2002 Kawasaki ZX-9R
Summary:
Legendary engineering makes this the sport-touring bike to own
Faults:
Nothing.
General Comments:
After owning a 2000 ZX-9r, I made the decision to buy a second one and own both. I tuned my 2002 ZX-9r the same as my 2000, and the results were spectacular.
It too can outrun just about any other bike out there. I use the word about because I like to err on the conservative side, in case there's one bike that can outrun mine. After two years though, I'm very confident that the statement is true.
Both bikes easily run past 240 miles between fill-ups, and based on the fuel left in the tank, these bikes should sputter to a stop at somewhere between 250 - 277 miles.
Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 7th July, 2010
5th Mar 2016, 09:52
Update: 2016 will be the year that this old girl surpasses 100,000 miles. She's just shy of that at the moment (Feb 2016). One word best describes this bike over the past 7 years: dominant. Wouldn't trade for any newer bike. Recently saw a guy from Iowa getting a cake from his dealership for surpassing 200,000 on his. He owns newer bikes, but the ZX-9R is his long range bike of choice.
Added a bunch of electronics for navigation and cold riding. Will be installing a DVR front and back camera with color LCD display soon too. GPS navigation and point of interest identification has been a nice added component to this bike's riding experience.
Two-up riding is more of a marathon, not really the 9R's forte. It handles the job well enough, but not where she prefers to be. Riding positions are limited and comfort for both riders becomes an issue for sustained distances. Best to keep those rides under 200 miles or increase the breaks & rest stops so as to have a passenger that will still want to talk to you afterwards.
It's the kind of bike that leaves other riders puzzled, fatigued and frustrated, while I'm none of that, chomping at the bit, wanting to press on for more, more, more, always more. Sometimes that means riding away on excursions from the group or doing laps on my own while the others rest or can't join in, due to fuel concerns with their new bikes.