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Options for my new bike
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Molly, or maybe Champ?
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You'll have to think about this a bit longer.
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Give up, I never bother doing the cryptic crossword either.
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my ZZR 1100 that I sold in a flurry of silliness. To say I regret it is
an understatement.
ZZR's are a bit thin on the ground (well decent ones seem to be)
I have kind of got myself a shortlist. Any comments regarding the
reliability & any general comment would be gratefully received.
ZZR 1100 OR 1200
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ZZR1200s are fine, they feel pretty similar on the move to the old
ZZR1100D models. I just couldn't get on with them becasue I have silly
short legs and Kawasaki did away with the 1100s eccentric chain
adjusters that could lower the rear end. It was almost impossible for me
to touch the deck on a 1200, unlike the bent knee shuffling around I
could manage on the old 1100s. Other than that they are excellent bikes
for someone taller than me.
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I loved mine, it was a mint 1995 with 11k on the clock, why did i ever
sell it? Bit heavy by modern standards & took a lot of weight to get it
over, but it could go forever.
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My last one was a 95 M plate D2, it was reasonable condition with about
25K when I bought it, sold a year later with 40K and looking better than
when bought. Like you say, they're heavy but just keep going and going.
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Not too convinced about the build quality though, windscreen wedges itself
into cars.
Ok, it took a bit of blunt force, but I managed :-)
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I sold mine because a good Thunderace came along and it was a touch
sportier. The ZZR was fine for distances, but I wasn't doing long trips
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*perk*
Forgot you'd had that - how did you find it compared to say a VFR750?
I want more power, but don't want to end up crippled every time I
decide to ride more than 20 miles, plus I don't want to end up with a
boring barge like the CBR1000 I briefly had.
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How does the ace compare, it looks sportier, they are very thin on the
ground too. Looks more like a sports bike.
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In actual fact, even though it appears sportier the Ace doesn't feel
that much different in riding postion than the old ZZR, it's quite a
relaxed set up and nowhere near as sporty as a ZX-9R or Gixer. You've
got to bear in mind that I'm 5'8" with a short inside leg though. As I
said before, Colin Irvine and Mike Barnard have both had a couple of
Aces each and neither is a small chap.
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any more.
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Suzuki Hayabusa
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I bought a ZZR12 earlier this year based on owning a couple of 11s
several years ago. I was extremely disappointed. I loved the way it
looked and how it behaved on 'A' roads with long sweeping bends but it
didn't have the grunt I remember the 11 having and I had to wrestle it
round 'B' roads as it didn't seem to want to go round tight corners. I
traded it in for a new Busa after 2 months and I love the Busa, it's
everything I wanted the 12 to be and some. Your only problem may be
that I'm 5'9" and it fits me perfectly...
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The funny thing is the 'busa fits me pretty well actually, miles better
than gixxer thou etc.
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Weird, I found the 1200s I rode to be really grunty in the same way as
the three 1100s I'd owned, the last of which I still owned then. If you
want to go back lane scratching on a ZZR11 or 12 then you bought the
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That wasn't what I bought it for. I want an all-round sports tourer
that SWMBO and I can load up with luggage then get to the other end,
take the luggage off, and go for a play including 'B' roads just as we
used to on the 11s. The Busa does just that; the ZZR12 just didn't.
I thought it was me at first as I'd had 7 years off bikes followed by
14 months with a Tiger so I thought I was rusty but after 6k miles it
was no better. A mate of mine (who also thought it was me not the
bike!) tried it and agreed 'B' roads were a wrestling match on the 12.
I love the Busa. It's obviously not a sports bike and doesn't handle
like a sports bike but that's a good thing as we don't want a sports
bike.
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wrong bike.
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Yamaha Thunderace
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If these are long in the tooth, what does that make the ZZR1100 then
given they've been around a fair bit longer?
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What I meant was that the last year of the Thunderace is before the
last year of the ZZR11, and very obviously) the ZZR12
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ITYF The Ace outlived the ZZR1100 by roughly two years.
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Really? Well I never. I stand corrected [1]
ISTR Colin Irvine looking to replace his with another, and struggling
to find one, and you see so few that I must have concluded that they'd
been out of production for a while.
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...and although it appears to be a bit of a parts bin special (1) and
so therefore wasn't cutting edge for the time, it came out a few years
after the first ZZR1100.
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And when it came out, it was very very good indeed. For some reason,
it was never a big seller, even when a new model.
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It was never going to be a Fireblade beater and tbh was too bulky
looking to be classed as a pretty bike. The very under-rated RF900
suffered the same fate. Blame the press, they were Fireblade mad at the
time. Things changed with the R1's launch.
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Whatever... so long as I can ride one in reasonable comfort, I'm hoping
to get one of these or maybe a ZX9R sometime around or before the
spring.
(1) Essentially a YZF750 frame with FZR1000EXUP engine, as I understand
it.
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Correct, in an accountants overcoat without the shellsuit graphics of
the YZF. It also made a little bit more power than a FZR1000 Exup.
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[1] ok, I'm finally tired of that joke now.
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Honda Blackbird
I'm a big chap for a bike at 6' 3" with silly long legs. The 'busa
could be a problem on insurance & it at the limit of my budget (£4-£5k
max)
Any thoughts regarding the above or any other contenders please?
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