Kawasaki ZX-7R (1996-2003)

Awesome bike, lovely planted front end, fast and nice torque, cracking front brake. Comfortable for long runs with my wife on the back. If anyone is thinking of getting a 750, try one, you will be amazed!

I love my p-4 and cannot believe how underrated they are, one of the best road bikes I have ever ridden including all the new stuff, the looks still have people pointing and I feel like akira yanagawa against the big guns but then again maybe not!

Bought a P7 dirt cheap, a set of stainless down pipes sorted it pretty much.Roll on winter, wheels off and powder coated will complete..

Only bought mine in july 09 after a year away from 2 wheels.My previous bike was a yzfr6 and compared to that the mid range of the kawa is trmendous.Equipment wise the zx is very sparce but it's got every thing you need plus the sound of the howl at 7-8000 rpm is superb. If your in the market for a cheap rapid and gorgeous motorcycle you will struggle to find better Buy one you will love it

I bought my 7R P3 in 2002 just before moving to France. I've thought about selling it many times but each spring when I drag it out of the garage I just cannot bear to part with it. It's only got 16k on the clock and still takes off like a good'n. The handling is average but safe and even my 58 year old pillion loves the speed. There will come a time when the wrists and the spine will say enough is enough but until then my simple, sexy, speedy, 7R will remain. Anyone got a nice comfortable Brevia 1100 to swap?

I had a 1999 ZX7R P4 from 2003-2004 and I still remember it fondly. Lovely tractable engine with a really gutsy midrange. Sounded fantastic even on the standard can too, but sometimes it felt like it just needed a little bit more top end. Mine was completely standard - original jets, original exhaust, not messed with at all. I'm sure if it had been a major issue (it wasn't), I could have sorted it. These have been raced for so long you can do almost anything to them. I remember the handling making me feel inadequate - you'd pitch it as hard as you dared into a corner, it would lazily roll on its side and just sit there and go round the corner as undramatically as you like, as if to say "is that all you've got?". Never once did it twitch, ground out, or do anything other than follow the line millimetre perfect as asked. So much feel as well which made you confident to push hard. Awful riding position. I know, it's a superbike not a tourer, but blimey. Proper chiropractor stuff if you tried to ride it all day. Could never work out how such a physically big bike could feel so cramped. While I'm moaning, the cold weather carb icing was a royal pain in the backside as well. There's a filter on the coolant branch that goes off to the carbs which needs cleaning out regularly, but this made no difference on mine. It was truly rubbish in Winter. But the best bit was the looks. How many vehicles of any description still make you go gooey when you look at a photo of them 5 years after you've sold them on? It was stunning to look at (in green of course), and I'd often just spend time in the garage looking at it after a run, listening to it ping and tick itself cool, and admiring the lines. It is a bike you bond with on that level. You forget the bad bits, and just enjoy it for the sheer soul of the thing, and the way it's such a lovely thing to own as well as to ride. If I could have two bikes, including one that worked properly in cold weather and wouldn't kill my back riding it every day (getting old), I'd buy another one tomorrow.

My first bike, what can I say...! Still have it (11 yrs old) just can't let go! Maybe wasn't the fastest or the lighter at the time but it grabs you by its the soul. Beautiful bike and one to keep and share stories with your mates and in my case children. I hope one day Kawa come back with another heart breaking 750cc

Bought the bike on impulse , the bikes 90s look tells it apart from Japans latest offerings. Getting it out on a A road is a must.

my ninja 7 is truely awesome. there is so little wrong with it its unbelievable. the thing handles excellently, will hug any corner at high speeds that i can throw at it. the spped and accel are matched by only the biggest and newest of bikes. i take my wife out on it regularly, and she loves it, alot more comfy than the sv i had. the only problem i have is that it hate cold starts. but a frsh set of plugs and a carb clean. on the whole, the best thing ever, and looks the beez.

The ZX7R was always my dream bike when I was younger. From every angle the styling of the 7R just screams ride me/ touch me/ look at me, in short, it was the object of my my motorcyling desires. In 2006 after blowing up two supermoto's, I decided it was time to go back to a more reliable and rev hungry in-line four. With a my modest budget and need to get the most bang-for-buck, the 7R was naturally my first choice. I came across a Pearl Black/Purple 98 model with 8000kms on it and an owner, who, admitedly had bought it new because his mates had bought one and only riden it to the cafe up the street on the occaisional Sunday morning. It came with the original Dunlop 207's on it (very squared off) and the only modification being a bolt-on yoshimura pre-RS3 end can. I put in into the local Kawasaki dealer to have it serviced, who incidently had sold the bike originally, and fitted some fresh tyres (Michelin Pilot Power 120fr/180rear), a K&N hi-flow race filter, stage 2 Dynojet needle kit, some crash knobs, smaller indicators, a tinted double bubble race screen fitted, and the ride height adjusted (rear end 5mm from Top bolt -Front droped 10mm through triple clamps) and all the cables and bearing lubed and checked ready for me to ride. The first time it fired up post service, it was spine tingling. All my boyhood fantasy's were about to be either realised or dashed. Thankfully, and impressively, it was everything I'd ever thought it would be. It's stocky, it's intimidating, it's svelte, but it's also so user friendly and forgiving. It's a very basic bike with not many Bells and whistle. No Fuel gauge, minimal suspension adjustment available, no electronic fuel injection or flashy LED's. But this is exactly what makes this bike such a modern classic. It is, and has been, built to be riden. And riden hard. The harder you push the 7R, the more it will give you. The front end stability and feed back has been a benchmark for more than 10 years that followed the release in 96 and still is referred to today by motorcycle media. It is this stability and feedback that allows me to push very hard into and through corners as I compensate for the deficit in outright horsepower when chasing or passing much newer bikes up through the hills or on the track. Thats not to say that you can't screw the throttle on early either, as the 110hp output (mines up too 119 atrw) isn't goin to throw you off. It brings in the power in such a smooth and predictible way, it gives you the power of control in your right hand to know exactly what the bike is doing all the time. I've had the opportunity to ride many modern bikes, the latest and greatest, the prestigous, but everytime I throw the leg back over the 7R I can't help but get a huge grin across my face. It is old, it's not the fastest, but it is rewarding and in my eyes an absolute modern classic.