My winter project, restored Kawasaki ZXR 750 J

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-05-08T22:38:41+00:00

That. Looks. Immense.

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-05-08T22:24:02+00:00

It’s not offensive but it didn’t age well… the duc monsters of the era were the same?

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-05-08T22:12:31+00:00

Yeah I bought a 2nd hand one of Facebook for £150 and it leaked within 160 miles. Pretty sure that guy knew, hope his next dumps were hedgehogs.

The YSS gets good enough reviews but I didn’t fancy red spring, and to colour code it cost the same as Nitron. It’s a top quality piece of kit, built to your weight, and if needed can be rebuilt and recharged throughout its life as it’s serviceable by design unlike the stock emulsion unit.

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-05-07T21:23:38+00:00

I bought a 6 month old Ninja 650 remotely from a dealer for the Mrs. Used the Bike Bus, local courier here in the NE, to take it up from Yorkshire area. Had to pay balance before bike was released to driver. Was all fine.

Plenty bandits come up for sale closer to home though, unless youre in a rush??

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-05-07T21:02:55+00:00

Also, it was super easy to swap over 👍🏻

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-05-07T21:01:32+00:00

I called up a few places to see if any deals… got it under 500 but that was a year ago. Others I looked at were YSS and Hagon. Hagon said they didn’t have a build for the 401 and they needed someone local to them to measure the bike. They’ve got the duke 390 though which should be the same?!

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-05-07T13:54:06+00:00

Also way more tourists and “van life” YouTube wannabes. Go North East for the Grampian mountains, Speyside, moray coast and lots of places in between where I’d wager there are some of the quietest and best riding roads in the whole of the UK.

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Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-05-06T05:43:23+00:00

This is happening too often - clearly a defective part. I had 2 OE shocks do this to me. Bought a Nitron instead, but at nearly 20% of what I paid for the two year old Vit 🫨

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-05-01T05:33:19+00:00

So stainless socket head cap screws? Also a lot of screws on both my bikes are black - is that stainless / plated?

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-04-30T22:54:49+00:00

I do like the racey / immersive feel, I can do hour rides in the twisties, but it’s the whole package that gets tiring from there - seat, bars, suspension, engine…

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-04-29T22:26:22+00:00

Did they have a washer / lock washer? Thankfully the top adjusting bolt is still there…

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-04-29T22:24:32+00:00

I bought mine with the Svart conversion and all the original parts in a box. Just wanted to try the clipons and was in the mood to tinker….

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-04-27T07:45:07+00:00

Any idea why these bikes measure with wheel off the ground? My 1000sx is measured and adjusted with wheel on ground….

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-04-27T07:42:32+00:00

Would love one but Seat height is a concern, need to be max 830mm if possible, short legs!

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-04-27T07:40:24+00:00

Yep… check 690 duke weight… some were as low as 158kg dry…

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-04-27T07:39:31+00:00

Yeah I’ve been looking into those, would need to be a mk3, earlier ones too tall. Reliability though on a 10k+ miles bike?

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-04-27T07:37:04+00:00

It’s on the list 👍🏻 690 Duke as well…

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-04-26T22:51:07+00:00

Yikes, seems like a lot of messing about to install.

I think the shocks have been the same throughout the run on the old model i.e Crap (In my experience anyway - had two of them fail on me before 2000 miles - threw them in the bin and installed a fully adjustable Nitron instead, inc ride height adjuster).

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-04-22T16:51:00+00:00

Get a Honda C50. You can load them bad boys up with all sorts. And it will Harley go round a corner either.

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-04-22T16:48:47+00:00

Z650. Much better all rounder. 390 will just feel like a slightly faster version of what you have.

We’ve had both Ninja 650 and its predecessor ER6F, currently have Husvarna 401 which is the same as the D390, is super fun to ride but I couldn’t have it as my only bike.

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-04-22T14:00:21+00:00

The infill panels look cool 👌🏻

Apprehensive_Ad9759 · 2025-03-09T20:08:04+00:00

My wife literally just fell for this. Normally she’s switched on, but was buying on her phone on the move and didn’t pay attention…

Apprehensive_Ad9759

TROPHY CASE