People seemed to like the pic of my NC29 so I thought they might appreciate it's garage-mate, my NC35. 1994 with 25,000 mix of kms & miles. Owned since 2013. Currently wearing the TYGA body kit (from Thailand). All original bodywork safely wrapped and stored. I just love that single-sided swingarm.
Lovely I keep thinking about my nostalgic two stroke itch, and if only I could find something in that sort of condition, its looks mint.
Yes it pretty much is. But, like all my bikes (NC35, NC29, CBR600F4iSport, Bonneville) it's taxed and MOT'd all year round and gets used all year round. I avoid wet days but if it's dry the bikes are on the road through autumn and winter. Ok, I sometimes freeze my face off but a 20 or 30 mile blast lifts the spirits at that time of year. And then I can spend two hours cleaning it! I think you need to scratch that itch of yours and find a 2-stroke. Life's too short not to.
Back in the day I had a Kawasaki KR1S in the best colours, green, white and blue with yellow number backings. Oddly it had both pipes on one side a bit like an RGV and I've never seen one since with that configuration. I went out on a ride with a neighbour on his 750 and he said afterwards "that things got some go, I couldn't keep up!" The smell, the noise, the induction roar once you hit 10k it instantly ran off the clock to 12k +, change gear, repeat, change gear ...... so much fun and very addictive.
Looks gorgeous and a keeper I strongly suspect. The original exhausts are now hard to find and eye watering expensive. TYGA do a superb twin stacked exhaust system that look and sound fantastic, these little V4 engines are superb and love to be revved up the range.
I remember the '91 TT, Yamaha's 30th anniversary at the event, when Honda turned up with their full factory RVF750's, reportedly worth over £1m each, for Steve Hislop and Carl Fogarty, determined to steal the Honors which off course they did. What bikes they were! The small two strokes were very light and nimble but sadly they were just too small for me. They never had the grunt of the bigger bikes though and as 4 stroke tech moved on and they also became lighter and even more powerful and bikes like the Fireblade started to appear, the writing was on the wall for the strokers.
My bike is fitted with a TYGA system but not the twin stack. I was lucky enough to find an original system a few years ago (before prices went bonkers), including end can and the impossible-to-find heel guard that fits to it. I also came across an original screen a while back, the only one I've ever seen during 11 years of ownership. An uncut rear guard (part of the undertray) was another lucky find (only £300!), plus a NOS front guard, still boxed. I seem to have accumulated other parts, including gearbox, headlights and several NOS indicators (also fit the NC29). It's become an expensive hobby.
I decided 4 bikes wasn't enough. Earlier this year I chopped in the CBR600FS for a Daytona 660 but there was still room in the garage for one more. I was up at my nearest bike place, Ride&Restore in Pott Shrigley and saw one of my all-time favourite bikes up on their mezzanine floor. Two weeks later it was in my garage. ZX7R 1998 in the best colours. The previous owner bought it new in '98. Rode it briefly. Found it too quick and parked it in his garage. In 2015 he took it to a bike shop, where it was made road worthy. He rode it for a few more miles and it ended up back in his garage. Then followed a divorce. His wife got pretty much everything, including the house. This year she wanted to move so he had to clear out his stuff. The bike went to Ride&Restore while he decided what to do. I made him an offer. We haggled and settled on £1850. Bargain. Especially when you check the mileage. If you haven't noticed, that's in kms! I've fitted tyres and chain. Carbs, oil, brakes and cooling system flushed, changed, cleaned, rebuilt. All works perfectly. I also fitted a stainless Black Widow system but kept the period-correct Micron can. Sounds lovely. Lucky me!
Lovely looking bike, the ZX7R is a real classic, still is a lively machine these days, and what's not to like, in the best colour too, they did a lovely grey paint scheme for a limited time, and I rather like the purple one as well.
I had a ZXR750 back in the early 90's (predecessor to the ZX7R) but I'd forgotten how rapid these bikes are. And it handles pretty well despite the weight.
That is a gorgeous ZX7R! Always loved those bikes. A maroon ZXR400 was the closest I ever got. For some reason whenever I see a ZX7R on the road I always get the impression the riders just stolen it!
Before I got the ZXR750 (in Gitane blue) I had a ZXR400 because that's all I could afford at the time. It red lines at 14,500rpm! A little screamer. It was green, white and blue, I've never seen a maroon one on the road. In fact you rarely see a ZXR or ZX7R being ridden, only at shows. Shame. 'Ride it like you stole it!' would have made a great Kawasaki slogan, in fact I may just get that printed at the bottom of my number plate. The cops will love that
They don't make 'em like that anymore (ads I mean). They probably wouldn't be allowed to, encouraging people to buy fast bikes, shocking! In fact they don't make TV bike ads anymore. Shame.