Kawasaki Ninja buying guide: Part 3 - The late 90s/Early 2000.
By Chris Newbigging -
First rides & tests
12 August 2009 11:08
This week Kawasaki is celebrating 25 years of the Ninja series – one of the most famous model lines in the motorcycle world.
MCN has compiled a list of the 20 best Ninjas for a special poster FREE in today’s MCN (August 12 2009) – but in the mean time here’s a quick guide to the bikes of the late 90s/Early 2000 and how much you can pick one up for.
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ZX-6R F1 Year: 1995
Price guide: £1250 - £1950
599cc liquid-cooled inline-four, 105bhp, 160mph
Honda had set the supersport 600 standard for fast, able but slightly rounded machines. Kawasaki were the first to introduce a harder edge to the middleweight class with the ZX-6R, which had a screaming top-end, minimal midrange and typical Kawasaki hard suspension.
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ZX-7R P1 Year: 1996
Price guide: £1450 - £3800
748cc liquid-cooled inline-four, 126bhp, 165mph
The ZX-7R was dynamically behind rival 750s, but we loved it anyway. The styling and stark simple paint schemes grabbed your attention, the front end feel is legendary and although it was a bit heavy, it rode well on the road. It lasted until 2002 unchanged before emissions killed it off.
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ZX-7RR Year: 1996
Price guide: £3000 - £5000
748cc liquid-cooled inline-four, 126bhp, 165mph
WSB was at it’s height in the 1990s – Kawasaki wanted to win. The ZX-7RR had flatslide carbs, a close-ratio gearbox, an adjustable swingarm pivot, different suspension, better brakes and a stiffer frame. It never won a title, but it took race wins and Chris Walker narrowly missed the British Superbike title in 1999.
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ZX-12R A1 Year: 2001
Price guide: £2300 - £6000
1199cc liquid-cooled inline-four, 185bhp, 186mph
Kawasaki lost its world’s fastest bike title in the 1990s, and the ZX-12R was built to win it back. A powerful motor and aerodynamic bodywork was the key – everything down to the wing mirrors and tyre valves was built for speed. Most speed tests put Suzuki’s Hayabusa ahead of the Kwak, and a year later the Japanese manufacturers agreed to limit bikes to 186mph to avoid politicians imposing more draconian limits.
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ZZ-R1200 C1H Year: 2002
Price guide: £3250 - £5600
1164cc liquid-cooled inline-four, 160bhp, 175mph
The ZX-12R took the ZZ-R’s place as a flagship bike, allowing the ZZ-R to assume a more natural role as a fast, torquey mile-muncher. It was good, but never recaptured the success of the 1100.
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