GIRO DAY

Desire
SPECIFICATION
1999 Kawasaki ZZ-R1100D7
ENGINE
Type
liquid-cooled, dohc, 16v
inline-four
Capacity
1052cc
Bore x stroke 76x 58mm
Compression ratio 11:1
Ignition
digital
Carburation 4 x Keihin CVKD40
TRANSMISSION
Primary/final drive chain/chain
Clutch
wet, multiplate
Gearbox
6-speed
CHASSIS
Frame
twin-spar aluminium beam
Front suspension 43mm telescopic, preload and
rebound damping adjustment
Rear suspension Uni-Trak monoshock
Front brake 2 x 320mm discs,
four-piston Tokico calipers
Rear brake 1 x 220mm disc,
opposed-piston caliper
Wheels
3-spoke cast aluminium
Front tyre 120/70-ZR17
Rear tyre
180/55-ZR17
DIMENSIONS
Dry weight 233kg (513lbs)
Wheelbase 1500mm (58.5in)
Seat height 780mm (30.42in)
Fuel capacity 24 litres (5.28 gal)
PERFORMANCE
Top speed 175mph
Power (claimed) 147bhp@10,000rpm
Torque (claimed) 81lb.ft@8500rpm
Fuel consumption 38mpg
Zed-Zed-Arr will surprise you. It’s refined in
every way – comfortable, good ride quality
with easy handling for something that looks
a bit of a whale.
It still has teeth though. Wind the throttle
open from anything above 4000rpm (there’s
a bit of a flatspot just below to pass noise
regs) and the 1052cc motor dishes up more
and more torque. There’s no step in the
power – it just keeps the needles whipping
around the dials relentlessly as the Ram Air
system resonates from the hundreds of litres
of air being pushed through.
Fortunately the days of Z1s bending under
the strain of their own motive power had
long since passed by the time of the ZZ-R.
The twin-spar aluminium frame keeps
everything nicely in check, and although age
has thinned the damping oil, the suspension
doesn’t tie it in a knot either.
It’s all surprisingly manageable – the tank/
seat/peg arrangement gives my six-foot figure
plenty of room to get comfortable without
stretching me out to the point of reduced
feel. It’s still a weighty, soft bike with a long
Fold-out hooks
ready for bungees
Eccentric chain adjuster
for tension and ride height
wheelbase so it’s no scratcher, but with the
new tyres about to be fitted, this ZZ-R will
still be capable of getting through bends as
quickly as it can sprint between them.
The Tokico four-piston brakes are sensitive
to condition, and thankfully this pair are in
good shape, so keeping a lid on speed is no
issue. There’s room for improvement with
new hoses and fluid to replace the originals’
now well-past use-by date.
I could really live with the ZZ-R. The
colour helps – not the most exciting shade,
but it has a classier feel than some of the
more questionable 1990s colour combos
Kawasaki played with. There’s not much you
couldn’t reasonably expect of it, and in years
to come I’m sure that ZZ-Rs will find their
place as classics too, so it’s a thoroughly
useable bike that won’t kick you in the teeth
with depreciation either. This one’s a corker
at a fair price – it won’t be long before it finds
a new owner.
Thanks to Paddock Hill Motorcycles
(07790 853250 or 01905 776876)
The alternatives
1995 Triumph Daytona 1200
Triumph claimed the same power as
the ZZ-R, though in reality it was a
more exaggerated number. Even so,
Hinckley’s 1200-four packs a lot of go,
and this 9000-mile bike looks cheap at
£2550 on eBay.
1996 Honda CBR1100XX
Super Blackbird
The one to usurp the ZZ-R, it’s the
same idea but more so. They’ll handle
miles readily – over a million happily
– but you’ll pay more in like-for-like
condition. This one has done 41,000
miles and is up for £2195 on eBay.
73