Posts by tag: Ninja

Featured Listing December 4, 2018 posted by Aaron

Featured Listing: 1985 Kawasaki Ninja 600R

The seller of this early-run 1985 Kawasaki Ninja 600R recently completed a fastidious restoration of the bike, down to changing the aged rubber charcoal canister strap for an OEM replacement. He also sourced new gaskets for the anti-dive system in the forks, which took some parts hunting, elbow grease and careful planning. The forks got a new coat of paint and fresh seals when the rebuild was done.

1985 Kawasaki Ninja 600R for sale on eBay

The list goes on from there, including freshened carburetors and a couple invisible fairing repairs. The bike was evidently a solid rider before the current owner got ahold of it and made it into a running and riding museum piece. It has fewer than 7,000 miles on the odometer and was looked after properly over its life, so there shouldn't be much cause to worry about engine internals.

These bikes were far ahead of their time when they were launched, and forecasted aggressive riding positions, handling-friendly 16-inch wheels, full fairings and weight savings. By the time the Honda Hurricane came along two years later, Kawasaki was already preparing to refresh the Ninja 600R. The early bikes, known as the GPZ600R in other markets, pushed out about 75 horsepower (some say 76), which was good for 135 mph. The engines responded to revs, and contemporary reviewers said the bikes felt a little flat until the party got going around 8,000 rpm. Keep the engine on the boil, though, and the 600R would sing, and was nimble, if not totally sure-footed, on the tiny 16-inch tires.

From the eBay listing:

Completely original 1985 Kawasaki Ninja ZX600A California.
This is the first year of the Ninja, this model is a first run #2460 made 12/84. It has just 6610 miles. It was purchased in California by the first owner (it has the CA vent box) . I am the second owner and have put no miles on the bike other than test rides.
This is a rare bike in original/collector condition. No resto-queen here, this is the real deal. You are not likely to find another in this condition, and if you do you'll be faced with a great deal of work to get it into this ready to ride condition.
The bike starts and runs beautifully. I wouldn't make it a daily rider, but if you're a collector that likes to run your bikes - this is the one.
I found the bike in great condition, as the previous owner was an older rider who used the bike as a commuter and always stored it inside with proper storage habits.
The bike is in 99.9% original condition, with all original parts or updated OEM parts. It is the perfect survivor, the perfect collector (all original parts that were replaced are included).
This is my 4th nut-and-bolt restoration in the last 10 years (and likely my last). I’m moving to custom builds from here on out. In some ways it was the hardest restoration I’ve done, as I felt it was very important to keep the bike absolutely original and to be non-destructive instead of trying to reach “perfection”. I believe I’ve succeeded to the best of the situation – the following items have been addressed:
Fairing repair:
The previous owner dropped the bike in his garage, resulting in a the left turn signal hitting the wall, causing a silver dollar sized series of cracks around the mounting hole. The previous owner repaired the damage, but it was simply glued and the cracks were still visible.
I carefully grooved the cracks and seams, filled and repaired things properly with a professional plastic welding solution, I filled the area with vinyl body filler and sanded all things smooth.
It was professionally painted (only on the repaired spot) with perfectly matched paint and then clear coated to blend, and properly buffed. It is impossible to see the repair – except on the inside where you may see the weld seams when the fairing is off.
A similar process was followed on the nose cone, where a couple of scratches and rock dings necessitated proper attention. This repair is impossible to see as well.
Tank:
First, the tank has a very small, dime-sized impression on the back/top/left side (see photos) and the blue ring has age cracks (normal for an original bike of this age).
I have replaced the cap and repainted the outer cap ring (old parts included and in near perfect shape). I have also sourced and replaced an EOM fuel-level sending unit from England, as the old one failed due to corrosion.
The tank was fairly clean on the inside, but it was beginning to gather some rust on the surface. It was cleaned with muriatic acid and flushed, but still needed further cleaning – so I recently did a round with OTC rust remover. It’s very clean now.
New OEM petcock was installed as the original was beyond repair.
Forks:
If you are at all familiar with these bikes you know that they included a very complicated anti-dive system (known as ADVS) that used the front brake fluid pressure to dynamically control the compression dampening.
Great idea, but it was prone to leaking and corrosion over time - as there were many rubber parts inside. It is very common for the piston to corrode and leak out onto the fork – as was the case on the left fork of this bike.
As with the fairing, I carefully matched and repaired the paint on the fork, clear coated it, and completely overhauled the ADVS and fork seals with all new rubber (which is not easy to source BTW – OEM parts were found in England and Japan).
Everything was properly painted and overhauled – and all original fork stickers unaffected by the repairs. It is impossible to see the repair.
Brakes:
Just like all the other rubber on this bike, the brake calipers and levers were completely dried out and either seized or leaking.
I sourced all of the proper OEM seals for the calipers and primary/secondary cylinders and overhauled all, repainting a couple of items that showed corrosion.
The rotors were repainted and surfaces sanded and scuffed. Everything looks like new. New brake OEM brake pads have been installed on all three brakes as well (see photos).
Carbs:
The carbs were actually in perfect condition – but just like everything else, the rubber was dry. So, all new rubber gaskets were installed, and new fuel lines (I have placed a filter in-line as an insurance policy – not stock).
Misc:
Plugs, oil, filter, battery, chain, new charcoal box rubber strap (OEM), windscreen is original – outer face was sanded and polished, windscreen trim tabs replaced (OEM), etc. – no detail left out, all parts OEM.
Any small rust/dings were eraser sanded and airbrushed or spot brushed with the correct paint. These repairs are also impossible to see.
As you can see by the photos, everything on this bike is in great shape and very clean. It’s hard to believe a bike this old can still look this clean and perfect under the hood after all these years. It was a bit dusty, so I’ve cleaned literally every nook and cranny on the bike – including the entire motor (which was cleaned with bio-degreaser and toothbrush).
Please feel free to message me with any questions.

If the description doesn't convince you, the pictures will. If you're looking for a pristine version of the ancestor of modern sport bikes, look no further.

Featured Listing: 1985 Kawasaki Ninja 600R

Kawasaki March 26, 2018 posted by Marty

The Dark Knight: 1992 Kawasaki Ninja ZX11

No computers no launch control no ABS, just 1052cc's of grunt fed by 4 carbs all wrapped up in bodywork that would make the dark knight drool. And with less than 9,000 miles since new, this 1992 Ninja ZX11 is a treat to behold. I know the ZX11 might not seem like a rare sportbike but its important to remember the big Ninja was the fastest production sportbike from 1992 to 1997 in large part thanks to its ram air system. This means it meets the RSBFS technology and historical significance criteria and when you add in the mileage/condition of this particular unit it seemed worthy of a post.

1992 Kawasaki ZX11 with 8775 miles on ebay

We have seen previous posts here on RSBFS regarding the ZX11 which is also known as the ZZR1100 outside of the USA. An evolution of the ZX10 (which is currently shooting up the price chart in a big way for collectors) the ZX11/ZZR1100 took the preceding model and no pun intended, turned it up to 11. Launched in 1992 the big Ninja introduced ram air systems to the big bike segment while also offering wind tunnel based bodywork that made it far too easy to just be cruising along in comfort and suddenly realize you are well over the speed limit. The ZX11 held the crown of fastest production motorcycle until the introduction of the Honda Blackbird in 1997 and is considered by many to be the progenitor of the hyperspeed-touring market segment.

Another plus for the ZX11/ZZR110 is that even though it is now over 25 years old it still looks great. I still like the fairing "wing" integrated turn signals more than the current trend of back side of the mirror embedded units and there is no eye-watering 1990's graphics package to overcome (cough-Vance-and-Hines-Yamaha-cough). While the ZX11 was offered in several monochromatic schemes include my personal favorite of Candleberry wine red, the sales leader for the big Z was always "Ebony Pearl" or as the sales people often referred to it, Batman black.

This particular ZX11 is in excellent condition having covered only 8,775 miles since new. Even better is the fact that the current owner seems to have kept up the the bike, although no mention is made of tire age/rubber.

Here is a summary of the info the seller has provided

3rd owner of this bike and have put <800 miles on it since I purchased it 3 years ago.

Has a full D&D header system, K&N, Jet kit & ignition advancer (use premium fuel).

Recently changed all the engine & brake fluids and it has new EBC brake pads. Also changed the fuel filters and fuel bowl transfer tube O rings, as well as the temperature sending unit in the radiator as the temp gauge didn't work when I took delivery.

No cracks, rashes, abrasions, chips, etc. There is a small area on one of the fork lowers where the prior owner had to have a registration tag and it has pulled some of the paint off the lower left fork tube, but everything else defies this classic's age.

Will come with a number of spare new parts and gaskets to keep this beast humming well into the future.

Note: I did communicate the seller and he indicates the OEM windscreen and exhausts are not available.

So is this big black beastie worth the Buy It Now price of $4,300 USD? Well I have to admit I have a weakness for the big Z even though it is a BIG bike and a bit too tall for me. Also the pictures on this one are good but not great (there is no clear pic of the license plate area) and I would have much preferred to see it out in sunshine /daylight. Lastly I am not sure what the holes are that appear in the frame under the gas tank on the riders right size, I think the cover shroud from the fairing might have been removed but this would need to be confirmed.

Overall I really think the question is what is your intent for acquiring this bike. The listing seems targeted towards day-to-day riders rather than collectors or perhaps a nostalgia-rider who never got to experience the big Zed. For any collector considering this particular ZX11 the main question would be whether the recent dramatic price jumps in the predecessor ZX10 model means they think the ZX11 will see similar appreciation in the near future. All I can say is that if I bought this bike I would be putting in the earbuds and go for a late night or early morning blast listening to this.

-Marty/Dallaslavowner

The Dark Knight: 1992 Kawasaki Ninja ZX11

Kawasaki January 28, 2018 posted by Aaron

The Green Alternative: 1989 Kawasaki ZX-7

As slab and Slingshot Gixxers from the mid to late '80s get more and more expensive and desirable, now is an increasingly good time to look to their competition to snag an equally capable but much cheaper mount. Early Kawasaki ZX-7s are a great alternative, with more forward-looking styling and a reputation as the baddest race replicas George Bush-era money could buy.

1989 Kawasaki ZX-7 for sale on eBay

This 1989 Kawasaki ZX-7 hits all the boy-racer high points, with a garish tri-color livery that extends across the seat from the fairing, monochrome Japanese character decals and the infamous Ninja badge. If it were mine, I'd ditch the green tinted screen and have the wheels powder coated in their stock single hue. Otherwise, its pretty much as it should be, down to the period Vance and Hines can.

From the eBay listing:

SECOND OWNER 1989 KAWASAKI ZX7 WITH 23000 ORIGINAL MILES. GOT A BUY IT NOW PRICE OF $6500 OR WILL CONSIDER THE NEAREST BEST OFFER. GOT A CLEAN AND CLEAR TITLE IN HAND.

PLEASE ASK ALL QUESTIONS AND CLEAR ALL DOUBTS BEFORE BIDDING. IT IS THE BUYER'S RESPONSIBILITY TO INSPECT THE BIKE PRIOR TO BIDDING. CALL 718 966 0606 TO COME INSPECT THE BIKE. THE BIKE IS BEING SOLD 'AS IS' WITH NO WARRANTIES. NO RETURNS.

PAYMENT: $200 NON- REFUNDABLE DEPOSIT IS REQUIRED VIA PAYPAL WITHIN 24 HOURS OF END OF AUCTION AND THE BALANCE PAYMENT SHOULD BE MADE BY CASH IN PERSON, CERTIFIED BANK CHECK OR BANK TRANSFER WITHIN 7 DAYS OF END OF LISTING. IF IT IS A BANK CHECK, THE BIKE WILL BE HELD UNTIL THE CHECK CLEARS. I WILL NOT ACCEPT BALANCE PAYMENT VIA PAYPAL UNLESS BUYER MAKES PRIOR ARRANGEMENTS.

SHIPPING IS BUYER'S RESPONSIBILITY. BIKE NEEDS TO BE PICKED UP WITHIN 2 WEEKS OF END OF AUCTION. IF BUYER IS UNABLE TO PICK UP THE BIKE WITHIN 2 WEEKS THERE WILL BE A STORAGE FEE, IN THE EVENT I AM NOT INFORMED OF THE SITUATION.

The pictures don't give a huge amount of detail, but the bike looks mostly squared away but not perfect. With a little elbow grease it could be a decent collector piece, but it's a very nice rider as-is.

The Green Alternative: 1989 Kawasaki ZX-7

Kawasaki September 8, 2017 posted by Tad Diemer

Low-Mileage, Budget Blaster: 1992 Kawasaki ZX-11 for Sale

The ZX-11 Ninja was Kawasaki’s answer to the GSX-R1100, a big bruiser of a roadbike that lacked agility but more than made up for it in terms of ballistic performance from the honking inline four and slippery aerodynamics that, for a while at least, made it a contender in the “world’s fastest motorcycle” stakes. They sold plenty of these when they were new, but you'll have to look long and hard before you find one these days with just 2,500 miles on the odometer... Today’s big-power literbikes are often criticized for their highly-strung nature, with even Ducati’s v-twin Panigale needing real revs to make fast progress. But the big Ninja harkens back to an earlier era of big bike performance, where plus-sized sportbikes from the Japanese Big Four often happily made do with just five cogs in their gearboxes, a reflection of the bikes' torque-rich powerbands. The ZX-11 makes power all through the rev range, meaning serious acceleration is always just a twist of the wrist away.

Built between 1990 and 2001, then followed by the suspiciously-similar ZZ-R1200 that soldiered on with its blobby styling until 2005, the ZX-11 was motivated by a 1052cc four fed by one of the very first production ram-air systems, mated to a six-speed gearbox transferring the 150 crankshaft horsepower to the rear wheel. Top speed was somewhere slightly north of 175mph, with handling was that was stable and very neutral. Obviously the ZX-11 was never intended as a race-replica or canyon-carver: it’s almost 600lbs with a full tank of gas and came only in solid, classy color schemes unmarred by the era's over-dependence on garish graphics. A mature sportbike that could effortlessly trash rivals away from a stoplight or crush continents when fitted with soft luggage.

Considering how good they are at covering big miles in a short period of time, it’s shocking that this particular Ninja has covered just over 2,500 miles in its twenty-five years of life. Aside from a couple minor details, it's nearly stock as well, making it a good candidate if you’re looking to start or add to a collection of devastatingly fast 90s sportbikes. It's hard to find a bike that offers a better performance-per-dollar proposition, with a Buy It Now price of just $3,000.

From the original eBay listing: 1992 Kawasaki ZX-11 Ninja for Sale

Only 2,553 miles, bike runs and drives great... very fast bike.

Comes with original tool kit and owners manual and stock computer... bike has Vance and Hines PowerPak on it.

Bike can be shipped if needed.

ZX-11s pop up occasionally on eBay, generally in nice enough condition, but they typically have the high miles you’d expect of a big, reliable GT machine. This example is barely broken in and nearly stock, aside from those unfortunate, but easy to remove paint-splotch decals, chain guard, and purple mesh, and a period-appropriate Vance & Hines four-into-one exhaust. I personally prefer aftermarket four-into-one set ups, but collectors eyeballing low-mileage bikes are probably looking for originality. For riders in the 1990s the ZX11 was the very embodiment of speed, the Hayabusa of its time, and I expect collectible examples like this one will increase in value down the road. For now, they remain tantalizingly affordable and completely useable motorcycles.

-tad

Low-Mileage, Budget Blaster: 1992 Kawasaki ZX-11 for Sale

Kawasaki August 15, 2017 posted by Aaron

Featured Listing: 1997 Kawasaki ZX-7R Survivor

Update 11.27.2017: The seller has notified us this bike has sold. Congratulations to buyer and seller! -dc

This 1997 Kawasaki ZX-7R comes from David in phenomenal all-original shape. The bike shows some light marks gathered over the last 20 years, but is overall extremely clean, and has covered just 5,500 miles.

1997 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-7R for sale on eBay

Widely known under the family name Ninja, the ZX-7R went through few changes in its 14-year production run, but was one of the more advanced bikes available when it debuted, and only got sharper in 1991, with the addition of inverted cartridge fork and the iconic double-headlight, twin-intake fairing.

The 750cc inline four cranked out about 105 horses in ZX-7R guise, enough to put the bike in the 10-second range through a quarter mile. Never the skinniest kid on the playground, the bikes pushed 530 lbs when fully fueled. By the time our featured bike's birth year rolled around, there were a number of faster, quicker-handling and lighter options available, but the Kawi's pretty face and on-track prowess in superbike categories kept it moving units.

The seller says this bike has never been dropped and has had a raft of maintenance work done recently, which included tires, oil, fluids and a carb sync.

From the listing:

This is a 1997 Kawasaki Ninja that is almost completely original. Recently serviced. New oil and filter, spark plugs, cabs cleaned and synced. New battery and new tires. All brake and clutch fluids have changed. Tires have less than 300 miles. Bike has never been dropped or wrecked. There are some imperfections but for a 20 year old bike is is very clean. Some minor scratches. Worst scratch is on lower right fairing where Kawasaki decal is. Likely from loading the bike at some point.

All fairings original. White decals are actually silver and reflective from the factory. Very cool. I don't remember seeing too many black ones when these came out.

Buyer to handle all shipping. I will help with meeting shipper.

Buy-it-now for this time machine race replica is a very reasonable $3,500. The ZX-7R is not a rare machine, but finding examples that have not been beaten mercilessly is rare, let alone a low-mileage example with clean fairings and up-to-date maintenance.

Featured Listing: 1997 Kawasaki ZX-7R Survivor

Kawasaki July 18, 2017 posted by Tad Diemer

Featured Listing: 1995 Kawasaki ZXR400R for Sale

Although bikes in the 400cc class are virtually unknown in the USA, they were big business elsewhere, with bikes like the Honda CBR400 and VFR400, Yamaha FZR400, and today's Featured Listing Kawasaki ZXR400R competing in showrooms and race series for the hearts and hard-earned money of sportbike enthusiasts. Here in the US, it is 600s that are generally thought of as the lightweight, "beginner" sportbikes, and anything smaller than that is the domain of cheap and cheerful commuters and learner bikes.

Overseas, it was a different story: tiered licensing, heavy taxes, and high gas prices meant there was a great deal of interest in serious motorcycles with smaller displacement. Consider that for Yamaha, the FZR600 was the low-tech model of the range, with a steel beam frame in place of the aluminum Deltabox unit found in the FZR400, FZR750, and FZR1000.

With today's 1000cc superbikes sporting sky-high redlines of more than 13,000 rpm and Yamaha's R6 claiming 16,000 shrieking revs, it's maybe hard to think of a bike with a 14,500 rpm redline as being "high-strung" but the 398cc inline four in the ZXR400R needs to be worked hard to make speedy progress, which is completely in keeping with the bike's sporting mission. Produced between 1989 and 1999, there were basically two versions of the bike, the earlier "H" bikes and the later "L" version. The H bikes made 61hp while the L made a few more horses at a higher rpm, with a slight loss in torque. The H model weighed a bit less than the L at 350lbs dry and the bike had a top speed north of 140mph.

Today's Featured Listing has fairly low miles and appears to be in excellent condition, aside from some minor cosmetic issues expected of a bike that's been ridden. Best of all: it does have a valid title and is registered for road use!

From the Seller: 1995 Kawasaki ZXR400R for Sale

Up for sale is a VERY RARE 1995 Kawasaki ZXR400R in collector quality condition with only 16,267 kilometers (10,107 miles). It has a few tiny rub marks and a couple of small scratches from its 10,000 mile journey thru life but overall its in MINT condition. After thorough inspection, I can tell that this bike has been loved and cherished over the years. It is in completely stock unmolested condition. All fairings and components are 100% OEM factory Kawasaki. Brand new Bridgestone Battlax tires have been installed front and rear. Bike runs like the day it was new. This ZXR comes with a Utah state title and is titled as a street bike for road use. I have set the purchase price at $10,500 because my last 1993 ZXR400R sold on Ebay for $10,450 in the "your choice" auction with the GSXR400RR. Serious buyers can contact me at 801-358-6537 for more pictures or any other questions you may have. $500 deposit thru PayPal due immediately after sale.

The seller is asking $10,500 for this fizzy little monster. Obviously, that's not a whole lot of bang for your buck if you consider it in purely performance terms, and the ZXR400 isn't quite as iconic as something like the NC30. But these are exceedingly rare here in the USA and if you're a die hard Kawasaki lover or a fan of motorcycle exotica, this will probably fill a large [figuratively], green hole in your collection. If you notice any other bikes in the background, we have been told they are for sale as well. Skip the line before they get listed publicly! Everything must go!

-tad