Would you commute up the Auckland Southern on this?

[blackdog]

yup dooooo it, it's definately on my next bike shortlist

[SPP]

Haven't jumped on it yet, once I do its all over. Vigorously negotiating with the boss. Cheers all.

[zeocen]

tooth off the front and "will pull your arms off in any gear" apparently.

Uh, yeah... nah. It really won't.

I commute on the 14 with -1 in near-stationary traffic of a lot of the Southern Motorway when the Hornet's getting a service or whatnot. It's perfectly doable and not the least bit too fat for filtering. But for me, the Hornet destroys the 14 in terms of practicality, real world accelleration and torque and comfort.

Giving the ZX14 a pro such as "torque" is in the same shoes as mentioning it's high HP at the wheel. All absolutely rubbish if you mean to use it in a real world scenario (like, commuting).
As for hating the rain and winter on a naked, pleaaaase. The Hornet is my first naked bike and it's by far the best to ride in bad weather, I rode it all last winter with a smile on my dial to and from work.

At the end of the day it's up to you, whether you want to waste money on a bike like the ZX14 just to commute to work (when you can buy a different bike for a fraction of the price and have the same torque and power useable to you in a real world situation) and live with it's obvious shortcomings when considering it as a commuter. If it floats your boat, you don't need us to tell you what to do and what not to do!

[YellowDog]

A fabulous piece of kit.

I vote 'YES'

Make good use of that amazing torque. Second gear all the way.

[SPP]

Uh, yeah... nah. It really won't.

I commute on the 14 with -1 in near-stationary traffic of a lot of the Southern Motorway when the Hornet's getting a service or whatnot. It's perfectly doable and not the least bit too fat for filtering. But for me, the Hornet destroys the 14 in terms of practicality, real world accelleration and torque and comfort.

Giving the ZX14 a pro such as "torque" is in the same shoes as mentioning it's high HP at the wheel. All absolutely rubbish if you mean to use it in a real world scenario (like, commuting).
As for hating the rain and winter on a naked, pleaaaase. The Hornet is my first naked bike and it's by far the best to ride in bad weather, I rode it all last winter with a smile on my dial to and from work.

At the end of the day it's up to you, whether you want to waste money on a bike like the ZX14 just to commute to work (when you can buy a different bike for a fraction of the price and have the same torque and power useable to you in a real world situation) and live with it's obvious shortcomings when considering it as a commuter. If it floats your boat, you don't need us to tell you what to do and what not to do!

Food for thought. I had made up my mind on a naked at the end of year so I'm hearing you. This popped up, very tempting. Such an awesome bike. Still have doubts about overkill... and a very pissed off wife, BAU.

[MaxB]

FWIW I have been commuting in Auckland on litre bikes for over 20 years. Many on here have been doing it for way longer.

If you are doing 600km a week one thing to watch out for is the amount of pads, tyres and chains and sprockets you get through. Your 600 will seem to be made from feathers in comparison.

Another thing is you will find yourself compromising on wear items. Super sticky tyres, super grippy pads and racing chains will send you broke. The trick is to fit parts that don't ruin things when you go for a weekend blast but last a while.

You pays your money and takes your choice as they say. Just be prepared to spend the dollars keeping it up to scratch.

[zeocen]

MaxB speaketh the truth and I can agree to what he says having owned a ZZR1100 myself (I still miss the fat bastard!). Though, if you have the money to buy a ZX14, I'm sure you have the money to maintain the upkeep.

On a side note, I always hear people talking about commuting for years into town on the Southern, but I rarely see any as I'm going in myself. I leave around 7.30am, are you all leaving earlier or later!? I feel lonely sometimes !

-edit:
I also should note, that I was actually in the exact same boat as you, SPP! A delicious ZX14 popped up and I was all but ready to sign the dotted line until a friend literally twisted my arm to go try some naked bikes. I found a hornet for a steal and rode it, I feel in love with the useable torque immediately, I'm torque hungry which is why I wanted the ZX14 but the way the Hornet delivers it's power is night and day compared to the ZX14. At the end of the day I saved thousands upon thousands of money, managed to comfortize my Hornet (better mirrors, custom seat, smexy cans, heated grips etc) and not even begin to scratch at the price I was going to pay for the 14. I just couldn't justify it in the end, especially after how raw and instant the Hornet's torque is, as opposed to the 14's "Are you sure you wanna do this?" warning torque band, hehe.

I'm not trying to sway you, just letting you know the options - no one could blame you for wanting a ZX14

[SPP]

... On a side note, I always hear people talking about commuting for years into town on the Southern, but I rarely see any as I'm going in myself. I leave around 7.30am, are you all leaving earlier or later!? I feel lonely sometimes !

When I left just before 07:30 (from Puke') I used to see a few other regulars. I leave 1/2 hour later now and don't see as many.

As a side note to your side note, if I'm really late (after 08:30) I've noticed the drivers are a bit shittier. More try to lean on you when filtering. Maybe because there's less bikes and they haven't gotten over it yet.

I'll keep an eye out for a Hornet or 14.