My 2003 Kawasaki ZZR1200

My lovely lady in dark evening wear.

[@huckusan]

Thanks for sharing. I made a huge mistake and traded my 05 zzr1200 at 52k miles. The only bike I regret getting rid of. I spent 3 years of my life on that bike. Hope you still have yours.

[@cob1965]

Nice bike, great music from the brilliant film, 'Deadman' with J Depp, Robert Mitchum and Iggy Pop one of my favourite films of all time!!!

[@kftmanley8500]

I just brought one today 10/4/2016 on a 53 plate 9000 miles I am so looking forward to riding this bike ..

[@SLAYER-nm5zw]

Kft Manley how is it?

[@hectormunro9571]

this is one of the only good vids that captures the spirit of that big, world devouring bike, well done man .

[@bahwolf]

Hey, THANKS! That's what I was going for.

[@hectormunro9571]

do you use standard seat on the bike ?

[@bahwolf]

hector munro Yes, that's the stock seat. I have a tough ass, though. LOL.

[@user-dc1vy5ty6t]

When you see something you like,when you hear something you like,the magic is there!

[@EdwinHenryBlachford]

a real bikers bike.

[@jayflash2035]

True

[@bjwlancashire]

Awesome bike. Here in the UK I recently purchased a blue 03 one myself with just under 68k in the clock and with service history and all the bills. It had heated grips, electronic scottoiler, stainless black widow silencers and joining pipes, aftermarket clutch slave unit. Outstanding machine already in my eyes and have only done around 750 miles on it. I have put handlebar risers on and made it much more comfortable and also and a modified seat done for the slippyness reported by rhe top people that had been on the back, all good now. Also, got some second hand Krauser luggage (panniers and top box) got new pannier mounts, just looking for the rack now. Might just go for a tank bag too. Can't wait for weather to improve for another trip out on it.

[@kaneabel7082]

Blue is the fastest

[@bjwlancashire]

@@kaneabel7082 and I proved it at Ramsey Sprint in 2022 😉 Beat 4 Hyabusas in the unlimited class all with a slipping clutch - 7.62 second run was my best. Since had new clutch plates and springs ready for another go sone time.

[@rdsii64]

My bike is a little older. It's a "93 CBR1000F Hurricane. People seem to forget just how much fun these big "sport bikes" are. I'm 50 and I still find mine all day comfortable. its not as comfy as an ST1300 but its still an all day e-ticket. Who knows what my next bike will be. One thing for sure, it will be comfy and fast. Maybe a ZX1400 with Bar risers, who knows?

[@bahwolf]

Every time I think about trading in the ZZR, I remember that it's paid for. :-)

[@leeengelsman6356]

Brian Hopkins I feel the same about my bandit 1200 at very least its paid for and has repaid me a few times over.

[@brucehaynes336]

I'm living in Costa Rica but I have an '05 Metallic Ocean Blue zzr back in Western North Carolina:-) Love that bike!

[@TonyKitchen471]

Thanks Brian for sharing this, I have the same bike without the panniers & found it interesting and helpful to see how you'd strapped the other luggage on with bungies. Nice pics

[@bahwolf]

Thanks, Tony!

[@kwakkers68]

I don't know if they're still as readily available as they once were, but Givi used to do a full hard luggage set up for the 1200 ... Might be worth looking at their website

[@TonyKitchen471]

Thanks for that i've ended up with throw over soft panniers and a tank bag, which seem to do the job, although a bit of a pain strapping them on/off.

[@bahwolf]

That's the givi setup on my 1200 in the video.

[@kwakkers68]

I'm making do without at the mo, myself. Have to say though, I do miss full, hard luggage. Makes life MUCH easier. Including the weekly food shop.... Well worth the investment IMO.

[@4KPOVDrive]

beauty bike!

[@LINKchris87]

I have a 750 Katana and I love it. But gotta say your vid has made me wqnna give the zzr1200 a try. Looks really good 👌

[@robertsmith5557]

Have owned my zzz 1200 since 2003. If you have a pillion they slide forward when braking. I had the rear of the riders seat raised by, from memory, 10 mm. This stopped the pillion jamming me between me and the fuel tank. Also, the carbies clog up after a few years. The mechanic said they don't like the additives in the fuel.

[@kaneabel7082]

Horsemen we are

[@bordone]

Gorgeous bike awesome video. Love the editing with the music. Great job

[@bahwolf]

Thanks! Don't miss my other bike vids.

[@gustavo383]

Ole chuli.......allaaaaa motakaaaa

[@kaneabel7082]

Love this vid, well thought out, makes me yhink on the strength of us bikers, a breed apart. See you on the rd Brother, John Liverpool England he, him, all male with real gonads

[@bahwolf]

Thanks!

[@kaneabel7082]

​@@bahwolfyou still got this big fat lady, mine is the blue 2004, blue is the fast one.

[@justmusic6876]

...love it!

[@carlosgalvez6080]

Beautiful video, Great motorcycle. I have the same bike. !! Every single journey it becomes in a great adventure. !!! Thanks for to share it with us. Peace brother !!!!

[@bahwolf]

Thanks. Don't miss the videos about my other bikes.

[@user-ss5nt8si2w]

Great video

[@RotaxPower]

Nice shoots!

[@TAIGApanzer]

beautiful..

[@bahwolf]

Thanks!

[@appstate1996]

The person rode the bike a lot until last fall when he got cancer. He is 82 years old and I believe him when he said he has taken good care of the bike. I am a newbe to motorcycles and don't know anything about those parts you mentioned. He is asking $2,500.00.

[@bahwolf]

+Pete Minter With that mileage, that seems a bit high. I'd probably try to negotiate him down closer to 2 grand. Where is the bike located? Regarding the maintenance stuff, if you're not familiar with those sort of things, then you should have someone knowledgeable check out the bike for you -- otherwise you could be buying a maintenance nightmare. Don't get me wrong, the ZZR is super reliable for the most part, but it's now 12 years old and things are going to naturally wear. If you can grab the front wheel and give it a good shake and feel movement about the axle, the bearings are shot. With the front wheel in the air, if the steering drops to one side like a load of bricks or has a lot of lateral movement about the steering head, then those bearings are shot. Neither are super difficult to replace if you're a competent mechanic, but if you have no experience you'll be looking at a hefty bill from your local dealer. What is the condition of the tires, the brakes, the cables, etc ... not a deal breaker if these things need replaced, but it impacts what you should be willing to pay for the bike. When was the last valve adjustment done? Again, not critical, because with that many miles the valves ought to have settled in nicely and require little or no adjustment, but if the owner can't answer that simple question, then he's not maintained the bike like he says he has ... and so on.

[@appstate1996]

Wow, I guess I do need to have it checked out. Only problem is he lives like 80 miles from me. I was in the area one day last week for business and happened to see an ad for a bike (Suzuki Katana). I went to look at it (the motorcycle repair shop), and he was waiting on a part for the bike. He then told me about his friends bike the ZZR1200. To make a short story long. .. it would be kind of a hassle for me to have the bike checked out being it is so far away.

[@appstate1996]

I will call him and ask those questions you mentioned.

[@bahwolf]

+Pete Minter You didn't say WHERE ... but you could try the ZZR site I posted earlier and see if there is an experienced owner in that area who would be willing to look at the bike for you. They're a good group of guys.

[@bahwolf]

Like I said, it's also possible the owner is a member of the ZZR website. If so, he and his bike will be known to the community at large, so you might get a thumbs up on the bike just from registering and posting at the site.

[@akribela]

Looks ideal for sport touring. Wonder how it would compair to a CBR1100XX?

[@American_Neon]

I have a '03 ZZR1200 that fouls the #3 spark plug it has 36,000 miles on it, is there some sort of problem/flaw with these bikes of can anyone think of what it could be? I appreciate any answers anyone might have???

[@tristramgordon8252]

Well done, by the way, what's the music track?

[@EEEBA1]

Do you know if the ZZR1200 has a slipper clutch or not? Thank you

[@bahwolf]

Slipper clutches weren't really an OEM option when the ZZR was being produced.

[@asgakahori]

nice！

[@colinjs71]

lovely bike. what is the music on this video ?

[@bahwolf]

Theme from the Johnny Depp movie DEAD MAN.

[@appstate1996]

Hey, Brian. I am found a 2003 ZZR1200 for sale. It has 74,000 open road miles on it. What do you think?

[@bahwolf]

+Pete Minter The ZZR1200 is an awesome machine, just keep in mind it is carburated. If the one you're buying has been sitting for a long time, the carb is liable to need some work -- a good cleaning at a minimum. 74,000 miles isn't bad, but I would check all cables, brake components, and replaceables like sprockets, chain, etc. Check for bearing play at the wheels and the steering head. The ZZR1200 had a rather sloppy steering head from the get-go, so those bearings are probably in need of replacement with that sort of mileage. You didn't say how much they were asking, so I can't really comment on how good/bad of a deal I might think it is. Holler if you have more specific questions and do stop in at the ZZRbikes.com, an owners community where you'll find people way smarter than me. Odds are good the previous owner is either a member there or the members there know him/her and that particular bike.

[@appstate1996]

Thanks for the reply Brian. This is great information. I posted my reply back to the KZbin site. I didn't know I could use this. The bike appears in great shape. The owner is an older man (82). He rode it until last fall when he got cancer. He had a friend who owns a motorcycle repair shop, so I believe he has taken good care of it. He is asking $2,500.00.

[@kwakkers68]

Pity I didn't see this thread earlier. I had an 1100 ZZR with 50,000 on, by the time I sold it, and it was still totally reliable, and felt like it'd do another 100,000 with no bother at all.... So, I'd have faith in a higher mileage 1200. Did you get the bike? (The only notable problem with the 12s was pitted cams, but these should have all been sorted out under warranty now, and it didn't affect all of them)

[@appstate1996]

Kwakker68, the replies I git from another group said that the guy was asking too much for the ZZR with that many miles. I ended up buying a Honda CBR 954 RR.

[@kwakkers68]

***** Ah, yes, I'd forgotten that aspect, and it did seem a little 'optimistic'! The 954's a great bike too...