BOD (Bike of the Day)

I love those Gixxers. I WILL get my hands on one someday.

I'd also like a ZX7

I actually owned both at the same time:

'89 ZX-7, the first year of the beast. '92 Gixxer 750, last of the air and oil cooled GSXRs. The paint job on the NINJA is obviously not stock and is the second of my own designs. The first one was almost the same as the stock but with purple stripes instead of the gun metal grey ones. The Gixxer is stock base but I removed all the pink decals. The pink on the tank was painted so didn't get removed until later. The checker board was my own application of 'wrap'

stock gixxer paint job^^

stock ZX-7 paint job...as one can see it's quite different than mine in the picture

The big difference between the early ZX-7s and the one you pictured is that the 7Rs had aluminum tanks (if they're real ZX-7Rs) and real ram air. The tubes on the old ZX-7s were simply cooling ducts to direct cold air across the top of the cylinder head. Apparently, the first year bikes had issues with the engine heat causing issues with the fuel both in the tank and entering the carbs. Kawasaki's solution was to put ducts that forced air through tunnels in the tank and out the bottom across the back of the head and around the base of the carburetors solving both issues at once. Other traits they shared were a positively planted front end...once called the best front end in the business and an over sprung/under damped rear shock.....sean

We'll, TBH I haven't ridden either in a very long time. Probably about 10 years since I've ridden the old Gixxer. Maybe 8 since I've ridden a Zx-7. They're completely different characters. The ZX-7 is more raw. Power delivery is less refined, transmission less slick.....overall fit and finish is about the same. The Gixxer has a slick shifting transmission....probably the slickest of any bike from that period. The ZX is notchy and stiff. The power delivery on the Gixxer is smooth and polished. Very predictable and easy to modulate even when jetted. The Zx is harsh in on/off throttle transitions and has a real kick in the pants above 9,000 RPM. The ZX feels planted, solid and unflappable in corners. Specially long sweepers. In tight technical stuff its a handful. The Gixxer front end feels vague and less planted but if more nimble in the tight stuff. So would I recommend both? Yeah. However that's a whole lot to keep up with maintenance wise. They are NOT just get on and ride kind of bikes......sean

Sean, you will probably have seen or read about Guy's Martek bike. Started life as a gsxr-1100.

In keeping with the title and intent of this thread, here then is my New Years BOD:

The bike that started my Ducati lust, the 1993 900 Superlight. I've told the story here a time or two but I'll tell it again to put this post into perspective. I was stationed at the now closed RAF Upper Heyford in late 1992.

In early 1993 I bought a wrecked 1989 ZX-7 from another guy on the base and set about rebuilding it. The closest Kawasaki dealership was in down town Oxford so that was where I initially began to purchase the parts to rebuild the Ninja.

For those not acquainted, the Japanese often have other names or designations for the same bike built for markets other than the US. IE, the use of the word "Ninja" was for some reason considered "violent" and thus Europe got the ZX-7 as a ZXR-750 rather than a ZX-7 Ninja.

At any rate my bike was met with some bemusement when I took it places for work. This particular day was a familiar one. It was raining like most days I spent in the UK for those first months. The alley where the shop was looked like something out of Harry Potter....a bit anyway. As I walked back towards the car park from the shop I passed a small Ducati shop on the opposite side of the street.

As I did so, the clouds parted momentarily, and a ray of sunshine poked through and shone on a beautiful yellow creation in the window. It was such a spectacular sight that I stopped dead in my tracks to stare. Apparently it was so spectacular that several others stopped as well. Including several women.

There we stood for that brief moment all staring at this yellow Ducati.....and then the clouds closed back up, the sun was gone and the ever present rain began to fall again. I snapped out of what ever moto lust had over taken me, looked around and saw all the people kind of doing the same thing....my eyes met theirs and we all went on about our day.

Thus began my never ending Ducati lust. 21 years and counting since that day...and I still don't own one....ah well.....one day a Duc will find its way to me.....sean

I want a speed four. I was on my first ride with the St. Louis group and a guy and his girlfriend were on a yellow one. There was a pretty good mix of bikes out that day. Aphrodite's and my 500, some relatively new 600's and liter bikes, a super tenere, an S1000RR, list goes on. Anyway, the speed four really stood out to me of all the bikes. It wasn't the cutting edge design, it just looked like an honest motorcycling. Everything you needed, nothing more. When I saw him riding it, he was just butter smooth. Turns out the guy that rides it races 250's but it just really appealed to me. I thought it was a speed triple at first. Then I saw speed four and I was intrigued because I didn't know they even made a 600cc 4 cyl nekkid. I talked to him about it and he loved it. I'd really like to have one. It would make a great stablemate to the Speed Triple. I also think it's part of the reason I have a Speed Triple now.

The second bike on my Ducati lust list and bike of the day for the 1st day of 2015 is the 888. Wouldn't matter which edition of it, I like them all. I was able to test ride one in the UK when I was stationed there but it was a rather quick ride and not one that I have a great deal of memory of. I could have gone out all afternoon on it but as it were, I actually had some place to be so it was a quick little blast down the way. I think it was all of 3 minutes or so and not really long enough to make any real observations of its character or quirks. Wish to this day that I'd have taken it all afternoon.

todays bod for me. Pic courtesy of David.

Love me some 750 turbo

Here's a sweet youtube clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvvZiT_rslg

I don't really have a logical explanation why I like it

There is one of these parked out in my garage right now. It's been there for the last 12 or 13 years now. I've been working on it slowly. The owners dogs chewed through the wiring harness. I re-sectioned new wiring in and repaired the harness. A new one was no longer available from Suzuki, even 12 years ago.

I removed the turbo plumbing...it was riddled with pin holes. The owner, an old Air Force buddy of mine brought it back from the UK in late 1980s. The weather took it's toll even though the bike has been in California since about 1993 or so. My next task is to fabricate a new stainless steel exhaust to replace the stock stuff. I've been stalled on that little detail now for about 10 years.

I have a tubing bender and TIG welder even...just not had the time nor the motivation to get out to my garage and resume fabricating. So far, all I have is the header tubes complete. Still have to fab a collector and the transition up to the turbo.

Then new turbo waste gate and it should be complete. At least mechanically. I welded up the broken plastic already too...but gotta prime and paint it still. There is light at the end of the tunnel though.....only a few more classes until my degree is finished and then I should have a whole lot more time to devote to fabrication and completing some projects........sean

My bike of the day for today, January 2nd of 2015.....the iconic Ducati 916. It is the third bike in my Ducati lust and one that continues to draw me to it regardless of how many newer and more refined models have come along since.

While this bike still gets my blood pumping, the final iteration of the line, the 998S FE is the one I'd want...other than an original 916 I mean. In red please........sean

Beyond down the street to test it, no. I don't think I'd enjoy it much. Turbo lag is very real and unpredictable. IE, when you are in a straight line, like up and down the street, you can watch the tach and know when the turbo is going to spool up.

When you're cranked over in a corner and looking through it you don't really know when it's going to kick in and that's not a comforting feeling. That's why I preferred the GSXR to the ZX-7 in most circumstances because the power delivery from the oil cooled GSXR engine is more linear and therefore more predictable.

You don't want a surprise when you're cranked over, knee just hovering over the asphalt. A spike in torque and horsepower at that moment will upset the chassis and throw you off your line. Not a good thing when there is no room for error. The back roads I ride are like that, little or no room for error if you're pushing the edge of your performance envelope.

The Aprilia is perfect for those roads in a majority of circumstances as it has torque in abundance and allows the rider to relax. You don't need to have the perfect gear to accelerate off of a corner exit. It leaves more room for error than either of the 4 cylinders do.

Add a turbo to the 4 cylinder and you just make the situation worse. Now, if all you have to ride are straight, corner less roads.....the turbo with its lag to spool up is less of an issue.....sean