Synonymous with the Kawasaki muscle bikes of old and Eddie Lawson's 1980/'81 AMA title-winning inline fours, the ZRX series is actually a little more than that.
The bike first came into being in 1997 in 1100cc form, sporting a retro square headlight, twin shocks, braced swingarm and looks that were a mix of Eddie's AMA Superbike and the Z1-R from the 1980s.
With a 112cc increase in capacity for 2001 came another two models - the half-faired 'S', which didn't play the rose-tinted glasses card and instead concentrated on being a value-for-money, big-bore, do-it-all daddy, and the bikini-less R version, which had the square headlight changed for a round one, giving it a more big Zed lookey-likey feel.
All versions had the robust, reliable ZZ-R1100 motor as a base, along with old-fashioned carbs,
analogue clocks and fuel-tap. In retro tests since, the ZRX1200R in Eddie Lawson green has always shown well against more modern machinery on looks alone.
1. Engine Despite what some owners say, the ZRX isn't quite the torque-laden arm-ripping monster you'd expect it to be, but it's still got plenty of 'oomph'. The best bit is that, despite not having the biggest cubes in its class, the revvier Kwak does make the most power. While the ZRX loses out at the bottom and midrange to its rivals, where most of them have tailed off at 7500-8000rpm the Zed pulls on towards a 120bhp peak at around 8500rpm. Lovely. Servicing takes place generally every 4000 miles.
2. ZZ-R cams Whack a set of ZZ-R1100 cams into the ZRX1100 and voila - more poke! Obviously the carbs will need re-jetting for it all to work properly (see below).
3. Jetting changes These bikes are pretty sensitive to poor set-up. If you fit an end can or a full system - or ZZ-R cams (see above) - make sure you get the thing checked out on a dyno, and get any re-jetting done by a reputable tuning house.
4. Gearing Despite being a 'big-bore' bike, the ZRX inherits the rev-happy nature of the ZZ-R it got its motor from. To give it a bit more oomph, do what many owners do - go one tooth down at the front and one up on the back. A couple of Renthal sprockets will set you back around £50, and they're easy to fit.
5. Brakes Pretty good by retro standards. The six-pot calipers are from the ol' ZX-7R and benefit from decent braided hoses and softer pads. Carbone Lorraine, EBC HH and Bendix pads perform well.
6. Finish In the main, ZRXs are very well finished when it comes to paint and general chassis parts, but there are some exceptions. Owner Mick Farmer: "The bolts seem to be made of cheese or are of the lowest quality possible. Easily replaced though with some good quality stainless ones at a small cost." Banjo bolts for brake lines are the same.
7. Suspension Pretty basic stuff as it goes, but useable enough if you're a steady rider. If you're not, there are things you can do to sort it out. Most top-line suspension outfits do progressive fork springs and adjustable rear shocks for the ZRX, with …hlins, WP and Hagon among the most popular. A set of saucy fully-adjustable …hlins shocks will cost the thick end of £600, while the more moderately priced Hagons will do almost as good a job, but cost £360. Fork braces are also available.
8. Handling If you're used to sportsbikes, this is a heavy, slow-steering beast, but an easy and worthwhile handling mod is to rotate the eccentric chain adjusters by 180 degrees. The result is around 20mm extra rear ride height, making the steering usefully quicker.
Continue the Kawasaki ZRX1100 & ZRX1200 Used Review
