Specifications
The brakes and frame are especially good on the motorcycle. The remaining elements are at the average level for the class. The Kawasaki ZRX 400 has all the necessary characteristics to be considered one of the best machines in its class.
Engine
The motor here is quite ordinary. By type it is in-line, four-stroke and four-cylinder. The working volume is 399 cm³. At 9000 rpm, torque reaches 37 Nm. At 11,000 rpm the power will be 53 hp. These figures are maximum.
The speed characteristics are low: the motorcycle accelerates to 100 km/h in only 5 seconds, and its maximum speed reaches only 180 km/h. However, for a road bike you don’t need anything more.
Transmission
The motorcycle has a chain drive. Its transmission is six-speed. This is a very common transmission option on similar models. This is enough for the motor to realize its potential in a way that is safe for the biker.
Dimensions and weight
The dry weight of the motorcycle is 185 kg. The volume of its gas tank is 16 liters. Considering that the average fuel consumption per 100 km is 5-6 liters, gasoline may be enough for 300 km of road. However, do not forget that consumption directly depends on driving style, and not everyone can drive 300 km without refilling. The rear tire size of the bike is 150/70-18, while the front tire size is 110/80-17.
Chassis and brakes
Classic 400s cannot boast a frame like this motorcycle. It is steel and, moreover, tubular. The design is very inconspicuous and unobtrusive. Retro classics are much more eye-catching than this seemingly ordinary modern motorcycle. Alloy wheels are rustic in appearance. The steering wheel is comfortable and looks very discreet.
Another distinctive feature of the bike is the double shock absorber as the rear suspension with preload adjustment. The front suspension is a telescopic fork with dimensions of 39 mm. The rear brake is a single disc with a diameter of 240 mm, assisted by a two-piston caliper. The front brakes are two discs, each 300 mm, and are assisted by six-piston calipers, which is again new for the 400s.
Cooler than the new Ninja 400: test drive the Kawasaki ZXR400
Greetings, gentlemen motorcyclists!
This is my first full-fledged post on omoimot.ru and I want to dedicate it to the motorcycle that paved the way for me into the world of amateur circuit motorcycle racing - the second generation Kawasaki ZXR400 (1993, L-series).
I try to do all my reviews of two-wheeled vehicles in two formats - video (go to the channel, ask questions, I try to answer every subscriber) and text. Let's go!
In general, the Kawasaki concern released only two generations of this motorcycle. The first was designated by the letter H and was produced for only two years - from 1989 to 1990. You can recognize such motorcycles by their two characteristic separate round headlights. But the second, designated by the letter L, lasted on the assembly line for 12 years - from 1991 to 2003. And without any special changes, only at the end of 99 they did a little magic with the engine. Although between the first and second generations there were, of course, quite a lot of changes! The L-k not only has a different beautiful body kit with headlights combined under a hood, but also a new frame and engine. Second-generation motorcycles develop slightly less torque, but at the same time produce 2 more horsepower, and there were 64 of them in the 400 cc Zahara engine.
Of course, there were other versions of the motorcycle. I'm talking about single-seat racing options. In the first generation they were designated by the letter J, and in the second by the letter M. Naturally, in addition to the seats, there were other differences: fully adjustable forks and monoshock absorbers, a gearbox with close ratios and flat-throttle racing carburetors. Maybe something else too. But it’s simply impossible to find such motos - they have long become collector’s items. For Russia, even ordinary Zakhars are a rarity.
That is why I was looking for my motorcycle almost all winter at the turn of 2015/2016. I reviewed in person almost all the motorcycles that were on sale at that time in Moscow and the surrounding area and eventually found the very same one.
From a conversation with the previous owner Sergei, it was immediately clear that the motorcycle had been looked after. In fact, this was the first Zakhar from whom nothing fell off during the inspection and nothing leaked from under him. We quickly agreed.
Naturally, because The temperature outside was still around zero, so I didn’t try to ride Zakhara right away. Instead, I sent it to my motorcycle mechanic friend Max for pre-season service, because... already in early spring the motorcycle had to go to Belgorod for the first stage of XBikes. First of all, we changed the oil, coolant and brake fluids, cleaned and synchronized the carburetors. Then I ordered new Metzeler Racetec RR (K3) track semi-slick tires because... the previous owner decided not to sweat it and put a wide 180 cylinder from a 600 on the rear wheel.
By the way, finding tires in the sizes required for Zakhar was very difficult. In the end, the front one still had to be installed with the 70 profile traditional for modern 600s, instead of the recommended 60. It is now simply impossible to find a tire in size 120/60 R17. And the rear tire was registered in the size recommended by the passport 160/60 R17.
Next, Max and I decided to immediately remove the cylinder head cover to check and adjust the valve clearances. And this was truly a fateful decision, which essentially saved the motorcycle engine. We found a very interesting picture in the head - 2 cracked aluminum parts: an oil supply pipe located above the timing chain tensioner and the second of four camshaft cover, through which oil is supplied to it.
It turned out that this is a real disease of the Zakharov 400s, caused by metal fatigue and, in some cases, the crookedness of the craftsmen who do not follow the order of tightening the bolts when servicing the gas distribution mechanism. In the profile public, the entire wall was littered with calls for help in solving this problem. Naturally, I immediately started looking for stores or dismantling shops where I could order these parts. And I very quickly found the pipe and bought it from one of the Moscow region sugar growers. But with cover number 2, unrealistic problems arose. She was not present either at the showdown or on the forums. I started surfing on eBay and foreign forums, but I couldn’t find the ill-fated cover there either. I wanted to order a new one, but it could only be purchased complete with a head at the price of half a motorcycle! In complete despair, I turned to my friend Misha Kabaev, a welder from God. And, imagine, Micah was able to weld this small part with argon so carefully that the internal oil channel did not become even a millimeter narrower. To say that at that moment I was delighted is to say nothing.
Naturally, we also had to cover the holes in the flexible inertial boost pipes with black tape. These are the famous plastic horns protruding from the tank, by which the ZXR series motorcycles are unmistakably recognizable. There is still no sense from them, other than whipping up racing pathos. Unfortunately, after 25 years they inevitably dry out and burst, and it is impossible to find these parts in a fresh state.
We assembled the motik in a hurry on the last night before sending it to Belgorod. It was also necessary to change the torn cylinder head gasket, but in the end I had to stupidly seal it with sealant for a while until the ordered new gasket arrived from abroad.
The next morning I woke up early and went to the garage to get a motorcycle so that before work I could take it to the service guys who were engaged in delivery to Belgorod. But yesterday's haste was not in vain. As soon as I rolled out the motorcycle and opened the fuel tap, it began to fill everything around with gasoline. The seal has leaked. Moreover, the choke cable was unscrewed. The fact is that some crazy Japanese came up with an unrealistically poor idle adjustment for Zakhar. It consisted of a long flexible cable with a gear at the end, which could be turned with the right hand in one direction or the other. The cable was not fixed in the extreme positions and, accordingly, easily twisted and fell out of the groove.
And this whole situation finished me off! Left alone with a motorcycle peeing and stalling at idle, I realized that Belgorod was no longer in the cards for me.
Of course, the Zakharovs have other problems. Chain tensioners often fail, generators burn, and clutch release bearings fly. Of course, here we must also include all the standard stories inherent in every old motorcycle that has been poorly maintained - loose bearings in the wheels, air leaks due to cracked rubber bands in the carburetors, which is manifested by the revolutions slowly falling after closing the throttle, torn damper rubber bands of the rear wheel and etc. In general, you need to choose the ZXR400 incredibly carefully.
I finally made it to the track. And only there I realized two things: that Zakhar is really one of the fastest 400s. I would say “the best,” but, unfortunately, I haven’t ridden RVF and Jixer yet. And that the idea of buying it to participate in motorcycle racing was a failure. First things first.
The ZXR400 actually felt like a noticeably faster bike than the Sibikha 400 I once owned. Although according to the passport there is only 11 hp between them. and about 20 kg of mass. Zakhar produced 64 hp. at 13,000 rpm, and weighed approximately 180 kg in running order. Yes, up to 8000 it didn’t move at all and became dull when the gas was sharply opened, but from 8000 to the red zone it sang and accelerated like a real racing bike from the 90s. Another plus is that when exiting turns onto a straight line, you could always turn the throttle immediately and all the way. The grip of the Metzeler tires, combined with the compact size of the Zakhar, which allows tall riders like me to load the front wheel perfectly, led to the absence of such concepts as wheelies and power-sliding. 36 Nm (at 12,000) of torque was not enough to tear the rear wheel off the ground and lift the front one off the ground. And, of course, I had neither a spare motorcycle nor free money to repair Zakhar, so I almost always felt sorry for him. I left a reserve when entering corners and never revved the engine to the cutoff. Still, at that time I had two tasks: not only to learn how to properly control the motorcycle in extreme conditions, but also not to sink it when it falls.
Which was actually quite easy, because Zakhar drove simply amazing and forgave most mistakes. Insanely sharp geometry - the steering column angle is 24 degrees, the reach is 85 mm, plus the top suspension for that time - a Showa inverted front with 41 mm diameter stays and pre-compression and rebound adjustments, and a monoshock absorber at the rear with the same pre-compression and rebound adjustments and a pendulum Uni-Trak systems made it possible to literally throw the motorcycle into turns, even for such an inexperienced pilot at that time as me. Yes, the suspensions were incredibly stiff, so in some places on the Myachkovo autodrome we had to slightly cover the gas so that the motorcycle wouldn’t gallop along the broken asphalt like a goat. But in general, Zakhar was an extremely clear and easy-to-control motorcycle. He never even wobbled! Behind the tuned humpback fairing it was possible to completely hide from the incoming air and accelerate the motorcycle to 190 km/h by the end of the return straight. But I never got the bike up to the maximum 220 km/h declared by the manufacturer. Such a speed can be achieved on Zakhara, of course, only if you stifle it by disassembling the device and getting rid of the limiter.
On the track, I encountered another feature - the imperfect operation of the transmission. No, there is no second gear falling out - these are all jokes of Zizer or ZZR. On Zakhara, I simply wasn’t always able to engage exactly the gear I was counting on. These failures only occurred during a series of upshifts and downshifts. For example, when braking hard and downshifting from 6 to 2, the transmission sometimes stuck at 3, which caused me to lose a lot when exiting the turn. But, probably, this nuance can be attributed to the age of the motorcycle.
It is said that some Zakhars were also equipped with the first generation of KBATL slipper clutches, which stands for Kawasaki Back Torque Limiter. But, again, judging by the reviews, these devices worked so-so. And the slipper clutch is not so important on a motorcycle whose engine develops a small braking torque.
There were also some issues with the brakes. Compared to Sibikha, Zakhar braked noticeably more powerfully, but during intense braking on the track, one front double-disc brake (disc diameter 240 mm) was not enough. After all, two-piston calipers are a thing of the past by track standards. Actually, this is where the ZXR400 comes from. Naturally, I was ready for such a situation, so as the speed increased, I began to engage the rear brake. It’s just that the basic modifications for the track were too sharp, so I managed to catch the light slide several times. Of course, there is no talk of any ABS or other electronic assistants here. Well, the responsiveness of the brakes is also not going smoothly, but this can be corrected with reinforced hoses.
Now I criticize the Zakhar for its old-school nature, the lack of many useful features and some strange decisions, but for its time - the early 90s - it was an insanely progressive bike. Well, tell me, which of the manufacturers then also assembled their small bikes on rigid diagonal aluminum frames, with inverted forks, inertial charging pipes, monoshock absorbers and such forced four-stroke engines? 3 fingers are enough to count. It is not surprising that even 25 years later, many of my motorcyclist acquaintances were shocked when I named the Zakhara’s year of manufacture. They all thought that he was 10 years younger.
And even more surprising is the fact that they still sell a lot of different tuning options for ZXRs. From racing plastic kits to Akrapovic exhaust, progressive Nitron and Ohlins shocks and 450cc stroker kits to pump this pocket rocket up to 70-75 horsepower. But the price tags for all this stuff are, of course, astronomical. Damn weak ruble!
My Zakhara from tuning had only sliders, tinted humpback glass, cool Metzeler Racetec RR track tires, and there was still no fuel pump relay so that it would immediately pump gasoline when you turn the ignition key. This makes the motorcycle start faster.
Although I didn’t own Zakhar for long, I drove it almost every day - both to work and to training in Myachkovo. Of course, for tall drivers the driving position is very uncomfortable - you sit hunched over, there is not enough space, your feet cling to the edges of the plastic. The seat is thin and the suspension is stiff - the lower back suffers on every hole and bump. And standing up in such a position is hard on the knees. But the girl in Zakhara’s wide passenger seat was more comfortable than on the perches of modern 600 cc sportbikes. With an average consumption of 6 liters, a 16-liter tank was usually enough for me for 1.5 days of travel.
It’s a pity that the Formula 400 class in 2016 did not attract the required number of participants - only 3 people out of 12 who registered before the season made it to the XBikes stages. And last year there was practically no wrestling in this class; a maximum of 5 people came to the stages. That is why, at the end of the summer of 2016, I decided to tighten my belt and scrape together money for a full-fledged track six hundred - my 2011 R6. But that's a completely different story.
I sold Zakhara for 135,000 to a guy from the Vladimir region, for whom it became the first motorcycle. A few months later, when the season ended, he called me and told me that he had managed to drive another 5,000 km on the ZXR, and that everything was fine with the motorcycle.
For me, this motorcycle was a dream come true. Yes, initially I expected more from it and at some points it could not live up to my expectations, but in any case it gave me many vivid memories, allowed me to take my first steps into the world of motorsports and after the initial repair it never let me down. Now, when marketing reigns supreme in the world, and not engineering thought flying somewhere in the heights, such motorcycles are no longer made. Take a closer look at the ZXR 400 and now the new Ninja 400.
No shifter, no normal brakes and wheels, but instead of 64 hp. only 45 under the fairing!!! Yes, this is the Stone Age!
It's time to put motorcycles like the ZXR in the red book. There are fewer and fewer of them every year, and in original configuration and in good condition they are practically never found in nature. If you decide to buy a Zahara, choose very carefully, and after purchase, be sure to carry out comprehensive diagnostics by opening the engine.
History of changes
The motorcycle went through several stages in its development:
- 1994 – start of production;
- 1997-2003 - cosmetic changes, such as paint;
- 2005 – engine covers change color;
- 2007 – the color of the engine covers changed again, now there are stripes on the sides;
- 2008 is the last year of production.
The motorcycle has left its mark on the road bike industry. Kawasaki has learned important lessons from its production and can now please connoisseurs with a new road motorcycle that surpasses all previous ones in its performance.
Flaws
One of the main disadvantages is the heavy weight. Although the sports vehicle weighs 193 kg and accelerates well, it is very difficult to drive.
The heavy weight lengthens the braking distance, but at the same time, the low seating position appealed to both beginners and seasoned riders.
- Transmission . Due to an incorrectly configured sequential gearbox, the motorcycle had to be repaired frequently. Particular complaints about the second and fourth gears. If the previous user actively used the clutch, the new owner will have to immediately start at the service station. Transmission overhauls are performed in Russia, but this pleasure is not cheap.
- Mirrors. Some users noted that the rounded and sporty contours of the bike make them look unnaturally large. At the same time, it was noted that their size gives a complete picture of the situation on the road.
Indeed, the mirrors look simply huge.
- Killed . Since the model left the assembly line more than 10 years ago, when purchasing, the owner must be prepared that the machine will require financial investments.
- An interesting minus about . After 120 km, further acceleration is very sluggish. “It’s like there’s a poltergeist holding the frame from behind.”
Advantages
Users consider the light and at the same time massive frame to be the main advantage.
The motorcycle is quite popular in our time, not least because of the low price for a used copy.
It has the first quality due to special aluminum alloys, and the second from its relative - the older model. Since the ZZR 600 was already released during the development of the motorcycle, many details were transferred from it. The frame is designed for a larger engine, so 400 owners had nothing to worry about.
Another plus was the foresight of Kawasaki's design department, who managed to create a model that, 25 years later, looks modern and sleek.
Back view.
Side view.
View from above.
The big advantage is the affordable price of the motorcycle and components.
Despite being developed for the domestic market, the Kawasaki ZZR 400 is well suited not only for short Asians, but also for Europeans of medium and tall stature. Tests have shown that even people 190 cm tall are quite comfortable on a motorcycle.
What bike owners say:
In many videos, Kawasaki ZXR 250 owners note that it is very leisurely compared to modern sportbikes. However, this, according to some, makes it more suitable for people unfamiliar with the class and also makes it easier to move around the city.
The bike handles well and does not fall over at low speeds, for example, in a gradually flowing traffic jam. Many owners note this. The only problem that almost everyone talks about is that it is not so easy to get spare parts for this old model.
In conclusion, it is worth noting that the Kawasaki ZXR 250 is an excellent bike not only for its time, but even today. Yes, it is inferior in terms of characteristics to the top models of our time, but its capabilities are enough to please speed lovers. Well, connoisseurs of old sportbikes will generally be delighted.
