"Troy the Troll" <f4boy.TakeThisOut@comcast.net> wrote in message news:<24DKc.109768$JR4.47630@attbi_s54>...
> How you like the 636 as a track only bike?
>
> Been eyeing them up lately. Hows it run compared to...ummm..pick something,
> good chance I'll have ridden an analog.
Alright, I'll try and provide an answer. I've done oh, six or seven
trackdays on my '03, at Pacific Raceways (Seattle), Portland
International Raceway (Portland), and Thunderhill (Willows, CA).
Keeping it simple, let's stick with plusses and minuses. First, the
plusses, in rough order of importance:
- Excellent brakes. Radial calipers really shine on the track.
- Quite light-weight and handles like nobody's business.
- Inverted forks: though I'm not happy with the rebound, compression,
and bizarre spring rates on the forks (far too stiff), the front end's
still excellent and massively confidence-inspiring. The bike wants to
be trail-braked. I watch guys wiggle through the infamous Turn 3 at
PR, on the brakes and downhill right. The ZX eats it up without
drama.
- Makes more power than one would expect, due to that extra 36cc, ram
air, and just the state of technology these days. That's a Kawasaki
for you: lots of engine.
- Midrange! Low end! Runs with literbikes until the revs build, then
they walk away. Still, it really moves.
- Easy to ride fast, and I mean really easy. The bike's
unintimidating.
- At tight tracks, nothing beats middleweights. I spanked literbikes
left and right at Thunderhill. Pacific Raceways is also very fun.
- Wants to be run at 14.5 RPM. Shift when you see the blinking light!
- Relatively low cost of entry.
Minuses:
- Build quality's good, but not up to Honda standards.
- Needs a steering damper, as in "immediately." They should have
included one stock.
- The rear shock should be thrown away. Replace it with an Ohlins.
The forks are not well setup either, as indicated above.
- A properly-ridden literbike can still spank it around the track,
though that's true of all middleweights. That literbike guy better be
really brave or really stupid, though, if he tries passing by
outbraking a middleweight in turns.
- At faster tracks, literbikes spank middleweights. At Portland, I
have to work that much harder to avoid being run over.
How's it run compared to: OK, I'll pick Jamin's '02 R1. He and I
swapped bikes for four laps last September at a Pacific Raceways track
day. He has an Ohlins shock and stainless brake lines, I the Ohlins
damper (no stainless brake lines, at the time). Otherwise they're
basically stock.
- The R1's suspension blows the ZX into the weeds. Three cheers for
Ohlins and well-done factory forks.
- Power: see above.
- The R1's brakes are good, the ZX's better. That's only a matter of
degree, however.
- The ZX wants to be bodily thrown into turns at loony speeds. The R1
didn't seem quite as willing to flick in. That could be due to the
tires, natural hesitation on my part as a "guest rider" on someone
else's bike, or a real phenomena. Just a hunch, though.
- The R1 got to stupid speeds in a big hurry with absolutely no drama.
There is drama on the ZX: the engine screams, it wiggles a bit over
pavement imperfections. The payoff's in the turns, though.
To me it's an irony: the suspension worked better when I was larger.
My weight kept the overdamped forks and shock in check. Now it
bounces around a lot more, to the point of almost being a problem.
I'm trying to raise the $1,500 for Ohlins shock and rebuilt forks .
So I think you'd like the stock suspension OK, no offense.
I cannot compare the ZX to the new R6 or CBR, without a lot of
exposure to the latter two. If Sumner and I can finally actually meet
at the track at least once this summer, we might do some genuine
comparisons. I'm hoping this shall occur in August: I'm very curious
about the CBR, as it was my second choice and sounds like an excellent
steed.
In model year '03, the R6 often finished comparos as best all-around
middleweight. Really, though, it seems to me all four (Gixxer, R6,
ZX, and CBR) have a lot of similarities. The differences are in the
details, as always. I wanted the best track-only bike, which
according to Roadracing World was the 636. No regrets here. The
extra midrange alone is very nice.
As for Saddle's comments, of course there are a ton of wrecked ZXs out
back at the Kawi dealer. The Jackass Patrol is naturally drawn to
middleweights, due to relatively low cost of entry and insurance
prices. It's a telling observation the "Stunter's Corner" section of
KawiForums.com has more entries than "Racer's Corner." Fools and
new, pretty, interesting bikes are always drawn together. Thus it has
been, thus it shall be.
One more thing: Gixxer 750s are an intense rivalry with ZX636s. The
latter's technology seriously challenged the Gixxer as "best track
bike" when introduced last year. Superbike Magazine (U.K.) actually
likes the ZX better as an all-around track bike, though by the
narrowest of margins.
Both deliver almost exactly the same experience, but that extra 114cc
sometimes wins the day. The Showa forks and shock of the 750 are
without a doubt superior to ZX suspension, as delivered. I owned a
'95 Gixxer for six years and only bought the ZX to try something new.
Both are stellar bikes, and the '04 750 might in fact walk past the
Kawi due to a little more power and new radial calipers.
Just food for thought. Hope that helps,
-=DRB=-
NW WA State USA<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
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