Faults:

Now I know you'll say it's an old bike, and I bought used, so of course it had things wrong. This I know all too well from previous bikes. But by far this bike was the one that I began to hate out of all the bikes I've ever had. I was constantly having things go wrong with it, starting with the carbs; tore into them many times before they actually started working right. This is no easy task to take them out.

Then after it started running OK, the rear shock blew out! Guess what, when it blows out it compresses and stays totally compressed. The bike was on the ground, not ridable, left me stranded.

Then it starts having the familiar 2nd gear jumping out, as lots of others have also experienced. So I had to pull the engine completely out, and split it open and replaced the gears and shift forks, and had to do it all in a weekend, because come Monday she takes me to work - it's my only transportation. Two all nighters later and I got it all done, and after work that Monday night, bang, I'm stuck again at a gas station, which luckily I coasted into off the highway, instead of pushing like I had to do so many times. This time it wasn't getting me home, because no matter what, she didn't fire any more. After diagnosing for about a week, I narrowed it down to the main ECU, the brain so to speak; another common issue on these, and hard to find in town, and wow are they pricey. Waited for another week and put it in. It fires up right up and away I go for another week

Then the reg/rect burns up in smoke and leaves me once again pushing the pig off the highway. Got another put it in, painted it real nice and shiny black with a flat black motor and frame; looked great and sold it for what I paid one year before.

This bike cost at least three times more than I paid for it, and it was broke down or needed to be worked on almost every time I got on it. Would never buy another Kawasaki Ninja again, especially after all the common problems they seem to have across many years and many popular models.

General Comments:

Piece of crap. Was always working on it and the cost to repair in parts was ridiculous, for a 30 year old bike.

But that said, it was comfortable and I could get 60 miles a day on it when it worked. And once I fixed the ram air and carbs, it really did have a nasty powerhouse in it. Loved how it would howl from the airbox when at WOP.

Not the fastest 600 in the day, but it held its head up high I think back in 94. But many years of abuse probably condemned it way before I got it. Anyway, I found too many problems among the Ninjas, and will never own another unless given one cheap, and I mean cheaply bought while drunk maybe.

Faults:

It has been as reliable as an appliance. I do all daily maintenance and oil changes/chain adjustments myself.

General Comments:

This is a great daily runner. I had a ZZR400CC in Japan before this and that is why I bought the ZX-6E (ZZR-600) in the USA.

It has a smooth engine, good power, good comfort and allows a passenger.

I get over 50 miles per gallon when I am cruising for pleasure. Even riding hard I get more than 45 mpg on regular (87 octane) gasoline.