In Many Ways... Old Bikes Are Just Better | Feat. 1999 Kawasaki ZX-9R

[@grahamjohnson7934]

i have a 2000 e1 zx9r , i can honestly say , it's the best bike i've owned, the power is awsome . easy on the wrist's too, and i am 70 years old

[@ProtonD1200]

From Denmark, I have a green ZX9R from 1994, the first model built. It has hydraulic clutch and I believe they switched to cable in 1998 when they completely rebuilt the ZX9R and took over 30kg off it. I am happy with my old Kawasaki, it has driven 65,000 km = approx. I think 39,000 miles. And it still sounds super healthy

[@alexstewart2247]

Its great to see someone who is as passionate about the 9 as i am 😊these older bikes are coming back as people are realizing just how good these older were and still are! I've got a 99 C2 that my dad bought brand new back in 1999 i was 5 at the time and remember sitting on it and reving it the day he got it, he has now passed it down to me to enjoy and i will be doing the same in the future for sure! Its like most things these days older seems to be better, simpler and cooler if it ain't broke dont fix it!

[@黑白浪愛七桃]

那你該好好珍惜不要激烈操駕它zx9R 很高興看到了分享你的故事讓大家知道 年輕人 加油😊🎉

[@Dano79]

Such an underrated bike... Maybe she's not as refined in finish as Honda or Yamaha but the 98, 99 zx9r is one of the best bikes ever made and why I still have mine, since 2001.

[@Tony-dh7cn]

I have a 2008 Yamaha r1 and it is a perfect bike. No rider aids apart from a slipper clutch and steering damper, no screens to distract you, it is totally analogue and just wonderful to ride.

[@atamata237]

Watching you ride it on that wet road like its nothing, gives me sweaty palms, Im from the Mediterranean, we dont even sit on a bike when its not 100% dry :)

[@LoneWolf-Uk]

I wholeheartedly agree with you, I have a 1997 Yamaha Yzf1000R and it is my only form of transport. Since I used it on the 7th of November to transport my wife back home (in her wedding dress and me in a suit) I don`t think I`ll be trading my bike any time soon. ;) The Yzf has now become even more special to us both. Keep up the good work and thanks again for keeping the passion for bikes alive. .. next time you`re up this way, call in and take my bike for a spin. :) Best wishes as always, from the Lone Wolf in the lakes. 🕊

[@shiftyshamsk]

I've a Gpz1100e 1996. 12k. I paid £3000. Mint. And I have a GPZ500S 1997 30k for £1350. Both bikes never need anything doing. I replaced a speedp cable, push pull throttle cables and carb clean on the 500. The Honda vfr800x crossrunner I had was always hesitating. I tried everything on it. It needed "plugging in" £130. I part exchanged it for the Gpz1100E....

[@alexsmall6850]

I ride a scruffy 2002 Triumph Sprint RS 955i, apart from injection, completely old school. Lives outside, it is my main form of transport, and being longer in leg, fits me. Living in Cornwall, it is a brilliant bike for down her and longer trips. Last year, I did 7000 miles in 6 months on a ZZR600, amazing daily bike, which did go, with a little use of the gearbox and throttle. Sounded amazing at higher RPM, sadly, it was just a little too small physically for me, hence the Triumph. Sold it my mate cheap, who now keeps sending me messages to say how much he enjoys it. Old school bikes are simply more fun. Keep up the good work.

[@johnpoundford1063]

Got me a 1999 triumph daytona 955i it's perfect. Just the right amount of usable power. Part's are ridiculous cheap. Easy to work on. Etc etc etc etc

[@ashhut1970]

I have had my zx9r e1 since 2008. It lives outside under a cover and has not let me down once. It has done trips to Italy, Wales, the lake district etc. Paid £2200 for it and have had 16 years of enjoyment with more to come. What a bargain.

[@GPR111]

I have a certain new adventure style bike made in Germany but I still keep a collection of 90s carb bikes too and the old bikes are still just great to ride and will just keep going on and on if cared for. A great era. My last zx9 was a b series end of 90s, a true freight train of a bike in a straight line, and that induction roar....... 🙂

[@cameronirving8509]

I love the older bikes, I have a 1999 Kawasaki ER5 which was my learner bike and now on a 2001 Yamaha XJR1300SP which is just amazing to ride, no electronics just pure rider ability

[@racefeen22p]

I'm with you on a bike being more mechanical and having less electronic gizmos being better. But as someone looking for a daily rider, I just can't see myself buying 20-year-old bike without worrying about it breaking down merely due to old age.

[@mk5442]

Out there, there are ZX-9R with 130.000 km and more that are still working like a swiss clockwork. Spare parts are cheap.

[@PATAPIOSKARAMPETSOS]

Totally agree with you, i own 2 ZX9R models, a 99 model in red same yours & a 03 model in green, both in excellent condition. Although i own also a ZZR 14, i always enjoy more to ride the ZX9s. Their overall handling and power delivery is so amazing for me....!!! ZX9r are lovely bikes....!!!Just start engine put 1st gear and goooo to enjoy....!!!! Electronics are so boring for me....!! Greeting from Greece...!!!

[@philhill7973]

Iv got a zx6r j2 fast enough for the roads where I live , nice and smooth to ride . It was the insurance that was the deciding thing as to why I got the zx6z

[@TE_53349]

i have a 1990 kawasaki ninja zzr 600 D1. first big bike. bought off my stepdad as a rough bike. fixed up for about £600 and its amazing. hard to idle when cold but its a common thing with this bike

[@Diabeekei]

Hey gob! Do you have a guide or tips on buying old bikes? I really want to get an inline 4 but most of the ones around where I live hVe 20k+ miles

[@thesuzukimethod]

I agree in general except the for part about hydraulic clutches. Yeah, it's harder to jury rig a fix, but how often do you hear of hydraulic failures (whether brake or clutch) vs cables getting rusty and snapping? I've got a bike from 1989 in my garage that sat outside for years before I got it, and it's ugly rubber brake hoses still work, no problem. They're getting replaced, but they do stop the bike. I do love that cable clutches give you adjustability tho. And on any kind of racebike, yeah cable clutches all day

[@gerrywhelan5761]

Having looked at the sport bikes of to day with 200hp + power, i just wounder how many even have the skill to really handle the 120+ hp power of bikes of 20 odd years ago, few i would guess, 200+ of today just seems crazy to me outside side a track! Those old bikes are plenty, plenty fast.

[@rs8197-dms]

I own a 2013 multistrada 1200 and a 2018 multistrada 1260. I almost always drive out on the 2013 - although the 2018 has several very cute characteristics, like a fantastic gearbox and auto-cancelling indicators, I almost always enjoy the 2013 more.

[@NMart88]

I mean i can apreciate the evolution on electronics and such but, a good old analogue bike, or even a car, is so much fun, its trully a connection between the driver/rider and the vehicle. And as you said, simpler to work on. Yeah i ride a good old SV650s 99, and yeah i love the bikes of that decade, reckon i'll have a CBR, GSXR Srad or Ninja in the future, simply because those were the bikes i loved to see as a kid back then and i want to exprecience such machines. But my dream will allways be a black Honda Super Blackbird 😁

[@ホンゴウデューク]

1999年当時、CBR1000XXとZX9Rとどちらを買おうか悩み９Rを新車で購入し今も大事に乗っております。ZX9R-C型がこのシリーズの中で今現在でも最もカッコいいと思っておりますが、現在日本では人気が無く扱いが良い個体でもドル換算で平均$2,600ぐらいで売られております（30万円～40万円）。価格が全てではないですがこの年代のこのクラスのバイクはどれも安く不当な評価だと思うものですが、我慢ならないのはビギナーライダーの入門用に安く買って雑に扱われる事でございます。これらのマシンを評価して大切にされている姿は非常にうれしい事でございます。

[@dudebud72]

I just got a 2023 Kawasaki ZX14r and it is all smog. The bike is choked up. My 04 and 08 Hayabusas weren’t even this difficult. I love the ZX14r , but hate all the smog. My friends now late father had. a 1987 Yamaha 1000, worked, and it hung with the. Speed kings. I rode it and it was comfortable!!

[@allansrensen1480]

I got a 1998 ZX7R and love her!

[@jm260584]

I have the 2009 zx9r e1 and it's a great bike, it's probably one of the best I've owned.

[@rickkeus6956]

Just started with bike licence, got my eye on a 1997 zx6r ninja, is that just as good to start with?

[@austinmatthews347]

To go alongside my r1250gsa te rallye i have rescued a none running 955 daytona i got her running and then converted her to speedtriple shes fi with ecu but thats it shes a joy

[@JohnRussell-xl8ps]

I just bought a zx900 and by far the best bike I've rode,ultra fast 1800 top end

[@JohnRussell-xl8ps]

180 sorry

[@grahamlambden918]

Still ride my 98 blade regularly it's a lot more fun to ride than my 2014 Blade more usable power on the 98.

[@Rhys0291]

Totally agree with you ive had a few blackbirds, zx6r’s gsxrs from the 90s and every one put a smile in my face I had a 2018 mt09-sp and what a mistake id made.. i sold it not ling after 😂 Would you say 60k for a 1999 zx9r is high? Inknow every bike is different but im currently on the look out for a 9 and ive found one for 1300 with 60k miles in red

[@ronbailey8370]

I have the same bike. Same yr. And it is awesome. However, you said they make 150 horse power or so.Try 126 to the back wheel. I had an aftermarket exhaust, just installed, and dyno tuned. That means probably 140-145 or so, at the crank. So from stalk, I would say I was pulling down, maybe 115 or so, before putting an exhaust and rejetting the carbs for the new Delkvic. Peace.

[@warrenr4]

Totally agree with everything you said. Bikes were the best in the nineties, and if you do have a problem , you won’t have any problem finding a mechanic to work on them. The 200 bhp sports bikes of today need the electronic gadgets to make them rideable, totally pointless machines, and good luck when the warning lights start appearing !

[@wildwilco]

i own a relatively modern MT09 from 2015. its been absolutely brilliant every single day. recently ive become the new owner of an ''old'' 2001 yamaha R6, and i expected the bike to feel ''old'' but i was blown away at what the carburator bike could do. it steers like a nice modern bike, suspension is really comfortable as expected from a racer. i was pleasantly surprised at how good the old bike was compared to the MT09. from 2001 to 2015, i expected the technology gap to be massive, but its just not that far apart. now on the contrary, i have also ridden my friends brand new 2022+ bikes.... and i absolutely hated them. you dont controll the throttle anymore, the rev counter is just a tv screen... you get all these baby-mode assists, becuase nobody is able to learn to ride properly anymore... the only luxury i like on the road is ABS. just scrap all those other baby-modes

[@mk5442]

I'm was biking since my 18th birtday for 15 years. Not interested in a car or a drivinbg licence fpr a car I rode all over the year, spring, summer, autum, winter to get to work, make my shopping, go to holydays or make tours. 1992, in the age of 23 I bought my first Liter bike, a '91 Yamaha FZR 1000, which I lost a few weeks later in a deer accident with 140 km/h on the german Autobahn near Bingerbrück. I had a prof guardian angle, the bike hadn't, it was completely destroyed. The insurance paid less than expected, so I bought a nearly new 1990 model of the FZR 1000 (3LE). As it reached 70.000 km, I sold it and bought the same model with less than 15.000 km and so on. Including the first, I had 7 of it after another, knew it's reaction in every situation and passed at minimum 350.000 km with them. When my 2nd daughter was born, I stopped biking for 20 years. In this time my heart was always bleeding, when I saw any great superbike. So, after my divorce, my first dream was to own a 900/1000 ccm bike again. Last october I bought a GPZ 500 S with 60 HP for my comeback, rode it all through the winter, looking for the bike, that would perfectly fit to me. Since two weeks I own a 1998 ZX-9R C, and it's a gorgeous bike. Pure mechanics, no modern nonsense, the most things you can repair yourself. It's as old school as I am. It has 50 kg less weight as the FZR 1000 had, but offers nearly the same HP (141 / 144 HP). It's a wonderful bike with a great handling and I got exacly what I expected. It's pure fun, exactly what I had missed so painfully for two decades. I'm back! Kindest regards from Germany to bike enthusiasts all over the world!

[@tonychettleburgh8953]

Iv'e had lots of new bikes over the years and about 4 years ago I got into ZX9's the first being a 99 C2 and then I got a 5,400 mile F2P .I then sold the C2 and bought a new GSX S1000 GT but kept the F2P. I wish I had just kept the C2 and not bought the GT. I like the GT but there is NOTHING like an older carbed bike

[@everydaybiker]

He man, thanks for the video. Im generally in agreement. However, i think tuning and balancing 4 carbs is no joke, I wouldn't call it easy. Cingle cylinder, yep, no issue

[@GazBromley]

I have a 98 9R, i have mitch radials on it, they were on it when i bought it, what tyres do you have to do that in the wet?

[@Paul-899cc]

Michelin Pilot Road 3,4,5 or 6 👍. Best all round tyre I've used in my 9r. 70k, owned it for 20years. 2.5k in Europe last year 👌👌👌

[@GazBromley]

@@Paul-899cc Thanks Paul i'll get some on mine when these radials are done for.

[@Paul-899cc]

The steering / front end feel improves dramatically as well 👍. Get about 8-10k out of a pair.

[@davidmuir6849]

Fantastic 😊 Regards Dave from Scotland

[@黑白浪愛七桃]

請注意這台老摩托車的水箱 因為我的98年zx9R 水箱看到白色的鏽斑氧化痕蹟 有一天早上地上出現綠色液體 我感覺不妙了😮 然後我修補好破洞重新噴漆 平光漆 現在很不錯的在使用了😅 小心水箱找你麻煩喔😮

[@hannesgottinger9284]

I am sure a 1995-2000 supersports bike is super fun, I can get a nice ZZR600/GSXR SRAD für 2k €, but I think a fuel injected model would be better. My lawnmower hates the E10 fuel around here (10% bio ethanol), and I am sure I dont want to tear apart the carbs every season if there are four on the bike...

[@sackmagick]

This bike is friggin Dangerous! 150Hp bullshit! Mine standard was 174!! These bikes are crazy fast also not for the faint hearted! Steady throttle and a brain❤ So true with this bike! Wind it up and she will take you out if you are not focused. Not ridden a modern bike, not interested😂 Carb is the best!❤

[@woofaki5550]

If you can find get the older model,for me its the best one they got....

[@Super-Bike-Joe]

❤❤❤❤❤

[@krissi66x]

@krissi66x 0 seconds ago Timely vid-I can't afford 4-5-6 grand for a two wheeled ifone, and am missing my 94 Blade like Hell! (2 yrs) But yes, as GobRid points out clearly, ZX7 or ZX9, or even an early R1--all 'fully comp' insured for £150 on classic bike policy for a rocket you can service with help from yer granny!----NEXT SPRING---ANY SUGGESTIONS FOLK??

[@davidwrigley5457]

Buy 1992 / 1997 fireblade there great bikes Munch up miles and handing is great Alot off bike for not much cash My second favourite although ugly looking (in my opinion) there zzr1100 / 600

[@mrwpg]

Smart bike + dumb rider or dumb bike and smart rider, i know what i want to be when i grow up...

[@paulhope3401]

Very true.. but still very handy to have as a newb until you gain enough basic experience.. then you can reduce their level of interference leading to switching them off to become the smart rider. My first bike was a gen3 MT09 and that's what I did... the electronics probably helped stop me wrecking it and me a couple of times so I'm quite thankful I had them. I was very aware that I had to wean myself off them though if I ever decided that I was going to buy an older analogue bike.

[@kronk420]

If you can't find a good one find a bad one and fix it! It's a classic machine!