Do bikes get jealous? Do they get offended if you leave them at home and take another one.?
For the last couple of weeks I’ve had a lend of a friend’s Kawasaki 1400GTR which is effectively the more touring version of my bike. Deb and I went for a spin down the coast to see if it’s something we could live with as a more touring option.
I have mentioned previously that I’m thinking of purchasing an older touring bike for our getaways and still keep the 14. The other option that’s worth exploring is to replace the 14 with something more touring orientated on the sports-tourer spectrum. Hence the test of the GTR and in a couple of months we are riding a BMW K1600GT for a week on our next overseas trip.
But I love my bike and it whispers to me like no other bike I’ve owned. Okay it’s whispers are generally with crazy in its eyes, and generally something that relates to doing inappropriate things … but the power, speed and rawness of that bike is just so addictive.!!
And we’ve shared a lot of road together over the last 10 years, with just over 300,000km between the zx14 and zx14r. So the thought of selling it has been playing on my mind.
So with Deb and I planning a 4 day weekend ride there was a choice of bike. The 14 or GTR. Here was a great opportunity to take the GTR for an extended ride for a much better test. But I just couldn’t come at taking the GTR for a number of reasons. Each a perfectly good reason. It needed new tyres, its ride position wasn’t quite right, the lights aren’t as good, … But each felt like an excuse.
… but in the end I felt like I was cheating on the 14.
So we took the 14.
Zed14 
As a 14 owner I know I’m biased, but you made the right choice. lol
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Yes I think I’m going to have a hard time giving this bike up. When my earlier one was killed there really isn’t anything else on the market like it.
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As a C14 owner, I struggle understanding which bike you are calling a 14 😉
Having ridden a ZX-14 I can honestly say I love both bikes…
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yes they are both good but the ZX14R just has more mongrel in it.
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Haha hear that Andrew, you bike has no mongrel. Its a couch for riding 24hrs straight. Lol
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No … it has less mongrel. And yes it’s likely to be more comfortable than the zx14 for long distance riding.
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Sadly the Sport-tourer (with emphasis on sport) has been steadily dying off over the past decade. Bikes are either adventure-tourers (of varying adventurousness) or large tourers (like the GTR). Mid to large capacity (like 800-1400) that aren’t either naked, hyper sports, adventurers or tourers are becoming rarer. The VFR is gone now as well. I wonder how long my Ninja 1000 will be around.
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We have certainly seen a shift away from sports tourers to big adventure bikes out on the open road. The new breed of adventure bikes are certainly very capable all rounders. However, for me they are too tall and my pillion doesn’t like them.
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