1999 Kawasaki ZRX1100, $2500

Burien, WA

“This is a one owner garaged kept super clean machine. Two brothers pipe, good tires. Stock and unmolested.
No, not a squid boy crotch rocket. But a super street bike, with massive roll-on power. 20k +miles.
No trades, serious only will call before 10pm please. Gladly send larger pictures.Will not send bla bla bla over email. If it posted it is available.”

We love Zee Rexes. Why? Plenty of power, very comfortable, great retro throwback styling, very easy to live with motorcycle, and it’s very customizable. For being a one owner bike, it’s at a good offering price. I just don’t understand the owner’s refusal to send bla bla bla over email… what exactly is bla bla bla and why would he prefer to use a telephone to exchange said bla bla bla?

Anyway, if the link to this craigslist ad brings up nothing, then the bike obviously isn’t for sale any longer. 1) our economy still sucks and 2) it’s late October, there’s not as much motorcycle wheeling and dealing going on as, say, May.

If you’re pining for a newer year ZRX, more are probably available here:

Kawasaki Zephyr Review

The Kawasaki Zephyr is not just a bike. It’s an icon, a trend setter and it’s naked! That’s right. This is the bike that started off the 1990s trend of naked bikes in Europe after the 1980s were dominated by superbikes draped in high-tech plastics and fibreglass. (Nb. Naked Bikes are when much of the chassis and engine are exposed giving it a meaner, street fighter look).

Kawasaki Zephyr

My one of these is a 550cc model. You can get them as far up as 1100cc but the poky four-cylinder engine gives me all the thrills I want at 400cc at half the price for gas.

The Zephyr looks ugly, but it’s supposed to. This bike isn’t for driving around hoping to turn a girls head. It is for twisting the throttle, zooming through a puddle and getting muddy water all over her. It has none of the Italian passion or the American culture gone into its design. They have simply got a body, plopped in a great engine and stuck on a headlamp. And the world loves it.

It’s comfortable too. The seat is big and spacious which is what you want when driving in the ‘sit up and beg’ position. The handle bars are fine for turning and driving at speed is easy enough for an experienced rider. There is little or no weaving when on the motorway and it can keep up with the best of them at the traffic light drag race.

There is some bad stuff about it too. This thing pretty much took Europe by storm with everyone who likes motorcycles flying up and down the French coast. For that reason, finding a used one without a torn seat, scratched engine (everyone will have a spill or two) or worn paintwork will be difficult. Never fear though. Because so many of these influential bikes were sold there are plenty of spare parts and repair kits available. You can even get the exact paint formula used at the manufacturers.

In the states, they were popular. There are quite a few available (not a widespread as in Europe) but you can still find them. For Zephyr in good condition you can expect to pay upwards of $5,000 for one. If you want one cheaper a good option can be to simply import one from Asia or Europe. Countries such as Germany literally has thousands of these things lying around in garages when people left college and became bankers.

Overall this is a good bike that will serve you well. Well worth it if you want a great bike that will be worth a lot of money some day due to it historical impact on the motorcycle world.

The trusty, yet neglected motorcycle chain

On my most recent ride around the north end of Lake Washington, I’ve noticed a little lag in power. I’ve also noticed that the chain on my 2002 Honda VFR800 seems to carry a little extra slack. The Honda owner’s manual suggests that there be about 1.3″ of slack in the chain, not to exceed 1.75″ of slack. Well, my unscientific experiment (pushing the chain up next to an adjacent ruler) indicates that I’m right up against that maximum 1.75″ limit.

Additionally, I note that, according to my chain gauge, that the rear wheel cannot be adjusted rearward any more, and I believe it’s time for a chain replacement. Not a horribly expensive proposition (good O-ring chains are about a hundred bucks) but since the drivechain is a very integral component of the forward movement of my motorcycle and thus my motorcyling experience and therefore my fun and well being, it’s a task I’d not care to accomplish myself, in my carport, with my own meager assortment of tools, for the very first time, on a $5,000 motorcycle that I want to keep and enjoy for years to come. Translation: I’m gonna take it to the shop to have done.

Not my Interceptor, but darn near close

However, I wanted to read up on the science of motorcycle drive chains. An excellent website, Canyon Chasers has such a reliable primer.

First of all, why is motorcycle chain maintenance important?

A chain that is ignored will eventually fail, typically by breaking. A broken chain will many times ball-up around the countershaft and front sprocket. When this happens, your chain will rip and tear its way through your soft aluminum motor and will always result in engine damage.

Proper chain slack is crucial. Too tight of a chain can do $expensive$ damage to the countershaft. We also know that keeping a well lubricated chain is important to proper operation. However, there’s a flip side to good lubrication, and that is dirt will build up on the chain. The solution? Regular chain cleaning.

If you do this regularly, your chain will keep a high level of lubrication but will also draw a lot of dirt and you’ll end up with a really dirty-looking chain. Dirt, as I’m sure you can imagine, is very bad for a chain. A good idea is, every 3000 miles or whenever you change your oil, to clean your chain. The easiest way to clean your chain is with a rag, a toothbrush, and kerosene.

Without using a fancy factory placard on the motorcycle swingarm to determine if your chain is nearing its servicable life, Canyon Chasers offers this elementary check:

But how do you know when your chain needs to be replaced? If you go to your rear sprocket and pull straight back on the chain, you’ll be heading in the right direction. If your chain pulls away from the sprockets by much, it is probably stretched out. If the chain does not pull away and stays right on the sprocket, then the chain is not stretched out yet. Also, if your sprockets no longer look like points but a bunch of little hooks you need to replace it all.

Yes! Finally! A deal was struck, and I am riding an awesome motorcycle.

I began looking through craigslist ads of private motorcycles for sale. My first spark of interest was a 1982 Kawsaki GPz 550 that was selling for $900… that was sold before I could see it. I checked out a 1986 Yamaha FJ1200, and a 1984 Honda V65 Sabre.

Then, I moved up the price bracket and found a very nice 2000 Kawasaki ZRX 1100.But, get this: I completed a credit application, and was notified that I was approved for credit. (I was putting $1,000 down and the bike cost $4,000 so I wasn’t financing too much, really.) I took most of Friday off from work to drive 35 miles to a dealership… I presented my pay stub… and was told there was a problem. The financing guys assumed that, given the monthly gross I make from my job, I’d have X dollars year-to-date. Well, I had earned about about one thousand bucks less than that amount, and they said that I would have to have my wife come in and cosign for the loan and have her income figured in.

1) one hour and forty five minutes in driving time round trip to and from the dealership

2) Took most of Friday off of work to go down there and fiddle around.

I therefore decided I’d stick within a 8 mile radius of dealerships from  my house. Luckily for me, RideWest BMW had a couple of good candidate bikes to check out.

I went in on Saturday morning expecting to make a deal on the 2005 Ducati Monster Dark 2SR, a lovely 800cc hooligan naked bike. Thing is, its seating position was way more aggressive and sporty than I liked.

Right next to it was a lovely blood red 2002 Honda Interceptor VFR800Fi. It was just $500 more than the Ducati. A set of hard luggage installed, just over 18k miles on the odometer.

Now, I’ve not kept up with Interceptors since 1987, when the Interceptors of that vintage were the motorcycle on the streets. Interceptors have changed since then to become more sport tourers than canyon carving sportbike kings.

Which was fine with me.

I made a little walk-around video and it can be seen here:

I cannot deny the call any longer! I’m going to go check out some 80’s-era motorcycles tomorrow in the Seattle area.

There’s a V65 Magna in Bothell, two different V65 Sabres, maybe a Suzuki GS 750 E, and if none of those turn my crank my yanks, then the seller of a 1986 FJ1200 comes back on Monday and I’ll check that out.

A fellow had a lovely 1982 Kawasaki KZ550 H1 (GPz) and he took $900 for it. Didn’t think that would last long. Another seller is probably going to sell their 1985 Honda Nighthawk 650 tomorrow at 8am, they only want $1100 for that which is a steal.

So maybe this time tomorrow I’ll have a new ride in the stable!

So, you go to the nearest Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki dealership, I’ll bet you that right now there’s probably a Shadow 600, a full dress tourer, 19 dirt bikes, a scooter or two, and a quad mule for sale.

Try a different seller: Red Label Mot

What makes them stand out is the absolutely exhaustive descriptions and history of every bike they sell. Here’s a snippet from an Aprilia Futura they currently have:

“This bike has never tipped over, crashed or been damaged in any way. Unless you count the scuffs on the saddlebags as “damage”, which I will cover later. Always parked indoors and very well taken care of, this is a clean Aprilia sport-tourer.”

The seem to specialize in exotic, high quality, even vintage cycles. They may command a premium price, but you get what you pay for. Didn’t know that Laverdas still made motorcycles? Just recently, they’re selling a Laverda Ghost Strike.

Enjoy browsing their inventory. They’re located on Capitol Hill in Seattle if you want a closer look at that “I’ve never seen that bike before” bike.

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From the auction: “1984 Honda V65 Sabre. Great condition. Bike has under 15,000 miles. New tires,Battery, Fork seals,Resent tune up, High pressure oil mod installed at 9500 miles. Cams and valves in exellent Condition. Only normal ware for 25 years old. You would be hard pressed to find a cleaner low milage Sabre around. Buyer responsable for pickup and delivery.payment to be collected before delivery”

Love a mid 80’s V65 Sabre. Put a windscreen on it and you have a motorcycle for the rest of your life.

**UPDATE** The auction for this lovely V65 Sabre has ended, and it fetched a damn respectable $2,600! I myself entered a few bids on it – suffice it to say, there were others willing to pay a bit more for it than I was, and I congratulate the seller and auction winner.  My loss.

Any more Honda V65 Sabres for sale anywhere else? If there are, they’re right below:

Some more Honda ST1100s may be available outside of the Seattle area here:

“Hello you are looking at a Zee/Zed Rex in pristine condition. It’s a low mileage, 11K, garage queen, nine and a half out of ten. Awesome muscle bike with power, handling and braking ability. Retro styling inspired by the AMA superbike championship winning Eddie Lawson bike of the early eighties. The bike is stock apart from an aftermarket Scorpion exhaust and a taller screen. Passion red. Never been thrashed or dumped. Mature rider owned. PRICE REDUCED $5150.”

While this particular ZeeRex is no longer available for sale, If you like Kawasaki’s ZRX 1100/1200 as much as I do, there may be more ZRX’s available for sale nationwide:

“For sale is a 1986 Yamaha Fazer with the Genesis 700cc engine. This bike is also known as the “baby V-Max” as they look very similar. This bike is in very good to excellent condition. You will not find one in this good of shape with original, shiny paint probably anywhere in the country. It has no scratches and has not been down (to my knowledge). This is a very hard to find and collectible bike. I have added foam grips, bar end mirrors, and a windshield. Fresh oil and plugs about 400 miles ago. Tires and chain in great shape. Jump on it before it’s gone. $2300 firm.”

In the Spring of 2001 I paid $2500 for my second Yamaha Fazer, a 1986 model. It wasn’t quite as nice as this particular specimen for sale. The owner/seller doesn’t state how many miles the bike has on it, but their engines hold up quite well, so I wouldn’t worry much if it was under 40k. The mounted windscreen is a third party manufactured unit; Yamaha made a color coded quarter fairing/windscreen specifically for the Fazer and Radians in 1986 that looked a little sportier than this one. I nit pick.

Although this particular 1986 Yamaha Fazer standard motorcycle is no longer for sale, there may be more:

Other Fazers may be available for sale here.