hi i am considering buying a 2106 or 2017 gtr. i have questions and hope the group might help
how good is Kawasaki warranty ?
how many more years of extended warranty is avilable ?
best place to buy kawasaki extended warranty ?
improvements were made in 2015 are they really significant ?
average tire life/mpg/brakes/air filter/plugs etc ?
how often do the valves really need adjustment and cost ?
how well does the suspension absorb the bumps for driver/passenger ?
how difficult is it for routine maintenance ?
how is the low speed handling ?
any vibration ?
excessive hot in summer ?
what improvements are necessary ?
common problems ?
best dealer to buy from ? honest out the door pricing ?
i will appreciate any response
ride safe greg
[email protected]
Non of the above questions are relevant if you reside on planet Mars...or planet Zog for that matter :wink:
Plenty of info on YouTube or back issues of bike mags , or google reviews , quick answer it's a great bike bullet proof get one bought ,,
Best bike I have had. Ideal for planet Mars.
A solid piece of kit, really a kind of rocket propelled sofa, downside-a bit heavy for manoeuvring on foot. Very reliable in my experience and Kawasaki dealers as good as anyone else. Most owners seem to make some alterations to handlebars, seat/ screen to suit personal preference for long hours in the saddle, but you'd probably do that with most bikes, and there will be lots of opinions on those additions on this board. Best bike I have owned in a very long time and I'd say, just go and get one for the best price you can bargain for...
Roadrider
I'm selling a 65 plate with 4500 miles and a host of extras, if you're interested?
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Quote from: roadrider on May 18, 2018, 02:52:45 AM
hi i am considering buying a 2106 or 2017 gtr. i have questions and hope the group might help
how good is Kawasaki warranty ?
how many more years of extended warranty is avilable ?
best place to buy kawasaki extended warranty ?
improvements were made in 2015 are they really significant ?
average tire life/mpg/brakes/air filter/plugs etc ?
how often do the valves really need adjustment and cost ?
how well does the suspension absorb the bumps for driver/passenger ?
how difficult is it for routine maintenance ?
how is the low speed handling ?
any vibration ?
excessive hot in summer ?
what improvements are necessary ?
common problems ?
best dealer to buy from ? honest out the door pricing ?
i will appreciate any response
ride safe greg
***********@aol.com
I still consider myself a GTR newbie but can give you a few responses to those above.
Cant tell you about Kawasaki Warranty, never had need to use it on any of my last 3 Kawasakis.
I think you can go up to 4 years as long as you buy before the factory warranty is up. Kawasaki is best place as far as I know :) wrap up in the bike purchase to prevent nervous twitches before manually renewing it.
1. Cant comment in the inprovements, I moved over from a ZZR and Versys and bikes are all very different.
2. My rear OEM tyre is starting to square off a little with 4k miles on it. its still very road legal but I feel it dip into corners more than a new one. 3. There are mentions of different brands given much longer life which is not at all a surprise.
4. I'm a big bloke and mostly ride two up with luggage, it handles the load and bumps excellently, you could probably improve by chucking an ohlins on the rear for a few k, but it doesnt need it.
5. Maintenance - thats what garages are for, I dont bother servicing anymore, so cant really comment, as its a shaft drive there really isnt much to self service.
6. Low speed handling is fine one up or two up
7. yes, internal combustions are a pain for that, but it is minimal, less than my ZZR or Versys :)
8. No hotter than anything else gets, so bodywork design over the years seems to have helped that out as it may have been an issue on earlier models. Mines a 2016/17 so no issues there.
9. Its the first bike I've ever owned where I've not felt the need/requirement to go out and buy a ton of stuff to improve it. For me, the battery tender cable, cabling for the satnav and screen are the few things I've felt the need to do. Oh and I upgraded the lights to LED's, but that was cosmetic more than functionality. Oh, and a handlebar cruise control thingy.
10. Bags of GTR's for sale, dont expect to see any new models, it is likely that with strict emission regulation in EU that the bike will no longer be updated. Prices, well, depends on what you are trading in, second hands ones with most if not all of the bits I mentioned are often for sale.
Its a big bike (the reason I bought it) but for some its just a bit on the large size and manually manoeuvring may be a struggle.
Hope that helps
As for the Kawasaki warranty.
Before it ends they ( Kawasaki ) will ask you if you want to extend it.
I did mine last year for £200+ can't remember the exact figure of hand . And I've had a new exhaust due to paint flaking off a win win situation :yes: hope this helps :yes:
I'm 5ft.10 and have 2 inch risers I find it very comfortable and there was enough spare brake hose so nothing else required
4inch risers?
So you'd turned it into a Harley off Sons of Anarchy then :biker3:
I tried the 2inch risers (I might even still have them somewhere) but I found I was fine with out them, 2k in Isle of Man/Wales last year and no issues for me without them.
I do understand the need for them, my ZZR was a nightmare on my wrists without, was kinda bearable with but not perfect.
Quote from: Tay on June 01, 2018, 03:55:59 PM
4inch risers?
So you'd turned it into a Harley off Sons of Anarchy then :biker3:
I tried the 2inch risers (I might even still have them somewhere) but I found I was fine with out them, 2k in Isle of Man/Wales last year and no issues for me without them.
I do understand the need for them, my ZZR was a nightmare on my wrists without, was kinda bearable with but not perfect.
Sorry about that it's a typo :mfr_lol: ( just changed it ) cheers Tay :yes:
Low down torque is poor ,mine does get hot very quickly
I wrote a quick review of the 2015 improvements (http://www.gtr1400.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4758.msg65272#msg65272) in this post.
It's worth the upgrade just to get the painted wheels :yes:
Quote from: Lloyd on June 03, 2018, 11:33:40 AM
Low down torque is poor ,mine does get hot very quickly
Lloyd, you may have one of the 2 cooling fans not working.
Low rpm torque is limited by the secondary butterflies.
Either removing them of getting a Shoodabeen reflash can fix that.
Also remember this is a 16valve OHC inline 4, not a v-twin, so needs to be revved more.
Just run one gear higher than you think you need.
It won't affect fuel economy and makes her much more responsive.
So many people want to lug the motor and I've never understood why.
She's designed to rev, so rev her!! :clap:
Quote from: Boomer on June 03, 2018, 02:41:38 PM
Lloyd, you may have one of the 2 cooling fans not working.
Low rpm torque is limited by the secondary butterflies.
Either removing them of getting a Shoodabeen reflash can fix that.
Also remember this is a 16valve OHC inline 4, not a v-twin, so needs to be revved more.
Just run one gear higher than you think you need.
It won't affect fuel economy and makes her much more responsive.
So many people want to lug the motor and I've never understood why.
She's designed to rev, so rev her!! :clap:
I changed to the GTR from a 1000cc V-twin Vstrom, it took me a while to realise you had to ride them differently.
Quote from: Boomer on June 03, 2018, 02:41:38 PM
Lloyd, you may have one of the 2 cooling fans not working.
Low rpm torque is limited by the secondary butterflies.
Either removing them of getting a Shoodabeen reflash can fix that.
Also remember this is a 16valve OHC inline 4, not a v-twin, so needs to be revved more.
Just run one gear higher than you think you need.
It won't affect fuel economy and makes her much more responsive.
So many people want to lug the motor and I've never understood why.
She's designed to rev, so rev her!! :clap:
Never rode a v twin been riding a zx12r for 18 years and that has massive low down torque compared to the gtr ,don,t agree you should have to play the gearbox on a bike with 1400cc ,bike is going in for first sevice when i get back from isle. Of man tt then being remapped at hinckly bike shop ,if still not happy with it then will sell it at the end of the year
Mr Roadrider ... although I have moved to the dark side ( bought a BM ! ) I concur with all that has been said here. :yes: I was very happy with my GTR until I rode a GS and had to change but I digress !
Just get one ... cartoon quick, stable, turbine smooth with lots of protection should you venture out in the rain and decent luggage that actually looks like it was made by the same people for that bike !!!
You will not regret it .. promise you. :banana: :banana:
Are ya gonna remap with the secondary butterflies removed?
They are what limits the low rpm torque in 1st to 4th.
The Shoodabeen flash opens them earlier for better low end torque.
If you just flash it for top end on the dyno yer gonna end up with even less low rpm torque.
Quote from: Boomer on June 04, 2018, 09:51:32 PM
Are ya gonna remap with the secondary butterflies removed?
They are what limits the low rpm torque in 1st to 4th.
The Shoodabeen flash opens them earlier for better low end torque.
If you just flash it for top end on the dyno yer gonna end up with even less low rpm torque.
When directed to this bike shop by members of the forum i asked them to map for low down torque ,please don,t get me wrong i know its never going to be as quick as my 12 r and thats why i kept it so i could have the best of both worlds .dont know if they can map both butterflies to open at the same time or how hard it is to remove them
Quote from: Lloyd on June 05, 2018, 08:24:26 AM
When directed to this bike shop by members of the forum i asked them to map for low down torque ,please don,t get me wrong i know its never going to be as quick as my 12 r and thats why i kept it so i could have the best of both worlds .dont know if they can map both butterflies to open at the same time or how hard it is to remove them
Removing the secondary flies is a fairly straight forward job and makes a massive difference to low down torque and also bottom end acceleration, beware it will easily lift the front wheel if ridden enthusiastically in 1st to 4th gear once they are removed.
There are guides on here for removal but essentially, Accessed through the airbox, you'll see each fly attached with 2 x very small JIS screws, I'd recommend purchasing a small JIS screwdriver bit set, (search them on fleabay). Remove both screws and slide the fly out. Repeat 3 more times and you will have transformed the GTR into a warp factor rocketship. :punk: