to admit to my shortcomings for the valve clearances and got a bike mechanic that is a mate and I trust implicitly to do the hard technical stuff. He said it was easy due to the simplicity of carbs and basic solid engineering but he told me everything he did and said the engine feels like its just about run in. Everything was spot on mechanically. I de-linked the brakes and completely rebuilt the brakes and forks and put a new shock in last year as my huge fat arse had knackered the oem shock. Found a new oem for £30 and it's awesome. Was going to get a Hagon but the oem showa is pretty good when it's new so for £30 I am properly happy. The ZZR feels so similar, that's why I'd choose it as a replacement BUT my license is already scared when I open the garage. Lord knows how I'd control myself on a 1400. Prison is a very real possibility.
@@Arryhall Finding someone to work on old bikes is a problem I got with my VFR right now. Most shops won't even touch them. Already ended up buying a new bike but I still have my older bikes.
@sijonda I'm lucky. Danny races classic bikes so he loves working on old non electric stuff the most. He can do anything but the older bikes is what floats his boat. Vfr's are awesome but a bugger to work on.
I have my gen1 for 8 years, have many friends with gen 2, but i stay with my gen 1, formmy taste, looks better, and i dont need that more power and tech. I hope i can still ride my gen 1 for many more years
Had a test day ride and rode the h2 and Zzr14 before buying and ridden back to back the 14 a lot more 'useable'... Also when it comes to first major service the H2 cost wise will really make your eyes water....... !! Martyn
I also think if you had bought a 1st gen than you'd probably be thinking the opposite. Wishing you had bought a 2nd gen for a little more money. One can never know. I'm coming from a 2001 GSXR1000 that I owned for 17yrs. I went with the newest I could afford. Since I obviously buy a bike to keep and ride for years I also wanted the 2nd gen for the ABS and traction control which I was lacking on my gsxr and would only get with the upgraded gen 2. I think you shouldn't regret your decision. Gen 2 is better in many ways and you can still always downgrade whenever you like...haha! Also, watching many of your videos is what helped me in my decision to buy a 2nd gen. :)
Hey man, you sound really disappointed today. You shouldn't! I think you did the right thing in buying a 2nd gen. There is some significant difference in power and especially torque, in my view, that you feel between 1st and 2nd gen. I never regretted buying a second gen!
09 and a 24, get whatcha pay for overall. I'd say if you're going to be nice to it, go newer. Reliability, safe features. If you're going to cane it, go older. Won't feel so bad when the shiney meets the road. Both have their merits, no losses!
Note I would stick with the one you ride. I wouldn’t chance it with anything else because I’ve been on the use market before trying to save a coin. You’ll spend more money with the hidden problems in a long run. That’s my two cents on the Home matter if need beI would buy a new motorcycle new bike every time so you won’t have any problems with purchasing use stuff.
currently owning both i'd say both are amazing bikes. but the gen 2 is just better , significantly more power whilst being smoother , handle bar controls as opposed to using dash buttons (low fuel light doesn't get rid of all your dash data) as well as having external temperature , 2 cooling fans as well as increased heat insulation under fairings , abs / trc , improved oil circulation and cam chain tensioners. in terms of weight the feel is negligible due to different geometry. the only reason i'd have a gen 1 is for cost or if you like the looks, though in aus the cost difference isn't that large. PS - gen 1's fairings are less annoying to take apart.
When Suzuki released their 2nd gen Hayabusa it had an increased capacity so that it was nearly the same as the ZZR... there was only roughly a 20cc of difference. Suzuki had made such a great engine that Kawasaki couldn't beat it head to head, so Kawasaki upped the capacity again. Kawasaki were determined to produce the fastest accelerating motorcycle.
I've owned a 2008 and presently own a 2018. I definitely prefer the gen 2 for several reasons. Gen 2 is properly sprung for a 200 lb rider. Gen 1 is hugely undersprung and runs wide in corners. Traction control is huge too. One drawback is the dreaded stutter if you regear the gen 2. Traction control doesn't understand unless a proper ecu reflash is done to correct the problem and it makes the bike awful to ride. Onlyplace to address this is with Brock's flash 2.
Own one of the last performance sport model. Its a great bike. Struggled with seat height a bit after my zzr1200 so had seat reshaped. The first gen definitely had a lower seat height and was more manageable for getting on and off ferry boats. Apart from height and its extra weight its an incredible machine.!! 😊. Martyn.
I've had the 2nd gen for a w end loaned from the local dealer a found it heavy and heavy on fuel my gen 1 was lighter and easier to ride and better on fuel due to the secondary butterfly's removed and remapped and higher gearing and it was superb and pulled well till some scumbag stole it
I was really wanted to get one of this bikes but unfortunately due to clean air zones or ULEZ regulations always growing and changing i decided to get a ninja 1000sx is euro5 so I won't have to concern myself with this issue.
I have a gen 1, personally think it looks better which is why I went for it, tried both and thought why spend loads more money they felt the same to ride. Never had a bike with traction control, anti wheelie that's what your wrist is for.if it does lose traction its very stable and easily corrected because of the long wheel base, also as these bikes age I feel there is less to go wrong not having the electronics package as friends of mine are experiencing with newer bikes, costing loads just having problems diagnosed.
Performance TC and ABS is amazing and my last two motorcycles have it.
I would certainly not ride in traffic like u do ,,, please take more care
I wanted one when they came out in 2006( of course). But couldn’t afford it at the time. A couple of years ago I got offered a Gen 1 with only 16k on the clock. It’d been sat in a garage for 4 years!
How much? £2000. Dragged her out, took her home , full service, fork seals, mot. Hasn’t missed a beat since and in a beautiful Mettalic ocean blue she looks brand new.
I love you’re PS Gen 2 buddy and would love one but my cheap Gen 1……. It’s just everything you could want, for 2 grand.!
You’d be welcome to try it out sometime to compare it to the Gen 2. Cheers Mr. G. 😎🏁👍🏻. Bob.
Im on my 2nd gen 2 now. Awesome bikes. im sure the gen 1 is a pretty awesome machine also, but i just dont like the aesthetic of the light cluster. and, for me, if you're spending your hard earned cash on something, the aesthetics have got to be a consideration also. so, i agree that the little extra power is almost inconsequential, i'd always personally spend the little extra and get a bike that i like to look at.
Bought a 2007 ZX-14 a couple of weeks ago, 17,900 miles, no ABS, no traction control, no TFT, but near perfect condition, $6,500, $7,500 out the door. Flashed, piped, and dyno tuned, hit 185 mph a couple of days ago with more to go.
I have a '98 Blackbird that i love. Just had the 80000 mile service and only 1 valve was a teensy weensy bit out of spec. After 80000 miles. Had to replace the hero blobs twice so far. I basically love my 'Bird and the only bike i would swap it for is the zzr1400. Ridden both gen1 and gen2 and didn't really feel much difference. They just felt like a slightly bigger version of my bike which is probably why i like them so much.
Fantastic bike and great choice, you can go forever with the bird..
I swapped my bird for the zzr1400, I do miss that bike, one of my favourite all time bike ever..
Did you find a shop to do the work or did you have to do all of it yourself?
@@sijonda I had to admit to my shortcomings for the valve clearances and got a bike mechanic that is a mate and I trust implicitly to do the hard technical stuff. He said it was easy due to the simplicity of carbs and basic solid engineering but he told me everything he did and said the engine feels like its just about run in. Everything was spot on mechanically. I de-linked the brakes and completely rebuilt the brakes and forks and put a new shock in last year as my huge fat arse had knackered the oem shock. Found a new oem for £30 and it's awesome. Was going to get a Hagon but the oem showa is pretty good when it's new so for £30 I am properly happy. The ZZR feels so similar, that's why I'd choose it as a replacement BUT my license is already scared when I open the garage. Lord knows how I'd control myself on a 1400. Prison is a very real possibility.
@@Arryhall Finding someone to work on old bikes is a problem I got with my VFR right now. Most shops won't even touch them. Already ended up buying a new bike but I still have my older bikes.
@sijonda I'm lucky. Danny races classic bikes so he loves working on old non electric stuff the most. He can do anything but the older bikes is what floats his boat. Vfr's are awesome but a bugger to work on.
I have my gen1 for 8 years, have many friends with gen 2, but i stay with my gen 1, formmy taste, looks better, and i dont need that more power and tech. I hope i can still ride my gen 1 for many more years
Love my gen 2. The extra cooling fan helps too.
Had a test day ride and rode the h2 and Zzr14 before buying and ridden back to back the 14 a lot more 'useable'... Also when it comes to first major service the H2 cost wise will really make your eyes water....... !! Martyn
I also think if you had bought a 1st gen than you'd probably be thinking the opposite. Wishing you had bought a 2nd gen for a little more money. One can never know. I'm coming from a 2001 GSXR1000 that I owned for 17yrs. I went with the newest I could afford. Since I obviously buy a bike to keep and ride for years I also wanted the 2nd gen for the ABS and traction control which I was lacking on my gsxr and would only get with the upgraded gen 2. I think you shouldn't regret your decision. Gen 2 is better in many ways and you can still always downgrade whenever you like...haha! Also, watching many of your videos is what helped me in my decision to buy a 2nd gen. :)
Hey man, you sound really disappointed today. You shouldn't! I think you did the right thing in buying a 2nd gen. There is some significant difference in power and especially torque, in my view, that you feel between 1st and 2nd gen. I never regretted buying a second gen!
I had a gen 1. I also have a gen 2. The gen 2 is a better option for the money IMO.
09 and a 24, get whatcha pay for overall. I'd say if you're going to be nice to it, go newer. Reliability, safe features. If you're going to cane it, go older. Won't feel so bad when the shiney meets the road. Both have their merits, no losses!
Do you have any videos on how to downshift gears before coming to a stop? Thanks (:
Note I would stick with the one you ride. I wouldn’t chance it with anything else because I’ve been on the use market before trying to save a coin. You’ll spend more money with the hidden problems in a long run. That’s my two cents on the Home matter if need beI would buy a new motorcycle new bike every time so you won’t have any problems with purchasing use stuff.
currently owning both i'd say both are amazing bikes. but the gen 2 is just better , significantly more power whilst being smoother , handle bar controls as opposed to using dash buttons (low fuel light doesn't get rid of all your dash data) as well as having external temperature , 2 cooling fans as well as increased heat insulation under fairings , abs / trc , improved oil circulation and cam chain tensioners. in terms of weight the feel is negligible due to different geometry. the only reason i'd have a gen 1 is for cost or if you like the looks, though in aus the cost difference isn't that large.
PS - gen 1's fairings are less annoying to take apart.
When Suzuki released their 2nd gen Hayabusa it had an increased capacity so that it was nearly the same as the ZZR... there was only roughly a 20cc of difference. Suzuki had made such a great engine that Kawasaki couldn't beat it head to head, so Kawasaki upped the capacity again. Kawasaki were determined to produce the fastest accelerating motorcycle.
Is there any protection for getting rear ended? Like armoured topboxes to licence plate long metal bobbins?
A set of risers for the bars turns this into a much more comfortable ride
And also lower the footpegs..
It's not the most comfortable ride in the world. It is, however, a fantastic and exciting ride..
I've owned a 2008 and presently own a 2018. I definitely prefer the gen 2 for several reasons. Gen 2 is properly sprung for a 200 lb rider. Gen 1 is hugely undersprung and runs wide in corners. Traction control is huge too. One drawback is the dreaded stutter if you regear the gen 2. Traction control doesn't understand unless a proper ecu reflash is done to correct the problem and it makes the bike awful to ride. Onlyplace to address this is with Brock's flash 2.
1 down on the front 2 up on the rear, no need to re map
I have a gen 1 and don't plan to upgrade. I do not like how the headlights were combined for gen 2.
Own one of the last performance sport model. Its a great bike. Struggled with seat height a bit after my zzr1200 so had seat reshaped. The first gen definitely had a lower seat height and was more manageable for getting on and off ferry boats. Apart from height and its extra weight its an incredible machine.!! 😊. Martyn.
I've had the 2nd gen for a w end loaned from the local dealer a found it heavy and heavy on fuel my gen 1 was lighter and easier to ride and better on fuel due to the secondary butterfly's removed and remapped and higher gearing and it was superb and pulled well till some scumbag stole it
I was really wanted to get one of this bikes but unfortunately due to clean air zones or ULEZ regulations always growing and changing i decided to get a ninja 1000sx is euro5 so I won't have to concern myself with this issue.
The sooner they scrap this bs, the better.
You do know that they will increase the Emission standards, so it will come to you eventually
I will be getting one soon and my only requirement is abs.