Clutch stopped working. Forks leaking badly. Left hand indicators stopped working. Alternator went.

A Kawasaki GPX750R is a bike I chose as i wanted a bike between a CX500 and a FJ1200 my last two bikes .

The price of it was £450, and that is not cheap, even if it is a 1988 model as when I went to resell it £285 is all I got. The seller said he dropped the price from the £600 on eBay. He took my lower offer straight away. I had the bike for six months. In order to help anyone looking on eBay for a cheap bike be care full I have been stung now 3 times in a row.

A black Kawasaki GPX750R is what the stickers on the bike say, but it is called a ZX750-F2 according to the MOT and registration certificate for some reason. It was described as being in average condition, which is easy to argue about ratty condition is more like it. The bike came with an MOT until July 2011; that is just about a year, so you would think it should be road worthy.

The bike has a stainless steel exhaust (4 into 1), but someone has fallen off the bike, as the exhaust is dented and scratched it all over.

It had a new chain, the sprockets have not been changed and the chain needed adjustment, even if the MOT tester was supposed to have said the chain should be loose.

I am told the bike has new brake seals, but the brake pads are well used.

Oil and filters were said to have been changed, but the oil level was very low and needed a top up of half a litre! The oil looks dirty, so the question is when was it changed? The sump plug had been over tightened, so could be unscrewed by hand and cannot be re tightened. Had to seal it up after the oil change.

Clutch was jerky, and was also leaking; this had to be fixed as well; total cost was about £100.

The bike does have good tyres with plenty of wear left in them though. It has braided brake lines, so the originals must have been rotten. It is then a very cheap bike, not only to buy, but also to insure, as that was only £95.

There are plenty of parts and mod available everywhere. I had to replace the front forks; it cost £40 plus nearly two hours labour to do it. Annoying, as the same make and model of bike in perfect condition went on e Bay for £600 last week.

Another moot point is the top speed; it is restricted to 180.0 km/h (112 mph), yes restricted! Get near that speed and it is like you have just run out of petrol. I first noticed it trying to keep up with a BMW. I pulled over to the side as the previous owner had told me the carburettors were out of balance. But this seemed strange as the bike will do 60 mph in first gear without any problems, and there is also no backfiring. I even took it to a garage to get a quote on having the carburettors sorted out; he wanted four hours labour.

I was also told the engine was too quiet, which seemed strange, although he refused to do any work on it. It was then I went online and found out that all bikes sold in Japan are restricted.

The good point about this restricted performance is the bike has never been thrashed at high speed. Judging by the quietness of the engine, it has years of life in it.

I have not read a bad review of this particular model, and it seems even when not restricted, they are very reliable. I wonder if this is as they were originally built for endurance racing?

The few months of ownership have not been trouble free, what with the replacement forks and clutch leaking; one wonders how did it pass an MOT a few weeks previously?

I keep being suckered buying bikes on ebay. This is the third one. You can read about the others in my other reviews.