Before I start the review, you have to know: for several reasons - but mostly inability to insure - this was my first ever "close to liter bike", therefore I’m mostly experienced with 600s. After this short disclaimer let’s see what we’re talking about.
I had a 1999 Zx-9r which you may or may not know is the 3rd generation (C2) of Kawasaki’s leading sport bike which started it’s life in 1994 and ended it’s career in 2003. First let’s talk a bit about the specs. As you expect from the name: it is an 899cc in-line 4, carburetor fed engine cranking out about 142 horsepower and respectful torque around 101Nm. The bike weighs in around 202Kg wet according to factory data, although it feels way more.
The bike I had, in particular, was in very good condition. On my first ride home I encountered some loud clicking noise while braking, which at first sounded like it was coming from the engine. As you can imagine I freaked out a bit, but it turned out - was my brake disk. The problem was, that the pins of the floating disk were stuck and it kept dragging the brake caliper and thus creating the clicking noise, so that was an easy fix. Talking about engine noise, whenever you start up the bike from cold, the engine sounds a bit like a can of bolts. But, there is no need to worry, as according, even to forums, it is pretty normal for these old Kawa engine. When it gets up to operating temperature, this weird noise goes away.
So how it is to ride this beast? To tell the truth for the first 2-3 weeks of me owning this bike, I was a
bit unsure, if not mildly afraid of it . It wasn’t really the power, but mostly the weight of the bike. Even though it is only around 200Kg, the bike feels very heavy, so I am not really sure about weight distribution there. But once you get used to it, you can put this bike through any tight spot or weave through traffic without a problem. Also, when you sit on the bike, you realize, how tremendous it really is. It feels more like sitting IN the bike, than on it. Kind of a cockpit sensation. The tank is huge and wide, but it is really comfortable to hold on to with you knees and legs.
And the power delivery….No matter what gear or what rev range you are, you barely touch that throttle and she goes flying. The torque is really amazing, but keep in mind I’m used to 600s. Having this kind of torque doesn’t only help you to pop wheelies or get the hell out of a dodgy situation, but believe it or not it helps with fuel economy as well. Throughout the ownership of my Zx-9, I can say, that she didn’t consume more petrol than my CBR F4i, which was only a 600 and fuel injected at that. How so? - you might ask. Well it is simply because you have the power from the low end, meaning: you don’t need to rev the engine to 6 trillion RPM to keep it in the power band, like you would have to in the case of a 600.
So how it is to ride in Malta? - To put it simply it’s a blast. Once I got used to the bike, I must admit I was going crazy with it. Suspension is fully adjustable, but obviously being a sports bike, don’t expect a good experience on shitty roads (nutcracker). Even though it’s a large bike, weaving through traffic is easy. Do you need a bike like this here? - If you are a man/woman of reason, then obviously not. But if you don’t just use the bike for commuting and you want to experience a stupid smile on your face, then absolutely go for it. But, be aware, you barely look at that throttle and you will hit double the highest speed limit in the country in a matter of seconds.
Ergonomics quite good for a sports bike, almost feels a bit sports touring style. Even riding it for hours, your arse won’t get sore. Headlight is quite good at night but nothing special. Brakes are very good with a lot of feel to it.
Running costs: You obviously can not say, that is an economic bike, but keep in mind these things were made to melt ice caps, destroy ozone layers and tear the asphalt to pieces and catapult you to lightspeed, while you are hanging onto the handle bar for your dear life. To sum it up in 6 words - it was never meant to be. First problem is insurance. I’ve been riding here for over 6 years, I had 0 claims and number of previous bikes, but it took me nearly a month to finally find someone who said yes to give me a quote. Obviously insurance was high, but that is to be expected of a machine of the caliber. To top that off, it was new license bike so even road tax was high. As I mentioned before, petrol costs are similar to that of a 600 sport bike. In light of these, keep in mind that if you want to sell the bike and you are not keeping it for life, you’re looking at a very hard sale and you can expect losing quite a bit of money.
Would I buy it again? - Definitely. Partly due to its aging looks - which smells 90's from miles away -the asking prices for these bikes are quite low (including the pre-2000 ZX-6R). But the fun factor is definitely there, so as long as you don’t find a similarly priced R1, go for it!
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