Gen 1 zx10r owner, fully done w velocity ported super stock head, Intake cam, degreed, full arata, gen4 stacks,BSTS, ETC... still my favorite bike to date. also have a V4 speciale, 748/1098 and 96' zx7r in the garage..gen 1 makes me smile the most ..by far
I would love to see you on a first gen ZX-10R. I have two of them, a green one & the rarer orange one. They are great bikes. The suspension was set way too hard from the factory IMHO, which led to that skittish behaviour. Nevertheless, I have always ridden with steering dampers. The first gen R1 was more of a widowmaker, I had a number of tankslappers on that model, the last one putting me in a ditch. Always rode it with an Ohlins steering damper after that. As another post says, the kawasaki is a bit like a two stroke, it takes off at 8k RPM. I also have a HP4 Competition but have just as much fun on the 10R's. I also have a 2002 R1, great bike but seating position is poor in comparison. Looking for a GSXR750 but are hard to get here these days. Modern Superbikes are just too expensive for what they offer on the road & are contributing to their own decline.
I had my first gen zx10r at Phillip island 2 days ago on some fresh supercorsas. Awesome bike, I’d only change it because it’s getting too hard to get parts for if I crash it
I had an 04 zx10r, sorted the suspension, brakes, full system, what a motor insane awesome on a smooth track but a horrible road bike moved onto a 09 Blade best bike I've ever owned outstanding even today.
I time last summer i took my gs 2010 to track. Suprisingly it teached me to trail brake as it has no dive so i could brake later while leaning. After that my driving with speed triple improved as i would trail brake better as the gs sort of showed me how it can be done.
I have a 2004 ZX10R that I have had since new. Done a lot of upgrades over the years and even tho I have an MT-10, I still like riding the Kawasaki every once in a while. Not many left in good shape here in the US.
I think the bikes that were sketchy to ride, were mainly down to the tyre tech of the day. Tl1000, would tie itself in knots from that weird rotary rear shock, then over whelm the tyre. Stick a modern set on and it's ok. The shock is still an issue (most have been changed by now), but it's not as sketchy as it was back then. 98 R1 it was easy when they came out to overwhelm the rear. Again with a modern set on, it's ok. I would offer up the Kawasaki H2, a bike it's very easy to be going far to fast on. That a 240 kg + rider bike has any business doing. :)
14-16 SP blade or a 17SP with the bells and electronic whistles...the earlier models will have more soul than the later ones but which would you choose and why...keep up the great content
I'd say the RC8R was the last bike that was lairy enough to deserve the 'widowmaker' moniker. I'd love to ride one fitted with the latest rubber to see how it feels now.
Re Indian bikes. India has enormous import tax protecting its manufacturing. They're using Western designs/technology while we're losing skilled jobs, leading to the low paid low skilled welfare dependent jobs we now have. Triumph? British company? Creating 1000's of skilled jobs offshore but a miniscule number here. Is it any wonder the young here can't afford to get into biking.
Firstly, we don't have "enormous import tax" here in India. I ride a 23' bmw 850gs and it costed me the equivalent of 13000 gbp here which is about similar to what you'd pay including vat, tax and insurance. Secondly, people who work in manufacturing sector are paid peanuts here but inflation has sky rocketed post covid and people are barely scraping through. IT is still the highest pay masters here as it is everywhere else. Your youth are simply lazy and want easy money so its more of a UK problem so don't blame us for the state of your country. I wonder what this mystical "western design/technology" is that we are using? care to name a few? Japs kicked your english motorcycle industry's asses some 50 yrs ago and all you've done is play catch up till now. Entitlement galore!
I think that’s a legacy of the real Evil Empire… have a read into the East India Company… everything is cyclical, it’s going to be Asias turn at the top…
I owned a 2004 ZX10R for two and a half years put 30k miles on mine, fantastic fun, mega light feel and almost two stroke like power band. I put K Tec fork internals and a Nitron NGR rear shock, steering damper, brembo RCS and a full system which made it feel more refined overall. Compared to newer stuff it's not a patch but then the C1H is 20 years old now !
I had 954 when new. Great at track. Needs a steering damper. And a pc and ex can. But eats brake pads. They always wear out crooked. Gsxr with radial brakes gives more options to upgrade the brakes.
I had a '99R1 with an 05 ZX10R both completely lairy bikes, which is part of the allure and fun! The ZX10R was so fast so flickable; still have a K5 GSXR1000 which is I think THE superlative superbike of that era.
I was so close to buying one a few months ago but sold a week before I had all the money… ended up with a first Gen triumph speed triple 1050 (white/blue) in mint condition from the 2nd owner with only 12.5k miles for $2900 😂 best purchase ever! It almost was bad because the guy couldn’t find the title but his wife did an hour later haha
Hi Michael, the content is always valuable and I love the memory lane stuff, I had the RGV250 with the Banana swing arm on a J Reg,I loved it, too confirm it was horrendously bad at tank slappers when you was on the power so I bought a steering damper from a advert in the motorcycle News Ironically once I fitted it adjusted it up too Notch 5 that was the game-changer/lifesaver 😂😂😂😂
Great clip again, Michael 🎉 I remember the 04 ZX10R and R1 were the first bikes to claim 1hp/kg (172 of each). Claim, that is. Wonder which was the first production bike to actually accomplish that (wet + dyno). Keep em coming, thanx!
Great stuff as always, Michael.. One current GP rider that never leg dangles is Brad Binder. It's interesting to watch, his riding style is amazing, he is always backing it in like crazy, and drifting at astonishing lean angles. A pleasure to watch🤙
my favourite thing about watching the underbones race at ARRC - on the TV stream sometimes you can see all 30+ bikes in the SAME camera shot on the same corner, even 5 or 6 laps in! doesn't get any closer than that
Love this one today again i have 2 x Gen 1 ZX10R I always wanted these because they are so raw and fun to ride . Still mix it up on the roads in AU with mates on there V4 Ducatis etc. It always make me smile when they look back and I am right on them or about to go around them. These are really special to me and also got a few zx12r 05 / 06 as well that I stir the boys up with. .I have made lots of changes to all of the bikes I own to make them suit me better. Great vids and always look forward to them - keep it up mate
Hi Neevesy! I'm from Portugal and looking to start doing track days, but it’ll also be my daily bike for commuting and weekend trips. I’m torn between several bikes: an older gen Yamaha R1 crossplane, a 2008 CBR1000RR, a Gen 2 Hayabusa (always loved it, especially after seeing your video of one on track!), a GSX-R1000 (k7-k8 or stretching my budget to a k9-l0), or a ZX-10R (2008 or stretching my budget to a 2011). The CBR is cheaper here, about €2000 less than the others, but I’m worried about potential oil issues. GSX-R750s are also great, but they’re too expensive. Any advice on which one would suit my needs best? Thanks!
Hi, interesting to hear you talking about the superbikes from 2004. I got a standard, low miles 2004 honda CBR1000rr. If you ever want to do a review or comparison of Supervises from this year, you will be wecome to use my bike. Love these videos. Cheers
As usual love the videos you are producing Even more impressed with the as usual humble personality/skills and experience you have. I am sure you could hold your own with company of other riders on track. Very admirable Mr Neevesy 👍👍👍👍 Can’t wait for the next video. Thank you !
Hey N, regarding the Q about corner entry... maybe you can do more "link in the description" as you have a couple of incredibly informative track day tips videos from 2 and 4 years ago that many viewers may not know exist. I've just begun to do track days this year, after a 40 year absence, and I refer back to them constantly.
I think a 2006-2016 R6 cannot be beaten for a track bike. I’m on my 3rd R6 as I have tried breaking away a couple of times and keep returning. Get a shifter & blipper fitted, or pick up a sorted ex race bike / track bike. Mega things !
Thanks for the great educational videos. My question is about 4-session track days that I see more and more now. Unless I've missed something, you're losing 25% of your track time as each session is 15 minutes instead of 20. My tyres would have just warmed up by the time the checkered flag comes out. And it seems these 4-session days cost the same as 3-session days. I thought shrinkflation was just a Jaffa Cakes thing! What are your thoughts?
I hope that India takes the lead in manufacturing from China. There is a lot of corruption in India. But, they are a benevolent country toward the West. And, the Indian people are fantastic!
It would have been interesting to know what time you got and particularly in comparison to what you got earlier in the day once you had learned the track and knew where you were going. I seem to remember that Chris von Grumble did a 1:44, which is pretty quick. Chad gave his times through the day, presumably to show the difference the data and electronics were making (and he already knew the track well so improvements wouldn’t have been down to getting to know the track). Nobody would think less of you if you weren’t the fastest (or even if you were the slowest - I don’t think anyone they invited was slow.
1st gen ZX-10R was prone to bad tank slappers without a steering damper. Agile bike, but all the weight savings didn't make it very durable. 1st gen had the front wheel recall, the generator issues, the plastic ram air duct that would sag, weak radiator mounts, and frame cracking to name a few. In a previous video, he mentioned Chris Northover was one of the fastest journalist.
Its been awhile but I remember the first gen ZX10 to be a very fast bike certainly faster than the GSXRS of the day even the K5 when it came out in a straight line anyway. The bike didn't handle very well nor did the next generation ZX10. Most people i knew ran the wheel all the way back or extended the swingarm 2 inches.
and now what do I watch in the toilet on a Monday morning?! Jokes aside... This was a pleasant surprise! Certainly good to listen to in the background while doing Sunday evening chores.
Love these weekly vlogs But the adverts are destroying it 6 blocks of 1 minute ads I’ll stop watching if this carries on don’t mind short ones I can skip after 5 seconds the ads tell me not what to buy
I payed to get rid of the ads. I resented having to do this, but man, the difference in the watching/listening experience is well worth it. (I don’t work for YT!!)
Thanks Neevsey! You are typically quite modest about your skills, knowledge and insight (part of what makes listening to exactly that such a pleasure). Today, speaking of lap times, you put off the notion that you'd even be interested in 'going for it,' which I totally get. But it made me think that once upon a time, in your early days as a journo, that you might have 'gone for it,' testing your limits as well as the bikes. I, and I think a lot of us, are older riders (seems the riding demographic has shifted towards older folks - I myself am in my 60s, hard to believe) who have mellowed over time. Maybe that's a topic of interest to you and us - what it means to be an older rider. Cheers!
Thing about ZX10R today is, they are usable to the max. I have a Panigale V4 SP2 30th Anniversario 916, a Gsxr1000K2, Bmw r1250gsa, burgman 400 scooter and lastly but not least, my favourite usable everyday bike, my ZX10R C1H. My Panigale ain't usable to the max for sure but the 10 is just epic. Feel free to make mine a user if you like Mr Neeves😉, I trust you not to drop it😂👍
Gen 1 zx10r owner, fully done w velocity ported super stock head, Intake cam, degreed, full arata, gen4 stacks,BSTS, ETC... still my favorite bike to date. also have a V4 speciale, 748/1098 and 96' zx7r in the garage..gen 1 makes me smile the most ..by far
lol dream garage! But I’d swap that Panigale for a new m1000rr & have a 1199 or 1299 S as my “twin” bike haha
Much better release time than Monday morning
Thank you!
Video on a zx10 would be good
Only the k5 beat it the following year
What a Sunday treat!
I would love to see you on a first gen ZX-10R. I have two of them, a green one & the rarer orange one. They are great bikes. The suspension was set way too hard from the factory IMHO, which led to that skittish behaviour. Nevertheless, I have always ridden with steering dampers. The first gen R1 was more of a widowmaker, I had a number of tankslappers on that model, the last one putting me in a ditch. Always rode it with an Ohlins steering damper after that. As another post says, the kawasaki is a bit like a two stroke, it takes off at 8k RPM. I also have a HP4 Competition but have just as much fun on the 10R's. I also have a 2002 R1, great bike but seating position is poor in comparison. Looking for a GSXR750 but are hard to get here these days. Modern Superbikes are just too expensive for what they offer on the road & are contributing to their own decline.
I had my first gen zx10r at Phillip island 2 days ago on some fresh supercorsas. Awesome bike, I’d only change it because it’s getting too hard to get parts for if I crash it
I really appreciate your attitude towards lap-times in a non-racing environment.
I had an 04 zx10r, sorted the suspension, brakes, full system, what a motor insane awesome on a smooth track but a horrible road bike moved onto a 09 Blade best bike I've ever owned outstanding even today.
I time last summer i took my gs 2010 to track. Suprisingly it teached me to trail brake as it has no dive so i could brake later while leaning. After that my driving with speed triple improved as i would trail brake better as the gs sort of showed me how it can be done.
I have a 2004 ZX10R that I have had since new. Done a lot of upgrades over the years and even tho I have an MT-10, I still like riding the Kawasaki every once in a while. Not many left in good shape here in the US.
I think the bikes that were sketchy to ride, were mainly down to the tyre tech of the day. Tl1000, would tie itself in knots from that weird rotary rear shock, then over whelm the tyre. Stick a modern set on and it's ok. The shock is still an issue (most have been changed by now), but it's not as sketchy as it was back then. 98 R1 it was easy when they came out to overwhelm the rear. Again with a modern set on, it's ok. I would offer up the Kawasaki H2, a bike it's very easy to be going far to fast on. That a 240 kg + rider bike has any business doing. :)
14-16 SP blade or a 17SP with the bells and electronic whistles...the earlier models will have more soul than the later ones but which would you choose and why...keep up the great content
2017 SP in my humble opinion.
The only bike that I’ll never sell
I'd say the RC8R was the last bike that was lairy enough to deserve the 'widowmaker' moniker. I'd love to ride one fitted with the latest rubber to see how it feels now.
Lairy is another good adjective.
hm.. I entered the world of metal in the fall of 2002.. I was almost a child 🙄
Re Indian bikes. India has enormous import tax protecting its manufacturing. They're using Western designs/technology while we're losing skilled jobs, leading to the low paid low skilled welfare dependent jobs we now have. Triumph? British company? Creating 1000's of skilled jobs offshore but a miniscule number here. Is it any wonder the young here can't afford to get into biking.
Firstly, we don't have "enormous import tax" here in India. I ride a 23' bmw 850gs and it costed me the equivalent of 13000 gbp here which is about similar to what you'd pay including vat, tax and insurance. Secondly, people who work in manufacturing sector are paid peanuts here but inflation has sky rocketed post covid and people are barely scraping through. IT is still the highest pay masters here as it is everywhere else. Your youth are simply lazy and want easy money so its more of a UK problem so don't blame us for the state of your country.
I wonder what this mystical "western design/technology" is that we are using? care to name a few? Japs kicked your english motorcycle industry's asses some 50 yrs ago and all you've done is play catch up till now. Entitlement galore!
I think that’s a legacy of the real Evil Empire… have a read into the East India Company… everything is cyclical, it’s going to be Asias turn at the top…
I think we were the Evil Empire! 😬
Got 2 one totally standard with 7k on it and a highly modified one with bitubo hdx 00 suspension . Carbon dymags .akroa evo .
I owned a 2004 ZX10R for two and a half years put 30k miles on mine, fantastic fun, mega light feel and almost two stroke like power band.
I put K Tec fork internals and a Nitron NGR rear shock, steering damper, brembo RCS and a full system which made it feel more refined overall.
Compared to newer stuff it's not a patch but then the C1H is 20 years old now !
I wonder just how deep TVS pockets are with Norton?
It's always interesting listening to your calm, informed views.
I had 954 when new. Great at track. Needs a steering damper. And a pc and ex can. But eats brake pads. They always wear out crooked. Gsxr with radial brakes gives more options to upgrade the brakes.
I had a '99R1 with an 05 ZX10R both completely lairy bikes, which is part of the allure and fun! The ZX10R was so fast so flickable; still have a K5 GSXR1000 which is I think THE superlative superbike of that era.
I was so close to buying one a few months ago but sold a week before I had all the money… ended up with a first Gen triumph speed triple 1050 (white/blue) in mint condition from the 2nd owner with only 12.5k miles for $2900 😂 best purchase ever! It almost was bad because the guy couldn’t find the title but his wife did an hour later haha
I have an 05 Green, 5K miles all stock. Looking for a K5 in similar condition. Would consider trade or cash buy.
Hi Michael, the content is always valuable and I love the memory lane stuff, I had the RGV250 with the Banana swing arm on a J Reg,I loved it, too confirm it was horrendously bad at tank slappers when you was on the power so I bought a steering damper from a advert in the motorcycle News Ironically once I fitted it adjusted it up too Notch 5 that was the game-changer/lifesaver 😂😂😂😂
Great clip again, Michael 🎉 I remember the 04 ZX10R and R1 were the first bikes to claim 1hp/kg (172 of each). Claim, that is. Wonder which was the first production bike to actually accomplish that (wet + dyno). Keep em coming, thanx!
Great stuff as always, Michael..
One current GP rider that never leg dangles is Brad Binder.
It's interesting to watch, his riding style is amazing, he is always backing it in like crazy, and drifting at astonishing lean angles.
A pleasure to watch🤙
my favourite thing about watching the underbones race at ARRC - on the TV stream sometimes you can see all 30+ bikes in the SAME camera shot on the same corner, even 5 or 6 laps in! doesn't get any closer than that
Love this one today again i have 2 x Gen 1 ZX10R I always wanted these because they are so raw and fun to ride . Still mix it up on the roads in AU with mates on there V4 Ducatis etc. It always make me smile when they look back and I am right on them or about to go around them. These are really special to me and also got a few zx12r 05 / 06 as well that I stir the boys up with. .I have made lots of changes to all of the bikes I own to make them suit me better. Great vids and always look forward to them - keep it up mate
Love the new Alpinestars helmet in your livery. Superb!
Hi Neevesy! I'm from Portugal and looking to start doing track days, but it’ll also be my daily bike for commuting and weekend trips. I’m torn between several bikes: an older gen Yamaha R1 crossplane, a 2008 CBR1000RR, a Gen 2 Hayabusa (always loved it, especially after seeing your video of one on track!), a GSX-R1000 (k7-k8 or stretching my budget to a k9-l0), or a ZX-10R (2008 or stretching my budget to a 2011).
The CBR is cheaper here, about €2000 less than the others, but I’m worried about potential oil issues. GSX-R750s are also great, but they’re too expensive.
Any advice on which one would suit my needs best? Thanks!
Hi, interesting to hear you talking about the superbikes from 2004. I got a standard, low miles 2004 honda CBR1000rr. If you ever want to do a review or comparison of Supervises from this year, you will be wecome to use my bike. Love these videos. Cheers
As usual love the videos you are producing
Even more impressed with the as usual humble personality/skills and experience you have. I am sure you could hold your own with company of other riders on track. Very admirable Mr Neevesy
👍👍👍👍
Can’t wait for the next video. Thank you !
Hi Michael. Great video. You watching the MotoGP? What a recovery by Martin over the weekend. Incredible resilience. Who will win in 2024? Cheers.
Hey N, regarding the Q about corner entry... maybe you can do more "link in the description" as you have a couple of incredibly informative track day tips videos from 2 and 4 years ago that many viewers may not know exist. I've just begun to do track days this year, after a 40 year absence, and I refer back to them constantly.
Video on 2000 GSXR 600 SRAD would be great as I have one and would like the opinion of a knowledgable person, cheers Michael.
Great answer to final question. I'm impressed.😊
I think a 2006-2016 R6 cannot be beaten for a track bike. I’m on my 3rd R6 as I have tried breaking away a couple of times and keep returning. Get a shifter & blipper fitted, or pick up a sorted ex race bike / track bike. Mega things !
Thanks for the great educational videos. My question is about 4-session track days that I see more and more now. Unless I've missed something, you're losing 25% of your track time as each session is 15 minutes instead of 20. My tyres would have just warmed up by the time the checkered flag comes out. And it seems these 4-session days cost the same as 3-session days. I thought shrinkflation was just a Jaffa Cakes thing! What are your thoughts?
great Q&A video. Really enjoyed this one (as pretty much every one), especially on the mega classic zx10
Hello Neeve ,
YOU HAVE NOTHING TO PROVE, ENJOY YOUR LIFE. 😺
Love the paintwork on your astars lid
😙👌🏼
Hi Neevsey. I had a TZR 250 2ma. Many a tank slapper I had from that awesome 2 stroke!
I hope that India takes the lead in manufacturing from China. There is a lot of corruption in India. But, they are a benevolent country toward the West. And, the Indian people are fantastic!
With insurance premiums on the (huge) rise, in the future maybe TVS size bikes will be the only thing we can afford to ride ;-)
It would have been interesting to know what time you got and particularly in comparison to what you got earlier in the day once you had learned the track and knew where you were going. I seem to remember that Chris von Grumble did a 1:44, which is pretty quick. Chad gave his times through the day, presumably to show the difference the data and electronics were making (and he already knew the track well so improvements wouldn’t have been down to getting to know the track). Nobody would think less of you if you weren’t the fastest (or even if you were the slowest - I don’t think anyone they invited was slow.
Can you provide some history of your helmets behind you (loving the alpinestars version of your design)
10.53 Visceral, Vital, Unfettered,
Raw.
Great content as usual Neevsey but the Joe 90 spectacles were a bit distracting.😅
Another class vid mate
Love your take on stuff 🙌👌👍😎
I owned one from new and it was a sweetheart for me. However I can control my throttle enthusiasm.
1st gen ZX-10R was prone to bad tank slappers without a steering damper. Agile bike, but all the weight savings didn't make it very durable. 1st gen had the front wheel recall, the generator issues, the plastic ram air duct that would sag, weak radiator mounts, and frame cracking to name a few. In a previous video, he mentioned Chris Northover was one of the fastest journalist.
I see you got your super tech r10 painted. Looks mega
Appreciate how Quiet is ? lol…😂😂…Liar!
Congrats for the new Helmet on the shelf.
Cool one.
You’re a grown up Michael
Its been awhile but I remember the first gen ZX10 to be a very fast bike certainly faster than the GSXRS of the day even the K5 when it came out in a straight line anyway. The bike didn't handle very well nor did the next generation ZX10. Most people i knew ran the wheel all the way back or extended the swingarm 2 inches.
Thank you Sir.
15:08 these early memories are so sweet )
1st
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Love these videos
and now what do I watch in the toilet on a Monday morning?!
Jokes aside... This was a pleasant surprise! Certainly good to listen to in the background while doing Sunday evening chores.
Thanks mate 👍
Love these weekly vlogs
But the adverts are destroying it 6 blocks of 1 minute ads I’ll stop watching if this carries on don’t mind short ones I can skip after 5 seconds the ads tell me not what to buy
I payed to get rid of the ads. I resented having to do this, but man, the difference in the watching/listening experience is well worth it. (I don’t work for YT!!)
👍
Awesome video mate
Thanks bud 😊👍
Thanks Neevsey! You are typically quite modest about your skills, knowledge and insight (part of what makes listening to exactly that such a pleasure). Today, speaking of lap times, you put off the notion that you'd even be interested in 'going for it,' which I totally get. But it made me think that once upon a time, in your early days as a journo, that you might have 'gone for it,' testing your limits as well as the bikes. I, and I think a lot of us, are older riders (seems the riding demographic has shifted towards older folks - I myself am in my 60s, hard to believe) who have mellowed over time. Maybe that's a topic of interest to you and us - what it means to be an older rider. Cheers!
Thing about ZX10R today is, they are usable to the max. I have a Panigale V4 SP2 30th Anniversario 916, a Gsxr1000K2, Bmw r1250gsa, burgman 400 scooter and lastly but not least, my favourite usable everyday bike, my ZX10R C1H.
My Panigale ain't usable to the max for sure but the 10 is just epic.
Feel free to make mine a user if you like Mr Neeves😉, I trust you not to drop it😂👍
Not familiar with Norton, what had they done in the past
Absolutely love my gen 1 because it has no electronics.