Average Joe was able to test ride the Kawasaki GTR 1400 recently and seemed to have a rather good time!

Kawasaki GTR 1400 – by Average Joe

The Kawasaki GTR 1400 is a large tourer and a very different ride from the world of sports bikes. This type of bike has always looked as if it is a bit of an old man bike, but there are a number of big suprises in store once you get out on the road. There is also the fact that some police forces have used these and are the bike of choice so, there must be some rather impressive things about it!

The first thing that comes to mind when getting on this bike

For this review I was able to ride a Honda Hornet CB600F, this is the latest style that was first available from 2007. As the name suggests it is a 600cc engine and in this bike is provides 102bhp in this 6 speed Honda. The first difference for me was the sitting position as my main bike is a sports bike. I found the sitting position on this bike very comfortable and nicely padded seat, it was the first time i had had this sitting position since learning to ride on an er5. I was expecting no great things from this bike expecting it to be a nice bike for commuting but probably dull for any other rides. I WAS WRONG!

The acceleration of the CB600F is

Yes, you may have guessed it but this is my own bike. I have owned and been running this bike for little over a year now and must say that I still love it – BUT – I am ready for the next thing.

I think for many people the motorbike that they chose depends on what they are wanting to do at the time. When I bought this bike I had been riding for 6 months on a Suziki SV650S that it was recommended that I buy as a good first bike, and in fairness it was. Sadly the one I bought from Delboy I always felt was a bit of a lemon and that does not allow for the fact that it was bright yellow.

Moving over from an SV650S with what I think was about a 65 bhp engine to the ZX6R (636cc model) with its 116 bhp was quite a move, suddenly when twisting that handle the thing just flew. I was quick to learn that twisting the throttle too quick in first gear was a bad idea unless you want to be looking at the sky and nearby planes circling.

Steering
If you are looking to try an older ZX6r such as this one, moving from a bike such as the SV was a dream