I actually found the ZXR400 quite comfortable for short distances, but then my previous bike had been a RD125LC converted to cafe racer spec with clip-ons that felt like they were down by the wheel spindle and a home-made seat that had sharp edges in all the wrong places. The RD had turned out brilliant in the end, some blind cretin knocking me off and having to pay thousands in compensation for breaking my leg. After I handed over £4000 for a 1500 mile repossessed ZXR instead of a nice little car everyone in my family thought I was brain damaged. The Kawasaki has the kind of riding position that’s a head-banger’s delight but those coming from straight commuters will find it painful after a few miles of town riding.
The ZXR looked the business, with flash graphics, upside-down forks, a twin headlamp fairing and enough style to turn the heads of even the most cynical motorcycle hacks. Even more importantly, it boasted a mere 360lbs of mass despite hosting the usual watercooled four cylinder engine, which put out a surprising 65 horses albeit with a laughable 27ftlb of torque. The route to such statistics was the usual combination of DOHCs, sixteen valves and ultra tough engineering.
As might be imagined, that all added up to the need to rev the balls off the engine to get anywhere near its 135mph top speed. The six speed gearbox proved rather truculent until over 5000 miles were on the clock, with a penchant for throwing the engine into a false neutral and deep into the red zone. The sixteen valve engine sounded a bit busy under such abuse but proved unburstable. One look at the very complex plumbing made me shudder at the prospect of doing an engine strip.
As mileage increased, the gearbox became more precise until my only complaint was a bit of transmission lurch at low revs in any gear above fourth. Come 12500 miles, though, the chain was so worn that the gearchange became poor once again and the transmission lurch much amplified. The poor drive chain life was down to the way I insisted on taking off on the back wheel as often as possible (I had to keep up with my mates in impressing gullible young ladies).
The very lightness of the ZXR made it feel quite frightening when the front wheel was reaching for the sky, the slightest amount of body movement sending the Kawasaki shooting off from the desired path. It was dead easy to muck up the wheelie, come down at an angle and fall off. That same lack of mass allowed it to be chucked through the bends like a 250 stroker replica but came back to haunt the bike when the surface turned rough.
The rear shock was particularly stiff, allowing the back wheel to be thrown around by the bumps. The front was a bit more compliant but would still bounce the bars around on fast exits. Backing off the throttle under such circumstances sent a shudder through the chassis. Despite all the twittering, the wrap-around frame and hefty swinging arm kept the bike more or less on line. Given the way the ZXR palpitated whenever it hit a large bump, even when everything was turned to its softest setting, my spine would end up beaten and battered after an hour or so of back road hooliganism. It was difficult to walk straight. Fuel averaged 40 to 45mpg under such wild abuse.
Motorway cruising, nose in the clocks, was sustainable at up to 120mph, with a bit of cog swapping when the incline became steep or the headwind particularly strong. Winds could catch the front of the fairing, causing it to bounce about a bit; as could hitting the slipstream of a bus or artic. Strong sidewinds would try to sweep the Kawasaki right off the road, the answer leaning the ZXR into the wind and trying to put on as much speed as possible. Protection from the fairing was reasonable even in heavy rain, although the screen really needed to be a couple of inches higher.
As the tank often went on to reserve after a mere 120 miles, comfort was tolerable between fuel stops as long as the speedo was kept on the indiscreet side of 90mph, when the race replica riding position made very serious sense. Stability on motorways, in calm conditions was excellent. High speed cruising gave 35 to 40mpg but cruising at a constant 70mph returned more than 50mpg (something I found out when I had to eke out the last couple of litres in the petrol tank).
Part of the fun of riding the Kawasaki was to use its light mass and high rev fluidity to employ cut and thrust techniques that had the three disc brakes burning rubber and turning red hot (although they didn't actually fade). The front discs were particularly powerful, often sending the ZXR into cartwheel mode, with the back wheel off the ground, the whole chassis shuddering as if the end was nigh. The rear disc could lock the back wheel with ease, but wasn’t so insensitive that it would do it unless it was really required. Combined use of the brakes would lose speed like little else, as they seemed built for a fully fledged 750 rather than a flyweight 400.
Braking late into bends was possible as long as the road was smooth, bumps tending to push the front wheel out as it pattered under the conflicting forces of braking and absorbing bumps. I wasn't that surprised when after 6000 miles of hard charging I needed both a new set of tyres and brake pads.
That gave me the opportunity to dump the OE rubber in favour of some Metz's. The latter were even more short-lived (about 4500 miles) but much more predictable when worn and used in the wet. The only thing to watch out for with the tyres was that they needed a few miles to warm up before they gripped properly, doubtless a result of the bike's lack of mass.
The ZXR didn't impress on wet roads, when throttle abuse had to be restrained in favour of stopping the back wheel jerking off. Whilst the engine would rumble away at low revs in fourth or fifth, the resulting acceleration was only likely to impress an Honda Lead owner. No, at least 6000 revs, preferably much more, were needed before the engine showed any signs of serious life. The front brake worked in the wet but gave the ZXR an edgy feel as I wasn't quite sure when its excessive power was going to take hold. Constrained riding turned in about 50mpg.
A sure sign that the carbs needed doing was fuel consumption falling off. Although I never had to touch the valves, and the only other chore was doing an oil/filter change, the carbs never stayed in balance for more than 1500 miles, quite often needing attention after as little as 1000 miles. A mate with a set of vacuum gauges and passive temperament did them for a tenner a time. The couple of times he checked the valves they were still within their tolerances, so it only gets done every 10,000 miles.
Another hassle occurred after a long motorway blast when the silencer bracket fractured. The first I knew about this was loud explosive noises, the silencer hanging on to the downpipe by a minimal amount of metal. After suffering third degree burns I managed to wire it back on. Heading home cautiously, the carburation useless above 5000 revs, some interesting backfires through the exhaust enlivened the route. Apart from the occasional tremor in the bars and pegs vibes had never been much of a bugbear but secondary pulses evidently attacked the chassis.
With 16,700 miles done, the ZXR has retained most of its finish, only spoilt by a little crazing around the plastic's mounting holes and some rust around the engine fasteners (only seen when the plastic is removed). The fairing comes off easily enough but is a pain to put back on without cracking any of the plastic.
Performance seems just as lively as when I bought the bike, top speed runs still putting 135mph on the clock. The only guy I ever came across with a ZXR400 had done 25000 miles in eight months and had a camchain that rattled like a machine gun. He put this down to only changing the engine oil once. It didn't seem to hurt the motor any, he hurtled up the road so rapidly I almost strained my left foot keeping up. Its moments like that which reveal what the ZXR's all about - Fun!
Mike Eddington