My conclusion on 400's

[Shaun]

Right, I've owned all of the 400's worth having now apart from the RVF so here is my conclusion.

ZXR400 H model 1989

This was my first 400 and it was a lot of fun for a few weeks, then suddenly it constantly needed working on, was never on the road properly after that and most of the bolts on the down pipes snapped off on me when trying to undo them. The only good thing about it was it gave me a lot of experience working on bikes so I was no longer completely stupid when it came to maintenance. The handling was good on this bike but either the tyre profile was wrong or there was something else seriously wrong with the bike since when cranked over it reached the edge of the front tyre WAY before the edge of the rear. It also did excellent back fires.

So in conclusion the ZXR H model was fun but reliability was a major issue.

VFR400 NC30 1994

What can I say, it was bloody good fun, this was the bike I brought to teach me to corner harder and it did the job perfectly with me 'scraping ma shit' everywhere around Cadwell. The handling was spot on, always seemed to go where I wanted it to and was very easy to flick it from one side to the other, gave me the cornering confidence I wanted. I never had any problems at all with the VFR mechanically, turned out to be very reliable although the reg/rec had already been replaced for an aftermarket version, so I had no worries about that going which happens a lot on VFR's. The only real issue was it had a 'custom' exhaust fitted which means the VFR's down pipes have to be cut down, so if it isn't sealed properly, which seems like a pain in the arse to do then it starts blowing.

In conclusion I would buy another VFR if I had the money and another good example came along at the right price.

ZXR400 L model

Deciding that I must have just been unlucky with my last Kawasaki purchase I got a newer model and hoped for the best. I knew when purchasing it that it needed the head gasket doing so I rode it for a week and discovered the charging system was also screwed then dropped the engine out to have the head gasket replaced and valve clearances done. Whilst waiting for the engine to come back I decided to replace the reg/rec which fixed the charging problem. Got the engine back a week later and set about putting it back in the frame and putting wires and bits back where they should go. I was really quite lucky when doing this as we had a friends bike to look at so we could copy all the wiring off her bike. It was another week before we managed to get it started which was eventually traced back to a dodgy wiring connection. I'd pretty much had enough at this point but carried on, so it was now on the road. A few tanks of petrol later I discovered that for some odd reason which wasn't down to a leak it was drinking fuel like there was no tomorrow, giving me approximately 80 miles to a tank, which is around £10 to fill, standing at the side of the road is not fun. I'm not quite sure what happened on my way home whether a mounting bolt had dropped out or something but it then decided to throw a fairing panel at me, snapping a piece of it straight off. That was the final straw and I got rid.

So in conclusion if you're going to buy a ZXR buy one of the latest models or don't bother, they don't like mileage or ageing, will be the last kawasaki I buy. It also had terrible power delivery with it all being right up top so if you hit any sort of traffic a lot of clutch slip was required or you weren't going anywhere.

CBR400RR NC29 - 1990

Getting on the CBR reminded me a lot of the VFR, the handling is virtually the same being very easy to flick over from one side to the other and quite confidence inspiring. The power delivery is very smooth so very good for thrashing around but also good for diving through traffic in town. Reliability wise so far I haven't had any problems with it at all but I've only had it now for just over a month. My only problem with it and this goes for the VFR as well is I find it too easy to ride, it always feels extremely stable at any given lean angle and even when I have my knee down on a road I barely know I never feel like the bike is being pushed, so it feels at times a bit boring.

So in conclusion, I'm liking both the VFR and CBR best, if I chose between the two I'd probably say CBR because I prefer its power delivery.

I have now wasted about 30 minutes of works time, excellent!

[craigs23]

Interesting - but you missed a couple of models.....agree with what you said on the '30 - but I'd rate it well above the CBR (having owned both as well).

[Barry_M2]

[Claud 14.7 to 1]

Honda. Best.

CBR. Best.

Cheers for confirming this fact, Shaun.

[killa]

The Gixxer 4 is bloody quick, feels like the Kwak delivery in power but it is faster.
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[Shaun]

The FZR400 I've never really considered to be worth owning, same with the GSXR, the FZR being really quite old and dated and the GSXR being a bit too rare with too many variants in models. Bassically you're screwed if you ever want spares.

I prefer the CBR over the VFR just because I get on better with the inline 4 engine, prefer the smooth power delivery, although I kept hitting the red line in first after being on the VFR with its massively tall first gear.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Thought the 2nd ZXR you owned had an engine that had been played with (different cams)? If so that might well explain the power delivery.

[cbrbiker]

Shaun mate, how can you write Kwackers off after buying a bloody duff one?? Surely your comparison would only be fair if you'd bought one in reasonable nick already?
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[Shaun]

Oi, this is my conclusion from my point of view, if I want to hate kwaks then I bloody well will!

[EDBANGER]

I found that with the power delivery on the ZXR aswell. Being the only sports 400 i'd ever ridden though I just presumed it was a 400 thing.

[cbrbiker]

[swaffs]

Shaun interesting read

Although you didn't mention how much you paid etc, wouldn't that be a factor into the conclusion.
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[craigs23]

[Zen Dog]

I've always fancied either an NC30 or a CBR400, but when ever i've seen them, i just think they are tiny!

Any idea how cramped they would be for me? I'm 6'4.

Zen Dog
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[Slickfish]

I like the 400's and I wouldnt mind one however I've sat on afew and they are just to small, I look daft on them. and to be honest I cant see the handling being much better than the modern 600's.

I like them alot but I just dont think one would work for me, I'll just have to stick to my 600 and pay through the nose for insurance!!

[Shaun]

After my first ZXR I got a GSXR 600, 2001 model, always has been and is still rated as one of the best handling sports 600's, can keep with the modern 600's if you put the effort in.

Yet the VFR and CBR's handling are ten times better, much more flickable and they turn in a lot quicker, get a test ride on one.

[Slickfish]

GSR600 2001!!, rode one of them and it was good but the handling couldn't hold a candle to the CBR600RR I have.

I doubt a old 400 will outhandle a new 600 by any margin to be significant and a 600 will monster a 400 on pull off, well with a fat git like me on anyway!

I really would like to go out for a blast with someone on a 400, but the only guy I know with one has a RVF but it got the 33bhp kit on it, any one around notts got a 400???

[TOM M]

[craigs23]

[colin1]

that was a nice round up, i just need someone to say how the rvf400 compares as a bike book i have says its way better than the vfr400, yet ppl on forums say the vfr400 is faster
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[craigs23]

Allow me - have owned both:

The NC30 in my opinion is the better bike. The RVF is fantastic, but all you're buying the looks of the thing. And for £1500 extra, that money could be better spent on modifications/trackdays/riding gear/insurance/tyres....

Extras and Bling:

Not much difference - except the RVF is arguably the better bike. I prefer the white-wheeled NC30 though, the single sided swinger is there. The only real difference is the fake air tubes on the RVF (they don't actually do much) and the upsidedown forks (that offer no real performance increase) - plus, the upsidedownies could easily be transferred onto the NC30 anyway. I see the NC30 as the original design - the one that started it all (or at least a scaled down RC30 - one of the best looking bikes ever), the RVF is purely a refinement of this design - a prettier NC30 with rounder edges if you will. The original 1989 NC30's red/white/blue paintjob is better than the RR/RT colours you get with the RVF as well.

Maintenance:

All I can say is good luck - okay, most jobs can be done yourself, but you'll need to know what you're doing as both bikes are notoriously fiddly to work on. They are probably equal in this way, but some professional skill/advice/knowledge may be needed for the more complicated jobs. There isn't much to compare here, both are basically the same design, engine layout, etc. Having owned both, there's no real difference in what needs doing, where things are, how to contort your fingers to try and work on the bikes (carb balancing was fun), etc. If you were to take the bike to a garage to have the work done, expect higher-than-normal servicing costs - even the experts find the bikes frustratingly compact to work on (top end servicing is usually one of the biggy jobs).

Handling:

They're very good handling, lightweight bikes, but in relation to what you're used to, will require more steering input to make them turn. However, the handling on both 400s is sublime - they quite literally are giant killers in the right hands. In this regard, maybe that I'm more used to my RVF, but it would run rings around my Dad's Hornet 600. The 600 is very quick, and can be hauled around with ease, but the suspension is on the soft size, I couldn't commit to really attacking corners as I do on my 400 and this in turn makes it a 'point-and-shoot' bike. The seating position should be a lot different as well - you're sat lower in the bike, and stretched over from saddle of handlebars a lot more - which makes town riding and slow cruising a problem - even worse over longer distances. However, above 60mph, there's enough wind force to keep the weight off your wrists and the 400s start to come into their own. There is no significant difference between the 2 models - the RVF's upsidedownies are for show - internally they're almost identical to those of later NC30's.

[jamie192]

The only reason he hates kwaks is because mike kept up with him when he was on his gsxr 600, i have videos of mike beating him.

Does mike have all these problems with his kawasaki?

There are a lot of people with zxr 400's on this forum. Are all there bikes shit?

And at the end of the day isnt the zxr the fastest 400 and the most tuneable?
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[craigs23]

I think you must remember that the review that Shaun has given are his own opinions - not a definitive guide to 'which bike is best'.

I respect anyone with their choice of bike - it would be very boring if everyone agreed that 1 bike was the best in all categories - it'll be naive to think that way.

Even though I wouldn't buy one, there are qualities and advantages to the other bikes within the class; when I started looking for my first sports 400 - I included all the popular bikes; it was my own personal decision that widdled it down to getting an NC30 - I'm sure everyone else has gone through a similar method of choice to find their favourite bike.

[Shaun]

Mikes a quick rider, I have no shame in being beaten by him, especillay on roads that he knows.

I went back down to 400's to teach myself to corner harder and its done its job, I got the second bike because I wanted something that handled a bit more like a big bike than the honda's.

So no, thats not the reason I hate them, fool.

[jamie192]

But like keith said surely you can't include a bike thats been tampered with in your conclusion. In school that would have made an unfair experiment.

My first choice on 400's would be a zxr400, which is arriving tomorrow.

Yeah i know what you mean shaun, he was also on a 400 and you were riding twistys, i was only messing.

At least he didnt challenge me to race, like you did (gsxr 600 Vs. ts 50 x).

I think with the 400's you have to choose quite carefully because as we all know there all getting a little old and tatty. It al depends whos had them and whats been done with them. I think a gsxr would have been a good bike to test as well because they are pretty quick.
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