Faults:

Carburettors prone to blockage if not regularly used.

Cold blooded, needing a long warm up from cold.

General Comments:

The best bike I have ever owned for riding sedately.

The torque at low revs makes town use an absolute pleasure, as is riding on minor roads.

Yet the bike is deceptively fast. You can rocket back home from a country ride at higher than legal speeds on fast A roads, knowing that the engine is bulletproof and will never leak oil or blow up.

Tinware, rots from the inside, and I'm now on a second rear mudguard, and a universal front mudguard.

Original exhaust and silencer are integral, and very expensive. I bought a complete replacement system off eBay at half price, but kept the old system, which still works but is slightly scruffy.

Economy is very good, but I rarely ride over 70mph.

Running costs are very reasonable, and I service the bike annually.

As a daily runner it may frustrate, as it is cold blooded, and needs to run on the choke for quite a while.

But as a leisure bike, it takes some beating.

Faults:

Absolutely nothing. The only remark is that the headlight makes a noise at certain revs which can be annoying.

General Comments:

I have had - Fireblades - umpteen Guzzi's (only after the 8th or 9th Guzzi I gave up on their unreliability?) FZR - Triumph Bonneville - Matchless - CBR750 and 400 (still have a sandcast to admire) but to ride, the Kawasaki wins because it rides exactly like a Guzzi without the issues. Compared to the retro Triumph, it wins as it is less dull and the frame is more stiff.

Faults:

Just one starter relay and one brake light switch.

General Comments:

This motorcycle is the most reliable I have ever owned. It has never broken down. I have had 3 batteries over the years, but even then the kickstart will get you going if the failing battery has even 10V to power up the coils.

The handling is light and quite precise now I have fitted Hagon rear shock absorbers. Above 70 mph the upright bars are far from ideal and the front wheel goes a bit light. Below this it is sweet handling and just the thing for tarmac lanes pottering along on top gear, if you like at 1700 RPM. It is this type of riding I prefer and the fuel consumption is quite impressive if you use the magnificent torque rather than revs: 70-80 MPG.

I have modified the poor original seat for a slightly narrower stepped dual seat. This stops pillion passengers sliding into the rider by degrees.

I am on my second set of chain and sprockets, but have used 4 drive sprockets over the years as these are small in diameter and make a whining noise when worn. Regular maintenance is easily carried out - no need for dealers.