1996 Kawasaki ZX-6R review from United Kingdom

Front callipers needed new seals after 25,000 miles and being ridden through 8 British winters.

Swinging arm bearings and rear shock linkages also needed replacement after 25,000 miles and being ridden through 8 British winters, but I'm not complaining!

Downpipes are very rusty now, time for some stainless replacements.

A bit of carburettor icing in cold, damp conditions.

Absolutely superb. Seriously. It does 160 mph, it frightens the wotsits out of me around Brands Hatch, and yet on the road it returns 45 mpg and costs £120 fully comp for the insurance!

People moan in a lot of reviews that it can't 'hack' it against modern 600s. No, it can't. It is 10 years old now and was one of the quickest, if not the quickest in class when it was built, but it's a decade old, so it won't keep up with the 636.

Let's face it, most people ride their 600s on the road, this bike has good fuel economy, a fairing big enough to tuck behind. Solo up to 5 hours in the saddle is possible and the missus will sit on the back with a weekends' luggage for 2 hours at a time. It's got more mid-range than a similar vintage GSXR 600, and more top end and sports potential than the CBR. Oh, it has that Kawasaki trademark airbox yowl and sounds glorious on a noisy pipe.

Spares are cheap, so is the insurance, and you can pick up a fairly tidy one for £1000. I bought a complete set of bodywork and wheels for £350 which I use for trackdays and then swap for standard for riding to work.

If you can cope without having the latest sports bike, and want something to give you an ear to ear grin and your wallet an easy time, buy one of these. In green!