Thinking of getting an older bike (15yr old ZZR)
Discussion
I'm looking at a 1993 ZZR 600 that has been fully refurbed by its owner. The frame has been re-powder coated, all panels re-painted in Kwaka Green, new downpipes/'zorsts/tyres/chain/sprockets and looks as good as the day it left the factory.
The bike was done up as the owner intended to keep it but part ex'd it for an R1 after a test ride (bike at a dealer but spoke to previous owner). It's fully HPI clean and will have a full service (has full history inc valve clearances) new MOT and 60 day warranty.
It's priced at £1695 but I feel that for the condition it's a good price.
My questions are:
1. Is this a good price for a 15 year old bike?
2. What pitfalls should I look out for on this model?
3. I'm having to fit a Data tool System 4. I can get one fitted for £250 and just want to know are they as good as they claim to be and is the price about right? I've looked around but you guys might know of a place that could offer a better product/price (based in Berkshire)
Cheers as always,
Simon
The bike was done up as the owner intended to keep it but part ex'd it for an R1 after a test ride (bike at a dealer but spoke to previous owner). It's fully HPI clean and will have a full service (has full history inc valve clearances) new MOT and 60 day warranty.
It's priced at £1695 but I feel that for the condition it's a good price.
My questions are:
1. Is this a good price for a 15 year old bike?
2. What pitfalls should I look out for on this model?
3. I'm having to fit a Data tool System 4. I can get one fitted for £250 and just want to know are they as good as they claim to be and is the price about right? I've looked around but you guys might know of a place that could offer a better product/price (based in Berkshire)
Cheers as always,
Simon
Sounds OK to me..for just over £1500 with a recent service,MOT(double check all the bearings thou...) what more could you ask for? It should fit the bill nicely.
The alarm will be as reliable as long as the person fitting it is up to the task,id rather choose a specialist independent fitter(from the likes of the ads in MCN) than a large chain, its not un-known in the bigger shops for the trainee tea boy to be given the task of fittimg it whilst the head "technician" just completes the paperwork...
The alarm will be as reliable as long as the person fitting it is up to the task,id rather choose a specialist independent fitter(from the likes of the ads in MCN) than a large chain, its not un-known in the bigger shops for the trainee tea boy to be given the task of fittimg it whilst the head "technician" just completes the paperwork...
Hypermonkey said:
I'm looking at a 1993 ZZR 600 that has been fully refurbed by its owner. The frame has been re-powder coated, all panels re-painted in Kwaka Green, new downpipes/'zorsts/tyres/chain/sprockets and looks as good as the day it left the factory.
The bike was done up as the owner intended to keep it but part ex'd it for an R1 after a test ride (bike at a dealer but spoke to previous owner). It's fully HPI clean and will have a full service (has full history inc valve clearances) new MOT and 60 day warranty.
It's priced at £1695 but I feel that for the condition it's a good price.
Simon
The amount of work that has been done rings alarm bells in my suspicious mind, the work that has been done might of just been a restoration project but could well of been to get rid of accident damage.The bike was done up as the owner intended to keep it but part ex'd it for an R1 after a test ride (bike at a dealer but spoke to previous owner). It's fully HPI clean and will have a full service (has full history inc valve clearances) new MOT and 60 day warranty.
It's priced at £1695 but I feel that for the condition it's a good price.
Simon
The fact that the frame has been powder coated
really would make me nervous as it could hide any damage or repairs to the frame, the same can be done by polishing the frame in some cases.(was powder coating done from factory as original spec?)
It may be hpi clear but doesn't mean its got a clean history, the level of work that has been done to the bike means it's been completely stripped down and you've got to ask yourself how much trust do you have in the previous owner to of put it back together completely right, px-ing it may of been the easiest way to get rid of it once it was saleable.
I'm sorry to say that I agree. I love old bikes and we have 2 ('89 and '93) in our household, but we would only go near ones with fully original setup.
Anyone who has gone to the effort of either preserving or replacing damaged panels with fully original fairing etc clearly has cared enough about the bike not to chuck it down the road and spray over it.
Powder coated frames are a big no no, and you don't know what is 'trapped' underneath the powder coat, or why on earth they did it in the first place!
Buy one by all means, but be careful!
Anyone who has gone to the effort of either preserving or replacing damaged panels with fully original fairing etc clearly has cared enough about the bike not to chuck it down the road and spray over it.
Powder coated frames are a big no no, and you don't know what is 'trapped' underneath the powder coat, or why on earth they did it in the first place!
Buy one by all means, but be careful!
Also, if you're heart set on a ZZR (we have a 250), join this forum:
http://www.zzr-international.co.uk/forum/
They're very helpful and will probably help you through the buying process if you're nice to them!
http://www.zzr-international.co.uk/forum/
They're very helpful and will probably help you through the buying process if you're nice to them!
Good points about potential repair work but we are talking about a £1500 bike not a new ish model worth a great deal more,so thus worth chucking a fair few quid at to out it again to out it and make a fair wedge of money, if he/she has done all that work themselves it does sound to me it was a loving former owner than a potential con job,doesnt make financial sense to me to invest that much time/money to recoup very little back.
Loads of older bikes have powder coated frames and the finish of the Kwaks of the era was very poor.
Slightly off topic but can you powder coat an ally frame anyway? I thought they had to be painted?
Loads of older bikes have powder coated frames and the finish of the Kwaks of the era was very poor.
Slightly off topic but can you powder coat an ally frame anyway? I thought they had to be painted?
I used to own a ZZR600 so hopefully can help a bit. A 1993 will be the 'D' model which didn't have ram-air and is the same model i had. Still a very comfortable and very quick bike.
However for a 1993 ZZ600 £1695 is a huge amount of money.. Honesly you should be able to get a fairly 'standard' later 'E' model of around 1997-1998 for around £1000-£1200 out of season.
And should already have a suitable datatool or equivalent installed..
The bike you are looking at may be great but it will be more difficult to sell on due to the degree of work done and ultimately will be worth less than a less 'customised' model.
However for a 1993 ZZ600 £1695 is a huge amount of money.. Honesly you should be able to get a fairly 'standard' later 'E' model of around 1997-1998 for around £1000-£1200 out of season.
And should already have a suitable datatool or equivalent installed..
The bike you are looking at may be great but it will be more difficult to sell on due to the degree of work done and ultimately will be worth less than a less 'customised' model.
Cheers for all the replies.
I had another chat and found that I got my facts re the frame wrong. It has been cleaned when the fairings where sprayed and was in such good condition it looked as good as fresh paint/powder coat. I must learn to listen to what's said rather than look at shiny bike pictures
I agree the price is high, and I'm having a look at the later variants at the weekend to compare them all. I'm going to use it as an everyday hack primarily and this one might be something more suited to an enthusiast who wants a mint example...although strange choice for a weekend toy.
I'll have a look at that site and see what's the score so thanks for the link.
I'll report back with the findings from the weekend and possibly some pics if I find one that ticks all the boxes.
Thanks again,
Simon.
I had another chat and found that I got my facts re the frame wrong. It has been cleaned when the fairings where sprayed and was in such good condition it looked as good as fresh paint/powder coat. I must learn to listen to what's said rather than look at shiny bike pictures
I agree the price is high, and I'm having a look at the later variants at the weekend to compare them all. I'm going to use it as an everyday hack primarily and this one might be something more suited to an enthusiast who wants a mint example...although strange choice for a weekend toy.
I'll have a look at that site and see what's the score so thanks for the link.
I'll report back with the findings from the weekend and possibly some pics if I find one that ticks all the boxes.
Thanks again,
Simon.
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