Thread: My 07 6R First Ride Report!

I will be posting this first ride report on several different forums so just bear with me. Covering all my bases this way.

Yesterday I stepped up from my 2005 EX500 (which I am still trying to sell! Contact me if interested. $3000 OBO.) to a brand spanking new red 2007 ZX-6R courtesy of Advanced Kawasaki.

I've had the 500 for two years and when I started hearing about what was being done with the 07 6R I knew I would get one eventually. I had originally fallen for the 06 6R but my finances and my skill needed to advance a bit further before I was ready to step up, so I am glad (from my point of view) that the 07 is much improved.

The ZX-6R is my first supersport bike and yesterday after I signed the paperwork was my first ride aboard one also. I'm just going to share some of my impressions below here.

First, the sound. Oh boy do I ever love the sound that this bike makes. Sometimes it was hard to hear though because of (1) the wind driving home yesterday being above advisory (25+mph) and (2) the sound of my GTO which my fiancée was driving ahead of me the whole way home (which sounds ridiculous now that I have heard it from the outside on the highway lol). When we got back into town last evening from riding back from Buena Park I cruised around a little on the city streets and I just love the way this thing sounds leaving lights, it's great. And I haven't even had it much over 8krpm yet (though I will say that I did the non-Kawi manual style 20-mile break-in ).

Second, the slipper clutch. If that isn't just the best damned invention I have ever had the pleasure of encountering, I don't know what is. This doesn't sound humble at all but I think I was doing pretty damn good at matching revs on downshift on my 500, but the slipper on the 6R just takes all the work out of it. I was dropping from 6th down to first like lightning without any upset to the bike. Grins all around on this one.

Third, the power. Holy crap. Knowing that this thing has easily twice as much horsepower as my 500 just didn't prepare me for what I was to encounter in my new driver's seat. I have yet to crack the throttle open all the way (and won't for some time as I get used to her and get her more towards the thousand+ mile mark) but riding this bike is simply exhilarating. We chose for my fiancée's convenience to come back up the 5 instead of across the 91 to the 15 because she is more familiar with that route and literally as soon as we got on we hit stop and go traffic. I hate driving in LA for that reason (though had I been by myself I could easily have lane-split, but that's another story). But man as soon as it cleared up and I was able to really open her up, how awesome it was, smiles in my helmet. Shit I think I had my helmet smiling for crying out loud .

Fourth, the stability. I don't know if it's the wider tires or just the chassis setup or what but this bike feels so much more stable and confidence inspiring than the 500 ever did. I mentioned the winds up above. Riding in the same winds on my 500 (as I often have to do due to our living in the high desert) has me getting blown all over the place, but not so on the 6R. And dropping it into the few tight corners I encountered on our ride home was oh so sweet.

Fifth, not a good thing but something I'll get used to, and you knew this one was coming from someone new to a supersport, my wrists hurt after over 3 hours aboard. Specifically my right wrist. But it feels basically OK this morning and I know with more riding experience I will get used to it. I am surprised that my back didn't hurt at all as that was something I was expecting.

And so all told yesterday I did 184 miles aboard my new 6R from Buena Park to Ridgecrest and it was everything I could have ever hoped and more. I remember thinking to myself as we departed north that I shouldn't have waited as long as I had to upgrade to the 6R but at the same time it is probably my (admittedly limited) experience aboard the 500 that made my ride home aboard the 6R yesterday a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

I look forward to many many more miles aboard her.