Kawasaki ZZ-R1100

This one was only ever going to go one way: under the spanners. Five years on my approach would be exactly the same if you plonked a ZZR-1100 into my life. They make really good breakers, parts don’t hang about too long and you can easily recoup your outlay if you box clever and buy right in the first place. At some point people will start looking for these speed machines and perhaps start restoring them (one often appears at VJMC events, which is a sign). They are a great used buy – a couple of grand secures you a stunner and you can still find them for a grand if you aren’t afraid to get your hands too dirty. Most of the parts from this one never actually went back on a ZZR-1100. The engine went to a lad who raced grass track with an outfit; he’d destroyed his last engine – it had spat a rod through the cases and was scrap. The discs went to a guy building a project, he was using ZXR rims and the ZZR-1100 shares the same bolt up pattern. I am not a fan of wavy discs so was chuffed to sell them on. The frame went to a guy who was building a chop, he had plans on how he was going to cut it about and create something wonderful, I never heard from him again! The ZZR-1100 is still a solid bike; they must hold special memories for many, which makes the lack of love for them a bit of a puzzle. I have only broken one other ZZR-1100 since and that wasn’t much nicer than this one. Thinking about it, I can’t remember seeing a decent one come up for grabs within the circles I operate in. Maybe people are at last hanging on to them? The D model is the one to go for. The earlier C model should be the one that stirs our souls; no idea why but it doesn’t, well, not yet.