Kawasaki ZX-4R

[Yorick]

The 400s seemed to handle well coz they weren't going very fast and no power to trouble the suspension.

[wull]

I remember one review describe the GSXR as like riding through treacle.

Pretty much the norm for all GSXR’S, couldn’t get you out of bed.

[KungFooBob]

I also remember a PB article where they took a handful of bikes and ran them around Park corner at Cadwell as fast as the could, recording top speed on the straight, when they had to break, entry, mid and exit corner speeds.

The fastest bike around the corner was a Buell iirc, then the R6 with an NC30 somewhere midpack.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

The 400s seemed to handle well coz they weren't going very fast and no power to trouble the suspension.

This is true, an FZR400 handles no better than a YZF750, but 50-60 bhp is a lot easier to ride with than 100-120 bhp.

[crust]

Who's the target market?

Why would a podgy 50something year old want to buy a 400? The old "back in the day they were blah blah" argument isn't going to fly at the coffee stop when all the rest of the guys have litre bikes or big traillies.

Yoofs? They're all getting KTM 390s until they can afford a Corsa.

Maybe in Countries that penalise bigger bikes with a stronger, younger rider demographic but not the UK. IMO

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Who's the target market?

Why would a podgy 50something year old want to buy a 400? The old "back in the day they were blah blah" argument isn't going to fly at the coffee stop when all the rest of the guys have litre bikes or big traillies.

Yoofs? They're all getting KTM 390s until they can afford a Corsa.

Maybe in Countries that penalise bigger bikes with a stronger, younger rider demographic but not the UK. IMO

Also true, as a podgy 55 year old I know I can't fit on a race replica 400, that's why I sold my FZR400, I couldn't manage 20 minutes on it without being in pain, mostly left wrist and left ankle, you're changing gear a lot on a 400.

[ZRX61]

Friend wants one, has the cash waiting, can't find a dealer who will sell him one.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

According to US websites it redlines at 11,500 rpm due to noise regs
And yet MCN say 15,000 rpm in Europe, I thought Europe had stricter noise rules than the US

[wull]

It’s not so much how the suspension responds with power because on corner entry as you trail brake towards the apex and the apex itself you are not applying power, it’s more to do with being able to judge corner entry speed as you’re not having to reduce down from a higher speed, it’s easier to judge that corner entry, apex and then corner exit is sometimes easier as you don’t have to worry as much about the arse end spinning up and spitting you off.

[Skub]

According to US websites it redlines at 11,500 rpm due to noise regs
And yet MCN say 15,000 rpm in Europe, I thought Europe had stricter noise rules than the US

I think it varies greatly depending where you are in the US. California has pretty stringent laws,from memory. @ZRX61 would know for sure.

[ZRX61]

According to US websites it redlines at 11,500 rpm due to noise regs
And yet MCN say 15,000 rpm in Europe, I thought Europe had stricter noise rules than the US

I think it varies greatly depending where you are in the US. California has pretty stringent laws,from memory. @ZRX61 would know for sure.

The manufacturers got so pissed off building different bikes & cars for Califailure that now everyone gets Ca compliant versions. ZRX11's weren't Ca compliant & were never sold here, the registry shows about 130 of them here. ZRX12's were Ca compliant... but that was 22 years ago.

[ZRX61]

https://www.motorcycle.com/new-model-pr ... roval.html

[Bigjawa]

Who's the target market?

Why would a podgy 50something year old want to buy a 400? The old "back in the day they were blah blah" argument isn't going to fly at the coffee stop when all the rest of the guys have litre bikes or big traillies.

Yoofs? They're all getting KTM 390s until they can afford a Corsa.

Maybe in Countries that penalise bigger bikes with a stronger, younger rider demographic but not the UK. IMO

Why wouldn't they? As a podgy nearly 50 yo I was tooling about this time last year on a 20 bhp Himalayan and a 12bhp yzf125 whilst the 160 odd bhp BMW lay in the garage. Plenty of old guys are going about buying the stuff they had back in the day, two and four wheeled. Why do you think Mazda still shifts MX5s by the ship load?

Yoof will always buy what they can get on finance unless mummy or daddy cough up.

[ChrisW]

Just watched this - it seems to be a bit of a mix of semi-exotic/premium and budget. Still going to have a look at one when they land, though.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Looks nice, the handle bars are a lot higher than the old ZXRs, which means it will be rideable for more than 20 minutes, should be fun, but you will have the whole thing of 10,000 rpm being your cruising rpm.

[ChrisW]

Watched a couple of reviews of this recently - they seem to like it but I still can't make up my mind.

Just doesn't seem as exotic or maybe race spec as the late eighties/early nineties 400s. Or perhaps it's just nostalgia kicking in?

[Bigjawa]

Did I read somewhere it was 189kg?

[SSS]

Yeah. 188kg.

My RVF400 is about 25kg lighter.... and it could be considered heavy.

[Skub]

Did I read somewhere it was 189kg?

If so,then that's pretty shit. My 04 ZX10R was 180kgs. I still miss that lightness aspect.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Yeah. 188kg.

My RVF400 is about 25kg lighter.... and it could be considered heavy.

The RVF was always the lard bucket of the 400s (mostly because it has 2 cylinder heads etc), the 3TJ FZR is probably the lightest, I can't remember what they weigh, but my one was piss easy to push up the ramp onto my trailer.