Show your classic Japanese bike!
Discussion
This was another £50 special.
Bought from the son in law of the original owner after pops passed on.
It hadn't been on the road for 12 years but only took a quick engine service and it ran sweet as a nut; Honda reliability.
I then swapped it with a proper enthusiast for this...
Quikasf
ki GPX600R complete with antidive and a 'scary-fast' 16" front wheel...
Bought from the son in law of the original owner after pops passed on.
It hadn't been on the road for 12 years but only took a quick engine service and it ran sweet as a nut; Honda reliability.
I then swapped it with a proper enthusiast for this...
Quikasf
ki GPX600R complete with antidive and a 'scary-fast' 16" front wheel...
Z400 Bitsa.
A previous owner had spent at least £800 on fancy tart's-handbag stuff to make the bike worth £400.
JMC swingarm, Giuliara seat, K&N's, Goodridge, bikini fairing, bellypan etc etc.
That £400 figure is what I paid for it and also what I sold it for after about three years of ownership.
Incidentally, the toddler in the background is now a voluptuous 29 year-old and if any of you ever try to contact her I will kill you in your beds while you sleep...
Now here's a real heavyweight bruiser for you!
Suzuki GSX1100G.
Best part of 300Kg with fuel and oil in it, longer than John Holmes, and with more rake than a shed-full of head gardeners it had a turning circle only slightly narrower than the QE2.
Shaft driven behemoth that would sit at 120mph all day if your neck was strong enough, it handled like a housebrick in a jar of honey and it was just as well that the front brakes were st as the forks were so soft they bottomed out at the first sniff of any kind of spirited riding!
I bought it for £100 after the guy who owned it sold the BMW I was actually going to see just before I arrived (if that makes any sense).
I then spent about £500 changing the tyres, replacing the exhaust and servicing it (it had sat for a couple of years before I bought it).
After a couple of months of "fun" with it I stuck it on ebay and the bidding just went mental!
I also had two different German blokes messaging me wanting to buy it unseen, one even promised to drive overnight to get the ferry so he could be with me in 36 hours with his van!
No idea why they are so popular; they're st!
Suzuki GSX1100G.
Best part of 300Kg with fuel and oil in it, longer than John Holmes, and with more rake than a shed-full of head gardeners it had a turning circle only slightly narrower than the QE2.
Shaft driven behemoth that would sit at 120mph all day if your neck was strong enough, it handled like a housebrick in a jar of honey and it was just as well that the front brakes were s
t as the forks were so soft they bottomed out at the first sniff of any kind of spirited riding!I bought it for £100 after the guy who owned it sold the BMW I was actually going to see just before I arrived (if that makes any sense).
I then spent about £500 changing the tyres, replacing the exhaust and servicing it (it had sat for a couple of years before I bought it).
After a couple of months of "fun" with it I stuck it on ebay and the bidding just went mental!
I also had two different German blokes messaging me wanting to buy it unseen, one even promised to drive overnight to get the ferry so he could be with me in 36 hours with his van!
No idea why they are so popular; they're s
t!
Ooh, almost forgot about this one!
This is a Kawaski ZX4.
Not a ZXR400, but it is the foundations on which it was built.
Back when the (original) ZX10 was the world's fastest bike, Japan made it seriously difficult for the average Joe to get a licence for anything bigger than 400cc.
The home market was absolutely rammed with beautiful little bikes that were the hot-poop thing for a year or so before becoming about as cool as your dad in tartan slippers; hence so many grey import 400's in the 90's.
The ZX4 was a one year only, far-east market only baby brother of the ZX10; only a handful came to the UK and even those are pretty thin on the ground now.
I actually got given this bike free when I bought my Hayabusa (long story) and it hadn't run for 20 years.
The biggest hassle was the front discs; the right side had been exposed to the elements and had corroded wafer thin at the bottom; I could not for the life of me find a replacement!
EBC list it, but couldn't supply it and no other bike (absolutely none) use the same pattern disc apparently!
The first photo shows the bike with only one disc and caliper fitted, it worked but was pretty wooden...
I eventually found another pair on ebay, one of which was badly warped when they arrived, but the good one was re-bobbined the other way round and did the job fine.
This is a Kawaski ZX4.
Not a ZXR400, but it is the foundations on which it was built.
Back when the (original) ZX10 was the world's fastest bike, Japan made it seriously difficult for the average Joe to get a licence for anything bigger than 400cc.
The home market was absolutely rammed with beautiful little bikes that were the hot-poop thing for a year or so before becoming about as cool as your dad in tartan slippers; hence so many grey import 400's in the 90's.
The ZX4 was a one year only, far-east market only baby brother of the ZX10; only a handful came to the UK and even those are pretty thin on the ground now.
I actually got given this bike free when I bought my Hayabusa (long story) and it hadn't run for 20 years.
The biggest hassle was the front discs; the right side had been exposed to the elements and had corroded wafer thin at the bottom; I could not for the life of me find a replacement!
EBC list it, but couldn't supply it and no other bike (absolutely none) use the same pattern disc apparently!
The first photo shows the bike with only one disc and caliper fitted, it worked but was pretty wooden...
I eventually found another pair on ebay, one of which was badly warped when they arrived, but the good one was re-bobbined the other way round and did the job fine.
Bob_Defly said:
Currently in the process of renovating this:
Just had a full fluids refresh, valves, plugs, full suspension refresh, new pads, new carbon wheels. Just waiting for a couple more hoses before getting the new bodywork above back on. That was a test fit, all OEM parts custom painted.
Now that is a cracker - Just had a full fluids refresh, valves, plugs, full suspension refresh, new pads, new carbon wheels. Just waiting for a couple more hoses before getting the new bodywork above back on. That was a test fit, all OEM parts custom painted.
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