Copyright (c) umgweb.com 1998
The big 1100 stuttered once or twice, then went dead. This was just a little worrying as it occurred with 130mph on the clock in the fast lane of a German Autobahn. It didn't feel the same as petrol running out, so all I could do was grab the clutch and free-wheel through a sea of Merc's and BMWs. Even in the slow lane they were doing 70 to 80mph, so they were not impressed by a dead Kawasaki slicing into their territory. Somehow, we made it to the side of the road without causing a massive pile-up.
Total electrical failure was the problem. The fuses were okay but the battery was dead as a dodo, totally devoid of any acid. I had to admit that in the 16000 miles I'd done on the bike from new I had not once looked at the battery. If it worked I tended to leave well alone. With my luggage on the back, the Kawasaki must have weighed about 550lbs. I could see a turn-off about a mile up the road, so there was nothing for it but to push the beast. It was a matter of pushing for a minute or so, then taking a breather. By the time I was off the autobahn I was next to dead. Luckily, it was downhill all the way to a small village, so I could sit astride the ZZR, doing about 3mph.
Of course, they didn't have any motorcycle batteries, but I bungeed a small car battery on the pillion perch and wired it up to the leads. The Kawasaki roared into life and I had to hurl the bike down a series of narrow country lanes until we met up with a main road that would take us the thirty miles to Cologne. The ZZR did not like being hurled around sharp bends that were hardly wide enough for a single car, speed often down to a pathetic 20mph as I struggled with the bars and mass.
Once on the main road, though, life improved considerably. I gave the bike a blast to clear away the summer heat, putting over the ton on the clock in an instant. The way the motor pumps out both power and torque is amazing. Any speed, up to 150mph, is just a twist of the throttle away even in top gear. Yet, the motor is so smooth and civilised at lower revs. It's hard to believe that anyone will better the characteristics of this mill.
Coming to a junction, I looked behind to check the battery was okay and was shocked to my core to find that half the seat and plastic panel were eaten away. The acid was boiling away so vividly I imagined that the battery was jumping up and down on what was left of the pillion perch. I pottered on for about two miles at minimal revs (it'll run down to 1500rpm in top if you have a gentle throttle hand) until I came to a garage.
I found the rectifier and snipped off its wires. Bought some distilled water to top up the battery and let all the bubbling subside. Had it not been a heavy duty auto item, I suspect that it would have been dead already. There was still enough power to churn over the engine and I had nine miles to do to reach Cologne. We lolled along at a fair pace, not sure if we would make it or not.
Having spent a couple of days in the city before, I knew where there was a Kawasaki dealer. We hit the town just as the rush hour was at its most intense. If I used the indicators it cut out the engine! It was pretty wild, manoeuvring the massive ZZR through the hectic traffic, baffling Kraut cagers with my obscure hand signals. The bike stalled 400 yards from the dealer's and refused to turn over on the starter. The push up a slight incline just about finished me off.
They were closing up for the night but agreed to put the bike in their workshop and give it a going over the next day. The mechanic gave me a lift into the town centre. As he rode a turbo charged Z900 this left me with weak legs and shaking hands. I staggered into the first bar I came to and grabbed a massive tankard of German lager. The evening quickly turned pretty vague after that. My clearest memory is waking up in the morning next to a huge German fraulien. I couldn't recall what we'd done but the way she snored and her ten gallon beer belly convinced me it was a good idea to do a runner.
More bad news greeted me at the Kawasaki shop. The rectifier and regulator were both wrecked, although the alternator was okay. Mucho bread went west on those, as well as a new battery. The seat and panel were taped over, their replacement would have to wait until I got back to the UK and could visit the breakers. The dealer reckoned he had one ZZR that had done the same trick to mine, so it's something to bear in mind when buying one.
That said, before that incident the bike had been ultra reliable, needing only a couple of shims in the valves, three carb balances and the usual oil/filter changes. Reassured that my electrical system was working okay, I proceeded to blast through Germany, spending a most enjoyable week in Berlin (very decadent) and putting another 4500 miles on the clock. I actually saw 170mph on the speedo in one high speed dash when racing a Porsche. . . . amazing to do that kind of speed without fear of arrest.
Brilliant place, Germany. Some of the Krauts complained about all the 'strangers' coming from the East and the cost of reunification but they were all amazingly patriotic. The car and bike mags slagged off foreign products even when other magazines said they were better than German vehicles. When pressed, the Germans always admitted that even if times were hard their massive trade surplus would see them through. The roads are fantastic fun, the bars and beer first rate, whilst the young women seem willing to drop their knickers at the hint of an English accent.
Even when thrashed, the Kawa turned in 45 to 50mpg, tyres lasted 4000 to 5000 miles (the bike runs okay on worn out tyres) whilst brake pads and chains are still original with 22500 miles done so far - I do ride in a smooth manner and don't indulge in wheelies or other stupidity. Although the ZZR is a heavy bike, it's no more difficult than a GPz750 that I used to own, to chuck around at lower speeds and one hell of a lot more stable at three figure speeds.
The suspension, which was originally supple and taut, lost some of its precision after the first 15000 miles but still stopped any of the wallowing or wobbling so rendolent of seventies superbikes - don't be taken in by this retro crap, I was there at the time and can tell you that bikes like ZZR's are miles ahead. Not least because the fairing is so good, giving excellent body protection even at insane speeds and throwing a smooth flow of air or water over the rider's head. Occasional pillions did complain about turbulence but I usually ride alone.
A lot of readers will insist that the machine is too large and powerful for UK roads. They are probably right as I'm close to losing my licence. The flow of power is so easily available that a moment's inattention lets the speed creep up to over the ton on motorways. It feels so relaxed and, yes, safe that it makes a mockery out of speed limits. The few times I've had to hit the brakes in fear, retardation has been incredible and I stopped a few yards before I expected, avoiding disaster. The way my balls bounced against the tank almost made me throw up, though!
I bought my bike for well under six grand and used they are available for as little as £4000. Compared to smaller bikes that's pretty good value in my book. As it's my only vehicle I use the bike for everything, from commuting to high speed touring. The only downer is that insurance is so expensive I've had to take the risk of TPF&T rather than fully comp. I can't think of anything I could trade the ZZR in for, even if I grew bored with the bike, which I haven't and won't. I've already planned another month on the Continent and I can hardly wait!
Dick
Return to Contents for ZZR's etc
As someone who has owned a CBR600, albeit a bit of a rat one, I grabbed the offer of a ride on Kawasaki's latest pretender to the throne with both hands. Truth to tell, I had not been too impressed with previous ZZR efforts. Bags of power, for sure, but too heavy and too fat-cat in looks.
The latest ZZR600 has enough subtle differences to throw off the shackles of the staid image of old. To my taste, not as stunning as the splendidly integrated CBR 600 but flash enough to give even the most ardent Honda protagonist pause for thought. A tad more comfortable than the CBR, I felt instantly at home even if the steering, at low speeds, needed slightly more effort, down to 25lbs extra mass and a two inch longer wheelbase. All things are relative and anyone brought up on old fours will find nothing but praise for the ZZR600's handling.
The gearbox was another matter. To be fair, Kawasakis do need rather more running in than other makes, so the crunchy, almost BMW noisy, feel may well have dissipated by the time more than the 3000 miles that were on this machine's clock have been done. The cush drive has been modified but I could not discern much difference to earlier machines - there was still a deal of unpleasantness at low revs in high gears if a sudden burst of power was employed. Once into third there was a marked improvement in the change and under acceleration the box became almost silky smooth.
Not that the early CBR could boast a smooth gearbox, either, although the latest version is okay. There's no excuse for sloppy boxes in a nineties machine and it's worth bearing in mind that a minor irritant at low miles may well become a major one once the first 50,000 miles have been accomplished. I know if I had one of these bikes there would be little that would keep me off the saddle and I'd do at least 25000 miles a year.
The ZZR is certainly faster than earlier CBR600s. In fact, I could see little reason to buy anything bigger.......the damn thing would growl through the ton in fourth gear without being in the slightest bit flustered, then power up to 140mph before its lack of cubes began to tell. 160mph could be put on the clock without any problems. Far too fast for even vaguely safe travel on UK roads, it at least meant that the machine could tour on German autobahns at 120 to 130mph without losing a moment's poise.
The ZZR is easily the smoothest of the 600s, although none of them could be said to vibrate harshly (at least not when newish and in good tune). The very slightest of tingles was noted in the midrange during the first day's riding but so mild was its nature that it soon faded into the background. Neither my extremities nor any part of the machine suffered
With the six hundreds all making nigh on a hundred ponies, top speeds are becoming rather academic even at this capacity. Careful aerodynamics are more likely to yield the higher top speeds than extracting even more power out of the watercooled DOHC four cylinder engines. The ZZR's fairing was surprising in the amount of protection it gave to knees and hands (I'm slim, I doubt if it would do much for a 200lb gorilla) although the screen would have benefited from another twelve inches in height. I don't like racing crouches which was the only way to stop the helmet buffeting above the ton.
Stability was fine even when the bike was attacked by back roads that had not seen any tender loving care for a decade or so. The suspension was tauter than the previous model which kept the 450lbs in line but could allow a bit of a bone shaking ride on the really rough stuff. The bike never felt like it was going to flop over when riding through the worst pot-holes but my back felt like it could do with a day off to recover. If it was my bike I would be happy enough with this compromise between comfort and stability.
Previous experience of Kawasaki suspension units would suggest, though, that they go off tune come the end of the guarantee, although they may be of higher specs these days. The same goes for finish, a lot of their bikes looking a bit tatty after just two or three years, although I could not fault the ZZR, not even the black exhaust down-pipes had yet started to rust. Also, the fit of the panels was better than in previous efforts.
Town work was a bit fear inspiring. Not because the motor was vicious (it wasn't, although eight grand was needed for the really hard power) but because I was always worried that the bike would slide away on the greasy road surface. The Michelin tyres were magnificent grippers at high speeds but at town speeds I had absolutely no idea what they were going to do. On a couple of occasions I felt the front wheel start to slide away with no warning when it hit a bit of diesel. To be fair, there was always time to react and it recovered its poise rapidly enough. I hate to think how much it would cost to replace the plastic.
I dare say some race track jockey could write reams on how the wheels let loose as he dug into a corner at 120mph, but your humble scribe could find nothing else to complain about at higher speeds. I figure you'd have to be riding at such diabolical velocities to upset the ZZR in the corners that if anything did go wrong then you wouldn't survive to tell the tale. The wrap-around alloy frame is more or less state of the art, as is the alloy swinging arm but the whole plot could be lighter and stronger if more attention was paid to the engine/frame interface.
More pertinent are running costs. I found fuel varied between 40 and 63mpg, averaging out at about 48mpg, although you'd do a lot better than that if you always obeyed the speed limits. As the engine revs to 14000rpm but pulls smoothly from 1500rpm (in the lower gears) there's obviously a huge range of power to play with. It's a pussy-cat up to 6000 revs but moves sharpish enough to clear away from most cagers at the traffic light GP. A useful power punch for the next 2000 revs is then followed by the grin inducing, arm wrenching stuff. Wheelies are but a violent twist of the wrist away. Maybe I'm getting old, but I rarely found it necessary to use anything close to the power's potential.
With 4000 miles on the clock by the time I gave the machine back the rear Michelin looked good for little more than a 1000 miles whilst the front was about half worn. Not outrageous wear for this kind of nutcasers' carriage, but expensive nonetheless. The O-ring chain didn't need any adjustment during my all too brief tenure. The engine is a wickedly complex beast, so much so that after running in and a proper service it'd probably be left to its own devices. As they are designed to withstand a thrashing more mild use should see long engine life.
I had some great times during a weekend of hard charging, a particular favourite being rushing up near vertical hills, throwing the ZZR off the top and being well impressed by the way, when both wheels finally hit the ground again, that instant, immense security was regained without so much as a twitch. All that madness at over the ton. If I did the same trick on some of the old hacks I've owned, even at half the speed, the bike would've thrown me right off in retribution. My pillion was clinging on for dear life, though, even on the Kawa!
If you talk nicely to your dealer you'd probably get a new one for around five grand and there's the odd used one filtering on to the market at around £4000. Too much for me and I'd still buy the CBR600 if I had that kind of dosh to off-load. The Honda has a slightly harder edge and more feedback, as well as one of the toughest motors around. Five years down the road I'd be quite happy to buy either one at a bargain price.
Dick Lewis
Return to Contents for ZZR's etc
Not being a great fan of the race replicas, I was quite taken by a ZZR400 that a friend of mine had acquired from the local grey importer. I had a few brief blasts on the bike, found it needed revs to get anywhere fast but that it felt secure on its seventeen inch wheels, though surprisingly heavy turning - it weighs 435lbs. Other than some corrosion on the wheels it was in excellent condition, reflecting the 6000 kilometres on the clock. My mate decided to trade-in for ZX-9, offered me the ZZR for £2400. I decided it was time to move on from my Z550, before the old four finally blew up or fell apart.
The ZZR was only sixteen months old. Everything worked with revelatory precision after the old hack. The suspension, running on stronger springs than stock, made the roads seem a lot smoother than before, whilst the bike hurtled around corners with an unknown fidelity. It was a simple matter of much more smiles per mile. Acceleration was good but nowhere near the levels of my friend's ZX-9, which left him with his eyeballs poking out of the back of his head. Within a month I was yearning for a bigger bike. That's the big problem with Japanese fours, it's all down to their power kicks.
No problems from the Kawa until the winter. Top speed of around 125mph, fuel at 55mpg and not much wear in the consumables in the first few thousand miles. Oil and filter changes every 3000 miles, plus a carb balance, though the valves were left well alone, all sixteen of them.
With the winter weather the front calipers started to squeak. That brake was very fierce, capable of making the tyre scream and the forks twist. The front mudguard looked like it was fitted the wrong way round, the tiny portion covering the wheel near the engine did nothing to stop the spray and salt going all over the motor, and hitting the calipers. Quick clog, quick die.
Not wanting to get into heavy expense, I did a quick strip and clean - the pads still had plenty of meat on them. Despite using Copaslip, the calipers started to squeak again after a month. Over the worst months I had to do a regular strip and clean. This was tedious rather than expensive - it just makes you wonder about the quality of Japanese engineering if they can't get something so simple right.
As it was my only transport I ended up riding on snow bound roads! This is a bit silly on a bike like the ZZR. The front wheel will suddenly snap away without any warning, sending bike and I sliding down the road. The plastic was battered rather than broken.
The engine isn't really suited to slow speed work, with a lot of lurching from the transmission at low revs in the taller gears. There was no way I was going to tempt fate by using the 9000rpm power punch, that would just have thrown the bike off the icy roads. Below those revs the engine was less impressive than the Z550, which in retrospect I should have kept for winter hacking.
The only good thing the Kawa had going for it in the winter weather was a useful degree of protection from the fairing, throwing most of the cold weather around my body if I was willing to crouch down a little to get below the blast off the screen.
Comfort was good, as well, with the sculpted petrol tank making the bike quite narrow around its middle. I could stand a couple of hours in the saddle, one area where the bike was way ahead of my mate's ZX-9, which he usually ended up cursing.
After the winter, rust started seeping out of the exhaust and the usual white rot hit the wheels. It cleaned up okay, but became a weekly chore to keep up to scratch. The paint and plastic, though, kept its marvellous sheen except for the marks from the falls in the snow.
The silencers were a bit on the quiet side - one of the big problems with grey's is that there isn't any aftermarket kit for them. Still, the exhaust will rust out eventually, liberating a better wail.
Come April, I was ready for some serious riding. One of the most impressive aspects of the ZZR400 was the way it'd whirl along happily right up to the top speed. Cruising at 120mph was possible, in perfect comfort without any real vibration. This contrasted with my mate's 900, at the same speed he was squirming around in agony and his fingers went numb after half an hour.
The big difference was that I was almost flat out and he had another 50mph in hand. He reckoned that being done for 170mph wasn't going to be any worse than for 120mph, only went so slow when I was riding with him. I reckoned he was in so much pain that he just wanted to get it over with as fast as possible.
With 12000 kilometres on the clock, the top end started to rattle. The local Kawasaki dealer was willing to do the valves for £150. The mechanic let me look on, I was relieved to find that it was only the clearances that were out not scarring on the cam lobes - a common occurrence on Kawasaki fours that don't have the valves set regularly.
With new oil, filter and the carbs set to perfection, the ZZR emerged with a new lease of life, its performance seemingly transformed. I even managed to put an all time high of 130mph on the clock, when the tyres felt very edgy on the tarmac. Mainly because they were down to the carcass - the bike still handled fine in the dry, at lower speeds, but squirmed all over the shop in the wet.
New Metz's helped the bike back to its former glory, letting me thrash it in the company of CBR and FZR 400 rep's. They all have similar, high revving engines but the ZZR's much the slower handling - its better comfort more than makes up for that.
To get some more kicks, I bought an ignition pack off the grey importer that was supposed to liberate extra power from the motor. £150. I couldn't find any difference in performance at the top end of the rev range, but it bought in some stutters below five grand. When I tried to get the dealer to take the ignition pack back his friendly nature disappeared and he let me have his full vocabulary of swear words. I tried to point out that if word about his duplicity got around he'd lose lots of customers but he didn't want to know.
As to the ZZR, it's a viable alternative to the race replicas, looks flash and runs very well indeed. Prices start at two grand - good value.
Steve Thompson
Return to Contents for ZZR's etc