[Gen-Eric]

Hello All,

Thanks to zx-10r.net for providing a stable community.



Who am I: Six years all season/weather riding experience on CBR 600rr. Clocked 58,000 miles in total.

Question/Statement: I recently purchased a new 2016 zx-10r. I have a concern and a couple questions about this bike.

Clutch/Transmission (Concern):
Is not smooth on upshifts, in fact it feels downright broken. It feels like I have to be 100% precise on clutch and throttle engage/disengage, else it is clunky. There doesn't seem to be much room for feathering the clutch - I've adjusted the tensioner to where I get a couple mm of play in the lever. I've also had the bike do some weird sh*t when shifting into 4th - I can't really explain what it did, but it seemed like the ecu was doing something while I was doing something (I may have had KQS on - but I was definitely using the clutch lever to disengage/engage), and I was not accelerating hard.

With KQS On, upshifting seems decent enough, although it is no smoother than if I had it off and simply blipped the throttle while pre-loading the shifter. KQS feels clunky, and requires quite a bit of pressure to engage it (probably a good thing).

Downshifting/blipping seems ok enough.

Throttle (Question):
Throttle grip has a lot of play from side to side - I mean a lot - to the point where it is seriously distracting - How can I adjust that?

Front Brake Lever (Question):
My previous bike allowed me to adjust the brake lever tension - Can I do that on this bike? My index finger has to really stretch to engage the front brake, and when I do, the front brake is biting hard - it's not a huge issue, but there seems to be a lot more travel in the lever to the rest of my fingers that I could take advantage of...

Anyways, I'm really nervous about the clutch/transmission. It just seems much worse than my old CBR. Thoughts?

 

[turtle1000]

Hello All,

Thanks to zx-10r.net for providing a stable community.



Who am I: Six years all season/weather riding experience on CBR 600rr. Clocked 58,000 miles in total.

Question/Statement: I recently purchased a new 2016 zx-10r. I have a concern and a couple questions about this bike.

Clutch/Transmission (Concern):
Is not smooth on upshifts, in fact it feels downright broken. It feels like I have to be 100% precise on clutch and throttle engage/disengage, else it is clunky. There doesn't seem to be much room for feathering the clutch - I've adjusted the tensioner to where I get a couple mm of play in the lever. I've also had the bike do some weird sh*t when shifting into 4th - I can't really explain what it did, but it seemed like the ecu was doing something while I was doing something (I may have had KQS on - but I was definitely using the clutch lever to disengage/engage), and I was not accelerating hard.

With KQS On, upshifting seems decent enough, although it is no smoother than if I had it off and simply blipped the throttle while pre-loading the shifter. KQS feels clunky, and requires quite a bit of pressure to engage it (probably a good thing).

Downshifting/blipping seems ok enough.

Throttle (Question):
Throttle grip has a lot of play from side to side - I mean a lot - to the point where it is seriously distracting - How can I adjust that?

Front Brake Lever (Question):
My previous bike allowed me to adjust the brake lever tension - Can I do that on this bike? My index finger has to really stretch to engage the front brake, and when I do, the front brake is biting hard - it's not a huge issue, but there seems to be a lot more travel in the lever to the rest of my fingers that I could take advantage of...

Anyways, I'm really nervous about the clutch/transmission. It just seems much worse than my old CBR. Thoughts?

The trans in Kawi can be clunky I'm not sure if you have an issue but I do hear people say it's like that. I'm use to Kawi as 3/4 street bikes I've owned have been them.

The quick shifter has long kill and kinda feeds the power back so it can feel a little weird. If you've flashed it kills may have been lowered. I think woolich can lower it to 200 ms but don't quote.. guhl supposedly changes it too.

I have a little side to side play but it's not troubling to me and I'm not sure if that's adjustable..

You can adjust the length of pull but I don't think tension. It has a small nob that will extend or retract lever. It's quite slick actually. You turn it I believe

 

[Gen-Eric]

Thanks. Saw that little knob on the front brake before and tried to turn it but it wouldn't budge. Tried again this morning and realized I had to push the front break lever forward so the bolt could turn. Feels much better now. Also I'm getting used to both manually shifting and KQS. Shifts are getting better/smoother.

Hopped on my CBR after a couple days of breaking in the zx10r, and it's like I had never ridden the bike before. It feels so small, and the clutch lever and front brake are a complete nightmare to pull. I will say this though, that CBR can launch from a stop like a beast, lol. This zx10r is a slug from a stop (yeah I know I'm not pushing the revs high enough - nor have I tried the quick launch). I also understand that the bike is geared like that on purpose so people like me don't loop it.

Anyways, loving this Kawasaki, and thanks for the tip on the front brake adjuster.

 

[turtle1000]

Thanks. Saw that little knob on the front brake before and tried to turn it but it wouldn't budge. Tried again this morning and realized I had to push the front break lever forward so the bolt could turn. Feels much better now. Also I'm getting used to both manually shifting and KQS. Shifts are getting better/smoother.

Hopped on my CBR after a couple days of breaking in the zx10r, and it's like I had never ridden the bike before. It feels so small, and the clutch lever and front brake are a complete nightmare to pull. I will say this though, that CBR can launch from a stop like a beast, lol. This zx10r is a slug from a stop (yeah I know I'm not pushing the revs high enough - nor have I tried the quick launch). I also understand that the bike is geared like that on purpose so people like me don't loop it.

Anyways, loving this Kawasaki, and thanks for the tip on the front brake adjuster.

No problem it's set really for a far reach from factory. Enjoy it