07-17-2017, 06:02 PM
Pretty tough all around, but at least I know it's going to a friend whom I've known since grade school, someone who absolutely loves these bikes.
He's had a couple of them, crashing one hard enough to shorten the wheelbase by two feet, and another which had oil starvation, a common issue on these older ZX's, which resulted in spun rod bearings. I rebuilt that one for him, had the crank welded and ground, and I resized the bearings to match. He loaned it to his wanker cousin who subsequently totalled it a couple of months later. That was over 20 years ago and he has matured a lot since then, so I 'm pretty sure my old ZX won't suffer the same fate in his possession.
I do have the spiritual successor to that bike in my stable, however. It's a 2003 ZZR1200. This bike is everything the ZX11 was, but makes even more HP. It has a better handling chassis, more refinement, upgraded suspension, and sport touring capability especially with the GIVI racks, bags, and top case installed. Still carbureted and no ABS or fancy electronics but it gets ridden and is stored with a mixture of race fuel and non oxygenated premium unleaded so it will never sit and decay the way that my old 11 did.
I am not particularly fond of the current ZX14R with its quirky styling and racy ergonomics, so unless Kawasaki freshens that design up a bit I don't think I will ever own one.
He's had a couple of them, crashing one hard enough to shorten the wheelbase by two feet, and another which had oil starvation, a common issue on these older ZX's, which resulted in spun rod bearings. I rebuilt that one for him, had the crank welded and ground, and I resized the bearings to match. He loaned it to his wanker cousin who subsequently totalled it a couple of months later. That was over 20 years ago and he has matured a lot since then, so I 'm pretty sure my old ZX won't suffer the same fate in his possession.
I do have the spiritual successor to that bike in my stable, however. It's a 2003 ZZR1200. This bike is everything the ZX11 was, but makes even more HP. It has a better handling chassis, more refinement, upgraded suspension, and sport touring capability especially with the GIVI racks, bags, and top case installed. Still carbureted and no ABS or fancy electronics but it gets ridden and is stored with a mixture of race fuel and non oxygenated premium unleaded so it will never sit and decay the way that my old 11 did.
I am not particularly fond of the current ZX14R with its quirky styling and racy ergonomics, so unless Kawasaki freshens that design up a bit I don't think I will ever own one.