Faults:

My ZZR600 has been very reliable and currently has 40500 miles on the clock. Would trust my bike to take me anywhere.

General Comments:

This is my second ZZR600; my first was a 1999 and I now have a 2005.

These bikes are just brilliant; as fast as most modern sports 600s, but comfier and with more miles to a tank and storage too.

Capable of blasting down twisty back roads and motorway mile munching. Can happily do 500 miles plus a day on the wide comfy padded seat.

As well documented the ZZR600 has weak front calipers, soft forks and a weak rear shock. But the ZZR600 is very forgiving if you over judge your skill level, so is a great first bike.

For price, comfort, acceleration and speed, I don't think it can be beaten. And the induction roar above 8000 RPM is addictive.

Faults:

Dodgy electricity thingy under the saddle meant the battery went flat. Not the end of the world.

General Comments:

Wow!! An older ped it maybe, but crikey. Back in 'my day' you needed a 900cc bike to match the power and speed that the ZZR has on tap.

Whoosh... You could lose your license quite easily in second gear and the top end is plenty fast enough for plod to send you straight into the clink, and rightly so.

Give the old thing the berries for any length of time and it guzzles fuel, but is great fun and the ZZR feels safe and planted in all but the worst conditions. A little on the heavy side compared to more modern machines, but in the right hands (or perhaps the wrong ones) and it'll easily hold its own against some of its newer rivals.

Pottering about is a bit of a chore, heavy on the wrists and neck... Not unbearable but very noticeable after a few hours trundling, but on the plus side, the saddle is quite thick and wide, so aching bums aren't too much of an issue.

Being 'of a certain age' my ZZR's 'choke' was a novelty, but because I'm 'of a certain age', too, that presented few problems... Other than forgetting to close it on occasion... chug chug, oh yeah, silly billy.

The fairing is excellent as are the mirrors, so no buzzing rear views and fewer bees buzzing in your face, too!

Cheap as chips to buy, an excellent example could be yours for less than £2000.

Faults:

Battery discharged several times when still connected to the machine. However, with the battery disconnected, the battery retained its charge. Suspected immobiliser problem.

Engine wouldn't turn over due to a faulty connection between the immobiliser and starter relay. The solution was to remove the immobiliser altogether, in the hope of improving reliability.

Other than the suspected immobiliser problem, nothing has gone wrong with the motorcycle.

General Comments:

Despite the dry mass of 195kg, one is able to forget this, as the handling of the machine becomes quite easy, and corners are taken without too much effort.

Acceleration is quite impressive, and I have surprised many owners of larger bikes.

I have to admit, I expected the braking to be a bit sharper, but then the brakes are progressive and not fierce.

The seating is comfortable, and at motorway speeds, which is what the bike is designed for, it becomes a pleasure.

The luggage tie hooks are most certainly worth their weight in gold, and I have been able to tie heavy items onto the back seat with ease.

The gearbox is a bit clunky, but then that's just a characteristic of the machine and not a fault. Many bikes have clunky gearboxes, such as several BMWs and Moto Guzzis. The positive neutral finder makes finding neutral when stationary easier.

The engine is very flexible, and doesn't bring the worst out in you as do some of the other 600s, which demand to be revved. This engine pulls well low down at 1500 RPM in top gear without hesitation. Above 4000 RPM, it livens up. Above 7000 RPM, it gives performance to make you think you are on a full bred sports bike and not a sports-tourer, and there is a fantastic howl from the air box. If the oil is changed regularly, then these engines should easily achieve 100000 miles, as they rarely need to be thrashed, and the spacing between the cylinders are sufficient to enable good heat dissipation, therefore reducing the likelihood of a blown head gasket.

As for economy, around town with short trips I get around 45 MPG, but don't forget this is by far the least economical way of riding. On the motorway with hard riding, I got 52 MPG, but taking it more sedately, I've achieved 60 MPG. If I did a few tweaks, I could possibly increase that figure.

As with all faired bikes, servicing can be a bit of a pain, but an experienced mechanic such as myself shouldn't find this a problem.

There is a reason why these ZZRs are so popular, and that is because they are comfortable enough for daily use, and have the performance to take you just about any distance with ease.