Neil Murray
‘Bag a ZX-9R before prices start to rise’
Overlooked bikes are often the best buys. Sometimes you feel sorry for a manufacturer. The design team will be beavering away, reckoning: “This will be The One,” and out of nowhere the opposition aces them. It happened to Kawasaki twice: once in 1969 when they were developing a 750cc four and Honda beat them to it, and again in 1992 when Honda released the FireBlade just as Kawasaki was developing the ZX-9R. In the latter case, they persisted and launched the bike in 1994, when it really wasn’t ready. Perhaps they should have canned the project altogether.
Later model ZX-9Rs were much better, but still not FireBlade-beaters. Instead, they were probably the best sports-tourers around. As quick as the ZZ-R1100, as comfy, and better handling too (and the ZZ-R wasn’t at all bad).
Forget the early B series bikes – too heavy and the rear suspension was dreadful. The C models (and maybe the Bs) were known for knocking out second gear if used hard: that was (and is) expensive. The six-pot calipers are a nightmare to maintain as well – four-pots from a 1200 Bandit fit straight on. The F went to four-pot calipers anyway. I’d go for the late Es or Fs for stunning value for money. Seriously, were I looking for an undervalued big Japanese bike whose day in the limelight will come (and I always am), I’d be looking at one of these. Exactly a year ago, a wise man once wrote in MCN: “Buy one now, before ’90s prices go the same way as ’80s ones.”