Kawasaki ZR-7S reviews

great... now they come out with a yellow colour in 2003.. too bad it wasn't avaiable in 2002.I had to say good-bye to my RZ-350 last year,,SOB...it was a great bike but a little on the small side for two up riding so off to the bike dealers and magazines I went to do my research. After recovering from the sticker shock,( my brand new 82 550 katana cost me 1999.00 dollars ),the 10,000 plus 600cc. crotch rockets were beyond my humble budget. Besides i was just looking for a good basic bike.I narrowed it down to the zr-7s or the 600 bandit.I test rode both , the kawasaki won hands down. The engine has lots of torque and mid range power,the brakes are good,the ride is comfortable,although some say too soft.My bum seems to like it,and its no slouch in the twisty bits. I really like the naked bike styling as well, with the engine and other mechanicals exposed it looks like a machine.The fully faired in plastic darts you see now are all starting to look the same with some manufacturers making their products even more exteme,sometimes ugly,to set them apart. The Zr-7s is great fun to ride,and is a most versatile machine,you can give the sport bike guys a run, you add a couple bags and do some touring, or you can have a very comfortable commute, all on the same machine.The fit,finish,features are excellent,except for the buzz in the fairing,I understand there is a fix for that. I will be keeping this one for a while.If you don't have a big ego or wallet and want a bike that does eveything well check this one out.. Show less

I had been looking around for a decent bike that I could put alot of miles on and not have my back killing me all the time. I am500 6'2" and while I had fun with my Kawasaki 600 Ninja, I got tired of being forced to "assume the position" with the low handlebars. The ZR-7S has a very nice powerband with a good amount of low end response ( sure was amazed at the power below 4000 RPM for the required "less then 4000" brake-in needed for the first 500 miles) The bike has a nice clean look to it and I got alot of complaments on it and love the handling of it also. I also considered a Honda Nighthawk which I think is a great looking bike and also fun to ride, but the main thing that sold me on the Kawasaki was it having the twin disk brakes up front (Honda Single disk) and the single disk in the rear (Honda-Drum brake), plus the Kawasaki just seemed to be a little more on the modern or hi-tech side. Show less

I've had my ZR-7S for about 2.5 months now and have put over 3K miles on it. So far, this bike has done all I've asked it to and then some. I was kind of annoyed by the buzziness at higher speeds so for under $20 I put a slightly larger front sprocket on it and 90% of the buzz went away. It now has a little less acceleration but IMO still has more than enough for the average rider. It will still out accelerate more cars and trucks. The engine is jetted VERY lean from the factory to meet EPA standards so you eventually have to modify it to run properly. This is as simple as removing the anti-tamper plugs and adjusting the idle screws to give it a richer air/fuel mixture. Otherwise, the engine will get hotter than it should and you will experience lean surging. This isn't the bikes fault, it's a factory mandated adjustment and is easily fixed. As far as cruising, I think this bike is quite comfortable. Even though it is a standard, I felt the bars were a little too far forward and the lean was a little too much. With the addition of a set of pullback risers, I've now given my sport standard somewhat of a cruiser feel. It helps a great deal with the forward lean. As far as the air cooled engine.....simplicity is all I can say. Change oil, lube chain, ride. that's it. Oh, except for the occasional valve adjustment which is a major pain for you DIY'ers out there. Look at about $275 for a shop to do it. Good thing is that I've read after about 12000 miles or so, the valves start to settle in and the need for adjustments stretch out considerably. Little things like the center stand help a great deal with chain lube and adjustment and oil changes. The fairing keeps most of the wind off you from the neck down. It also has a good underseat storage space, compared to other bikes. No, it won't keep up with a high powered sport bikes but then you won't shell out the big bucks for purchase price or insurance like you will for the sport bikes either. This bike is for people who just love to ride and don't have anything to prove. It will be a faithful mount and do most anything you ask of it. 2up riding is easy and highway speeds of 70+ are NO problem. The only drawback is the forward slant of the passenger pillion. The passenger tends to slide into the driver on stops. This can be cured with either an aftermarket seat or some non-slip drawer liner wrapped around the passenger section. The addition of a backrest, rear rack and luggage can convert this standard into a light tourer. 500+ mile trip in one day isn't out of the question. And, the huge 5.8 gallon tank makes for extended trips without frequent fillups. 250+ miles on a tank is nice! Handling is quite nice. The 30" seat height is just right for me. I'm 5'10", 175 lbs and I can flat foot is fine and so can my 5'6" wife. It's well balanced and can take the twisties with all but the best sportbikes. It can outhandle a cruiser any day of the week. Triple disc brakes make for very nice stopping. All in all, this little bike is great for many things.....commuting, canyon carving, light touring and just plain having fun. For the $$, it is a GREAT value. Show less

About me, I'm 42, 6ft 3in, 200lbs. I have some back problems and heard that a bike like this is better for the back. I traded my 01 800 Vulcan A model for this bike because Kawasaki had such a great incentive I couldn't pass it up. My Vulcan was a very good bike and I'll will compare the two here the best I can. Negatives; the seat! Both of them are not very good, got a Corbin for the Vulcan and that helped alot,,,I'm still working on the ZR-7S's seat. The Vulcan had no center stand,,,which made oiling the drive chain a pain,,,the ZR-7S has a centerstand and it is easy to use,,,making checking the oil and lubing the chain a breeze. Also the shock on the ZR-7S is easy to adjust along with the dampening,,,,the Vulcan was nearly impossible to adjust. The ZR-7S has grease zerks on the swing arm and all the moving parts for the shock assembly,,,,4 or 5 I think,,,the Vulcan had non. The Vulcan had a spin on oil filter, The ZR-7S a cansiter type that is under the bike and not as handy as the spin on. The ZR-7S engine seems to be real fine,,,plenty of power for me and the torque is as good or better than the Vulcan. haven't got it broke in yet but, so both power and torque will increase some,,,and it's already good enough. I'm not into racing so I have no desire to ride fast. The ZR-7S seems to handle a little better than the Vulcan,,,and the Vulcan was very good handling. For me,,,once I get the seat to feel better,,,I think the ZR-7S is the better,,,it has more power,,,easier to handle,,,,seating position is good,,,although I am gonna put some highway pegs on soon. It's not a crotch rocket engine,,,,,simple 80's vintage air cooled and and therefore lower maintenance. Targo makes a touring windshield that I may get someday soon because I catch alot of wind right under my chin. This is a standard motorcycle, much like the Honda 750 Nighthawk with better brakes and suspension and a fairing for about the same money. The 5 stars is for what I feel is the best bang for the buck motorcycle available. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions you like to ask,,,,ride safe and smart,,,watch out for the idiots who are talking on there cell phone while there driving,,,they'll pull out right in front of you. Good luck and have FUN riding!!! Show less

Really like this bike, in the last few years I have had a vulcan cruiser, a kawa concours, a bmw F650. Like this one the best. Enough power, runs smooth. I've added handlebar raisers to make it even more upright, a givi top case to carry my large briefcase and other stuff and just added mirror extenders to improve visability. I weigh 240Lbs and the bike does not seem to mind at all! Not the fastest, or the newsest technology, but a heck of a value. Show less

The bike looks faster than it is. But then again it packs a good amount of value for its competing market. For about $6K you get get instrumentation, a center stand and the fairing. The bike is average for a naked street bike. But it is above average in long distance riding comfort. Just add the engine guards and hiway foot pegs, saddle bags, and you got something close to a Concours or Honda St1300 for alot less money. The bike is extremely quiet and the transmission is silky smooth. Could use a sixth gear though. Air cooled means low maintanence, 5.8 gallon tank means almost 300 miles to a fill up. For an intermediate rider its a great choice. Highly recommended for any rider that does not want extreme speed like a sport bike. Show less

The Zr-7s is going through some growing pains, and its all good. Pretty much a retro bike just 3 years ago, the Zr-7s has taken a turn for the better, now sporting a sweet fearing, and new instrument cluster. While its not a speed demon, the new ZR will get you from point A-B just fine thankyou very much. The addition of a 6th gear would have been nice, but this is only an issue at speeds over 85mph. Revs feel a bit high. The bike sounds great for only having a stock pipe, that deep inline-4 pulse that were all familure with. Retro is back folks. Muscle looks, combined with sports, makes for a real head turner. Trust me I know. Show less

I would note three issues: 1) gas gauge is worthless, 2) seat gets painful, and 3) bike could use a 6th gear. This is nothing new compared with the other reviews. Other than those issues, I love the bike. I bought mine new for $4,999. I have had it for a year and a half. The insurance is very low because the ZR-7S is considered a standard bike. The bike is powerful enough, but not so powerful that you can easily get yourself in sticky situations. I have never been in a situation with the bike where I felt like I needed more power than what the bike could muster (this includes some wildly curvy canyon rides). The braking is exceptional and the dual front discs make all the difference. I can easily smoke my friend who has a Hondo CBR600. I have not had any problems with the cold start. In the summer it gets down to 35-40 degrees and night and my ZR-72 always fires up like a charm, no problems. The engine is tried and true, there are no issues there. It's pretty straightforward . . . check the oil and follow the scheduled maintenance and you're good to go, no problems at all. Show less

I bought my ZR7S last year and put 3000 miles on it. Overall it is a very good bike. A little buzzy around 80 MPH.. Top end about 130. For just tooling around and hitting the country roads it is fine. It will not keep up with a Ninja but then the speed limit is only 55 or 65. How fast is fast enough? If you are looking for a bike that has a lot of bang for the buck, this is it. Show less

Have read several reviews of this bike, by both magazines and owners themselves, and find them somewhat amusing. I have read that it is old tech, too slow, doesn't handle well, too noisy, too cold blooded, blah, blah blah!!! If I didn't know better, I would think that every motorcycle rider out there is a speed-intoxicated maniac professional rider. I know better. Other than being slow to warm up and having a habit of bogging when down shifting (particularly from 3rd to 2nd), I like this bike. Just bought my 2002 1.5 months ago, and I like it. Looks nice and clean, commutes great, and is very distinctive with it's purple paint. ( looked blue in the brochure). If you are looking for a reasonably priced, fun to ride bike and are not worried about being the next race champion or the coolest looking cruiser on the block, buy one. Show less