I’ve been wanting a new bike for several years now, and I suppose now was the time.  I originally wanted a new GSX-R 600 or 750, but after reading reviews in Sport Rider about how great the ZX-6R was, I thought I would give that a closer look.  So I took a trip down to the local Kawasaki dealer and made a great deal on a leftover 2008 ZX-6R Special Edition.  What makes this bike a Special Edition?  Just the colors, basically - black paint, chrome decals, and red anodized front shocks.

:: 2008 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R Special Edition - click image to enlarge ::

I actually went to the dealer with the intention of buying a 2009 model in black.  While I was walking around I spotted this lone 2008 leftover in the showroom with the odometer reading “0″.  It’s never been prepped either, and I knew I could get a good deal on it. Since it was the only brand new 2008 they had left and I didn’t want green, this was perfect. Additionally, the 2008 models had under-tail exhaust, which I like a lot.  The 2009 models went back to the more traditional side exhaust, which I think looks bulky and unsightly in comparison.

:: My old 1993 Suzuki GSX-R 750 was nice, but always fouling spark plugs - click to enlarge ::

The dealer delivered the bike yesterday and I was able to take it out briefly before the usual Florida rains came.  The first thing that hit me was how easy the bike started and how smooth it ran.  Since it’s direct injected, the new bike does not need choke levers and a long warm-up.  It’s been raining ever since here, so I haven’t been able to take the bike out again.  I have to keep it under 4000RPM for the first 600 miles, so that may take a while considering how busy I’ve been lately.  We’ll see.

:: Note ram-air intake between headlights - click on image to enlarge ::

One current trend in supersport bikes that I do not understand is the single-headlamp low-beams.  Although the bike has two headlamps, only one is lit during standard use.  This is also true of most other sport bikes.  This just seems idiotic - why not just have the use of both headlights?  When you engage the high-beam, the other lamp lights, although you have a single high-beam light.  Do you get it?  I don’t.

:: Under-tail exhaust was removed in 2009 models - click image to enlarge ::

For now, I’m just going to ride the bike casually and keep it totally stock.  Hopefully it won’t be plagued with the never ending reliability issues the older Suzuki GSX-R 750 I had was, but I’m pretty sure the carburetors were the main issue there, which is a moot issue here.  I can’t say that I’m totally pleased with the chrome “Special Edition” decals on this bike, but I suppose they will grow on me.  It’s time to ride again, and I’ll post more when I rack up some miles on this bike.

Related Links:

• Kawasaki ZX-6R