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