Faults:

Absolutely nothing, other than changing the old Continental Tires to Pirelli Rosso IIs.

General Comments:

I bought this bike off of Craigslist. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it online. These never appear in this area for sale. I immediately contacted the owner and arranged for the purchase. Two days later after a test ride it was in my garage. The bike performs flawlessly and is in absolute showroom condition. Torque and acceleration meet all expectations. At 56 years old it brings me back. Call it a midlife crisis. I'll call it midlife acceleration and loving every moment cutting the mountain roads of scenic Idaho.

Faults:

Bad gas caused the bike to not start, which had never happened before. The bike sat covered outside for almost 2 years before a carb/petcock service & now seems stronger & just as much fun as before my medical procedures stopped me from riding it. I've lost about 30 lbs & the bike seems to forget that I'm on it, WOW.

Faults:

No mechanical issues with my ZRX so far.

General Comments:

The ZRX1200R is a very quick but heavy motorcycle. The roll-on acceleration is addictive. With careful throttle input it can be very nice at slow speeds. Turn in is excellent with Michelin tires.

The only thing I've done to my ZRX is regular maintenance, add a fuel stabilizer to the gas to protect the carbs, and change tires. Other than this, I've had no issues at all with it.

The seat is my only complaint. Very uncomfortable if you plan to spend the day riding. I have a Sargent Solo seat on order.

Faults:

It dives on hard (emergency) brake application. However I'm still learning to make adjustments and to preload the rear brake before the front brake.

General Comments:

Comfortable, economical and dependable, powerful, good looking, a sleeper.

Rides good in snow or rain, hot or cold weather.

Faults:

I have had three issues;

1) The carbs often get clogged due to our horrible gas. This requires removing and cleaning them (3-4 hours).

2) I had a coolant leak from the hose at the back of the engine. Solved by tightening the clamp.

3) The vacuum fuel petcock assembly failed, allowing the bike to stop running. You cannot purchase a rebuild kit for the petcock, and must purchase a new complete assembly for... $165.00.

General Comments:

This bike looks great. I get many positive comments, from BMW, Ducati and Harley riders, as well as riders of Japanese brands.

It has more power than other "naked bikes" or "standards". The Suzuki, Triumph and Honda competition have less power and torque.

The bike is made much better with a Sargent seat, Akro carbon slip on exhaust and braided brake lines.

This is my 2nd ZRX. I owned a blue 2003 from 2003 until 2008, before I foolishly sold it for what I paid new.

The ZRX1200R is still sold in Japan with fuel injection replacing the carbs. Kawasaki was foolish to discontinue the bike in the USA..

I will not sell this bike. Mods for this winter will include OHLINS shocks, revalved forks and a light weight battery. Looking for some light weight wheels too! So far, I have shaved 21 pounds off this heavy weight, and hope to lose 20 more.

Faults:

Have not had any problems with the Zrex.

General Comments:

This motorcycle is what a standard bike is all about. It has kept the style, performance, reliability that the Honda CB750 brought to the world in 1969. Why Honda walked away from this style is beyond me.

Has a wide powerband that is easy to control.

At real slow speeds, it gets a little ponderous, but that is inevitable, and one gets used to it.

I have modified the Zrex very little: 1) put 1" handlebar risers to move it up and back. 2) advanced the timing from 2 deg. to 4 deg. 3) Replaced stock muffler with carbon fiber to knock off about 10 pounds of dead, high weight. 4) added 1 tooth to the countershaft sprocket.

It gets great gas mileage for a 1200cc; 45mpg around town, and 55mpg on the road.