[Zloikish]

I ride a Yamaha FZ09, and we got a N1K for my wife so she had something that could possibly keep up with me. Its a lot more comfortable than my 09, but nothing handles like the FZ, or accelerates quite so brutally. I live in San Diego and enjoy the year round riding weather. First mods planned for the Ninja are some sliders and a lowering linkage in the rear so my wife can stop easier since she has short legs. I've already lowered the forks as much as they will go and i have the rear preload as low as safely possible. Anyways I'm excited to be part of another new forum and i look forward to sharing and receiving knowledge.

Zach

 

[ToNY97]

Welcome generous husband.

FZ9 is the triple? Any other comparisons or observations between the 2 bikes?

I'm headed to LA on vacation. Is CA really the best place to live and ride?

 

[Zloikish]

Welcome generous husband.

FZ9 is the triple? Any other comparisons or observations between the 2 bikes?

I'm headed to LA on vacation. Is CA really the best place to live and ride?

Yeah the 09 is the new 850 triple, best engine I've ever experienced. The power is available instantly and it's brutal. Wheelies aren't a challenge at all, they happen anytime you push the throttle. Since the bike is around 400 lbs and it has fairly long handlebars and a short wheelbase it turns faster than most other bikes. The initial acceleration is much more exciting than the ninja which is a more friendly smooth acceleration. The seating position is upright and there is no wind protection. I definitely prefer the 09, but I appreciate the N1K for the awesome power house that it is, it's like a fast Cadillac vs a fast Japanese car like a WRX or an EVO. I always have a smile on my face while riding the 09, the ninja requires pushing it a lot more.

California is motorcycle heaven, lane splitting is legal, the roads are amazing and there are a lot of good shops nearby like Race Tech quite a few others. There are a lot of canyons and the cops generally leave you alone if your bike is mostly stock looking and you aren't doing crazy speeds. Year round perfect weather, and if it rains it's not too terrible except for the oil on the roads. I use the PR4 tires on my 09 and the TC and ABS on the ninja make it a non issue. Once you get used to the flow of traffic and keep your eyes open it's not too dangerous.

I grew up in Montana and I've lived in VA, Florida, Mississippi and now here and SoCal is easily the best place to ride.

 

[rcannon409]

The Ninja is very calm in stock form. AN Ivans ecu mod will give massive gains down low, and up top.

Dont let your wife do that, or you'll be chasing her.

Ivan's Performance Products

 

[Mikey1000]

Welcome. I've a highly modded FZ1 in NY & the N1K is my winter bike here in Florida. Test rode the FZ-09 @ the multi line dealer where I got my Ninja & was overall impressed. Would need suspension upgrade IMO, similar to what I've done to the FZ1, Penske shock & Traxxion fork kit.

 

[troydba]

Does it just feel brutal or is it actually quicker. I thought I saw 0-60 and qtr mile times favor the ninja 1000. Just curious...I don't really need to go 0-60 in 2.6 sec myself.

 

[rcannon409]

You can look at an fz09 dyno chart and see how thye set it up to give the feel...faster?

In stock form, it just might be. Especially up top. The Ninja 1000 is good for about 122 hp and the fz09 107. BUT, you have the 75lb weight difference with the 09 being so light. Still, the low and midrange of the Ninja 1000 is brutal. Its virtually the same hap as a bmw s1000rr up to about 9000 rpm.

If you look at the dyno charts, they are both very close up until about 800 rpm, where the Ninja 1000 starts to show an small advantage.

The bigger difference with the Ninja is the torque, and the fz09 never really gets close to the Ninja from idle all the way to redline....and you would not expect it to....

But, Yamaha built a **** of an engine for the 09. Something that pretty much made 600 supersports obsolete outside of track racing.

 

[troydba]

It is definitely an awesome time to be a motorcyclist - tons of truly great bikes out there and the FZ-09 is a great bargain for sure.

Personally, I love the 60-80 mph roll-on acceleration of the 2014 Ninja 1000 and quick detach hard bags.

Ivan's doesn't have a ecu flash for this model/year yet, but I am serioulsly considering getting a FCE (fuel cut eliminator) from Ivan to solve some on-off throttle/cornering issues that I don't like right now...But that would be another thread I suppose.

Everyone that has a triple seems to be crazy about them. They sound and feel sexy. The light weight and growl is probably the "feels brtual" thing. I would love to ride one sometime. The kawi 4 is too smooth LOL, but I'm in love with it...