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Sports Tourer zx10r

12K views 37 replies 18 participants last post by  JohnnyB 
#1 ·
Has anyone ever toured on a zx10r and if so what mods did you do to make it comfortable? I previously had an old 1998 cbr900rr fire blade and could ride it all day.... But the zx10r is hurting after about 45 mins!
 
#2 ·
I did 7,600ish miles on my gen 4 in about 2.5 weeks and I didn't think it was that bad. It was bone stock, most of the time by the time I had to get gas I'd get off the bike and stretch a bit to help be less sore/stiff. I also had a tank bag I kept it soft so I could lay down on the tank if I was cruising on the highway for a bit.

I just picked up a Yamaha Stratoliner and I don't think I'd ever want to do another trip on a sport bike again. The factory bags are so handy and the riding position with the backrest and highway pegs are like riding a couch down the highway. Yet still handles decently enough. I never wanted to push my gen 4 too much when I was so far away from home, sure I went a lot faster in the corners than on a cruiser and you can definitely do tour on a zx10 but just isn't as comfy as a bike thats more made for that kind of stuff.

I would get a good seat, maybe some heavy bar ends to help reduce vibration in the bars if thats bugging you, some way to bring luggage with (i used a kriega combo pack with a tank bag) and a little cruise control thing is handy to help stretch out your right hand sometimes.
 
#5 ·
add some woodcraft clip on's with riser, to the rear sets and lower pegs. that will help with the ergo's. a good soft seat, and some soft bags (TDH, has some good ones, and a thread about touring with the gen 4-5).

Ski
 
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#8 ·
800?!?! I would've had to amputate my butt after a day like that. 550km was my max and I felt like dying.
 
#10 ·
I'm new to the Zx world, but I bought it in a large part to tour on, I came from an 05 R1 that I toured lots on. For me, I don't see the zx10 being extra uncomfortable to be on all day with just rear sets. Although I sat on a saddleman seat the other day and I think my ass is angry at me now for not already having one. I find the zx10 and my old R1 much more comfortable with leathers on, that extra bit of padding seems to help a ton compared to jeans.
 
#11 ·
i often done 2000 mile weekends on a Gen3 just for the buzz. i have also been away for a week at a time touring on it. A typical 2000 mile weekend would be a blast down to the French Riviera i keep it light with the luggage i made my own rack out of a spare pillion seat which makes it easy to strap on & remove it as you dont want to be leaving luggage unattended anywhere in Europe. i avoid tank bag as filling up every hundred to hundred & twenty miles is a pain in arse with a tank bag. The other thing is the miles i do at night on french toll roads & although against the law cruising typically at around 120 mph means im getting off the bike every hour or so to fill up. Iv done winter trips like this & obviously they are more painful because of the cold & anything not leather normally tears around the shoulders eventually. I bought a Zero Gravity seat after a few trips & have to say i wished id did it earlier. in truth ride superbikes long distances has a lot to do with your physical size and condition.
 

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#12 ·
Hi Michael

That's superb mate.
I just can't sit on it for that long. I've ordered rearset lowerers, gillies variobars, bigger screen...just need to sort a seating solution. Any recommendations?

I see what your saying about tank bag but would it be good to lean on?
Pete
 
#16 ·
Keep in mind that finding the right tank bag is a little more challenging on the Gen 4/5 because the front half of the tank isn't metal (magnetic tank bags might not work well) but a plastic cover.

I don't know where you live but if you're in a chillier climate, easily installed heated grips help a lot with hand and finger cramping because the grips tend to be a larger diameter than the originals.
 
#17 ·
I'm in the Uk mate, so heated grips on everything!

Tank bagwise .....ive been looking at the GIVIS which bolt around the petrol filler cap. or a bagster tank cover, but cant find one for a 2006.

Hoping all these mods work and I don't just go and buy an old vfr800 lol.
 
#23 · (Edited)
I don't know at which extent you make the difference between superbike and sport touring, but I ride the bike daily as a commuter, did at least a dozen of 500 miles trips (~800km) last summer (one trip = single day ride), longest was 600 miles (~950km, Québec city --> Rouyn-Noranda) last summer. The bike was 100% stock. Thinking of changing the windscreen to something else (not a touring one though). The biggest "mod" would've been my S21 tires. I'm almost done with them but at 6500 miles on them I can't be happier.
 
#24 ·
I don't know at which extent you make the difference between superbike and sport touring, but I ride the bike daily as a commuter, did at least a dozen of 500 miles trips last summer (one trip = single day ride), longest was 600 miles last summer. The bike was 100% stock. Thinking of changing the windscreen to something else (not a touring one though). The biggest "mod" would've been my S21 tires. I'm almost done with them but at 6500 miles on them I can't be happier.
I love my Zero Gravity Corsa windscreen on my Gen 2. It's taller and wider than stock and double bubble, but has the aggressive look that the touring screens don't. It works well for me and I'm a big dude.
 
#25 ·
This is exactly the windscreen I was looking at.

Now I just need to find a place in North America where they sell Louis' Liftstick... anyone had it shipped ? How expensive are the shipping & duty fees for this thing ?
I'd rather have this thing than buy a couple hundred dollars rear stand that I can't bring with me when I'm on a trip.
 
#27 ·
I also was thinking of doing a handlebar conversion for my Gen2 so I could be more comfortable on longer rides. The foot peg position and seat is fine for me, and the bike is a good size and fit for me, just the handlebars are a bit on the uncomfortable side, especially coming from a Ninja 650.
 
#29 ·
I couldnt think of a worse bike to ride long distance than my bike. I hate everything about it for long distance other than the seat isnt too bad for comfort.
I was thinking last week that id like to get a different bike for cruising on as the zx10 just seems to just be rareing to go all the time and the lack of low down grunt just makes cruising unpleasant.
There are sports bikes out there that beat the zx10 hands down for cruising but thats not why i brought a zx10. I brought one for spirited riding only.
 
#30 ·
I find my zx10 to be comfortable to ride starting at speeds of 120 km/h or 75m/h because the wind lifts you up a bit and takes the strain of your wrists and torso. Unfortunately it is above the speed limit of almost all highways in my region and other than freeways, it is not practical nor safe to ride at those speeds especially on backcountry roads or commuting in the city. As well, under 4000rpm the bike feels somewhat lethargic. But on a spirited ride, you soon forget all of that :grin2:
 
#36 ·
17/39 is np unless very tight stuff. the z1000 is pos compared to any inline 4 super. Not just the engine, but total design. All tour bikes; all cruisers, all production naked bikes, etc., are a testimony of poor riding skills and a total failure of riders failing to study simple riding books such as Twist Wrist II. Not about racing at all. The perfection of pro racing is not buying a 'hot' bike that looks cool and makes you feel good about whatever imagined, but that the pro guys demand certain handling problems to be addressed. Thank God for the Kenny Roberts as it was that group of ancients that gave us the supers of today.

Do not look anywhere but at the superbike. Don't change the grips or dork anything major. On the other hand, do whatever you want as it's your bike.
 
#37 ·
Yah, I tour on mine. In the mid 2000's manufacturers started swaying away from the design philosophy that dictated that reasonable ergos were necessary for production bikes and the evolution was toward egros that were more and more track-focused. There's a huge difference between my 2000 and my 2008 6r's.

That said, my present 'touring' bike is an 04 10r. I've done 14 hour days on it, and I've done an unofficial Iron Butt. Every Fall involves a week long pilgrimage from Canada, back and forth and all around Northern California, and back with a bunch of my buddies. Mileage varies according to the roads, 600 miles on the interstate is a completely different story than 600 miles on back road twisties. Our days are usually 8-10 hours.

After a few minor mod's, I absolutely love this bike for touring.
The single biggest improvement was to build a custom seat that fit me. I'm 6' tall and found that my longer shins lifted my thighs off the front of the saddle and focused weight on my butt bones. I used higher density foam and built it a bit wider and taller at the front, and sculpted it to fit to my natural seated position. Waaaaay more comfortable, and allowed me to better use my core to take weight off the bars.
I also like my leathers for touring. The ones I've got vent really well, and are versatile if you plan for adding and removing layers. I find I don't fatigue or get as sore in them as I do in my textiles. I've got a heated vest and a hyper kewl vest.
For luggage, I like my Givi tanklock tankbag, and I machined a mount to attach a pelican case in place of the rear seat. Not so sexy, but at least I've got room for clean underwear and rain gear, it's waterproof and it doesn't flop around and shift like soft luggage.

A lot of it though comes down to physical and mental conditioning. Having said that, I'm 43 and am not as in-shape as I was when I was a kid, so go figure.
 
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