ZRX1200S Page (cont)

I have bought a pair of paddock stands to aid cleaning the ZRX as there is no centre stand and the side stand leaves a lot to be desired.

The dealer had a Micron rear stand and a Scorpion front  in stock so that is what I ended up with.

I've learned the hard way that the front stand should only be used in conjunction with the rear if you are on your own. The bike is really unstable getting it off the front without the rear. The steering can turn, the bike sort of flops any way it likes and trying to land it on the side stand is almost impossible without help.

Because of the different configuration of the swinging arm - the bottom member is quite low - the bike needs to be almost vertical to get the thing underneath. If you are on your own this is not easy. I do it using a block of wood under the side stand which brings the bike nearly upright. At this point it is not stable so care is needed.

As the bottom member of the swinging arm is so low the stand only just fits. With the stand under the swinging arm the handle is fairly tight up against the rear mudguard. The problem with this is that at this point there is little leverage and because the member is so low you are lifting a long way. The bike has to be held vertical so both sides of the stand are touching the swinging arm at this point you are using both hands to steady the bike so only a foot is available to push down on the handle and lift the bike. One good push and up she comes. I've yet to be able to control where the bike ends up because sometimes the stand moves under the bike leaving it almost where it started and sometimes the bike moves backwards over the stand and ends up a foot or two back from where it started. I am going to try locking the front brake on and see if this make it more controllable.

As you can see the only place to put the stand to avoid the rear brake etc. is quite well forward this adds to the problem of the handle being up against the rear mudguard when you start to lift. There are 2 threaded holes in the swinging arm, these are most likely for "bobbins" for a paddock stand with hooks more suited to this bike. However I may try to use some long bolts through the stand and into these holes. If I can find any. However, to screw the bolts in would mean the bike being upright to start with and I am sure you could not do this alone.

The front stand has 2 pegs that go up inside the front forks to locate it and hold it in place. The pegs seem to rest on the pinch bolts that hold the axle in place I hope they are not damaging the threads. Lifting the front is easy once the rear stand is in place and with the bike on both stands the bike is quite high so cleaning, lubricating the chain, wheel removal will be easy.

Getting the bike down again is tricky. The front comes down no trouble but getting the rear down is scary. Reach down lift, the handle the bike starts to move as the handle gets higher the amount of pressure needed increases and at some point the bike is coming down whether you like it or not. making sure it lands on the side stand and stays there is nerve wracking. Touch wood it has not fallen over yet.

Took the bike for its 1st service today and asked if something could be applied to the tank to protect it where my knees seemed to be dulling the paint.

They fixed some carbon fibre look paint protector from Oxford Products. They made a really good job of it. It looks like it is original. Well done the Dealer!

I have now over 1,500mls on the clock and believe it or not it still has not been much over 5,000rpm. As Gwyn is now running her GPZ in I stay with her when we are out so we are travelling comparatively slowly. I have now ridden the ZRX in the dark and the lights are great, as good as any car. I did have to adjust them as they were very low on delivery. This is very easy as the adjusters are knobs inside the fairing which you can reach easily.

Having now done all these miles I feel I can say that the ZRX is not really a tourer. Although the engine with all it's torque and high gearing lends itself to long distance work the seat is a little too hard and the riding position is a little too "crouched". However I don't believe Kawasaki were aiming for a full blown tourer, more a muscle bike with long distance potential with the ZRX they have achieved this admirably.

The "REX" now has about 3,000mls on the clock and I feel I can now comment on performance, handling etc. a little better. I've done this mileage in about 11 weeks which is testimony to the mile eating qualities of this bike. I can ride 300mls in day and not get off thinking I'll never walk again!

The acceleration of the ZRX is nothing short of phenomenal! It seems that there are no limits open the throttle further and it accelerates until the front end becomes alarmingly light. Cruising at 120mph is a breeze and only around 6,500rpm! Still 1,000rpm below the maximum torque level.

I did some high speed riding on a motorway with quite a strong headwind and found that I was buffeted quite badly when approaching large vehicles. It was not so bad with nothing in front and I can't say whether it is worse or better than other bikes as I've not had experience other than the Fazer which I never did those speeds on in a strong headwind. One thing I am sure of is that I could not have stayed on a naked bike!

One thing I have found is that if I push the bike into bends and the road surface is bad, not rough but with undulations, ( as a lot of road surfaces are here) the bike does get a little unsettled. Nothing alarming but it does seem to start to "weave/gyrate" It's a little difficult to explain as in no way does it feel like the start of a tank slapper. It is quite reminiscent of the old days when bikes did not handle as well as they do now and tyres were made of concrete! Although this is happening at MUCH higher speeds than the old bikes could hope to achieve on bends.

I'm not sure whether it is the bike, my riding position or what but it is noticeable. Perhaps the Jurnos were right and it is the suspension that needs stiffening. I am loathe to do this as I think, for me, it is plenty stiff enough for most riding on our 'orrible roads.

I have noticed that riding at high speeds does take another toll on the bike. Chippings and crap from the roads have slightly pitted the front of the swinging arm, slightly chipped some of the paint from the exhaust downpipes (they should have polished them with them being stainless!), and there are a couple of tiny pits in the fork legs. All this is not noticable at 3,000mls but it will be interesting to see how things go. I am not saying the ZRX finish is poor as I'm sure any bike would suffer the same fate.

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