What owners say…
DAVY LAMB IS a long-time Kawasaki fan - he’s been on Kwaks since the early 1980s. He’s put 30,000 miles on his REX; “When the ZRX came out, it reminded me of the old Z1100R, and when Kawasaki finally decided to use the ‘proper’ lime green on the 2006 model, I went straight to the local dealer and ordered one before they had any in stock. It arrived just in time for Christmas 2005. It’s heavy, not the fastest, weather protection is limited, doesn’t hold corners as well as a sportsbike, mpg isn’t brilliant, no ABS, no fuel injection, there’s no time clock or any clever readouts on the clocks, the headlight is poor and it has the aerodynamics of a brick. But, it’s perfect, smile-inducing and the only bike I want in my garage!”
Alec Simon had bikes in the 1960s, then a 30-year break before getting back on two wheels with a Honda 600. He ended up with his 1200R by accident: “One day in March 2010, I walked into Riders Bridgwater and there it was. I thought; ‘That is what a motorcycle is supposed to look like.’ So I bought it. It’s got plenty of grunt, is very stable and it’s been trouble free - it has carburettors. Oh yeah, and it’s fast, with easily bearable windblast as long as you stay in double figures. At 24,000 miles I noticed the swingarm felt a bit notchy. No grease in the three needle rollers, so one had jammed, with kinked rollers. I had to re-shim the valves at the 25,000-mile service, as they had closed up a little. The axiallysprung rockers make this quite easy though. I recently noticed the rear suspension had become a bit spongey, particularly on fast corners, so I’ve just fitted Hyperpro shocks and forks springs.”
Alex Clapson has had two ZRX12S; “I had my first ZRX1200S from new and kept it for three years and 16,000 miles – after that time, paint began flaking and alloy began corroding, despite regular cleaning. My second ZRX1200S was writtenoff shortly after I bought it by a dopey car driver on a roundabout... Thankfully I was wearing full body armour and leathers, as the bike
“I ordered one before they had any in stock” Davy Lamb Kawasaki ZRX1200 owner
landed on me. It’s an all-day comfortable sports tourer for two-up, fully-laden European touring – economical to run and service. I rode 3500 miles around Europe through 11 countries in 11 days, two-up, fully-loaded with a good friend of mine, Claire. The bike was superbly comfortable and apart from lubricating and adjusting the chain twice, no additional maintenance. Only one valve ever needed adjustment in 16k miles.”
Most owners found the ZRX extremely comfortable, but Scott Gaunt was the exception: “It was good but the seat made my gentleman’s equipment rather uncomfortable, so it had to go...” I’d have sold the bike instead, personally ....