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| Friday, 27-Oct-2006 12:00 |
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DarkAngel is gone - Test Review
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1993 ZZR 600 E Review – by Atok’
This article covers my first week ownership, although I should start by mentioning a few things about me (to put things in perspective). First, I'm 5'7" (170cm) and 69Kg), so not exactly tall but with this baby, I can get my feet flat on the floor and heavy enough to make suspension work for it's living. Secondly, while I haven't owned or ridden a great number of different bikes, but my previous bikes have included a Suzuki GS500E 94’ (my sensible phase) and a 1997 Honda NSR150RR, so there is some spread of experience.
I just bough this baby called DarkAngel in Jan 2004. it was black in colour. To be fair I had already been for a brief test ride so this wasn't, strictly speaking, my "first" impression but here goes...
Physically the ZZR600 E appears to be quite a large bike - especially after some time served on a smaller machine. Pull out the choke (it has one for cold starting), and push the starter. A nice rapid turning of the engine quickly followed it firing into life. The engine warms very quickly (as indicated by a analog temperature gauge on the panel) and the choke can be pushed in very soon, leaving the engine purring contentedly.
I say purring, the engine note at tickover has a nice gruff edge to it and while it's not as quiet as some, it could still do with a bit more noise. A new can would also get rid of the, rather pointless, catalytic convertor (very expensive if you drop the bike!) free up a bit more power, and reduce the weight by a couple of Kg.
I climbed on-board and most of that size vanished - it was just right. Comfy, not too tall (I'm on the balls of my feet, rather than flat) and quite heavy to paddle around. Riding out of the seller yard (quite an awkward exit), it proved to be a lovely, smooth engine. You can feel a tiny amount of vibration, but it pulls very cleanly from tickover. The clutch has a good feel to it, not the lightest but certainly not heavy and very predictable when maneuvering at low speed. Both the clutch and brake leavers are span adjustable, and I believe that the bar clamps can also be unbolted and rotated through 180 degrees in order to provide a slightly longer reach to the bars. This may be handy for taller riders or people with exceptionally long arms, but the standard setting is certainly fine for me.
Something I had read about, but not remembered, was that most new bikes now have permanently wired lights - the only switch available is to toggle between high and low beam. But, this bike have a switch for the lamp. This isn't too bad, it just means that you want to get the bike fired up as soon as possible so that you aren't draining the battery.
It was pouring with rain when I collected the bike and I must admit to feeling a bit tentative - shiny new tires on wet roads do not mix well. I desperately wanted to get the tires scrubbed. I had heard that the next day would be better, so I headed straight home. While putting the bike in the garage I realized that I needed to park it in backwards as there is nothing to put a chain through on the left side - parking forwards would mean that I could only attach it to one of my ground anchors. On the right, you can just about get the chain through the frame (over the pipes). It was at this point that I also discovered how much difference a few extra kilos makes when pushing a bike backwards into a garage.
Saturday came and my first "proper" ride. The roads were still a quite wet and the tyres still new, so I was taking things carefully. You could feel the grip improving as they lost their shininess.
For the first few miles, I was a bit more cautious about filtering on the larger bike (the mirrors are actually the main issue here). I was soon, however, back to filtering though gaps (almost) as tight as those that I would go for on the GS500 - I'm certainly no courier but I still like to try and find a way to the front.
The guidlines for running in basically state that you should ride normally, not over cautious, just avoid very rapid acceleration and the redline, also the engine should not be allowed to "labour". You should also try to make full use of the gearbox. I make mention of that last point as, when on-board the ZZR600 E1, it is very tempting to just ride around in top gear - especially when just sweeping down A roads - as the bike will happily pull this gear (5th) from just above tickover right through the rev range.
Once on the open road, the bike proved to be surprisingly maneuverable. While you can feel that you are riding a fairly substantial machine, she could be hustled though bends quite happily with a nice solid feel.
The drive from the engine is fantastic - not as frantic as the GS500s, but just rapid, smooth acceleration (even when being gentle) in any gear you care to choose.
I mentioned the almost automatic nature of the engine, the only thing I will say is that while a six speed gearbox is fine for the most part, 120kmh is roughly 5000rpm in top gear.
I’am cruising on the highway and it give me a breathtaking accellaration and did’t found any problem to reach up to 220kmh. in the beginning, this bike is too heavy for me but I’am feel more confidence and it make me to lay down on the road with no hesitate because I’am very surprise with it stability.
I stopped for lunch in what turned out to be a very nice little restaurant. It's a place that I have been past a hundred times, and always thought that I should try, had a pleasant meal, then headed for home just as it started spitting with rain. Once home, the total distance covered so far was 180km. I gave the bike a wash and a polish, covered it in WD40 and Scottoiler FS365 (anti-salt spray) and put her away.
To Be Continue…
Coming soon>> My first journey with this baby.
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bye bye darkangel..will miss U..
