Kawasaki 750 Ninja
Tue, February 23rd, 2010
The non-US GPX version is pictured. The US Ninja version was identical except for decals.
IT’S KAWASAKI WEEK!
Featuring a different Kawasaki street bike each day.
| 1987–90 Kawasaki ZX750F Ninja | |
|---|---|
| Performance |    |
| Like so many of the bikes I talk about here, it was class-leading in its day and it's not anymore. But 85 rear-wheel horsepower is still entertaining and this engine has a nice power spread, with a healthy upper-RPM rush. A real-world sportbike with enough power for the real world. But, like nearly all other pre-FI bikes, the carbs are a bit glitchy at low speeds until thoroughly warm. | |
| Handling | |
| Given the bike's sport-touring role, it's great. The 16-inch front hoop lightened steering, theoretically at the cost of stability at high speeds, but you'd have to be going stupidly fast to get this bike to misbehave. | |
| Looks | |
| Probably the best looking of the Kawasaki Ninja models if you're partial to black tubular frames (which I am). Bodywork is a nice mixture of the somewhat square edges of the 'C'-model 600 and the more sculpted look of the original 900. | |
| Reliability | |
| Highly reliable when new, but after enough miles excessive top end wear becomes a problem. | |
| Practicality | |
| The 'F' model 750 was the last really competitive sportbike to have comfortable enough ergonomics to tour on. Fast, comfortable, and easy to live with. | |
| Desirability | |
| A fantastic bike you should jump on, if you can find one for sale in good shape. (You usually can't.) It failed in the marketplace because everybody wanted a race replica, and this 750 was designed to excel in the real world of street riding. Kawasaki overestimated buyers' intelligence. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| A totally under-rated bike. | |