The ZX12 was a one of a kind frame design... hence the battery location... a good price to pay for the awesome power though

I think the point is being missed here. The battery takes 10 mins to access because the petrol tank is situated where the battery would normally be. This is all done to keep the centre of gravity low to improve handling. The ZX12R even after 20 years is still one of the fastest bikes out there.

It really pisses me off when basic consumables like (batteries, airfilter, oil filter) are in difficult to reach places.

Yea it is a pain to get that off. Which is why it "should" have a positive battery terminal jumper that comes out. Also let's not forget that mounting the battery lower will lower the bikes CG, which improves handling characteristics, and that's important on a bike that already weighs 500+ lbs. Quick tip for you ZX12R owners, leave the bolt that requires all that extra dismantling off the next time. It's plenty secure with the 5 bolts that remain.

just looking at the following comments on a simple job, changing a battery on a 12R. what a load of wyning wimps just because it's a little bit difficult to get to it. when you want improved handling etc you have to trade one thing over another and getting the battery as low as possible is one improvement. I do my own maintenance as it's one of the joys of owning a absolute beasty of a bike. my 12R is now 14 yrs old but will piss over a lot of today's bikes with ease and thats one reason why I love it. why moan about a small maintenance job when the kick you get out of owning and riding a 12R is so rewarding. Doing the jobs yourself is rewarding too and also you know its been done right. There is very little i won't tackle myself.I have a 9R as well but the 12R is always my favourite. As soon as you go past 6000 rpm the surge forward is a real adrenaline rush, can't get enough. So stop moaning and get over it, just do it.

This is a great example of what I tell people when they ask my why I really like Honda: they have their engineering department all lined up. They make a reliable bike, and when the time comes for any type of maintenance, they make it as painless as possible.

I prefer to use wps lithium battery. Worked pretty good for my zx12r

45 minutes! is something wrong with you hands

Kawi definately addressed alot of the 12R’s maintenance woe’s with the zx-14, its similar but easier then the 12R’s, the 12’s are still a good machine though.

The ZX12 is a very special bike with a lot of cutting edge stuff built into it, I think they designed the frame then realized they still needed to put the battery somewhere. Most Kwaks have it under seat like normal.

Improve the brand he says. The ZX12r is engineered to compete among the best bikes in the world at the time and it was 1st or 2nd during its tenure but the battery is harder to reach than a Honda so I guess I need to complain to the internet . Put in a trickle charger port if it’s that big of a deal and stfu

Not to mention the freaking brake reservoir

By contrast, my Honda Pacific Coast required seven fairings and body panels to be removed and far more of the overall bike disassembled as a result to be able to access the innermost terminal of the battery. A terminal, I might add, that you could *see* just by opening the luggage compartment, but that no tool could safely reach without the aforementioned disassembly. A battery tender extender was a flat requirement, full stop. And my kawasaki versys just requires seat removal same as your VFR.

Well they fixed that problem with the ZX14, unreal takes me 5 mins on my ZX14, it's too bad they didn't keep the look of the 12R one of best ever looking bike.

Imagine how much weight Kawasaki could save if they simplified the design.

Absolutely!!!! Love my bike but for goodness Sakes it’s a pain in the Ass to work on!!!!

My 03 12R is a pain to work on no doubt, but one twist of that throttle on your 1st ride ontop of a 12R and you will realize it don't matter how hard they are to work on, its still the most raw exciting bike to own an ride bar none!!! Their absolute monsters with character to spare. You just don't get that with a bland feeling Honda...

I was under the impression that Ducati batteries could only be filled with Holy Water from the Vatican, and had to be charged with lightning bolts from the hand of g-d himself.

Its not that hard. Leave the top bolt out and I can change it in 10 minutes !!!!!

Don't get me wrong, the ZX-12R is a great bike....just a lil silly with the battery placement

So, in my grandfather's 1973 Suzuki I just: 1- grab a beer with one hand -2 open left side panel withe other hand 3- voilá,there's the battery and ONE screw to take it out if needed. So Kawasaki is 30 years of R&D behind...

In all fairness, I've owned six Kawas in my life...4 of the 6 had easy batteries to get to, but those other two...man, they were a pain hahaha

I use to have a 2000 zx12r and a 2004 zx12r....I feel your pain... they really are a serious pain in the ass to work on but god their extremely fun to ride at top speed....got a 2004 zx10r now...fast but its just not the same

I have a ZX12R 2000, and it's constantly conected to my tender when not riding. I just have the tender connected to the extra wire that as the purpouse of charging the battery without removing it. It as a red rubber cover. When riding, it sits in the sub frame, and its easily pushed out. For negative I use the exaust.

My 94 ZX7 is a twist of the key to remove the rear seat, pull of a lever for the front and there's the battery.

I love Honda for their simplicity. Simple is sometimes very complicated to achieve.

My 82KZLTD uses the key on a seat lock POP and the seat swings up to the right of the bike and BANG ! The battery is right in the middle of the bike sitting there smiling at you !

I actually don't remember much of the 748. I had a monoposto. And I remember using the key to raise the entire rear cowl and seat. But back then I was just a weekend rider.

You charged it but the battery will go dead again by the time you re-install it.

Honda further refined the process with the 6th gen VFR. They removed the lever completely. On mine you just turn the key and the seat pops off. Still 2 of those push pins to get to the terminals though.

well my brother had the zx6r and the battery was in the subframe his friend had told us that the next year ton the 12 they put the batter in the frame to place as much weight towards the center of the bike to imporve handling so this was done to balance weight

Agreed. I love Honda for it's rock-solid reliability, common sense and quality of build and assembly, and simplicity.

To think it came after ZZR 1100 (ZX11) There was only a seat bracket in the way for getting the battery out

In the tool kit, there is a weird socket that has a slotted hole, which is used as a "T" for that very cover. I didn't mess with that silliness..hahaha

Agreed, the cbr600rr is the same and the Ducati monster is pretty much the same too.

Holy moly batman! That's a serious PITA! I would get rid of it just for that! lol

You know, my dad rides a 2001 Kawasaki Concours and I ride a 2009 Yamaha FZ6R, and the both of us working on our bikes, I can gain access to my battery in about 3 minutes or less. Him? It takes him at least 15, and that is knowing where every bolt on his bike goes. So yeah, you can see that you do pay for higher levels of engineering on some bikes than others. That said, they are all beautifully built machines!

If you were just charging the battery or even jump starting,,,,there is a positive pigtail jumper harness that you can access in about 30 seconds on the left side of bike..it has a black rubber cover over it to protect it from shorts,,just pull out the connector and hook up to it,,,unless someone has put a battery in it at some point and didn't put the jumper harness in the correct spot so you can get to it freely.. Kawasaki put it there just for that reason. The ground wire can be attached to any part of the frame or engine block

That's why i like kick-starters.

At least no one will steal a battery.....ever.. lol

That's quite the adventure for a battery. I own a naked sv650s, this bike has to be one of the easiest thing to work on.

Concours 14 and ZX-14 have a similar set-up, albeit with a simple trap door that does not require the body tear-down like on this ZX-12.

A few days ago I stopped to help a guy that seemed to have so trouble with his bike (old cruiser type, I believe it was a Honda too but I didn't pay attention). His battery was acting up and it would only start if he wedged a tool underneath the battery. Perhaps it was just a damaged wire. However, he couldn't access the battery without a prop per cruise bike lift because the battery was placed low on the bike and only accessible from the bottom....

Problem is we've become a society that pays everyone to do everything for us, so engineers just figure that the owner will take it too a mechanic to fix every single little thing...

No other ZX - R has a chassis design like the 12, which is a brake through and that's what you like it so much, stability at high speed is second to none. I love Honda, but this is not a fair comparison.

Amen Billy! Honda is quality. Although I ride a cruiser, I appreciate all the engineering they do. Mine is a 2003 Shadow ACE 750, and I also have clear access to the battery. It takes three screws. Simple.

Same reason why i love Suzuki's

My Triumph 675 is one key turn and poof, seat off, battery sitting in front of you! haha

There are so many things I will be aware of when purchasing my next bike. It's little things like this that you don't really think of looking for during the purchase. Sometimes they can be a deal breaker...

most bikes has the same system with the battery under the seat, just like the honda. even my old GSX 550 from '83 - all i need is the key and then i have access to the battery

Its all in the name of lower centralized mass for better handling - the fuel tank is as low as possible which involved placing about half the tank under the front seat, replacing the battery, but better than having 20kgs fuel sloshing in top of the frame. This displaced the battery and the logical place is to put it even further down. This makes the bike handle better - but the tradeoff is inconvenience when you need to work on it. Gain some - lose some.

My dad has owned the same ninja he does that with his eyes closed man up dude

my yzf600r thunder cat is the same, i find it hard to believe why some bikes are so difficult to do even the most basic of maintenance on. my only gripe with the thunder cat is that you have to remove the left fairing for an oil change, approx 9 screws, about 5-10 mins

they were thinking that a stock bike that runs in the 9's should have it's components adequately placed.

I'm not sure how different the 07 vs 09, but it's wasn't as simple as it should've been on my KLR as well

Remember the old ads for Honda? "Follow the leader, he's on a Honda." I've always liked the forgiving handling of Hondas.

I got them off ebay, from a guy who got them off ebay Lol...I don't have a brand name unfortunately. The finish is amazing, the detail, the gloss of the paint...the fit is decent, but not as good as stock, and I will say if you go that route, you have to be confident in your dremel skills. A few hundred bucks, and a few hours was totally worth the looks that bike gets when I take it out

Dang...that seems like alot. Both my Yamahas are a piece of cake to get to the batteries :)

Agree.. I purchased a 4k mile A2 last year.. so I fitted a trickle charger cable. Well, I had to take half the bike apart to get to it! Kawasaki probably thought it was a great idea to tuck it inside the frame - Nope! 😐

I've got three of em, takes me about 10 minutes if that.

Same story on my GF's former ZX636R. The battery is actually sitting right under the tank mounts. The battery of my 999 and Hypermotard are incredibly easy to access. On the 999 you just take off 1 side panel and the Hypermotard is just 1 screw of the seat(but you know that already ;) ).

Haha what a difference in solving the problem of battery acces. Those things is easy to miss when purchasing a bike.

yes. Honda and Yamaha are the only bikes I will put in my garage now that I've had experiences with all kinds.

I have thought about selling it, but nothing related to this...I just need the room

Honda...Originally a motorcycle builder (then made their transition to other things) Kawasaki...Originally a ship builder (then transitioned to motorcycles) I'm partial to a company that sticks with it's roots

My sentiments exactly! This really has been a pain in the ass for me too; my bike is parked in an underground parking and at least once a year I have to go through this unnecessary ritual for no good reason. That's the main reason I'm getting rid of the bike!

The problem is they have extremely technical minded engineers design these things. What they need to do is get like Bob the motorcycle mechanic to look at the prototype designs and say hey wait this is stupid fix it before they ever start selling them. Most of the time the people that design this stuff would never have to work on them at all. They need to realize that some people will not buy the bike if they know its a pain to maintain.

I have a zx9r, and the battery is also very easy to reach, so its not a kawasaki issue. Maybe if Honda had something to match the zx12r, it would also need a weird place for the battery... if,if,if 😉😅

Kawasaki engines far superior to honda chocolate engines

Zx12r has fuel tank under the seat for lower centre of gravity. Battery is below that to lower the centre of gravity more. It's similar to MotoGP bikes in design. The regular fuel tank location is full of airbox instead of heavy fuel. The lower position of the weight helps a lot in acceleration and handling. The result is bye bye busa

took me an hour on my 2014 zx14r to install battery terminal leads for my battery tender; you'll need a six pack and at least a half a day when time to change the spark plugs: a nightmare!!!!

My Connie is somewhat complicated but not that bad.

Thanks my good man, I was a on a road trip this week (via my truck) and saw an 03 Viff in a parking garage...thinking "I need to get one of those"

My zx11 has easy access just like the Honda. I think this may just be a zx12 thing. They have an odd frame design which makes placement of things a bit different and obviously very difficult to access.

So the thin wire hanging to the left of the battery goes to the positive or negative terminal? I’m finally putting mine back together and o can’t for the life of me remember.

Positive battery terminal jumper out & your problems are fixed. I've done that on my 2000. & 2003. 12R just in case, much easier. Yup some stuff are strange on 12R but still that bike is the most epic bike EVER.. I don't even think about new bikes, for me there is only 12R I have 2000. & 2003. love them! I'm a big & heavy dude, sitting position & power is awesome, I can't see myself on any other bike..

bloody hell !! how much work ! Oh and Honda have improved the VFR, no lever now, you just turn the key and off pops the seat... :-)

my friend also told me that Honda bikes are so much easier to take care of

yeah, i guess some are worse than others, my friend has a kawasaki ER5 which doesn't have a fuel tap and requires you to pinch a pipe full of fuel and feed it behind the frame to lift the tank off to get to the rad filler cap.. kind of inconvenient when the bike kept overheating and dumping its coolant all over the road!

I have two Kawasaki zxr's and i agree.. just about everything is a fricking pain in the ASS to get to!

Thats what Trinith said as well....On mine, that lock also serves as the helmet lock (which I would never use) the lever is to discern which you are going to use...One day, I will have a 6th VFR..=)

haha , kinda glad I didn't go kawa now ... The 2012 V-Strom's battery sits in the same place as the honda's , right under the seat along with the fusebox , ecu , and starter solenoid , the most likely things to break during normal use , and can be accessed by just lifting the seat :) Of course the V-Strom wont be quite as fast as your ZX...

I use one on my first bike's battery, a plain, flooded lead acid one. It's going into its 6th year of service now and I'm starting to think I should replace it before it causes problems... The key is not to leave it on the float charger ALL the time. Take it off for a week or two and let it "breathe" a bit, then top it up again. But as a float charger, it isn't always charging - once it tops, it switches to very low power and monitors it, boosting charge rate only when needed.

I had a tender extension lead on it...the ground side got pinched and broke

45 minutes ? You got paws for hands or what ! That 12 will walk that honda all day it's worth the 45 minutes ! LOL

Wow, I had no idea. What WAS Kawasaki thinking?

lol there's a screw you tenderly touched on your battery box that Kawasaki put so you can attach a tender to and in worse scenarios jump start you motorcycle... HAHA you didn't have to do all that unless replacing battery... btw, I ride an 03 ZX12R for 8 years & became garage mechanic aficionado. after 2 busas, an R1 and others the ZX12R hands down

this is a hyper bike its in the region of say owning a Ferrari it was never meant to be practical it was meant to be enjoyed a lavish expense sitting in your shed or on your driveway with a grin on your mug everytime you think of it. yes its a pain to change but not impossible I just put an upgraded battery and some tender leads on mine that should keep it good for sometime! I also own a zzr1200 which is much simpler but nowhere near as much fun to ride:)

Funny that you asked that, for some reason, I've gotten that same question quite a few times the last few days. (Probably because of this video I suppose) I freehand drew the outline in pencil and painted it with $2 acrylic hobby paint. There a company called Decal-Orations that you can have a decal made...but their largest is about 1/2 the size of mine, and they take a good two months to ship. Good luck on your project Billy

Just bought a 2014 zx14 a couple of months ago. I had a GPS tracker installed, and after 1 week of being parked, it drained my damn battery. I spent about 30 minutes just taking the panels of so I can clip directly to the battery. Not even talking about pulling it out. Geez!

You make an excellent point

my zx6r b1h pop back seat/cover off via key. undo 1 bolt with socket or spanner, slide open the latch securing front seat and there is the battery 60seconds

I used to ride a 1987 VFR... Now I ride a 1994 zx6e... I love both bikes in equal measure, but I TOTALLY understand.

Funny thing is that ZX12R is sup'd to be lighter than a VFR800.

Your honda uses the same kind of battery tray that the 1986-2006 concours uses. A more modern superbike like the ZX12 is likely to be more hassle for a lot of things, not saying that it wasn't a daft decision to make the battery so hard to get to, but it isn't limited to kawi by any means.

Believe me my friend, I had a few WTF moments...without a service manual, i just had to call plays as I saw them. I originally thought only the frame panel had to come off....but when I found a bolt which was only accessible with the tank over off...I realized that I wasn't going to make the ride today. The sad part is proper maintenance would've had me pull the entire right side lower as well...I was so frustrated at that point, I just flexed it out of the way.

To change the air filter on my 96 triumph trophy (that I just sold), you had to remove all 3 carbs. I did a mod that prevented that, but the first time was a bitch. The battery was easy to get to though.

Want to talk about foresight? My ratty-ass '86 nighthawk never even CAME with a side cover to hide the battery, so it's out in the open on the side of the bike, just screaming, "I'm easily accessible should you need me!" LOL. Honda for life. Of course, I should probably invest in a new cover sometime soon...

That grab a beer step should be on the first page of every manual =)

I have connectors for my trickle charger running out the left side to avoid this problem. If you want a real problem try getting a swollen battery out. If you look closely at the battery area it's not smooth all the way in, the opening has a lip on either side that goes in for a about an inch which stops a swollen battery from sliding out.