Surprise #1 - Main Surprise

Friends!

Here she is!  My new 2011 Kawasaki ZX-6R, got her with 1 mile on the clock!  Rode her home from the dealer in a bundle of nerves.  No name for her yet, but she is fiery!  Came with a carbon fiber Yoshimura slip on.  My 250 is still at the dealership.  She is getting scrapped by the insurance :(.  The 250R is a great bike, and the only reason I'm letting her go is simply space constraints.  The ZX was supremely discounted, so I decided to get it.  Sadly,  I only get one parking spot and it would be tough to fit two bikes and a car into one space.  Garages are expensive!

Starting out, immediately I noticed how grabby the clutch is..as soon as it starts engaging it's go time.  Much quicker than my 250.  The throttle is also much more sensitive and responsive, and at low speeds, it's twitchy.  It will take some time to get used to it, and to keep it smooth.  The other thing, it's definitely tougher to turn, it can't really be thrown about like it's little sibling.  The flip side, you turn that throttle and it takes off like crazy!  I went from 30-60 in a blink of an eye!  But its tough to ride on some streets here, where there are 25mph speed limits..it's definitely not meant for riding in town. The 6R will be for fun twisty rides, and highway trips!

Well, it's only got 8 miles on it now.  92 more to break in the tires, and then about 600 more to break in the engine.  I have to admit I already got it up to about 12K RPM's for a short spike.  The rest was in the lower rpm ranges, gotta be gentle!  It does sound great, much louder than the 250R.  Also, I could finally hear my bike over my friend's bike when sitting at lights, though I think I may start wearing ear plugs for in town too, for safety sake.  As for height, the seat is higher than the 250 by a good bit.  For a very short rider like myself, I can tippy toe the bike in good conditions. I thought this would be a problem, but I just one foot the bike, no issues.  I underestimated myself!  Definitely need to practice a bit more in terms of paddle walking and backing the bike but that will take time.

I will always have very fond memories of my first bike!  Sadly, at this time in my life I can not have more than one bike at a time.  It was a good run, she helped me learn how to ride properly, and took the abuse I subjected to her.  Anyways,  more surprises coming shortly :)

Oh and as a final note, I am thoroughly glad I started on a 250 before a 600cc.  I feel much  more confident understanding and practicing all the other riding techniques, now it's mostly just getting used to the feel of the new bike.  I will post a review later on the transition from the 250R to the ZX6R!  Need more seat time.  Unfortunately I will have to wait a little bit due to bad weather, and also my boots and helmet got scrapped with the bike.  More on that in the next few days!

- Pandabear

Many surprises!

Friends,

I have quite a few surprises coming your way!  Stay tuned..you won't be disappointed!!!

- Pandabear

A possible surprise?

Hey friends,

I may have a surprise for all of you in the coming weeks.  If all goes well that is!  Stay tuned :D

- Pandabear

Fastest

Hey Friends,

I just got done watching the documentary called Fastest.  It's a bit old but still good.  It's about MotoGP, from the riders themselves, to the bikes, teams, and social aspects.  Mostly focused on Rossi and Lorenzo, but there were interviews and short biographies on many other top level racers too.  If you are into racing, I recommend seeing it!  Definitely puts a more human aspect to racing, instead of the usual mindless following or statistics.  It's not only regular people like you and I who hug and kiss our bikes!  They love theirs too!!
Worth a watch, figured I'd share!

Have a great Friday everyone!

- Pandabear

Missing My Bike

Well Friends,

It's been quite a while since I've been consistently on my Ninja.  I did get a chance to take it out one weekend with a few Ninjette.org members.  It was a balmy 55 degrees (bear in mind, it was January, typically in the 10's and 20's), and we took to the twisty backroads.  I felt slow and rusty through the blind turns and sharp corners, and it reminded me of how badly I'd like to get back to riding every single day.  Perhaps one more month to go until it warms up and roads are cleared.

In the mean time, there are some events and trips planned for the coming months.  In early March, there is an open-house event at a New Jersey race track, with free on track rides.  My first taste of track riding, kind of!  Then in May, a few of us will ride down to Virginia to take a cruise down Skyline Drive, and possibly some other twisty, scenic roads.  Hopefully by then, I will have a GoPro camera.  If so, you will all be treated to videos AND pictures!  Woohoo!

Started my bike up this weekend, started up no problem with the choke on.  She was happy to see me!  Probably is as excited as I am to get back out on the road!

Anyways, stay tuned folks.  Get excited!!

- Pandabear