When you're six foot six tall and weigh sixteen stones there are certain limits to the motorcycles you can buy if you want to avoid looking ridiculous and need to travel at a reasonable pace. Reasonable pace, of course, as in German autobahns and grand Continental tours... that was the theory, anyway, behind the purchase of a 1987 Kawasaki 1000RX. The dealer had assured me that the machine would do everything I could possibly require of it. When I took the £3700 out of my briefcase I had the impression he would have thrown in his body if I was that way inclined... not that I was, not with the nubile Sandra available who was all but in permanent occupation of the pillion seat.
With one year and a mere 5675 miles done, I was surprised by the rattling engine but the dealer assured me that Kawasaki used large clearances which would disappear as the engine warmed up. I was still not wholly convinced as even after fifty miles a lot of noise came up from the water-cooled motor, the GRP apparently amplifying the engine racket.
The other surprise was that despite the sixteen inch wheels the bike displayed a marked reluctance to take to the required cornering line - once it did go down, it felt like the whole 550lbs was going to drop down on to the tarmac. Engine power was magnificent, but only once above 5000rpm, below that it felt like some old seventies 550.
With 120 horsepower on hand it was dead easy to whack open the throttle in second or third, suddenly finding yourself hurtling towards cars that were going backwards. Just as well that the triple discs are immensely powerful - at low speeds use of the front brake is like crashing into the side of a Volvo but not half so painful or expensive
This power coupled with the decidedly odd handling took several months to become used to. A set of Pirelli tyres sharpened up the steering a bit and increased high speed stability which had been pretty damn good on the Metz's that the bike came equipped with. I would not like to ride an RX with less than 2mm of tread because at such a level of wear the bike acquires a very loose and imprecise feel as if the swinging arm bearings were on the way out.
I have been riding bikes for about twelve years, my largest machine before the RX being a Honda CB900F2. I thought I was ready for the leap in power but found that as soon as it rained I was in Horror Land. There was no way the chassis or tyres could take use of more than 5000 revs, especially in the lower gears. As soon as the power came in the chassis started sliding about in a most vehement manner.
Unfortunately, the Kawasaki is not a very pleasant bike to ride below 5000rpm - the carburation is very lean, plagued with flat spots and the six speed gearchange crunchy unless the motor is revved hard. Town riding became hard work and fast cornering out of the question.
Matters were not helped by the brakes which turned from powerful in the dry to vicious in the wet. Engine braking and the rear disc were used in preference to the front brake, but when it was necessary to lose speed rapidly I nearly lost the front wheel on several occasions. God knows how long a 125 graduate would last - there are loads of RXs in breakers, which really says it all.
Of course, the first journey to Germany was accompanied by rain and more rain. I did find that once into top the bike could be gently powered up to 135mph, remaining stable even on roads awash with water. The fairing afforded good protection from the weather, more than you would suspect from eyeing its rather strange shape. However, I was always aware that a sudden change in direction or speed would leave me on a floating, skidding, buckling brute trying to spit me off.
The journey home was dry and much more fun, able as I was to play with Porsches and Mercs with 140 to 160mph on the clock. Stability remained surprisingly good and the DOHC watercooled four put out a minimum amount of vibration even when pushed into the red in the lower gears. In the dry, then, there was little to complain of!
After the first year and 16500 miles I felt I had adapted well to the machine’s idiosyncrasies. All the engine had required was two adjustments to its sixteen valves and three carb balances plus eight oil and four filter changes. Pads lasted about 7000 miles front, 8000 miles rear, the chain around 9000 miles and a set of tyres 3-5000 miles depending on make, whilst fuel averaged out at 52mpg. The latter down to a lot of mild UK riding in the winter. Obviously, hard autobahn use consumed everything a lot faster than that, possible to burn off a set of treads in 2500 miles and a gallon of fuel in 32 miles!
Comfort was good for the first 100 miles then the seat turned to rock, by the time it was necessary to refuel at 140 miles I was more than thankful for a bit of exercise. It was hard physical and mental work doing over 500 miles in a day, in the evenings all I wanted to do was hit the bed and sleep, much to Sandra's disgust.
The second year of ownership proceeded much like the first with the additional expense of a set of Unitrak linkages and swinging arm bearings (at 31235 miles). There was also the question of the exhaust which had started to dissolve into rust - solved by a friend who gave me a race pipe and carb kit in exchange for some help in the paddock when he was racing. The glorious growl emitted by the 4-1 all but shattered all the windows in the garage. It did have the effect of knocking out some more power below five grand and then turning on the horses really wickedly at 7500 revs. It was brilliant in the dry but a disaster in the wet.
However, being stopped by the police every few days meant I soon fitted a stainless steel silencer meant for a GPz900. Much mucking around with jets was necessary to make this run properly - even now the engine still stutters at 7000rpm before hitting out the power but apart from that power delivery is at least vaguely in line with the machine’s wet weather capabilities.
As well as wet weather riding there was the problem of carb icing, endemic to early water-cooled Kawasakis. The relatively mild winters must’ve helped, for the problem only occurred twice with a stalled engine the result. Luckily, neither involved any potential danger and I never did get around to having the free carb upgrade fitted.
With 47000 miles on the clock we entered our third year together... 52 miles later the camchain started to rattle. That and the tensioner were replaced for £175 by the local mechanic, which seemed reasonable. Rust started breaking through the frame paint and the poor finish on most of the engine bolts. Engine maintenance that year was just the usual valve adjustments and oil changes.
Over 30000 miles of high speed Continental touring was accomplished that year, a really great time was had. At one point I had to change the tyres twice a week! Even the chain was knackered after only a month - I think my next bike will have shaft drive and a lot less weight to cut down on the running costs.
That brings us up to 1992, the bike now having done 96500 miles! What can I say about the engine? It's been a magnificent beast with only the one camchain change, although now it won’t put more than 150mph on the clock and there are even more rattles and grumbles on a cold engine. I certainly believe that it will go around the clock. The chassis is basically stock and still all there, paint having been patched up and the calipers frequently stripped and cleaned.
No major accidents have occurred which is at odds with my complaints about the chassis but I've learnt to take it very gently in the wet. I have done regular maintenance and kept the beast in reasonable cosmetic shape, which has paid off. Dealers don't want to know about a trade in with the miles the bike has done, the best offer I had was £1200 off the full retail of a ZZR1100. More than one has told me to wait until it goes around the clock and they can pass it off as a low mileage bolide. I want to buy something just as powerful as the RX but with less horrendous running costs, but I don’t know which machine fits the bill!
Graham Divine