2005 ZZR1200

[DaleFranks]

I popped into a dealership today, for reasons entirely unrelated to motorcycle buying, and I saw this 2005 Kawasaki ZZR1200, just sitting there.

It is practically spotless. It has 378 miles on the odometer. They’re asking for $6k.

I can’t get her out of my mind.

Quite apart from anything else, I’ll never see another deal like this for years, if ever. How often do you run across one of the most powerful streetbikes ever made, that’s 6 years old, in perfect condition, with less than four hundred miles on the clock?

It’s like the guy has been saving it just for me. I mean, seriously, who buys a bike like this, keeps it for six years, and only rides it for 378 miles? I can’t even comprehend that mental process.

Now, I don’t need a second bike. And it’s got all the things I’ve been staying away from, i.e., chain drive, no ABS, no accessory slots for electric stuff. But there were so few of them ever sent to the US, and they’re so distinctive, it’s just calling to me.  Cripes, you can’t even put bags on the thing, except for an aftermarket set of soft bags maybe.

But it’s such a sweet deal. I’ve got the money to buy it outright.

On the other hand, there’s a tiny, almost unnoticeable little dent on the gas tank. Maybe if I just keep concentrating that, and magnifying it in my mind, this insane desire will go away…

[Ack535]

Great bikes those ZZR1200's, I owned one. Throw em a cash offer of $5,000. I bet they will take it...

Still miss my ZZR!

Pete

[endo]

  Cripes, you can’t even put bags on the thing, except for an aftermarket set of soft bags maybe.

Actually, the Givi's fit pretty good.  They may not be all that pretty, but they hold a ton of stuff.

[DaleFranks]

Throw em a cash offer of $5,000. I bet they will take it...

No. They won't.

I went in this morning and offered 5, and they told me they paid $4900 for plus $500 reconditioning.

All told, they paid more than Kelly Blue Book retail. They need $6k minimum.

So, I went home.

I can never have nice things.

[ANZAC]

Leave them your number and they will call you.  The bike is too new to the dealer so they want full price for now.

That is a real sweet bike and not even broken in yet.  

[Ack535]

Hmnn, paid $4900 and have $500 into "re-conditioning". What really needs to be done to an almost new bike? Changing the oil, and checking the air pressure in the tires is certainly not worth $500.

If it were me, I would throw 'em another offer at $5200 with your phone #.

I bet they call...

Pete

[Justin]

If it were me, I would throw 'em another offer at $5200 with your phone #.

I bet they call...

Pete

+ 1, and not like there is a huge market for 2005 zzr's - the squids all want the latest gsxr's, zx-6/10's or R6/1's, and the yuppies all want cruisers or "Adventure" bikes

[staedtler]

maan,... bad timing, bad timing    
cause i'wudda shelled the 6k....

http://www.cycletrader.com/find/listing/photos/97289486/

thats a good deal for a new st'er

[DNA]

Your license thanks you - don't do it - you will end up in driving school...

I'd go for it though...

[DaleFranks]

Yeah, well, they want $6k.  Add on TTL, and you're at about $6700 here in CA. 5 grand cash I can swing. $6700? Nope.

If I didn't have a school loan from Sallie Mae for my MBA, I'd just finance the thing and take on the payment.  But those Sallie Mae bastards are vicious. They're like Ray Liotta in "Goodfellas"

Oh, you lost your job? F*ck you, pay me.
Wife got sick? F*ck you, pay me.

So I ain't getting ANYTHING on credit while I have that $400 a month albatross hanging around my neck.  

[PhilBiker]

Six year old carbs that have, from the low mileage, probably have either run a lot of sticky old gas or had old gas sitting in the float bowls for years.  They need to be rebuilt.  If that's what the $500 was for, then it's probably a decent ride.  I can imagine that bike being trailered in with a rusty tank full of varnish, dead battery, and shot carbs.  Sitting is real bad.  It would probably be in better shape with 15K miles on it.  I wouldn't trust the tires, either, and I'd replace the petcock or at least all the rubber in the petcock.

Basically I wouldn't want to even ride that bike without putting at least another $1000 into it.  Depending on what the dealer did for their claimed $500 that is.  Sounds about right if they cleaned the carbs, gave the tank a quick acid bath, pumped up the tires, checked/topped off the old brake fluid, and charged the battery.  That's what they'd need to do just to get it to run, and it will probably be OK like that for a year or so depending on how the tires are, though 6 year old tires are going to be a lowside waiting to happen IMO if you ride aggressively.

I'll never own another bike with carbs.

[Oilhed]

So, a 5-6 year old bike, even brand new, needs the carbs done, new tires and brake fluid changed.  But, if the dealer is selling it he needs to do that.  It might be part of the price but not a charge on the sales slip!

[GS1100GK]

Actually, the Givi's fit pretty good.  They may not be all that pretty, but they hold a ton of stuff.

I agree, the Givi's do fit pretty good!!!

[PhilBiker]

So, a 5-6 year old bike, even brand new, needs the carbs done, new tires and brake fluid changed.  But, if the dealer is selling it he needs to do that.  It might be part of the price but not a charge on the sales slip!

No.  If it's -brand new-,  never been gassed up, the carbs are most likely still good as new.  Brakes probably good, too, but easy enough to check.  But less than 400 miles in 5-6 years is -real- bad news unless the owner was meticulous.

[Oilhed]

No.  If it's -brand new-,  never been gassed up, the carbs are most likely still good as new.  Brakes probably good, too, but easy enough to check.  But less than 400 miles in 5-6 years is -real- bad news unless the owner was meticulous.

I bought a left-over in the 80's.  The motor was run at the factory before crating.

[PhilBiker]

I bought a left-over in the 80's.  The motor was run at the factory before crating.

Were the float bowls and tank full of the old gas they ran at the factory?  I suspect not.

[Oilhed]

Were the float bowls and tank full of the old gas they ran at the factory?  I suspect not.

That I do not know, all I know is it ran like shit after I picked it up.  It was a crated leftover, not on the floor.  When I took it back they pulled the carbs and cleaned them and it ran perfect after that.

[staedtler]

old thread brought up...


so, i found a 05 zzr1200 with 10.5K on it and they are asking rigth about 6k..
does that sounds a lttle high? the bike looks pretty good, kbb list it at 5k, they are
asking a grand more, its a dealer, can that be negotiated? (of course, but i suck at that)...

[caslaw]

old thread brought up...


so, i found a 05 zzr1200 with 10.5K on it and they are asking rigth about 6k..
does that sounds a lttle high? the bike looks pretty good, kbb list it at 5k, they are
asking a grand more, its a dealer, can that be negotiated? (of course, but i suck at that)...

I would say that's high.  if you look around you could pick up an '05 with similar mileage for about a grand less.  For that matter, there is very little difference between the model years (front suspension was upgraded in '04 to include rebound dampening).  I got my '02 a couple of years ago with Madaz high mounts (the best exhaust for this bike) with 19k for $4k.  I you say the bike was in very good condition (but not excellent).  If well taken care of these run over 100k.  I would rather buy from a person so I have a sense of who the owner was.  Also, I am leery of low mileage older bikes.

Having said all of the above, if you ridge sport/touring at a 70/30 split or 90/10 like me this is a great bike.  145 RWHP is no joke.  It will out perform a FJR or GTR as a sport bike and with the right mods will compete as a tourer.  However if you are more 50/50 or 30/70 then you might want to go FJR, GTR, or the like (shaft drive).

Shameless pics:

Sport mode:



Sport touring mode:



Full touring mode:

[Akumu]

I like my Muzzy exhaust system, what's this Madaz is best?   (Though, it being high mount is nice. Don't think they'd work with my Beetle Bags, though.)
Pretty much agree with everything else, considering I fall into 80S/20T mode.

OP: Yes, that's too much for that year. For 6k you could probably find a 2006 ZX-14...

[Dan K]

Pretty similar bikes.  I wanted one of the ZZR1200's for a while.  Ended up with a Sprint, which probably saved my license.

- Dan

[stromgal]

I was at the DMV today, chatted with some riders awaiting tests in the parking lot. There was a truly lovely black '05 ZZR, with nice rear-sets and other tasty bits. Guy told me it had 16k and he got it for $5000. I told him to be careful.  

[BradleyRas]

I'm selling my 02 ZZR 1200 with 47K miles, GIVI side cases and top case, Ivans jet kit, Muzzy 4-1 ti oval, progressive fork springs, galfer ss lines, genmar risers, EBC heavy duty clutch and heavy duty springs, corbin seat and several windscreens...also an extra set of rims, spare fuel tank, front fender, tail light assembly, front and rear brake discs, a variety of sprockets, an extra triple clamp, heated grips, and several other odds and ends..

for $3500  

Hate to see it go but it's time to move on.

[Nolan]

But those Sallie Mae bastards are vicious. They're like Ray Liotta in "Goodfellas"

Oh, you lost your job? F*ck you, pay me.
Wife got sick? F*ck you, pay me.

AWESOME QUOTE!!! Ive always like the zzr

 

[Joey Stalin]

Always loved the look and idea of a ZZR1200, but if the ergos are similar to the Blackbird that I rode, and my VFR, then I don't think it's for me. Both bikes seem to have a very long reach to the bars. The angle of the back isn't fine, it's just a long horizontal distance between the bars and the seat. On a supersport, the bars are lower in relation to the seat, but closer to you, which I tend to find more comfortable. And Helibars is just wimping out.  

[1wd]

Re-viving this thread.  I'm also considering the zzr1200 and have taken a few out, very solid and planted feeling bike yet somewhat nimble for its size.  Oh, and of course the power all over the place!    I want a bike that will not get blown around on the highway and can handle occasional two-up riding and fit me as I'm 6"2'.  I had a few bikes in mind in addition to the zzr, zx14, FZ1 and FJR.  The zx14 is too sport for what I'm looking for and the FZ1 is still a little cramped for me and wind protection even with a higher screen was mediocre at best. So, I'm down to the ZZR and the FJR  I should be test driving the FJR soon.  Btw; my riding is probably 60/40 sport/tour.  

     There are two 2003 zzr1200's for sale locally, one has 20K miles on it and has an aftermarket seat, exhaust and bar risers.  The owner said the only thing it may need at some point is a valve check/adjustment, bikes seems to be running fine.  The only issue with this bike is that it has a salvage title, current owner said the original owner replaced some of the fairing pieces.  The bike looks fine.  The other has 4k miles on it with no mods.  The bike has been sitting and not driven for two years, but does start up, everything is still original on the bike.  This bike is gonna need, new tires, complete tune-up, tank and fuel/carb system cleaned and I want risers and an aftermarket seat.  Not sure yet what all of this is gonna cost.  I would rather have a low mileage bike but I think the price with all the work is gonna put me around $5k while I might be able to get the other bike for around $3k.  Any thoughts??  I may just continue to look as well for other zzr's.  I also still want to see what the FJR is like, a little out of my price range, but am willing to take a higher mileage one if it's the bike I pick.  Thanks.  

[slayman]

here you go 1wd:
http://savannah.craigslist.org/mcy/3232152410.html

[Zixxerpilot]

If the one with the salvage title checks out, buy it and ride the wheels off. You can total that bike tipping it over in the parking lot. Tank alone is about $900 from Kawi, and they usually don't quote a repaint for a scratch. Its all done as new parts.



Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2

[1wd]

Thanks Slayman for the headsup.  Thanks as well, Zixxerpilot,  your right the parts add up quickly on a bike.