reviews home
journal home | bluepoof.com
email me

 

2002 Kawasaki ZX-12R

Ouch. Ouch ouch. Not a poof bike, that's for damn sure. If I hadn't sat on a Gixxer, I'd think this was quite possibly the most uncomfortable bike I'd ever sat on. Strictly aesthetically, the ZX-12R is nice -- a sleek black with gold trim (though the gold wheel rims were a bit much). Very smooth-looking, very "Akira". I admit that I don't know very much about Ninja sportsbikes (other than that they consistently surprise me by doing well in magazine comparos -- I'll probably make enemies by saying this, but "Ninja" always makes me think of a little beginner bike), so most of my review of the ZX-12R will be just from the 10 seconds I spent sitting on it.

My thoughts from the saddle: This is one damn huge bike, and I don't just mean displacement. The ZX-12R is tall (I was closer to my tiptoes than to the balls of my feet), wide, and long. The reach to the bars was way too long for me, as you can tell by my bent wrists. The ergonomics were really quite bad for a shortie. To add insult to injury, the gas tank was sculpted in such a way that it stabbed me in the stomach, and would most likely force me to commit seppaku while riding down the road. Look at the pictures, and try to tell me that my stomach wouldn't have dents in it by the time I rode anywhere.

Peter's thoughts from the saddle: We had assumed that being a mutant tall freak, Peter might actually fit on this bike. But we had a nice Goldilocks situation, and Peter ended up smooshed up together and practically eating the wind screen. His quote, and I think I have to agree: "This bike was designed for aliens."

MotorSports-Network.com review
[Note: MSRP isn't listed on the above site; the Kawa site has it at $10,999. Here's the Kawa flash site if you hate yourself.]