Kawasaki ZZR 1100 Review

Good Points
Still extremely fast by todays standards, comfortable mile muncher.

Bad Points
Tyre/brake pad wear. Electrics can give trouble.

General Comments
I owned a ZZR1100 D1 model three bikes ago, I had it for about twelve months. I'm afraid I got caught up in the 'got to have the fastest most powerful bike' thing and swapped it for a Blackbird, then went on to a ZX12r. I still have fond memories of the ZZR though, it was a supremely comfortable and highly capable mile muncher with an extremely powerful engine which can whisk you well past the legal limit from standstill in just a few short seconds; keep the throttle open and this baby will soon get up to 170mph territory - very fast indeed. All this apart the ZZR is one of those bikes which feels like you sit in rather than on, the well padded seat sloping nicely and up the back of the tank forming a very secure and comfortable area in which to sit; unlike a lot of other bikes in this class there is a good sized pillion area too with a decent stretch to the rear footpegs so two up, you and your passenger don't resemble two frogs mating! The bike is heavy though and shifting the thing on and off the centre stand can be awkward, but on the move feels planted and true, suspension is of course adjustable, mine was set quite soft but I still managed to take the bends with confidence and it handled impressively for such a large, heavy machine, the brakes are excellent too - as they need to be on a machine capable of the speeds this thing can do. Handlebar controls are well thought out and the dash is easy to read. I'm 6 feet tall and found the stretch to reach the bars very comfortable despite the large and protruding tank, however I would guess for someone smaller, handlebar extensions would possibly be needed or it could get uncomfortable. Down sides include electrics which have a tendency to give trouble, blowing bulbs and fuses were regular and a faulty ignition switch and starter button left me stranded one night. Tyres, especially the rear can wear out alarmingly quickly if you are heavy on the throttle and are expensive to replace, brake pads need replacing pretty regularly too - this is a very fast, very heavy machine don't forget so I guess it would be silly to expect anything else. Fork seals also have a tendency to wear out pretty quickly so check these before you buy a ZZR1100, they are inexpensive to replace but the job is a real pain. It's also recommended that you change the oil regularly too - do it and you'll see very high milage and pretty trouble free motoring, don't and it'll end in tears. If regularly serviced, this is, all in all, a reasonably reliable, very comfortable bike which can travel all day at double the speed limit (where permitted) always leaves you with a big smile on your face and all for next to nothing to buy.