Brand new K750-S

[kyle]

Bought a brand new Kawasaki K750 Friday, and in the past two days I've put about 165 miles on it. It rides great, feels great, handles a little quicker than my now departed '01 Ninja 600, and the throttle is a little more touchy, too.

Still in the break-in period, I'm keeping it under the 4000 rpm line as per Kawasaki's instructions up to the 500 mile mark, and from there I'll be keeping it under the 6000 rpm line until the 1000 mile mark. This gives me right at 55 mph (indicated) which is a little slow for the traffic I have to go through to get to work, but once I'm through the break in period, this won't be an issue.

My first new bike, and the first time I've ever ridden on new (slick) tires, I didn't have any problems whatsoever with minimal throttle application starting from a stop, or going through turns. Even with my wrists level, though, going over bumps and the slight twist of the wrist that caused did result in a noticable jump in power, which was a little unnerving at first but isn't a problem now that I'm acclimated to the controls.

There's a lot of heat coming off the engine around my ankles, and a lot of vibration at the footpegs, which I'll ask my dealer about when I take it in for the first servicing at the 600 mile mark. I'll keep you posted on those two items. The seat has not been adjusted, and seems rather high at first, but has not been a problem (I'm 5'10"). Still, though, I may see about lowering it about an inch and see how that works for me. That may also help alleviate some of the strain on my lower back. Coming off a sportbike, I still feel compelled to lean over the tank, though the seating and handlebar positions want to put me in a more upright position. I've caught myself leaning too far forward which is causing the strain, but I expect this habit to go away as I put more miles behind me.

All in all, its a great second bike for commuting and weekend rides. I'm currently getting about 53 miles per gallon, with a 4.8 gallon tank putting my theoretical range right around 250 miles. The gas gauge is pretty pessimistic, though, and started blinking at me after 164 miles (which used 3.1 gallons). In the near future I plan on seeing how it feels after a long day of riding, and will update this thread with that and other tidbits as time goes on.

I would like to say, though, that this is definitely not a good starter bike. The controls are quick without being sudden, but they are still a bit too touchy for a beginning rider.

[kyle]

Took a 216 mile trip today, and moved into the 4k-6k rpm range near the end of the day.

The seat is quite bearable after a lengthy haul, though the angle at which I held my legs caused some aching in my knees towards the end of my 6 hour trip (including a half hour lunch stop, two 5 minute gas stops, and an hour sightseeing stop).

I've decided against adjusting the seat heighth - all works well after some getting used to, though there are some vibration issues I may end up dealing with.

In the higher speeds, close to 70mph (about 5,500 rpm) there is some annoying vibration at the footpegs, and though mild, the vibration in the handlebars became a nuisance, especially on a bike not equipped with cruise control.

I'm still very pleased with this bike, and I'm already looking at a longer trip, possibly making it an overnighter somewhere. I will want to obtain a cover and a disk lock (or two) beforehand, though, as I'm a bit paranoid about leaving it in the open overnight.

[space_man]

Hi Kyle
I been looking at the same bike about 3 weeks ago. been comparing this bike to a suzuki sv650s. Have you compared the two bikes before and if you did why did you buy this one??
they want for the kawasaki $8500 out the door plus $1000 more for an extra 4 year warranty.
The suzuki its about $7000 out the door and extra $360 for 4 year warranty. So im leaning more toward the suzuki. Its also about 50lb lighter.

I just cant dicide which one i like more, as both places wont let me ride the bike. so everything you can tell me about the kawaski i would love to know.


THANKS SPACE_MAN

[kyle]

I didn't look seriously at the Suzukis, primarily because of price. They're a lot more expensive here than Kawasaki. Also, my last bike was a Kawasaki, and I liked it well enough to seek another. That said...

They're seriously overcharging for the Z750. Kawasaki puts the retail price at 7,099$. I know stuff in California can get expensive, but that's ridiculous. I ended up paying 6,399$ for my bike, and got the 4 year extended warranty for 335$. If that dealer won't go any lower on the Kawasaki, try another dealership.

As for the weight difference, 50lbs isn't really a lot. I've sat on a Honda Goldwing, and those things weigh around 900-1,000lbs, but the weight of the engine and gas tank are all near the ground, which makes for a very nicely balanced bike which doesn't feel like it weighs as much as it does. I say that to say this: I don't know where on the bikes that 50lbs difference is, so your best bet (if that weight becomes a deciding factor) is to get the dealer to at least let you sit on them and feel the inertia of the bike while stopped. The only time the weight is going to make any difference is when you're stopped anyways, since the gyroscopic force of the wheels is going to keep the bike up for you on the road. For me, the 440lbs of this bike isn't overpowering. Stopping in a parking lot this afternoon for lunch, I accidentally squeezed the brake a bit too hard coming into the parking space, and it tilted a bit too much to the right, but keeping it verticle wasn't a major task.

The Suzuki did look like it had a better rig for attaching luggage. The Kawasaki only has one hook on either side. I'm not sure about soft saddlebags for it, but I think they could be attached with minimal hassle.

My Z750 does not have a center stand. This is a big disappointment for me, as I really prefer to kick the rear wheel up off the ground to lube the chain, change the oil, et cetera and so on, so I'm going to have to get a stand if I want that nicety.

I found out the other day that the Z750 has shim-under-bucket valves (I think that's what it is) and as such the cam is going to have to be pulled out when its time for the valves to get adjusted, which is going to run around 4-500$ and 5-6 hours when the time comes, and is scheduled for every 15,000 miles.

She takes 91 octane fuel according to the manual (which I only now noticed - I have been putting in 89 octane without any problems) and it is fuel injected.

That's all I can really think of offhand, but if you have any questions I'll be glad to answer as best I can.

[space_man]

Kyle that alot of help already. First of all it sure looks like im dealing with the wrong dealer to start with. They want more then $2,000 then you paid for same bike and thats BIG. What i find about Suzuki is that the weight is more in the center as its a V-twin and it feels somewhat lower then the Kawaski. I do like both bikes. Most of my riding is in the city in very heavy traffic. I do want to go on longer rides. For now i ride a 1981 kawaski KZ305a. Its so small compare to other bikes that i can go places no one else can. One of the best heavy traffic bikes lol. This week im going to check some more dealers and do some more comparing. Thanks again kyle

space_man

[Sev]

You might also consider trying to track down an 04 honda hornet (honda 599, cb600) note there is no R. It's Hondas answer to the kawasaki and suzuki. And I found it a LOT more comfortable to sit on. My blog (in my sig) goes over the first 1300 km on the bike so far if you're interested in reading. It was onlymade for 1 year here so it might be tough to get one. However, it's been a HUGE bike in the UK for some time now, so there's TONS of OEM parts.

[kyle]

I remembered after I posted, California has weird emissions laws that require extra hardware on bikes, but I think that hardware only runs about 400$ or so on Harley bikes - surely it can't be more than that for a Japanese bike.

[Sev]

Bikes sold in Cali should already have the appropriate stuff added. Imported from out of state will need to be brough up to spec for sure though.

[BuzZz]

Most new vehicles are sold as '50 State compliant' already, meaning any vehicle bought in any state meets Cali and any other regulations and can be registered. Older models might only be '49 State Compliant' and need to jump through special hoops to be registered in California.

[keysman]

Ditto on what Buzz said. Space Man, you said most of your riding is in town in heavy traffic. You might want to consider the Z750 more since it has an inline 4 instead of the SVs V-Twin. The V-Twin on the SV is a torquey motor, so I have heard. V-Twins are more torquey that I4s in general. If your stopping and going all the time you might appreciate the I4's wider operating range, you may not be shifting as much or getting jerky response.

Kyle, thanks for the review. It's great for people to be able to read about your experience first hand. Short of owning one yourself, there is know better way to learn about a bike than from someone else who owns one. You need to post a picture of the new ride.