I bought the GTR1400 as I feared the alleged instability problems with the Honda ST1300, Yamaha's FJR 1300 seemed to be too expensive considering their build, options list etc and the BMW's were far too "Job". I also loved the look of the bike in Black, whereas to my eye the Grey colour scheme isn't as attractive. I asked the dealers why they all seemed to have Grey and the answer was that the Black shows every mark. This is true!

The bike is fantastic in many ways, it's a pussy cat to ride up to about 5000 revs then completely changes and becomes "a bit of an animal."  It does high speed touring very well and when I say "high speed" I mean "high speed" your Honour! It pulls strongly and gets to ballistic speeds amazingly quickly, only let down by the standard screen. The brakes are excellent but you are aware of lots of weight pressing on the 120/70/17 front tyre! The ABS is light-years ahead of the agricultural system fitted to old K series BMW's but the rear still releases at the merest hint of slip.

The engine starts on the first press of the starter and runs very smoothly virtually straight off. The throttle is a little snatchy across the temperature range so a level of concentration is needed to keep it smooth. The riding position is good for me but there's no adjustment to either bars or seat, which is offered on the other big tourers, no heated seat, no stereo etc, etc. There's room within the huge fairing so why not Mr Kawasaki??

The bike handles really well for a big tourer but is very, very sensitive to both tyre wear and tyre pressures. It has a tyre pressure gauge built into the on-board computer that is useful but get used to buying tyres as although they may have some life left in them as far as the law is concerned the affect on handling is awful. The biggest flaw of all is the ridiculous petrol tank range! 135 to 150 miles before the big petrol pump symbol starts flashing constantly in the centre of the display! You don't want to run out, this is a monster to try to push!

The panniers are huge. They swallow a full face lid and leave lots of room for other stuff all around. They are waterproof and lock easily. The Kawasaki Pannier bags are really good quality but swallow lots of the available room in the pannier and therefore are of mixed use. The standard top box is of good quality but small and looks totally wrong. It's almost as if a courier has stuck on his working box! You 4:2's on Blackbirds with Rickman boxes bungeed on take note!

The GTR doesn't suit us with short legs as the saddle is huge. It's also very heavy! Push a 600 sports bike around then move this and it's like moving a house!

The build quality is very good, especially for a Kawasaki with good paint on wheels, engine cases etc but the hidden screws and bar end weight bolts are the usual rubbish so don't be surprised at brown screws and rust staining!  The paint on the huge exhaust is holding out but I can't see it lasting another winter! The finish on the plastics is also weak in that the knee pad areas wear and the width of the panniers and mirrors mean that they are easily bashed. The wheels are a complicated design that makes them difficult to clean thoroughly. 

I stuck lots of those black "bumper protector" strips on the tops and sides of the panniers and also smaller protectors on the tips of the mirrors otherwise a respray awaits. Kawasaki offer a plastic coating across the whole of the bike. Mine was second-hand so didn't bother but perhaps I should have! I haven't got the Kawasaki side protectors fitted as the kit is about £400. It looks better than "Bungs" but that's serious money and the bike takes a very low speed drop onto it's side very well.

Why oh why couldn't they have "designed in" more protection for your hands? I have heated grips that help but muffs don't work as they cover your view of the mirrors. The protection offered by the fairing to your feet is good but ironically they are perfectly positioned to get soaked when you ride through a puddle!

Christian Hudd

The Good

Excellent looks

Excellent engine

Excellent panniers

Excellent riding position

Excellent visible build quality

The Ugly

Ridiculous tank range

Useless screen

Too heavy

Eats tyres

Few standard-fit luxuries

The Bad

Poor out-of-sight build quality

Poor pannier bags

Poor standard Top Box

Poor weather protection for hands

Lack of built-in protection to panniers and mirrors.