Kawasaki GTR1400 - Son of Concours

[MikeYork5]

I hope it's a reality and will welcome it's arrival. Like many have said before, competition will only improve the sport-touring segment. Hell, maybe even Suzuki will go forward with a Hayabusa-based ST. C'mon, a guy can dream can't he? B)

Have you seen the Zuk 6 cyl. Stratosphere (concept bike) that is rumored soon to be in production, a natural for the sport touring crowd - I'm saving my pennies

 

[Mike-H]

The result is the new GTR1400 (2008 model year) that represents a totally new concept in high performance motorcycles: The Supersport Tourer.

Uh, not exactly "A totally new concept".
The hype marketeers are in full swing.

Just like BMW's suggestion of their reinventing the inline 4 when their GT 1st came out....just gotta love the PR spin from all the MC agencies about the lastest & greatest....

 

[bmwhd]

I freakin' LOVE my FJR but there is a great Kaw dealer just a stone's throw from my house. Perhaps when I run the wheels off the FJR in a few years...

 

[FJRZON]

Have you seen the Zuk 6 cyl. Stratosphere (concept bike) that is rumored soon to be in production, a natural for the sport touring crowd - I'm saving my pennies

Yes, I have Mike, check out this link on the Stratosphere. A lot of good information here and a sound clip of that wicked 6 cylinder motor. Yummie. :dribble: Interestingly, they used an auto clutch that still retains the manual. I am surprised Yamaha didn’t go this way with their AE model. Suzuki claims the 6 cylinder is no longer than a conventional inline-4. Does it come in black? LOL. Okay…back on topic. LOL.

As far as the GTR1400. Cool, but the ergos are all wrong for me and too upright. I also prefer a more sleeker looking bike, but still…it does look pretty good. I would have liked to see Kawi bring something out like the old 2004 concept ZZR-X which would be an excellent integration of GT meets ST. To those that don't remember this, it had a few cool features like hydraulically adjustable handle bars and an instrument panel that you could change like the "desktop" on your computer. Very trick.

 

[shokdimn]

6mil,

Like that Av. :specool:

..what's a "monocoque"? Some kind of STD
personally, I'd hate to have a chancre on my fork.

If it were, at least it would be of the single variety. Right?

Perhaps they’re trying to impress us by sprinkling their ads with a few “so..pis..ti..kate..ed” words.

French for single shell—credit Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia. Also, body and chassis are one unit—credit Webster’s Dictionary.

I like the idea of trading bikes. My “dream-sheet” fftopic: of bikes to own over the next couple of years, includes, by order of preference, a:

Honda Goldwing

Triumph Rocket III

Kawasaki ZX-14

Triumph Daytona 675, Scorched Yellow.

Now, ya’ll don’t hold me to this, in particular, the order of preference. Cause that new ZX could move up to the number one spot and, after all, this is a “dream-sheet”.

Is trader a “wordy durd”? :innocent: That’s dirty word spelled backwards or upwards or maybe it just misspelled—yeah that’s it.

 

[Toecutter]

Seems they are about 6 years after that "totally new concept" kicked off. But their add copy called it "hyper touring". Perhaps the translation was the stumbling block for the already-claimed Supersport Touring term.

I guess what they meant was that it is a totally new concept to Kawasaki. And that's a good thing. Maybe others will follow. Yamaha, IMHO, has a huge headstart.

 

[shokdimn]

No takers? Thought surely someone would pick up the ball and run with it when they read this. :shok:

sprinkling their ads with a few “so..pis..ti..kate..ed”

All in good fun.

 

[mdisher]

Oh my, a Shaft driven 14 with Factory Luggage, delicious...

:yahoo:

Sign me up...

The FJR is great, but if the wife isn't riding on the back enough then damnit, I don't need to worry so much about her comfort now do I?

 

[skyway]

The biggest problem with a switch to a new machine, would be leaving behind all the great people I have met as a result of the FJR. No bike can fill that void, unless everyone switches? :dribble:

 

[MikeYork5]

The biggest problem with a switch to a new machine, would be leaving behind all the great people I have met as a result of the FJR. No bike can fill that void, unless everyone switches? :dribble:

How about a group buy?

 

[mdisher]

It aint what you ride, it's _that_ you ride...

 

[twowheelnut]

The biggest problem with a switch to a new machine, would be leaving behind all the great people I have met as a result of the FJR. No bike can fill that void, unless everyone switches? :dribble:

See you over at GTRForum.com! (slappy, git ta' crakin', boy!) :bye:

 

[skyway]

The biggest problem with a switch to a new machine, would be leaving behind all the great people I have met as a result of the FJR. No bike can fill that void, unless everyone switches? :dribble:

See you over at GTRForum.com! (slappy, git ta' crakin', boy!) :bye:

 

[Scab]

See you over at GTRForum.com! (slappy, git ta' crakin', boy!) :bye:

Couldn't we trade bikes and stay? Considering some of our posts, would anybody here really notice?

 

[twowheelnut]

See you over at GTRForum.com! (slappy, git ta' crakin', boy!) :bye:

Couldn't we trade bikes and stay? Considering some of our posts, would anybody here really notice?

Actually, there are a couple of ex-FJR owners here who still hang around... Liquidsliver (Duc ST4) and rad (Triumph Speed 4 or FZ1, I think), come to mind, so I wouldn't be that outta line...

 

[slapnpop]

See you over at GTRForum.com! (slappy, git ta' crakin', boy!) :bye:

You find the salary, I'll go full time! :clapping: :yahoo:

 

[twowheelnut]

See you over at GTRForum.com! (slappy, git ta' crakin', boy!) :bye:

You find the salary, I'll go full time! :clapping: :yahoo:

Peanuts are cheap!

 

[slapnpop]

Peanuts are cheap!

No, no no... it just LOOKS like an elephant.

 

[daviddowns2000]

Retuned, maybe, but mostly identical to the ZX-14...shouldn't any significant bugs have been identified by now? I guess there could be problems with its shaft drive...

If it had anything like the ride comfort of the FJR, I'd be on it like stink on shinola. I'm glad that Yamaha (apparently) fixed the tick (about damn time!) and the nut roaster, but I think they missed the boat by increasing rather than REDUCING weight, not improving the suspension, and not getting the freaking battery under the seat where it belongs. IMHO, with most everything else that they did in '06 they have taken the FJR in the wrong direction (less S, more T). The GTR may be just da bomb. Or maybe not. I'll certainly look closely at it.

 

[nusman68]

I'll be looking forward to sitting on one at the CycleWorld International show when it's in Houston again in November (assuming Kawi has one there). Last year they had no less than (3) ZX-14s to check out, all in different colors..it will be interesting to see if Suz brings an updated Hayabusa (like the rumors report has been in the works since the ZX-14 beat it at the strip) Not expecting that, though; they would have it the mags by now. I wasn't so thrilled about the looks of their Stratosphere concept bike..a bit too George Jetson for me. It had a flat glass CRT for all cockpit information; they touted that it came straight from the aviation segment; perhaps, but give me analog gauges any day--I can always read them in any light.

But if we all got GTRs...and kept the Feejers...

Okay, Slap. How does this sound:

HighPowerTourForum.net B)