Last Updated on Tuesday, 06 September 2011 20:19 Written by Mik Monday, 11 August 2008 11:12

For:

really good looking bike

A lot of parts can be shared between the 400 and the 600 and between years and even the GPZ900R.

Adjustable suspension front and rear

Low seat height

Comfortable to ride, compared to todays bikes.

Bungee hooks

 

Against

Parts availability...(well it is getting old and very few new parts available.)

Original Suspension can be soft

Not many original examples left

Anti-Dive (can be a pain to set up)

Fork seals and carbs rubbers suffer when stored.

 

 

 

 

 

Common faults and Reliability

A lot of 600r's have a rumble at the bottom end, this is something not to worry about to much, this is a common problem but doesn't seem to cause any issues. The noise will generally disappear when you increase the REvs.

Reliability is generally good, The inside of the fuel tank can rust, My tank has already had a coating put on the inside, although I did get a new tank that I have to get resprayed which I will be doing this winter.

Camshaft problems were common on the 600R, thanks to a high tick over from cold and no centre stand (The older bikes had a centre stand) leading to oil starvation on the right hand. Carburettor  icing was later cured by heating the carburettor bodies using  the cooling system, this did reduce the power output as seen in later bikes. The steel frame also bent very easily in crashes, this was strengthened later on. (Make sure you double check this when purchasing.

Checking a bike out before you purchase.

# Make sure the engine is cold before checking the bike over.

 

 

# Take off the radiator cap and make sure there is no film of oil, oil would indicate problems with the engine.(Internal engine leak)

# Check all lights and levers work (bad lights could indicate more serious electrical problems)

# Run you finger up and down the fork stanchion, a light film of oil can be fixed, but pitted and rough stanchions would require more expensive work.

# Check for leakage in the rear shock.

# Check the Tyres, these can take up to 10 weeks to order as they are 16 inch, not common at all.

# Check disk rotors, are they cracked, this what about the brake pads?

# Clear the wheels off the ground, do they spin freely, are bearing loose?

# Check the engine and frame numbers match

# Check that the chain is tight and that the sprockets are in good condition (not hooked)

When checking over a bike a lot of it is just common sense, but if you have no experience with bikes, take someone who does along with you.

 

 

From My own experience here is a review for the GPZ600R. Please feel free to submit me a review of your own and if it is good enough I will publish it here.

When I first laid eyes on this machine I wanted one badly, Not because of the hype nor the reviews that I was reading in magazines at the time but because it was different, different to all the other machines on the block, yes I seriously was considering a GPZ550 for a time and was actually riding a Suzuki GS550. I had seen the GPZ 900 around but it wasn't quite enough for me to go and buy it or even desire it,

The GPZ600R arrived. I was salivating at the mouth, heck it even looked better than the race machines on the track. I did for a time have a weakening for the Yamaha RD500LC, Forgive me if you don't understand these naming regimes, but different countries have different names for the bikes that are sold, in the US The Kawasaki is called the ZX600A (The A being for 1985, B for 1986) But in the UK and over here in Oz its called the GPZ600R, The name Ninja adorned the US Model only but I do know that stickers in the UK were widely available and a lot of people used them on their GPZ600R.  ZX600A can be found on a name plate just in front of the steering head, you will also find the month of manufacture.

I eventually managed to save up the lollies to buy the GPZ600R and as soon as I had it in my dirty little paws I jumped aboard the GPZ I just want to open the throttle and get lost somewhere on the country roads and in along the twisty bits that the British countryside is so famous for.  I am surprised I haven't lost my license yet or even been done for speeding because I would have been if I hadn't had the steel to control myself. I did spend a lot of time looking at how good my elbows were in the mirrors, they were next to useless which meant a lot of head turning when riding this bullet, and again with me having to keep twisting around it saved my bacon more than once.

I have read reviews that the GPZ was a little stiff up front and at the rear, but from experience I actually thought it was too soft, but then again I am comparing to my SV650 of today. I didn't have many problems with the front forks only occasionally wallowing in long sweeping bends and a few pounds of air pressure at the front soon reduced the wallowing, whilst I was at it I also added some air to the rear as well, not for the riding but mainly because I used to carry passengers a lot.

Whilst holidaying in Germany I did get the chance to open the bike right up and got to insane speeds I clocked around 135mph which is the top speed rated in the magazines but taking account of Speedo error reading I was probably doing a true 125mph still bloody fast on a bike and for a 600cc at that. It was quite funny really doing around 200kph on a bike and police Porsche cars and the like passing you as though you were stood still. Most people think that over Germany you can drive at insane speeds but that isn't the case, you have to be sensible and pick you moments as they are only certain sections where you can unleash the beast that your sat in.

To give the bike some more stopping powder I replaced the original pads with sintered metal pads and left the rear brakes as standard. The brakes instil enough confidence I am sure that Kawasaki made this bike to lean over at ridicules angles and just for hauling it around any tight bend that would be thrown at it.

some of the things that annoys me about this bike is the fact if I want to do any kind of adjustment on the rear suspension I have to get a screwdriver to remove my side cover to get at the adjustment and the clutch  cable get in the view of the fuel gauge and like the majority of bikes the mirrors are naff and the master cylinder on the handle bars also covers/blocks the temperature gauge view.