ZZR600. Ur Thoughts.

[crazymotorbik...]

Hey,
Ive been riding bikes for 6 years and fancy something a bit bigger, a little bit faster. I do have my GPZ400R which is good for 120mph but i just dont feel the same about it anymore. (Its a long story)

Today i had the pleasure of taking my dads mates ZZR600 to the MOT test centre. I took the long way round naturally (I was insured before u tell me off. My insurance covers me TPO)

The ZZR600 i used today has a few big and little problems. The first is the charging system; The bike needs charging after every ride. (It never used to do this. Its been to countless garages, and had coutless bits changed)
The second is the calipers, they looked a little corroded, even though the rest of the bike is looked after very well.

What i really need to know is:

-What are the main problems? What do u need to look out for?
-How much would you expect to pay for a good one?
-How long do they last?

I have searched for the suject and nothing was returned. Tell me off if you want

Cheers,
Shaun.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Tend to be softly sprung and the suspension gets softer with age. Brakes do corrode. Cush drive rubbers wear resulting in a clunky transmission. Frame gets damaged when people drop them (widest bit of the bike pretty much). Plastics can get damaged pretty easily. 2nd gear goes in the gearbox. Original exhaust rot away quickly.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[iooi]

Have a ask Here It full of ZZR owners.
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Just because my bike was A DIVVY, does not mean i am......

[skida]

I've never ridden one myself although I have had a go on a ZZR400 which was quite pleasant, if a little timid. The 600 is reputed to be quick but not very nimble and I have heard that the rear suspension can go "off" with mileage.

I searched and found a review by an owner which sounds as if he is still in the "honeymoon period" with his:

https://www.ukbikeforum.com/html/zzr600.shtml

[crazymotorbik...]

Hey,

Thanks for the replies

You've put me off for the time being....

I did notice that 2nd gear kept jumping out, especially when accelerating. I thought it was me not putting it in gear properly!

I'll stick with the 400 for a bit longer i guess.

Cheers,
Shaun.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Wouldn't want to put you off. 2nd gear shouldn't be too difficult to fix. As a road bike for getting round at decent speed it is better than most other 600s.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Grav]

A friend has asked me to fix his ZZR as it has no second gear at all.

I fear it is going to cost him a lot of beer..........

[Kickstart]

Hi

Web site write up of sorting the gearbox.

https://roy.shaptech.com/gearfix/

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[Grav]

Cheers Keith, most helpful.

[skida]

[krebsy]

A few good points: (seeing as I have one and love it.. )

As long as they are looked after (same for any bike though) then they don't really give too many problems.

they are:

Light

Reasonably nimble

Comfortable one or two up and for long distances

Quick but not stupidly so off the mark and once you get them into the higher numbers of the rev range then they wake up and the accelleration will kick you up the arse...

Great bang for buck. Cheap to run and insure. (1yrs NCB, TPF+T = £200)

When they came out they were the fastest 600 you could buy (or as Mr. Haynes puts it "The 600 that thinks its a Thou'") and the 97/98 BHP will comfortably get you to 120 (one or two up) and max out at 150+. (Not that I've tried....)

---

The rear can lock easily under heavy braking and the front is a lot more flighty than a commuter bike, but it's a sports tourer after all.

My 5 year old one (with 13k on it) cost 2 grand and was well worth it.

Can be twitchy if hit by a crosswind though...

Not that I'm planning to get rid of this one (will keep it for a while yet) but will probably go for the 1200 or maybe even the 1400 as my next choice of wheels. The 12 was so comfortable when I tried it out.

K.
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1280 x 1024.

[bunglehaze]

I still have my old ZZR6 to fix the gearbox on, pretty much all the problems have been covered though the gearbox is the main one that seems to cause most of the issues.

Its a great bike, upright position, fast and a pleasant ride although after riding the ZX6R for a while now it feels a little more orthopaedic

A replacement gearbox should cost you ballpark of £100 and IME most places wont just sell you the dogs and selectors, time wise apparently its the best part of 8 hours perhaps 10 for someone with little experience, I believe the main part of this is going to be releasing the fasteners that tend to corrode or round off (good excuse to buy a fairing bolt kit for when you put it back together)

As said above its a cheap bike to insure, plenty fast enough and an altogether cheap thrill.

cheers

leigh
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[tom75]

The zzr600 is a great bike! Really comfy and very quick for a 600 if you let the revs rip!

But I'm not sure I would call it light, 208.3kg is quiet heavy for this class of bike. But once on the move this weight dissolves and it's a joy, quiet stable and forgiving.

Take one for a test ride, checking the important stuff, haggle on the price and get a bargain.

I bought mine off ebay and haven't looked back.
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So many questions, so little time