ZZR 400 - anyone seen one?

Hi all,

Anyone ever seen a ZZR 400 in the flesh, or heard stories?

I've been thinking it'd work quite well for what I've been looking for in a first bike, assuming I can find one or convince some import guys (fortunately I live pretty close to the Import Motorcycle Centre in Springwood, already shot an email off to 'em) to bring one in...

Basically, it's appealing to me because it's a bit bigger and more powerful than a 250, lessening the chance of wanting to upgrade to something bigger for a good long time. And I'm a little dubious about jumping straight onto a 600 after QRide.

And I always saw myself as more of a sport tourer than tourer sort of person, hence why I'm looking at a ZZR rather than a CBR or ZXR...

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Cheers,

Danny

Just buy a ZZR600 ya wuss. If it had of been in budget, I probably would have considered the possiblity of maybe perhaps getting one. But it wasn't.

The ER-5 seemed extremely fast the very first time I opened the throttle fully, and indeed it was the first time I had ever been that fast on a bike. But only a few months later, it is "ho hom, that all??"...mind you I did QRide on a 650...but never gave it a handful.

If nothing else, it will teach you throttle/clutch control - may I suggest spending some weekend time in an empty car park/industrial estate. It wont take long for you to be comfortable with the 600.

I wouldnt import a zzr400 Danny, the zxr4 are are much better bike then the equivalent brands which are available here. Whereas the zzr4 isnt anything special at all. Saw a GPX6 at moss street the other day hit the shops mate you d eb surprised what they have in the bike shops.
Cheers Brett

i saw one at import bikes on Moss St about 1 year ago. They had D model looked alright but goes like shit from what i heard.
My first bike was and still is the zzr600, don't be to afraid of it. They are a good bike to start with cause they're cheap (mine was $5K for low milage '93 model), good availablity of parts (no dicky grey import parts problems that my bro's had with there cbr400 and fzr250) and their are people who know how to fix em.
It is very easy to ride cause despite being a 'hundred horsepower' bike most of the power is up top and i short shifted for the first six months till i was used to the power. I started riding it Feb '02 and i can't see myself gettin rid of it in a hurry cause it is a good mix of tourer, commuter and sportsbike (whilst the zx7r was being fixed ).
Seanzx7r&zzr600

Danny

I agree with the chaps above... The ZZR600 would be a great first bike as you can ride it normally without fear of it throwing you off... you'll be wanting a bigger bike after 6 months of riding it anyway...

They are well priced and you can get heaps of parts for them

Fair advice there actually guys - just had a look at prices on older 600s, they are nice and cheap.

And I would feel very silly having to import a mirror or something from Japan after dropping an import...

But then I'd feel really stoopid accidentally dropping the clutch and doing something 'orrible to my fragile skeleton! Ah well. You only live once I suppose (apologies to any Buddhists on the forum). It does make me feel better hearing other people have started off on them.

Thanks guys,

Danny

You could probably restrict it in some way if you were really worried about it - washers in the throttle body/carb, restrict the inlet to the airbox, some kind of tacho cut out switch. If it were me, and I wanted to restrict it, I'd go for restricting the airbox intake.

But realistically, 1 month of riding everyday and you'll wonder what you were worried about.

And yeah, locally delivered + popular model = heaps of spares, wrecked bikes, and aftermarket gear. How can you go wrong?

<snippage>... you'll be wanting a bigger bike after 6 months of riding it anyway...
<more snippage>

Depends on the person. I'm not after anything bigger than my ZZR600, and I've had it a while. It's a good compromise for commuting, touring and sports riding. Well, it's a little soft on the sports bit, but it does the others well, which is the majority of my riding (only method of transport). Then again, I'm not out to be the quickest guy around.

They can be a bit intimidating at first, feeling a bit top-heavy after coming off bikes like a KZ-550, Zephyr 550 and a Honda VF500F. That disappears as soon as you get it moving (and you put some air in the tyres - don't ask). I'd probably still get something other than the ZZR600 as a first bike if my only riding experience was QRide.

My 2 cents, anyway

My '98 zx6r is my first bike. I didn't crack the throttle wide open till a couple of months after I got it. Just cause the powers there doesn't mean you have to use it. I still have lots to learn before I reach the limits of the bike, so I will probably have it for some time before I feel the need to move on, unless I win lotto.

Our good friends at Parramatta Kawasaki have one - it looked a bit rough when I walked past it from memory, but if you are interested you can see it here

Danny i test rode a zzr6 at Allbikes on Moss St last saturday. It was an early model but in pretty good shape, felt straight n pulled pretty well. My only caution on a newer rider buying a zzr6 is the front fairings can take a beating $$$ if it rolls of the sidestand etc. Go check it out n tell us what you think. If i bought one I'd drill the fairings n whack crash nobs on it.
Cheers Brett

I tell you what, when I first got my ZZR6 I had no problem with the power whatsoever. Possibly due to the fact that after 18 months of riding a Virago 250 I WAS HANGIN FOR IT...

Sure I had other issues with the height and weight of the bugger, but the power was the least of my worries. I actually LOVED that bit.

And just for the record, I've had my ZZR6 for a year now, and the grand total of droppages has just reached 5. I am seriously stunned at how little damage I've done to any of it. There's only minor grazing on one side of the fairing, and superfine scratches on the other, that I'm going to try to polish out with some coloured polish. I have been fortunate though in only landing on sealed surfaces twice during those 5 drops...

I reckon if there had have been 400s easily available when I was looking to buy, I probably would have got one, but more from a size point of view than a power one.

So there you go. Hope that helps

I reckon if there had have been 400s easily available when I was looking to buy, I probably would have got one, but more from a size point of view than a power one.

Hey Miss Kaz, how are you?

You wouldn't have wanted the ZZR-400 anyhoo, from memory they're the same size & weight as your 600, but significantly less in the power:weight department. Haven't seen one in the flesh, but I remember a thread on the old Forum from a guy in the UK who was asking questions.

Now, how about a ZZR-750? Use the Z750 engine in the current frame, upgrade the brakes and rear suspension...?

Last edited by Ratmick on Tue Jan 11, 2005 12:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Yep, after reading up a bit it seems the 400 is the same body as the 600, just a smaller engine, so it'd be just as heavy.

Seeing as it's an import, I suppose I could probably get a 600, restrict it a bit, and still come out cheaper than the 400. And then would be able to derestrict it when I'm a bit more confident...

Thanks for the info Brett - did the guys at Allbikes mention how much they were looking for?

Danny

Danny,

You are making a good choice. The good thing with the ZZR is that it suits such a wide range of buyers, you'll find a well cared for bike if you can bear waiting for it to come along, just be ready to pay a bit more than average for it, but if it is a good, well looked after bike, it will be worth it.

You'll find too, that they often come with extras like rack etc which would only cost you $$$ to put on, so keep that in mind while you are looking.