[phroziac]

I had an HJC helmet for years, never had any problems with it. Right now i have an AFX helmet, it doesnt fit quite right but i havent ridden with it yet. I think it'll fit just fine after i wear it for an hour or two. I paid $75 after tax at my local shop for it. It's the flat black one with chrome accents. Cant say anything for durability yet but the fabric and comfort padding is a lot cheaper feeling than HJC. It even came with a cloth bag for it that i can sling over my shoulder. neat.

By the way, the helmet manufacturers only expect the face shield to last a year or two. But face shields are like $15 to $20. They scatch easily.

Any dot approved helmet is going to protect you just fine, its mostly the inner liners that are the difference.

[Nero]

Hey, I've had two liter+ bikes! A '79 GS1000E and a '92 GSX1100G. They were both rockets and neither one really turned all that well. At 155 lbs though, I get a whole bunch of power/weight ratio from a 750 AND I can turn!

I like how so many Kat guys on this forum like to think a ZX-14 is some kind of monstrous pig, when the 2006 ZX-14 came in at 474 pounds dry (That's before I ditched the stock pipes, so it's 19 pounds lighter than that now, at 455). That makes it lighter than a 2006 750 Katana at 465, dry, so it's not exactly a Goldwing. BTW: A 2010 Goldwing puts out 104 horsepower and weighs 796 pounds. Look it up.

And then you seem to go completely off the deep end by presumably comparing a 79 GS1000E and another stone age bike to a new ZX-14, so let's just take a look and see how they match up:

2006 ZX-14 at 190 HP (Mine's at 206/121 ft lbs of torque (SAE) and 455 pounds. A 1979 GS100E put out a whopping 90 HP and weighed 560 pounds. The 92 GSX1100G put out 100 HP and weighed over 600 pounds, so we're talking about two bikes that put out half the horsepower and weighed 100-125 pounds more. That's your basis for comparison?!?!?!?!?!? You seem to know what is is to ride my ZX-14 by comparing it to a 18 and 31 year-old bikes that couldn't be any more different. I'd respect a comparison to a Bergman 650 better. At least it's modern...

I assure you the power to weight ratio on my bike is quite nice and capable of hauling my 218 pound frame down the road with little effort and yes, it can turn. It likely turns better than any 750 Kat with their steel frames designed in the mid-1980s. I've seen guys throwing that '14 around a track like crazy. From what I've heard, Zepp was kicking azz on his '14 at the 2008 rally. Turning is more a product of the rider than the bike anyway.

Oh, and I can also cruise at 75 mph at 3200 RPMs.

I'm really not knocking Kats. For Pete's sake, I love kats. I'm just tired of the misinformation people pull out of their azzes about my bike. Ride your ride and quit criticizing! It's funny how so many people come on here and spend so much time b*tching and crying about how sport bikers ran down their 'can-of-tunas' and yet, many of them are willing to break balls on other people's rides as soon as they get a chance. If you don't like it done to you, then hush! (That's a general statement. -Not directed at you, Bill)

Things do change over time, Bill. You know? Come out of the stone age.

I had an HJC helmet for years, never had any problems with it. Right now i have an AFX helmet, it doesnt fit quite right but i havent ridden with it yet. I think it'll fit just fine after i wear it for an hour or two. I paid $75 after tax at my local shop for it. It's the flat black one with chrome accents. Cant say anything for durability yet but the fabric and comfort padding is a lot cheaper feeling than HJC. It even came with a cloth bag for it that i can sling over my shoulder. neat.

By the way, the helmet manufacturers only expect the face shield to last a year or two. But face shields are like $15 to $20. They scatch easily.

Any dot approved helmet is going to protect you just fine, its mostly the inner liners that are the difference.

I always buy about 2 extra faceshields when I buy a helmet. I don't like getting stuck without the ability to find a faceshield when they discontinue the model.

For the money, HJC makes some the best helmets. They used to make trash, but their current company president has demanded quality.

[Irish]

If your near Mississauga go to www.pannonsports.com or do it online the guys a good guy and his prices are amazing especially near the end of season .
I bought all my gear from him ,Its a little shop but worth a visit ,besides the road he is off of is a great ride .

[Cap N Jones]

Again, I recommend Ebay. It takes some research, but find trusted sellers and use Paypal (easy resolution if you have an issue). I got my HJC CL-SP in Barbwire (discontinued graphics), Oxtar boots (OK their blue, but match my Kat), and Cortech CE armored jacket w/ quilted liner...each for less than $100 with shipping.

[SuzukiJoeDirt]

Again, I recommend Ebay. It takes some research, but find trusted sellers and use Paypal (easy resolution if you have an issue). I got my HJC CL-SP in Barbwire (discontinued graphics), Oxtar boots (OK their blue, but match my Kat), and Cortech CE armored jacket w/ quilted liner...each for less than $100 with shipping.

Thats some value shopping there man!

[Cap N Jones]

Believe me...it's no easy task! I put in hours searching for quality gear...but it's worth it (to me...my wife thinks I'm nuts)!

[loudnlow7484]

Waaaaa!!!!! My bike is faster than yours, lighter than yours, and looks so much cooler with its UFO headlights and dual George Foreman Grills.

^I just summarized your post for the sake of simplicity.

I've never even swung a leg over a '14, but if it's anything like the Busa, or the Blackbird, it's no slouch. The Busa definitely felt lighter on it's feet than the Kat. The 1100XX I didn't ride enough to really tell, but it certainly didn't feel sluggish. I did feel like the 1100 was an incredibly long bike, but that may have been a mental issue. The first time I rode it I almost shat myself before I even left the parking lot, so I'm sure I had some exaggerated perception of it.

[Nero]

^I just summarized your post for the sake of simplicity.

I've never even swung a leg over a '14, but if it's anything like the Busa, or the Blackbird, it's no slouch. The Busa definitely felt lighter on it's feet than the Kat. The 1100XX I didn't ride enough to really tell, but it certainly didn't feel sluggish. I did feel like the 1100 was an incredibly long bike, but that may have been a mental issue. The first time I rode it I almost shat myself before I even left the parking lot, so I'm sure I had some exaggerated perception of it.

Nice summary, but yep, that's what I was going for.

I didn't even want in on this, but when someone first compares a '14 to a Goldwing, then two stone-age bikes, I have to 'enlighten them'. No, it's not as nimble as a Gixxer 600, but it damn sure isn't a Goldwing.

If you rode a new 'busa, you've pretty much ridden the '14. They're so close in so many ways. The 'busa's about 25 pounds heavier, but you can't feel it. When people ask me whether they should get one or the other, I tell 'em to flip a coin.

I wasn't trying to start anything, any sheit, or 'brag', but you know, it is what it is.

[Wild-Bill]

...I wasn't trying to start anything, any sheit, or 'brag', but you know, it is what it is.

Yeah, we know "what it is"... You're feeling a bit defensive about having an old man bike!

You do, of course realize I'm just kidding. (and was when I made the original dig comparing the ZX-14 to a Wing) My old-school bikes were never meant as a good comparison to a modern super bike. If they were then the manufacturers would still be selling them, wouldn't they?!

I do like the 750-class bikes better than the bigger ones but the primary reason to be riding a 15-year old Kat is $$. I don't mind the fact that there are better bikes out there. For what I do on a bike I don't need one of them. Like you said, it's more about the rider than the bike. An old Kat can do more than I'm generally willing to ask it for. (A little bit of self awareness saves me a whole bunch of cash!)

[Nero]

Yeah, we know "what it is"... You're feeling a bit defensive about having an old man bike!

You do, of course realize I'm just kidding. (and was when I made the original dig comparing the ZX-14 to a Wing) My old-school bikes were never meant as a good comparison to a modern super bike. If they were then the manufacturers would still be selling them, wouldn't they?!

I do like the 750-class bikes better than the bigger ones but the primary reason to be riding a 15-year old Kat is $$. I don't mind the fact that there are better bikes out there. For what I do on a bike I don't need one of them. Like you said, it's more about the rider than the bike. An old Kat can do more than I'm generally willing to ask it for. (A little bit of self awareness saves me a whole bunch of cash!)

Kind of hard to tell sometimes on a forum when someone is kidding.:bunny2

I hear you. People are always talking about these nimble little 600s, but I have no use for that anymore. Trying to sell me the merits of a nimble 600 is like trying to sel refrigerators to Eskimos. I just bought a new GPS and some helibars, so that tells you where my riding is going.

15 years ago I would have been interested, but in the last 5 years or so, I began to lose interest in riding fast. I find myself more or less looking at the scenery as I ride now, which isn't really conducive with scraping knees and pegs. Even if I started riding fast again, it would take years to get to the point where I could out-grow the capabilities of the '14. My skillset will never outgrow this bike as it is, and I don't it want to. Riding like a nut eventually catches up to you.

My enthusiasm has waned because I've been riding 'sport' bikes since 1983. I've never owned a cruiser. So, when these young kids jump on a little 600, they wonder why I don't want to ride that way. It's just that I've done all that and I'm kind of tired of it, frankly...

I see these kids on forums talking about these bikes they dream of, as if they've reached the full capabilities of the bikes they're on. It's like the guy that plays golf with a $6K set of clubs, hacks his way to a 140 round, then thinks he needs even better clubs. I've seen guys on weak little 250s and on Hayabusas completely making azzes of other people on a track. So it's more than likely not your ride that's holding you back.

Last year at the rally, there was a guy on a Harley that was glued to the back of a Gixxer and they were hauling azz everywhere they went. Several of us saw them over the course of a few days. It was obvious he knew what he was doing.

My bike is right for me now. It has the capability to allow me to put a knee down when I want, but more often than not, I'm just cruising. If I do ride fast, it lasts for all of 5 minutes. Crimony, with all the cops in Northern Virginia, you're running a risk if you do anything anyway. They put you in jail for stuff like that here, and they do it quickly.

[Wild-Bill]

Now you're talking about using common sense! That's no fun.

[ramkumar999]

15 years ago I would have been interested, but in the last 5 years or so, I began to lose interest in riding fast. I find myself more or less looking at the scenery as I ride now, which isn't really conducive with scraping knees and pegs. Even if I started riding fast again, it would take years to get to the point where I could out-grow the capabilities of the '14. My skillset will never outgrow this bike as it is, and I don't it want to. Riding like a nut eventually catches up to you.

Guru, please accept my "NAMASTE".. I truly agree on this..

[WickedKatweazle]

Check this web site: http://www.newenough.com/street/clos...rgain_basement They have really good prices in their closeout and bargain basement sections. I bought a padded riding jacket for $50. I also bought my helmet from competition accessories and got a $250 HJC for $100.

I have to disagree, I have been shopping around the New Enough web site and have found greater availability and lower prices at Motorcycle Superstore.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/

[phroziac]

Just bought a tan mesh Vega jacket...XL size...looks sexy on me. Also seems like it would protect alright. Took it for a ride, man, it kept me cool like i wasnt even wearing a jacket...until i stopped...then it got hot. hehe...

It has a fold out rain cover that goes over it...I figured it would be a $1 elcheapo piece of crap in there, but no, it looks great....only problem is, as ive said before, i dont like the look of the big logos...and theres a big logo on the back of the rain cover...but whatever. oh well.

[Wild-Bill]

...it kept me cool like i wasnt even wearing a jacket...until i stopped...then it got hot...

Then don't stop. Duh!