Hey gang.  Just for giggles, I thought I would offer a few thoughts on my latest bike, the 2007 Kawasaki ZZR600.  It is essentially the same bike as the '00-'02 ZX6, but is re-branded and marketed as a sport-touring bike. 

BACKGROUND

I have been riding for six years.  I started on a 1997 GS500, moved up to a 2004 SV650S and have been on the ZZR for the past two seasons.  I'm 6'2", 175 lbs.

I bought this bike as a leftover in 2008.  I paid $6500 US for it, and even after fees, taxes and extended warranty I rolled out the door for about 7200!

After 1.5 years and 9000 miles I am still in love with this bike!  I commute 20 miles daily on her into the district and back out in all sorts of weather, and I have pulled a few 500 mile weekend trips as well.  I broke the bike in per the manufacturer's recommendations with the rare throttle whack to get out of trouble on the highway.  She is still wearing her stock Dunlop rubber, but they are beginning to wear thin and will shortly be replaced.  Many riders suggest that switching to Michelin Pilots do wonders for the bike.  I am looking forward to this, as there is just a small bit of headshake that I have been unable to correct with suspension adjustments (not enough to be concerning, just annoying).

I have done no significant modifications since I bought her.  I'm all about the ride, and this bike gets it done without having to tinker to extract every last horse out of her.

Picking her up in February 2008



THE UP-SIDES

I have been able to reliably wring 50 mpg out of this baby when I go easy on the throttle.  If I ride it like I stole it, I still manage about 38 mpg.

The mirrors are perfectly positioned for me.  I can actually see what is behind me instead of looking at my shoulders, but they don't look like giant, gangly antenna either.

The headlights on this bike are phenomenal!  They are practically impossible to outrun and they throw light over a nice, wide area.

The seat is wide and well padded (much better than the SV650 plank I used to have to sit on).  The ergos are such that I can sit up straight if I one-hand it, making long trips much more tollerable.

The service intervals are reasonable.  I think I'm due for a valve check and a carb synch soon, but she runs just as smoothly today as she did the day I picked her up.

I purchased a luggage rack from twistedthrottle.com and a cheap trunk from jcwhitney.com for a total of about $300 US.  They were and AWESOME investment.  Riding without a backpack or bungees is so much more convenient and comfortable.  The trunk puts the load outside the triangle, but even with a full load the bike feels stable.

Cruisin on a 100 mile road trip


and enjoying a cold one at our destination.


THE DOWNSIDES

Like most supersports, the wind protection is not well suited to road-tripping.  I may try a new, taller windscreen like the ZG double bubble design.

After being spoiled by a digital speedo, it was tough to go back to analog.

The bike is carbureted, and so it suffers from the usual stumble at around 7 krpm when I am hard on the throttle, presumably when the pilots/mains are switching over.  After that she pulls beautifully all the way to redline.  I think when the time comes for valve adjustments I will probably have some new jets dropped in to try and smooth out the power band.

The fuel management system is an old-school reserve petcock on the frame of the bike.  No fuel guage, no low fuel light.  Some people worry about this old design, but I simply reset my trip odo at each fill up and use it as a fuel guage.  The bike hits reserve at 110- 140 miles depending on how you are riding.

Master Yoda tags along on the weekends


IN SUMMARY

This bike is marketed as a sport-touring bike, but is really a supersport relic from the turn of the century.  It is very heavy on the 'sport' and very light on the 'touring'.  Adding a trunk and possibly a taller windscreen begin to tip the form factor a little closer to the sport-touring design, but this bike will never be comfortable for multi-state trips.

The ZZR600 is a great deal for the money.  The only clear sacrifices are lack of FI and the ego-hit you might take for not being on the cutting-edge of sportbike design (if you care about that sort of thing).  Unfortunately, Kawasaki discontinued this model in the US after 2008, so there are very few new ones available anymore.

Any young GS riders contemplating a move up to a 600cc sportbike should give this bike a look.  For just a little more than half the price of a new ZX6-CBR-GSXR-R6, you can get 85% of the power, all of the handling and way more comfort than these other bikes offer.

Yes, I went there.  Uber-dork wouldn't fit on a VA mc plate.


See you on the highway!

the lion

+1 for a nice -owner- review

seems like fueling only comes up when it isn't efi'd...

i played on a (very carefully) brand new zzr of my buddies several years ago. smooth power, nice pickup, didn't redline it at all. comfy, for the 40 or so miles i put on it. the way i remember it the tranny wasn't as smooth as a suzuki, but it's been a long time, and it had 3 miles on it at the time.

a top case, on a supersport ! wicked ! enjoy the ride friend !

Nice review and a nice bike.  Keep a beer cold for me!! 

Quote from: bikegirl88 on July 13, 2009, 09:36:43 AM
Nice review and a nice bike.  Keep a beer cold for me!! 

Indeed