1998 Kawasaki ZX-7R review from Australia

Nothing, very reliable.

A beautiful motorcycle to look at, very nice lines and still holds its value very well and is sort after, years after its prime.

The bike was one of the last supersports before the R1 bent the sports bike world over a bench and gave it what for. The styling is still in the wide front with ram air intakes and plenty of room for the rider to move around. This makes it very comfortable for a sports bike, especially when carrying a pillion compared to newer sports bikes. It also adds to its weight, which tips in at around 215kg, quite heavy these days for a bike with 'only' 120hp.

The bike makes the very best of the engine it has available, and pulls very well from as low as 2-3000 rpm, much better than some newer bikes I've ridden (good wide torque curve). It also winds out very well with the last 2000 - 3000rpm pulling very strongly before the 12000rpm redline.

The instrument setup is starting to show its age also, with an analogue speedometer and odometer, but they are clear.

The handling is quite good, the front end in particular is very responsive with exceptional turn in if you set the rear ride height to the maximum, and good information through the front wheel. I did find however that the front liked some tyres better than others. Certainly steer clear of D****p D208s, they were rubbish on this bike.

Overall, a very good bike for the money if you don't need the latest and greatest. Incidentally, quite good top speed, I saw 280kph with a little more to come on one occasion.

A very nice motorcycle, destined for sports classic status.