carver
22nd September 2007, 20:55
It was a Friday when I got the call that the ER6 had landed, so I finished work early and went from Hamilton to Auckland via Miranda.
My riding companion was on a 07 VFR 800, and is a fast on straights kind of rider.
Now leaving Hamilton I was hitting about 140-150kph while overtaking cars, and I happened to be wearing my rev’it one piece rainsuit, which really got caught by the wind on the corners, so I took it off.
The one thing I love about the bike is its engine, the flat torque curve from idle, the short feel of the bike.
The bars and front brakes took a bit of getting used to though, I found the front to be a bit grabby, and the bars felt too narrow.
The bars were moved forwards and I have found a sweet spot for them where it aint too cramped and the riding position doesn’t feel too stretched.
Once we got off all the boring straights it was onto the twisties.
The biggest reason for buying the ER6 was the way it handled, and the user friendly ability of the motor.
A few weeks ago I sold my CBR 600 F4i, which was a good bike, but in the 55-35 kph uphill/downhill corners it would have taken more dedication to ride it hard than the ER6.
On the Kawasaki you can come in to a hairpin at 6000 rpm, and just let the rev’s drop to 2500 rpm, and open her up and pull clean out.
On the CBR I would have come in at 8-9000 rpm and wouldn’t have let it drop below 5000rpm due to the lack of torque from the engine, on the last point of the corner the shift light would be flashing and I would be shifting up a gear.
Not so the ER6, this bike can be dropped into corners late and hard, without the need to go anywhere beyond half its rev range.
It also delivers 21km/l, which matches my old DR 650 and GS500, while delivering 20hp more power.
Once in Auckland the ER6 felt comfortable in traffic, and weaving in and out of the lines of cars is easy.
On the motorway back I hit 220kph, which is at the limit for this bike, the wind is up there, but thanks to the narrow bars its better than your typical naked bike.
Whats kind of funny, is that on the straights between the corners, I never really had the VFR pulling away from me, also the bike has instant torque anywhere in the rev range, even at 180 kph.
In reflection
This bike may not be the fastest bike I have ridden, but its a lot of fun hanging onto a set of bars at 160 kph and flooring the bike over humps in the road and getting the front in the air for a second of two.
The bike is a tad bouncy at speeds on backroads at 140+, but it does have basic suspension, it still handles very well.
Ground clearance is good, I aint decked it yet, but I have been close.
At 6500 rpm the power starts to pick up a bit, but it flattens off before red line.
This bike looks better in real life than in photo’s.
My riding companion was on a 07 VFR 800, and is a fast on straights kind of rider.
Now leaving Hamilton I was hitting about 140-150kph while overtaking cars, and I happened to be wearing my rev’it one piece rainsuit, which really got caught by the wind on the corners, so I took it off.
The one thing I love about the bike is its engine, the flat torque curve from idle, the short feel of the bike.
The bars and front brakes took a bit of getting used to though, I found the front to be a bit grabby, and the bars felt too narrow.
The bars were moved forwards and I have found a sweet spot for them where it aint too cramped and the riding position doesn’t feel too stretched.
Once we got off all the boring straights it was onto the twisties.
The biggest reason for buying the ER6 was the way it handled, and the user friendly ability of the motor.
A few weeks ago I sold my CBR 600 F4i, which was a good bike, but in the 55-35 kph uphill/downhill corners it would have taken more dedication to ride it hard than the ER6.
On the Kawasaki you can come in to a hairpin at 6000 rpm, and just let the rev’s drop to 2500 rpm, and open her up and pull clean out.
On the CBR I would have come in at 8-9000 rpm and wouldn’t have let it drop below 5000rpm due to the lack of torque from the engine, on the last point of the corner the shift light would be flashing and I would be shifting up a gear.
Not so the ER6, this bike can be dropped into corners late and hard, without the need to go anywhere beyond half its rev range.
It also delivers 21km/l, which matches my old DR 650 and GS500, while delivering 20hp more power.
Once in Auckland the ER6 felt comfortable in traffic, and weaving in and out of the lines of cars is easy.
On the motorway back I hit 220kph, which is at the limit for this bike, the wind is up there, but thanks to the narrow bars its better than your typical naked bike.
Whats kind of funny, is that on the straights between the corners, I never really had the VFR pulling away from me, also the bike has instant torque anywhere in the rev range, even at 180 kph.
In reflection
This bike may not be the fastest bike I have ridden, but its a lot of fun hanging onto a set of bars at 160 kph and flooring the bike over humps in the road and getting the front in the air for a second of two.
The bike is a tad bouncy at speeds on backroads at 140+, but it does have basic suspension, it still handles very well.
Ground clearance is good, I aint decked it yet, but I have been close.
At 6500 rpm the power starts to pick up a bit, but it flattens off before red line.
This bike looks better in real life than in photo’s.