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| Photo credit: Wil Collins |
Make: Kawasaki
Model: ZXR 400
Year: 1991
Power: 62bhp (new) 58.8bhp (current)
Engine: 400cc 4cyl carb
Mileage: 26,000 miles
The
ZXR400, we all know it’s not the fastest bike in the world, with a claimed
62bhp it wasn’t going to break any speed records as it left the factory, but
that’s not the point. Owning and riding the 400 has been a goal of ours. After
many hours behind the bars of this icon, the thing we’ve loved the most about
this bike is its personality. It really comes out to play in the corners, with
a solid chassis and stiff suspension it excels where bigger bikes are left
struggling.
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| Photo credit: Wil Collins |
The high
revving 400cc engine pulls when you reach 8-10,000rpm and screams all the way
to 14,500. Anywhere less than 8krpm and quite frankly the bike is boring, and
you are left wanting more, knowing it’s somewhere much higher up the rev range.
When we use the bike for commuting, the gear box gets a good work out to keep
the bike in some form of power band but when on track the high rev limit keeps
you in peak power as you enter and exit the corners. On longer journeys it can
become a little bit uncomfortable but the howl from the exhaust makes up for
that.
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| Photo credit: Wil Collins |
When it
comes to handling the little 400 isn’t without its flaws. On the bumpy, badly
surfaced roads us UK riders are faced with, it can be a handful; we find
ourselves really gripping the tank and not looking forward to the next bump in
the road in case it lifts your arse out the saddle, again. Guide the 400 to
some smooth roads and it wants you to turn later and lean further than you
think is possible on such a small bike.
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| Photo credit: Wil Collins |
It gives you the confidence and precision
you need to excel and progress at a pace that bigger bikes don’t expect. The
brakes are confidence inspiring, there are no upgrades on this bike, and the
standard 4-pot Tokicos with EBC pads are more than enough to stop what little
weight there is. When on track you can find yourself out-braking some of the
bigger bikes, much to their surprise.
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| Photo credit: Wil Collins |
Equipment
is minimal on the 400, with not even a fuel light. We’ve found out a few times
that filling up at 100 miles stops you running out of fuel in the pouring rain,
but we didn’t buy this bike for MPG figures or boasting about how many miles we
can get from a tank.
When it
comes to reliability Kawasaki seem to have got it right, we’ve never had any
problems with this 24 year old bike and with a very strong engine as shown on
the dyno run (link) we can see this bike
going for years to come with some basic maintenance.
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| Photo credit: Wil Collins |
The ZXR400
isn’t a perfect machine, but show it some twisty lanes, or a short technical circuit
and you will feel right at home perched upon this little pocket rocket.
Over all, we give the ZXR400 an 8.5/10 BirotarUK rating.
Thanks for reading!
BirotarUK
BirotarUK
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