1996 zzr600 pointers

[Mrjoolz]

Guys,

Looking at a ZZR600 tomorrow. 1996 on an N with 12,000 miles on it. Can you please give me a list of potential things I can look for to make sure its a good deal.

I'm hoping to take it out for a quick blast, and wondered if there are any things to check for, i.e. fork seals.

many thanks guys.

Joolz

[P.addy]

Downpipes, Kawasaki "RustSpecial" was an option at the factory. Ifits fitted with stainless, thats a bonus

12,000 seems overly low for what most people would consider a sporty-ish commuter. Especially a 1996

Usual things... tyres, check the brakes, when the valves were done... not sure if they are every 12k or 15k??

Check corrosion on rear suspension. Fork seals should be noticeable straight away, just check for any signs of rust appearing on the fork stanchions, these will obliterate seals quickly.

[chris-red]

Really check the brakes on these they are dire.
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[Mrjoolz]

Funnnily enough I also thought 12k was low for it. One fork seal has gone and already, and they said they would replace.

I wonder hard it is to put mileage back on these bikes?

Gyres look fine. Has stainless down pipes on it which were replaced last year

[too fast]

just check for normal service items - brakes (seals should be replaced regularly), swing arm & linkage bearings, headstock bearings, wheel bearings. At that mileage it should have a service history. Very revvy bike so valve clearances are critical. Avoid if it has been played with as they loose low end power with 'race end cans' and dynojet kit. Won plenty of races when they first came out, and they handled better than the ZX6F model for similar weight (ZZR600 430Lb, ZX6F 400Lb ) - allegedly - brakes were the same too

[MarJay]

[P.addy]

[Kickstart]

Hi

Being a typical Kawasaki they used minimal grease on the steering head bearings and linkages. Check them and don't be surprised if they are gone.

Doing the fork seals is a remarkably difficult job. Not because of the forks but because getting them off the bike is a pain. There is negligable clearance between the bottom yoke and the air intake tubes making it very difficult to get an allen key onto the pinch bolts to undo them. Also, from experience, if someone has just stuck thicker fork oil in when changing the seals the handling is dire.

Exhausts do rot, but at that age I would be surprised if it still had the original exhaust.

Calipers are a pain. Not great at best but also seize up easily and suffer badly from corrosion.

Rear shock adjusters for preload will probably be seized.

Clutch cables do not seem that long lived. Also is it possible for the clutch actuating arm to drop down if the cable snaps at that end. And that lets a load of engine oil out.

Seat height is fairly low and pegs a reasonable height. A bit cramped for me and I am hardly tall.

One we have is brilliant on petrol (doing 60mpg on the motorway) and the tank is a reasonable size.

Getting the fairing off is a pig of a job. Like one of those wooden cube puzzles that only come apart in one certain way. Similarly getting the airbox back in place is a pain but fortunately it doesn't need to come off often (plug change or valves really).

Oil cooler seems to get showered with rubbish and looks wrecked. Ours is still hanging on though.

2nd gear can fail. Seems very dependent on use though. Ours has done about 60k and 2nd is still fine. Have a spare engine in the garage which has done about 20k and jumps out of 2nd.

Frame is easily damaged if dropped. Widest part of the bike is pretty much the frame rails around the outside of the engine.

Footrest rubbers seem to fall off. Not a major issue but strictly speaking an MOT failure.

Changing a headlight bulb is a pig of a job if you are unlucky. On ours the bulb blew the day we bought it so wandered back to the dealer in the hope of a free bulb. They offered to fit it as well which was difficult. Then the metal clip holding the bulb into the headlight dropped into the light. Took the 2 mechanics and me about an hour just to change the bulb.

The battery is under a cover under the seat. Just means if you need to change the battery or jump start it that there are an extra 4 unnecessary bolts to undo.

If you change a wheel bearing then be aware that on one side there is nothing to seat the bearing onto. Day dream while fitting a bearing and you will land up knocking it through so it is clanging around in the middle of the wheel (can be got out though).

Oddest problem was the span adjuster on the brake lever disappearing. Not pleasant suddenly having the lever come back to the bars with very little braking effort.

All the best

Keith
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[UnspeedySam]

Go and buy this month's ride magazine. They have a buyers guide. Although a lot of it seems to have been covered in this thread. If you get fed up with it before march I'll have it
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Riding: BMW R1150RT `02 bought mildly crashed
Fixing: Also the BMW as I get less broken bits
Gone: ZZR600 '00, TRX850 '97, RXS100 '93, JS125-6B '07, BMW R1100RS '93, Kawasaki ZX-6R-J2 '01, Honda Bros NT400 NC25 '88

[imanupstart]

[pits]

[blatantplugon]And if it is a single sided exhaust, I believe I have a stainless steel end, pm me if interested[/blatantplugoff]

[jjdugen]

There are two types, the D and the later E. The later the better (obviously).
I've just finished a ground up rebuild on a '93 E type........

Paint finish is thin, especially on swingingarm. Best to take it all out, repaint and regrease the linkages. The shock was a rusty mess, replaced it with one of a ZX6, ride height adjustment (just drill a suitable hole in the shock mount plate and feed the ride height clevis through. Two suitable bolts, under and over, and you now have ride height adjustment and compression/rebound damping adjustment). Works a treat and cost £35 off the 'Bay.

The 'ram air' system is marketing bollocks and all the plumbing just gets in the way, Ditch it, block off the big holes in the frame Now the engine is much more linear with no appreciable loss of power.

Nissin calipers from CBR600/fireblade/VTR1000 fit with a minimum of modification. Well documented on the ZZR sites. Cheap upgrade to calipers made out of metal rather than cheese.

I find the bike to be a perfect mix of performance (for UK roads) comfort, economy (except when ragged) and generally solid build quality. This one is heading up to 50000 miles, I had budgeted for a replacenet engine, but its still strong with no gearbox problem so they 'can' last very well.
I like 'em, especially as they are SOOO cheap.

[Mrjoolz]

just called dealer to ask if I can come across and test ride it tomorrow morning at 9.00am. Looking forward to it actually, as I have never ridden one of these. Last couple of bikes have been super sports, but interested to know what this will feel like for my commuter work horse.

If it actually does 200 per tankfull, wicked. I checked for insurance and it is 97.00 TPF&T if I get Datatool Veto fitted to it, and have been honest bout 0 no claims as not ridden for 5 years, and it still came out

they also have a hornet but no fairing and 30 miles of my commute each way is motorway.

[Kickstart]

[P.addy]

[jjdugen]

Dealers are going to add their fees, EBAY every time.

[Mrjoolz]

paddy, no I didnt find any in Maidstone for that sort of money. I'm down on the south coast at the moment, seeing the in laws, and there was one down here., which I went to see.

£1,600 for a N Reg ZZR600 with 12K on it, seems a good price for a dealer. The bike looks really clean and all the numbers in the mileage on the clock are in line, so unsure if its been tampered with.

[Mrjoolz]

is it easy to check if there is water in the sump, when checking the bike over ? how would you tell without opening it up?

[P.addy]

[Macie_UK]

As per the above advice, plus give it plenty of hammer in the throttle in second gear. The ZZRs have a common-ish issue with a gear selector fork and or drum, which normally starts in second gear when you are hard on the throttle - it either feels like the chain has skipped a few teeth, or it finds a false neutral. If it's wear on the drum it can last many thousands of miles but they have been known to get progressively worse then lock the box up. Proper repair by a garage will cost you £600 plus.

Also switching from the standard exhaust to a 4 into 1 will leave you with a massive flat spot around 3000rpm, easy enough to ignore it though as most of the fun starts at 7000

Apart from the well known faults, they are brilliant bikes - I put 52,000 miles on my last one and would not hesitate to have one again.

I must say that for the money you quoted, that bike should be utterly spotless - I'd be looking at a post 2000 one for that.
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Macie
Current: Triumph TT600
Most Missed : TZR250 (for laughing like a loon) | MZ Baghira 660 | ZZR600E1 (for everything else)

[temeluchus]

Wear and problems with second gear on these bikes (as well as the zzr1100 and gpz1100s) can be caused by the "positive neutral finder"

These are some sprung ballbearings that are supposed to make selecting neutral easier but if oil changes are neglected or the bike has stood the channels they move in can collect shit jamming the bbs. This causes issues and wear with second gear and/or jam the bike in neutral.
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[Mrjoolz]

Off to The dealer to test the bike in 45 mins. I will update u all with how I get on. Will try opening it up in 2nd gear to see if it pops out of gear.

Will look at bike properly and take some pics when away from shop if I'm out on my own

[Mrjoolz]

Well been and seen bike. Took it out and really quite impressed. For some reason I thought about cb500 performance but it quite surprised me.

If I need to replace shock as I understand they can go, what should I put in and and from what bike? How big a job is it?

[Kickstart]

Hi

Not that bad to do a shock swap on the ZZR. Personally stick a half decent replacement on (Hagon maybe) rather than trying to bodge on a replacement on which the spring rate and damping may or may not be suitable.

It should be a hell of a lot faster than a CB500. The ZZR600 was the first genuine 150mph 600.

All the best

Keith
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[Mrjoolz]

Hi Keith, it is a he'll of a lot faster, but I thought as it was more of a tourer, that it would be as sluggish as a cb500, and didn't expect it to scream off once hit 7k.

Pick it up Monday.

Looking forward to it. Need to get a two piece waterproof set for keeping on bike.