2000 Ninja ZX-6R - Excellent Bike!! Definitely recommend.
Written: Nov 05 '01
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Pros: Speed, Looks, Comfort for Commuting, Great Torque for Passing Power, Extremely Stable.
Cons: No Fuel Gauge of any kind. No good color selection for CA.
The Bottom Line: I would definitely recommend this bike for any commuter who does not need a bigger bike. It's so excellent all around - with such great personality.
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| vyshtia's Full Review: 2000 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R |
This is an excellent bike. Kawasaki really fixed up the 2000 model so I wouldn't recommend getting a bike older than the 2000's. 2000 is about when the Ninja began becoming serious competition against the Gixxer's (Suzuki GSX), Yamaha R6's, and the Honda CBR's. Let me tell you about myself and what I hope to accomplish with this review.
I'm a 23 year old Asian female, 5'6, 116lbs, athletic build, I work out whenever I can in between working full time and working on my bachelor's degree. I recently got a job that was 50 miles away and the ride was hell in my 2001 TransAm : fortune on gas, hell sitting in 3 hour traffic, etc. So I decided to get a bike. First bike was a 2001 Ninja EX250. This ZX-6R is my second bike and will now be my main source of transportation. I did a lot of research to choose my main bike and I will share my findings with you here, as well as give you my impressions on my "new" Firecracker Red 2000 ZX-6R. ;)
So which out of the big 4 should I choose?
**The Suzuki GSX, Yamaha R6, Honda CBR F4i, and Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R are commonly known as the big 4. Most guys who want speed, want to take it out onto the racetrack, want to be able to pop wheelies and street race do not have to think hard to purchase either the Gixxer or the R6. These two bikes have excellent high end power but not so good low to mid-range and they are not as comfortable for long rides. For commuting purposes, you would look into the
CBR F4i or the ZX-6R - these bikes were more designed with the commuter/street rider in mind so they have better low/mid-range power as well as better comfort for longer rides. The difference between these two bikes are pretty slight so it boils down to personal preference. I chose the ZX-6R because:
1. The seat is waaaay more comfy than the F4i. Just go to a dealership and sit on each for 10 minutes. You'll feel it. I ride for several hours a day - I need every bit of comfort I can get.
2. The F4i is also a great bike and is equipped with Fuel Injection (ZX-6R is still carburetor), it has a completely digital display (ZX-6R has some time/temp/odo/trip digital, regular spedometer and tach), it is also more expensive - although people will argue that it will hold it's value more. Bottomline is - I believe that a lot of the price of the F4i is paying for the "Honda" name.
3. I like the looks of the ZX-6R better, although it was a close call...
4. Read the reviews on the F4i - many seem to read that the owners think it's a "great all-around bike, but...". What does that "...but..." mean? Well, it's a great all-around bike that is not excellent at anything. The ZX-6R on the other hand, has excellent brakes, excellent power and torque, and excellent stability.
So - I went and bought one. My thoughts? This bike is soo awesome!
Weight and Ergonomics:
It's so ergonomic that I was actually really safe from wind buffering - this was an absolute delight. Remember that I'm a 116lb girl perched on a bike. On my last bike, both the bike and I got shoved around the freeway all the time and it was work to keep it going straight and down a line. There was no such work with this bike. Yes, this bike is the heaviest of the Big 4, but in this case, it is a plus. The weight and the ergonomics keep it extremely stable and I didn't have to do anything for the bike to just cruise down the freeway on a straight line all by himself - no worries.
Cornering/Turning:
Once again, the extra weight on the bike made it so you had to make a little more effort to make him corner, but you could feel safe doing it because it is really stable.
Power/Torque:
Excellent power and torque without having to worry about it popping wheelies without me wanting it too. Shifting is sooo smooth on this bike. You can go 70 miles an hour and only be at about 6rpm's. Very nice. Smooth, but with lots of pickup. I was going at about 80mph and tested out it passing power, a little bit of throttle and I was way pass the car, plus I had hit 110 mph - without even trying! I was actually shocked to see what the spedometer was showing and let it slow down to "legal" speeds again. Grinning widely the whole way. ;)
Comfort:
Like I said, I'm a dedicated commuter and comfort is very important. Hands down, this bike is the most comfortable. The riding position is low and forward, but not overly so and not uncomfortable. It may take a little getting used to, but since the bike is so stable in itself and the position is not forced or awkward, it's easy to get used to it. If you went into a full on tuck on this bike, it gets really quiet and you don't feel any wind grabbing at you at all. It's so great. If you sit straight up, the wind will grab at your shoulders, but your waist and midsection are still protected - pretty cool. In fact, I found myself sitting up a lot because without the wind hitting me at all, I was getting to hot in my full armored gear, now I know that I won't be needing so much wind/chill protection in my gear since the bike will now be protecting me.
I bought my bike used for $5,500.00 - very clean, Firecracker Red (the only color I like out of the choice of Green,Yellow, or Red offered in CA), only tiny scratches on the right side, 7K miles, Aftermarket Flush Front and Back Blinkers, Aftermarket extra cushy grips, Aftermarket aluminum pegs that give more grip, and Aftermarket thingie in the back that eliminates the bulky back end and makes it more racy looking.
I am looking to add on:
1. some kind of aftermarket slip on pipe for better performance and something a little louder for extra noticeability in heavy traffic.
2. Headlight modifiers - these make your headlights switch back and forth from low to high beams for enhanced visibility. You should only use them for times when you need the extra attention like if you are going to pass a car or something. They are legal in all 50 states because of the extra safety it offers riders.
3. some kind of really loud Air Horn to use if some idiot cager trys to run me over. ;)
Anyways, when thinking of getting a bike - read all the reviews you can and learn everything you can. Figure out what you want out of the bike - more for racing, more for touring, more for commuting? Make sure you have all your gear! ;)
Happy Shopping - hope this review helps!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 5500.00
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2000
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Epinions.com ID:
vyshtia
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Reviews written: 1
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