cowboyjon
Reviewed: 04 February 2011
the best all round bike you'll get for the money
versatile - ok for commute and also lethal on the track, noise, simple bodywork, cheap and plentiful used spares, just the right amount of power - good set of tyres and you can get on the gas earlier and harder than the thous and pass them, handling, beautiful gearbox, reliability, headlights pretty good, riding position not exactly a goldwing but easier to live with than more modern sportsbikes,
very soft front forks - softest on any bike ive ever ridden, brakes fade badly on track - master cylinder is the problem, closed to open throttle can be jerky around town, styling may be ageing now but thats a matter of opinion - i could do without the old school long exhaust - a stubby looks better but messes with the fueling and is too loud for some track days, gsxr's very much a belly button bike - everyones got one
owned a fair few sportsbikes incuding a k5 1000 and k6 750 and i actually prefer this to all of them. I need a bike that's practical enough to get my 6'2" frame to work and also mental enough for trackday thrills, a bike that is ultra reliable, wont cost an arm and a leg to put right if i low side on track, isnt a buzzy 600 . . . This is the only bike available in the price bracket that ticks all the boxes. Im on my second k4 and theres nothing out there i could replace it with that wouldnt make me miss it, except maybe a new L1 750 with brembos and bpf forks, but then that costs twice the price and if i crashed on track it would be the end of my world!
