Evening all.
Joined forum as I have just put a deposit down on a 2008 GTR1400.
Don't get it until 16.10.12 so am nervously looking forward to getting it.
Traded in my 2003 Varadero which I owned for over 2 years but just wanted a bit more uumphh...
Just hope the electronics on this bike are not to complicated for it's own good.
Have never even seen a GTR yet, never mind sat on one, but like the look of it and read some decent reviews, although they were all new bikes, just hope that it is a decent secondhand buy, as it cost a lot, compared to what I have paid for previous bikes.
Will post again after I get it and see what I've bought.
Al.
Hi Al, I'm sure you'll love the bike when you get it. I traded in a cruiser for mine. Completely different but definitely worth it. There's plenty of experienced heads on this forum to help you out should you need advice. Cheers
Mark
Hi Ali,
Welcome to the group. Lots of info on here to answer any questions you have
You wont be disappointed with the GTR.. :banana:
I moved over from a varadero to the gtr last month. Still think the varadero was more comfy but the gtr is a lot more fun :scooter:
I've had over 80 bikes since I was 16 ( really :shocked:)
I'm still excited about the latest , an '09 1400 GTR :banana:
Hi and benvenuto!
If it's oooomph you want, it's oooomph you'll get with your GTR! What colour did you choose?
I apologise in advance for starting the 'this colour is faster than that colour' war... You'll see what I mean shortly.
Looking forward to seeing piccies of your new pride and joy when you get it!
Ros
Thanks a lot for all the replies guys, I got a silvery/blue one, bought after seeing it on the internet but as I live on N.Ireland the dealer is delivering it to the ferry for me to collect on Tuesday.
Definitely looking forward to it.
Nice to see such a welcoming forum, will post some pics and see what the bike needs after I get it.
Taking a chance on buying it without even seeing it but just like the bike looking at it.
Cheers folks.
Al.
Al, :185: to the forum. I like your style, never even sat on one but bought it, :mfr_lol: . You won't be disappointed! Keep us all updated with first impressions, etc.
:biker3:
Ali,
Theres also a nice bunch of GTR owners from N Ireland on Facebook...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/KawasakiGTRowners/
Ali ... Welcome ... this is a great place to be with lots of friendly chaps and chapesses ... you will love the Gtr I have no doubt ... let us see some photos when it arrives :cool:
Quote from: alibx11 on October 12, 2012, 09:58:48 PM
Thanks a lot for all the replies guys, I got a silvery/blue one, bought after seeing it on the internet but as I live on N.Ireland the dealer is delivering it to the ferry for me to collect on Tuesday.
Definitely looking forward to it.
Nice to see such a welcoming forum, will post some pics and see what the bike needs after I get it.
Taking a chance on buying it without even seeing it but just like the bike looking at it.
Cheers folks.
Al.
:185: from me too Al.
You are a brave man to buy a bike without seeing or even trying it......however with the GTR you will not be dissapointed at all, its a stunning machine and I'm sure that you will love it.
I have many many friends in N.I and have been there on hundreds of occasions, (I was married to a Larne lass), so I know many good biking haunts and have ridden the Coast Road so many times
McCallens will look after your bike, but it might be worth looking elsewhere for a more competitive deal for servivcing, unless you plan to do your own that is, the electrics aren't anything to worry about either.
DO NOT be afraid to ask any question on here as its a good, informative and friendly Forum :yes:
Anyways ...good luck and pictures are a must on here.
welcome to the forum :smiley: don't worry you've made a excellent choice, your nerves will disappear when you ride the bike. it's very comfortable, plenty of power and the gtr handles extremely well for a large bike. "Kawdolph" is from your neck of the woods, he attended to our 2012 gtr meet at he cotswolds see... "GTR Owners Meet 2012 pics" not heard from "Kawdolph" for a while, hope everything is ok with him. if your attending the next 2013 meet somewhere in devon see.. "GTR Owners Meet 2013" maybe we will see you both there :smiley: what mileage as your 08 model done and don't forget some pics of your new steed.. :grin:
Thanks again for all the welcomes.
Looking forward to getting it even more now knowing that there is such an active forum.
Will check out the GTR run for next year, and the bike has only 11k miles, so it's only broke in.
Didn't think that there were so many positive owners about as a local dealership tried to put me off a GTR, said any owners were never happy with them and never kept them long, mind you he was trying to sell me a FJR13.. lol
Just shows - I'd rather try the Kwak and see how it goes for myself.
Cheers folks.
Al.
Quote from: alibx11 on October 13, 2012, 01:24:56 PM
Thanks again for all the welcomes.
Looking forward to getting it even more now knowing that there is such an active forum.
Will check out the GTR run for next year, and the bike has only 11k miles, so it's only broke in.
Didn't think that there were so many positive owners about as a local dealership tried to put me off a GTR, said any owners were never happy with them and never kept them long, mind you he was trying to sell me a FJR13.. lol
Just shows - I'd rather try the Kwak and see how it goes for myself.
Cheers folks.
Al.
most likely because the dealer knew he could sell the gtr all day everyday especially with such low mileage :yes: you where after a tourer.. can't blame him for trying to unload the "white elephant" :grin:
I also went from a Varadero to a GTR probably for the same reasons that I wanted a bit more power and you certainly get that with the GTR. Both are very comfortable bikes, obviously the Varadero is a bit more upright seating position but still the GTR is very comfortable.
Quote from: alibx11 on October 13, 2012, 01:24:56 PM
Didn't think that there were so many positive owners about as a local dealership tried to put me off a GTR, said any owners were never happy with them and never kept them long, mind you he was trying to sell me a FJR13.. lol
Just shows - I'd rather try the Kwak and see how it goes for myself.
Cheers folks.
Al.
just imagine what nonsense you'de have been told if you did your shopping at Hirsts :mfr_lol:
:mfr_lol: it was Hurst's.... must be known for it..
Anyway, so far I'm glad I got this one, which is easy to say cause I haven't even seen it yet, :smiley:
Quote from: alibx11 on October 14, 2012, 02:43:24 PM
:mfr_lol: it was Hurst's.... must be known for it..
Anyway, so far I'm glad I got this one, which is easy to say cause I haven't even seen it yet, :smiley:
So you're happy with it then :laugh:
Quote from: alibx11 on October 14, 2012, 02:43:24 PM
:mfr_lol: it was Hurst's.... must be known for it..
Anyway, so far I'm glad I got this one, which is easy to say cause I haven't even seen it yet, :smiley:
I honestly doubt that they've ever had a GTR in their showroom amongst their badly presented/dirty bike display.
Typical and predictable response from them :wacko:
Got my bike today, just got home an hour ago..
Must say I'm disappointed the dealer (Vivamoto, who are apparently "we buy any bike.com") didn't tell me it was an import, bike is originally from South Africa, no big deal as they still drive on the left and it's not a power restricted region but thought dealer should have declared that.
Took it for a run at the boat, lovely engine but does feel bit slow to get going, not instant throttle response I was expecting. Certainly gets going but looks like I could be getting a flies removal done....
I do like the looks of it and also the KIPASS system is a lot handier than I was expecting.
Love the white clock dials... :) will put a pic of them up soon..
It has a headlight protector and battery charge lead, also like the box on the tank, although it's an odd shape.
Very comfy but think I will be ordering a set of bar raisers tonight as just feel like that extra couple of inches would make all the difference in comfort... oh vicar...
There is a Two Brothers can on it which is a little bit "peppy" shall we say, doesn't say "not for road use" or "race use only" so have no idea if it's road legal but dealer has just mot'd it for a year...
Rear brake pedal has an awful lot of travel so looks like I'll have to at least bleed the brakes if not give them a full strip/service, will investigate soon.
Looking forward to doing a few minor mods, accessories to make it a really nice bike, looking forward to actually getting it away for a proper tour/ run....
(http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b556/alibx11/Kawasaki%20GTR/2012-10-16131909_zps633804c4.jpg)
(http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b556/alibx11/Kawasaki%20GTR/2012-10-16131931_zps3d149d52.jpg)
(http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b556/alibx11/Kawasaki%20GTR/2012-10-16132324_zps8e7e6d91.jpg)
I would have thought that the dealer was 'duty bound' to inform you that your bike is an import. I don't know if a S.A bike will be any different performance/specification wise, apart from what you have already noticed.
The bike definitely shouldn't, as far as I can see, be slow to get going, and the only way to put that to the test is to compare with another GTR.
Good to see that you have got your GTR and I'm sure that you will enjoy it very much.
My bike has a Two Brothers pipe and hasn't required any re-mapping, also I do have a "sound surpressor" fitted to ensure Db legality, its the gold insert that can be seen in this picture
(http://i336.photobucket.com/albums/n326/oldeconey/004-1.jpg)[/b]
The bikes we get down in SA are not restricted at all. Yours should therefore not be sluggish as you described ( unless the dealer did something to it ). The laws i.r.o aftermarket cans down here are not nearly as strict as yours in the UK, so we therefore tend to fit the aftermarket cans and take their baffles out.
How are you getting around the fact that the speedo is in Km/h as opposed to Miles/ph ???
Anyway, your bike looks very neat. Hope you will eventually enjoy her !!!
Deon
Thanks OC and Deon, I do like the bike ok and maybe it's just me expecting a bike with 150+hp to take off like a scalded cat, it certainly doesn't take long to break the speed limit on it but think it's just the flies damping the initial surge I was expecting..
I did check on the Kawasaki.co.za site for spec changes and saw that it is not restricted in power output, in all honesty spending the first 2 years of its life in SA probably kept it in better condition than spending 2 winters here would have done, so doesn't really bother me, still think the dealer had to declare that though.
The speedo and ODO are in Miles, I think I saw in the owners manual that you can simply push a few buttons and change the readings from km to miles and vice versa.
The clocks were changed from black faces to white ones as there is a pair of black dials with the bike, but definitely think I'll keep the white ones on as they are really nice. Will post a couple of pics of them tomorrow night.
Where did you get the sound suppressor OC? might have to invest in that too.... how does it stay in as there doesn't appear to be any inside flange to screw it to.... also does it stop all the farting and popping on the overrun, relating to the bike anyway.
Thanks.
AL.
Yes, you are able to set the settings from Km/H to MPH but these are only for the consumption etc.
The speedo would have been marked in Km/h and I have never seen a bike here in SA with white dials. The fact that yours are white dials and marked in MPH, means that your cluster was changed.
Food for thought ???????
Deon
Quote from: Deon on October 17, 2012, 01:16:40 PM
Yes, you are able to set the settings from Km/H to MPH but these are only for the consumption etc.
The speedo would have been marked in Km/h and I have never seen a bike here in SA with white dials. The fact that yours are white dials and marked in MPH, means that your cluster was changed.
Food for thought ???????
Deon
Maybe a dash from a ZZR ?
Coman
Quote from: coman37 on October 17, 2012, 02:41:39 PM
Maybe a dash from a ZZR ?
Coman
Perhaps but not a SA ZZR ( ZX14 ) and marked in MPH. I have a sneaky feeling that his performance has been affected by this dash change.
Deon
Thanks for the input, unfortunately bike is at mother's house as I don't have a garage so will give it closer inspection tomorrow night and could be contacting the dealer shortly if it's a problem.
There is a set of black dials with all the paperwork which I didn't take much notice of so had just assumed they were removed and the white dials put on, I would have thought that the ODO would change in relation to the consumption readings settings as that's very easy for digital instruments to calculate... my Seat car stores the odo reading in km but displays miles on clock... will try to match up the service book readings to see if there's any discrepancy when I convert km to miles..
looks very nice indeed, white clocks hey!! well you've got something the rest of us haven't :smiley: the white clocks are most likely of the zzr1400 model and I think they look much better than the black clocks. had the white clocks on my zzr1400 and there alot easier to see what speed your doing :whistling: especially when "ones" getting on like me :sad: a few more prevention accessoires you may want to consider.. radiator gaurd, fenda extenda, rear hugger and don't forget to keep that rear preload adjuster moving fully clockwise and anti clockwise every other week or it will seize up :wink: hope to meet you, and your new steed on the 2013 gtr meet.. :yes:
"be there or be square" :grin:
TBH I wouldn't really worry where it came from ... it looks very nice and I have no doubt you will have many fun miles on it ! Sluggish ? Give it some wellington .. it's anything but sluggish, but then I havn't ridden a ZZR1400 !!
Let us know how you get on with it ... really .. you will love it.. :yes:
Quote from: alibx11 on October 17, 2012, 04:13:34 PM
Thanks for the input, unfortunately bike is at mother's house as I don't have a garage so will give it closer inspection tomorrow night and could be contacting the dealer shortly if it's a problem.
There is a set of black dials with all the paperwork which I didn't take much notice of so had just assumed they were removed and the white dials put on, I would have thought that the ODO would change in relation to the consumption readings settings as that's very easy for digital instruments to calculate... my Seat car stores the odo reading in km but displays miles on clock... will try to match up the service book readings to see if there's any discrepancy when I convert km to miles..
Perhaps you did not understand what I was trying to explain or my explanation was not clear enough ( which is not uncommon :mfr_lol: ).
I was not referring to the digital information on the dash but the analogue speedo. In SA we use KM/H and not MPH. Therefore, if your bike was imported from South Africa, they would've had to change the speedo cluster to show MPH instead of KM/H. The question I think you should ask the dealer where you bought the bike from, is where and from what bike he got the dash from.
I have a nasty suspicion that by changing the dash on your bike, that it might have had some influence on your performance (or lack thereof as you explained). Just a thought from my side.
Deon
Mine shows both - miles and km.
Quote from: mecki on October 18, 2012, 08:23:41 AM
Mine shows both - miles and km.
In SA only Km/h.
Anyway, I am now done commenting on this topic. I just thought that I would give him something to consider.
Deon
Quote from: alibx11 on October 17, 2012, 12:47:55 PM
Where did you get the sound suppressor OC? might have to invest in that too.... how does it stay in as there doesn't appear to be any inside flange to screw it to.... also does it stop all the farting and popping on the overrun, relating to the bike anyway.
Thanks.
AL.
TBH I can't remember where it came from, it can be fitted by removing the end cap on the can there's 6 allen screws and then it clamps inside
Check this site, although I'm sure there are distributors in the U.K.......... maybe Chainspeed, but am not sure
http://www.twobros.com/cgi-bin/shopper?search=action&keywords=sparksoundarrest-road&searchstart=0&template=Templates/TBRSearchResult-soundsuppression.html
Thanks, Deon for the help, understand perfectly what you meant and was only able to check the vehicle out properly tonight.
Bike did come with a KMH only speedo face.... found these in with the service record etc but never took much notice of them..If I had known that GTR's came with black face clocks I would have taken more notice, problem was I was looking at a ZZR14 2 days before and it had white clocks, so they didn't look out of place on the GTR..
(http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b556/alibx11/Kawasaki%20GTR/2012-10-18165016_zpsffe2aa8d.jpg)
But looks like someone has done a replacement with the Lockwood dial conversion ( http://www.lockwoodinternational.co.uk/kawasaki-gtr-1400-kmh-to-mph-conversion-dial-part-no-c375-more-details-i5481.html ) to get the white MPH background.
(http://i1291.photobucket.com/albums/b556/alibx11/Kawasaki%20GTR/2012-10-18164953_zps89e03c45.jpg)
Have no idea how it shows miles on the odo though as I had a look under the dash and didn't see any convertor or anything that shouldn't be there.
Either way I looked at the old MOT certs and service records and they all seem to tally up to the shown ODO reading, after you convert the KM reading to Miles, so doesn't appear to have had a clock change.
I'm quite happy with the bike regardless, is a nice looking machine and I do prefer the white clocks anyway so will not be looking to change them, some time I'm over in England again I'll go see about getting a Fly removal and dyno tune done, if I think I need more speed.
Found the baffle things on youtube OC so now know how their done, and can order them through ebay so will get the P1X version, which is the quieter one available... Thanks for that..
Only thing I have to do now is find the money to pay for all these extra's I'm putting on it.... Hugger, risers, exhaust baffle, fenda entenda, etc.... :cry:
Looking forward to getting a dry day to get it out..
You'll probably find the ODO conversion is a "secret" process, either through button sequence or PC connection, and means that you are displaying genuine data.
Nice looking bike and delighted you're a happy bloke, I'm still in that grin widening phase of ownership myself :biker3:
I know I said that I would not comment on this thread again but your pics and explanation makes perfect sense now. They only changed the faces and not the complete dash. Performance will therefore not be affected at all.
One is able to change from Km/h to Mph using the buttons on the dash, so therefore no other conversions were done with laptop or PC.
Leave your can as it is and give it horns !!!!
Deon
I think I like the white dials, they would be good with soft blue lighting, or is that a bit too much like a seedy club :mfr_lol:
Quote from: olde coney on October 19, 2012, 07:42:32 AM
I think I like the white dials, they would be good with soft blue lighting, or is that a bit too much like a seedy club :mfr_lol:
too much like a seedy club
Sounds more like a sandwich !!!
Coman
:mfr_lol: Well I'm glad we're all on the same page now...
OC you've put another thing in my head now.. looking into changing the colour of the clock back lighting... better get all the other jobs done first though...
Looks ok with the red backlighting but might be worth experimenting..
Think I've caused enough confusion here in the introduction thread so I'll start posting in the other sections now.
Roll on the extras and mod stage now..
Looking forward to getting this bike set up to my liking, thanks all.
AL.
Hmmm i disagree with the dealer about no long ownerships.
Boomer is on 4-5 years, I'm coming up for 3 on this bike, but i've also had 2 others.
To me this bike has everything, and as much as I would like to try something different, I can't find anything that matches it for power, load capacity, styling, trinkets.
She handles, tours, scratches, commutes and also has the ability to put 2 fingers up to 1000 sports bikes (but perhaps some of that is down to the stupidity of the rider. :-). ).
I think you have mde the right choice..... Welome to a club that everyone else can only dream of. :-)
Neil
Hello to everyone - I'm new here - probably getting a GTR1400 very soon after many years not biking - had my first ride on a new one yesterday. Loved the look and feel. There is a definite 'high build quality' look about it. Slightly lower seat than the R1200RT I test rode last week (or is that just the slightly more forward riding position?). First impressions actually riding the bike;
1. immediately was able to de-focus from the new bike experience and concentrate on the road - that is a good sign I think
2. handles well - confident feel on corners - my dealer assured me the 34 reading on the front tire was correct - I reckon it should have been a bit firmer as there was not enough feedback from the front
3. too much rear brake travel - I hope this can be adjusted
4. to really motor (accelerate) she needs to be above 4000 - I don't think this is a big issue for a relaxed tourer like me - but she is a refined monster above 4000 and sounds like a turbine
5. screen might need to be a bit taller for me (6'2" and 32 inside leg)?
6. perhaps adjust the handlebars a bit?
Loved it - and the new price of 10,499 is a bargain for bike like this!
Advice gratefully received!
Hi & welcome along to the forum.
The dealer is well off the mark when they say 34 is correct for the front tyre! :wacko: :wacko: The correct tyre pressure front and rear, sole rider or plus pillion is 42psi. Thats inflate to 42 and the bike will probably run at 44-45 psi. Sounds high but trust me.
The rear brake lever travel can be adjusted very simply, it could be the pads are badly worn, check before you buy.
Most of us buy after market screens Calsci C-Baileys etc.
Risers are available for the bars.
Hello MPS .. and of course ... :185:
You will love the Gtr ... everyone here does ! :laugh:
Welcome to the forum MPS, you will love the GTR as it really is an outstanding machine worthy of the "flagship" title given to it by Kawasaki UK.
Where are you located ?.....if you fill in your location within you profile it will encourage others on here to invite you for a ride out :yes:
Once again welcome aboard
5 years 3 months, 14 days and 50,300 miles.
Still loving it but not riding it anywhere near as much as when I was commuting 60 Miles each way every day.
I bought it to keep. I feel sorry for the "replace it every 3 years" brigade as they will never really get attached to their machine.
"Vivian" is a family member, along with her stablemate, my 170,000 mile GTR1000 "Otto".
Here's to the next 5 years and more!
Quote from: Boomer on November 19, 2012, 04:03:58 PM
5 years 3 months, 14 days and 50,300 miles.
Still loving it but not riding it anywhere near as much as when I was commuting 60 Miles each way every day.
I bought it to keep. I feel sorry for the "replace it every 3 years" brigade as they will never really get attached to their machine.
"Vivian" is a family member, along with her stablemate, my 170,000 mile GTR1000 "Otto".
Here's to the next 5 years and more!
Can you send me some of what you're drinking ..... I've had over 80 bikes since I was 17 :ohplease:
That's just greedy :mfr_lol::
A quick count up and I reckon I've had just over 30 since about 1993....when I was definitely older than 17 :mfr_lol:
I had had over 10 bikes before I was 17.
I used to buy ratty old FS1Es and SS50s and tart them up, tune them a little and then flog them on.
Worked so well for me that I eventually bought a brand new RD50E with the proceeds.
In total I've had about 30 bikes in the last 35 years.
Since 1993 I have owned 4 bikes.
Sanji (GTR1000) 1993 to 2005
Otto (GTR1000) 2002 to date
Ethel (GTR1000) 2005 to 2008
Vivian (1400GTR) 2007 to date
EIGHTY BIKES?!! :shocked: :wacko:
If you are 57 years old, you need to buy 2 a year.... What do you have to smoke to be able to average that over 40 years???
Presumably you have to sell them too because the expense of garaging such a hourde would require a job such as CEO of Google!
Maybe you are over 80....
That's incredible! I've had 3 :mfr_lol:
Ros
Not quite 80 Ros ( 51) :laugh:
I think I just get bored very quickly with what's sitting in the garage .. Saying that I'm now 3 months into owning the GTR and I'm still loving it .... which for me is a big deal :shocked: