Consider this before you buy a new Kawasaki.

[bonester]

Been active with my micrometer recently after discovering that my rear disc ($550 from Kawasaki) on my ZZR1200 is undersized and unroadworthy at 25000km....
A mates GPX250 rear disc is 0.2mm undersize at 32000km.
My Spada is 0.7mm OVERSIZE in the discs at 48000km, and they are original discs.
I measured a rear disc on a BRAND NEW GPX the other day- it was 4.8mm thick, where 4.5mm is the minimum limit- so they give you 0.3mm over RWC when new.
I also measured a Firestorm with 12000km on it- it was 1mm oversize in the discs- more than 3 times more 'meat' than a GPX.
I had a lot of problems on my ZZR1100 with disc warp- fronts were $740 each from Kawasaki.
It might be acceptable if the discs were cheap, and a normal consumable- I don't consider them to be- especially at 25000km. They might have been undersized far earlier than that- I only bought the micrometer recently. I'm sure they would never be covered under Kawasaki warranty anyway, as they would be 'wear and tear', not a manufacturing defect.

[chameleon]

one more nail in the 1200's coffin. Perhaps ya should flog it off and get something different. Any maker can put out a dudd, "even Kawasaki"

Edit: Not that I think it is a dud myself, I just think it fell short of expectations, was let down as you say by cheaper parts. The suspention for example, it was upgraded in the front but the rear was as bad as the shock on the old 11. So one of it's owners here told me a little while back.

[MickLC]

one more nail in the 1200's coffin. Perhaps ya should flog it off and get something different. Any maker can put out a dudd, "even Kawasaki"

Yeah, my mates 1200 hasn't had anywhere near the problems you've had with yours...he is quite taken by the new 1400 however

[photomike666]

There is a huge difference between the two kwak models and the others you mention. And that is that thay are at the cutting edge of cut throat market share. The 1200 was produced as the worlds fastest bike, and had to contend with enemies like the bussa. The GPX is aimed at being one of the cheapest 250s on the market, and has loads of competitiors.

It is perhaps a weak excuse that the manufactures skimp on some areas to keep the cost/weight/etc down to a minimum. When they build something aimed at being middle of the road, there are much bigger margins, and a heavier/more expensive disc will not be such an issue.

Due to these points, the discs will probably be model specific - therefore the run numbers are low and the unit cost increases. I'm sure there are cheaper aftermarket disc available, and are probably equivalent priced discs that are better quality.

[chameleon]

The 1200 was produced as the worlds fastest bike, and had to contend with enemies like the bussa.

He's talking about the ZZR12 there mike, not the 12R. The ZZR1200 was introduced in 2002, two years after the 12R was in production, it's purpose was to be an upgrade to the very popular ZZR11 whereas the 12R was produced as a Busa competitor

[hoffy]

get aftermarket ones, cheap (relatively) and look good.

http://www.austreetfighter.com.au/scart/html/92.html

[photomike666]

The 1200 was produced as the worlds fastest bike, and had to contend with enemies like the bussa.

He's talking about the ZZR12 there mike, not the 12R. The ZZR1200 was introduced in 2002, two years after the 12R was in production, it's purpose was to be an upgrade to the very popular ZZR11 whereas the 12R was produced as a Busa competitor

In that case it sucks, stick it to em

[FrogZ]

Lots of crappy little shit gone wrong with my ZX12R
Broken brackets, plastic etc. etc.
Kwaka cover it but it was teh flagship and has had a 5 year model run at least, surely they could have fixed this shit by now...

[mrmina]

.... surely they could have fixed this shit by now...

come one mate, that would just be sensible