High Plains Rider

The Kawasaki ZRX1200R is loosely based on Eddie Lawson's air-cooled KZ1000, which he rode to win both the 1981 and 1982 AMA Superbike Championships. At the time, his chief rivals were Freddie Spencer and Wes Cooley. Freddie Spencer rode the formidable new liquid-cooled Honda V4 Interceptor. Eddie Lawson¹s 1982 victory over Freddie Spencer and Honda was the KZ1000¹s last hurrah. Kawasaki continued to race the KZ1000 for quite some time afterward.

Unlike the original KZ1000, Kawasaki¹s ZRX1200R is powered by a thoroughly modern, liquid-cooled, 1164cc, dual overhead cam, four-valve-per-cylinder in-line four. Motorcyclist magazine gave this engine a torque rating of 79.6 ft/lbs (beyond harley territory) and 112.8 horsepower. The ZRX1200R weighs in at 492 pounds, dry. List price is $7899. Combine that big torque with an honest steel-tube frame and clean good looks, you have what the ZRX1200R is all about - a smooth, solid, and powerful motorcycle.

I purchased my ZRX1200R on August 23, 2001, at Colorado Powersports in Boulder, Colorado. The salesman was a guy named Greg. Price was $7399 minus the 1997 EX500 trade-in. Nowerdays, I hear a new ZRX will sell for $6999. Mine¹s paid off, so it¹s too late to worry about that now.

There¹s nothing easy about describing what a certain motorcycle is like to ride. I find no exception with Kawasaki¹s ZRX1200R. Underway, the engine hums along with a turbine-like whine; just like any other in-line four. The seat has me sitting up straight, with the handlebars easy to reach . Rolling the throttle makes things more interesting. The engine will roar like it belongs on a nineteen sixties V8 muscle car. The bike then pulls very hard and feels like I genuinely have to hang on. What comes to mind is a launch from a huge catapult. Considering the ZRX1200R weighs 492 pounds without gas, handling is not bad. The bike¹s solid feel inspires confidence on twisting mountain roads as it does anywhere else. Might add that new tires will always make for a better ride. Strong, gusting wind along the mid-western interstates effect the ZRX1200R much less than it did my EX500D. Brakes are alright. They will stop the bike real fast if you clamp on them good and hard.

For some reason, the ZRX1200R gets a five speed transmission. Maybe that¹s because the old Eddie Lawson KZ1000 had one. If so, it was a wrong move on the part of Kawasaki. I really wish my ZRX1200R had a six speed and would have been glad to pay a little more for it.

Don¹t get me started on how the ZRX1200R¹s speedometer drastically overstates the speed. The damn thing is totally off base. Maybe the Japs at Kawasaki don¹t understand the concept of ³miles per hour².

The seat on the ZRX1200R is nothing special. Like the seats on most Kawasaki motorcycles, it slopes forward too much. I hate having to keep pushing myself back up. Still, it'll do. Nothing's perfect, right? Just remember, I made two high-mileage, overnight trips on the ZRX1200R last year. There will be more of them this year.

Wind protection. Who needs it? I¹m afraid there isn't much wind protection on a ZRX1200R. Again, it's not all that bad. Like the seat, not great, but ok.

Center stand? Sorry, no center stand on a ZRX1200R.

Riding habits determine ZRX1200R fuel mileage. I normally get 200 miles on a tank (about 50 mpg).

There is not much in the way of plastic fairings on the ZRX1200R to worry about. If the bike tips over, damage tends to be minimal. I once forgot to put the kickstand down while parking it in my driveway. The bike just fell right over. The only thing broken was a direction light cover. Price for a new one was $6.99. When picking up a fallen motorcycle, grab the handlebar end lowest to the ground with both hands. Lift up with your knees while keeping your back straight. Think of weight-lifting. If you can lift up a bag of cement and carry it, you should have no problem picking up a downed ZRX. Remember, the guy on a Harley has another 150 lbs to deal with. And the fella with the Gold Wing - a whole lot more.

If you want a fast, powerful, high-torque streetbike, the ZRX1200R is probably the best one out there. It has some faults, but the good outweighs the bad. If you look at the alternatives, they all have smaller engines. None of them will give you that big-torque-rush offered by the ZRX1200R.

--Matt V