Ok last try, maybe you good folks are spring cleaning. To start I love my FJ but there is another woman I desire. She is an 84 ZX900 aka GPZ900 ninja for sale. Why I love this bike is not important to keep this short. It is a low mileage original owner bike that is close to mint as they come. Needs a front tire and shifter seal which the owner has. I want to know what some of you think of this machine and the major pitfalls that I should look out for. I know there is probably many of you die hard riders who have owned one. I want to hear your opinion very much. thanks. Donnie
Can't really speak to the mechanicals on this bike, but back before I ever even thought about motorcycles, a buddy of mine showed up with a used '84 GPZ. "Take if for a spin" he says... "Which one is the clutch?" In a few minutes, I was up to speed on how to get this thing moving and in a few seconds I was up to speed going across a parking lot! :shok: I was instantly hooked on motorcycles and the rest is history. :yes:
Cap'n Ron. . .
Quote from: gumby302ho on May 01, 2014, 01:40:16 PM
Ok last try, maybe you good folks are spring cleaning. To start I love my FJ but there is another woman I desire. She is an 84 ZX900 aka GPZ900 ninja for sale. Why I love this bike is not important to keep this short. It is a low mileage original owner bike that is close to mint as they come. Needs a front tire and shifter seal which the owner has. I want to know what some of you think of this machine and the major pitfalls that I should look out for. I know there is probably many of you die hard riders who have owned one. I want to hear your opinion very much. thanks. Donnie
I cannot speak from personal experience, having never owned one, but it has a reputation for having an unhealthy appetite for camshafts. Word around the campfire is that the oil passages to the top end are not up to the task of keeping the bump-stick and its neighbors lubricated (i.e. it is a design flaw not to be cured with parts replacement).
I'd pass.
No help here...
I did ride the '84 750VFR and 750GSX-R before the torque and top end rush of the mighty FJ lured me away...and at 6'3" I physically fit on the FJ much better.
Bought my FJ1100 in '84 and never looked back.
Never considered or rode the Kawasaki.....
I can't give you much detailed info on one, but my Dad owned one. I had a Yamaha Radian at the time, we swapped bikes on a ride in SW Missouri, I thought I could flog the little Radian down a twisty road pretty hard, but the Ninja was a whole world away in handling capability. As far as longevity, I couldn't help there. Dad traded bikes on a regular basis, he liked having the latest and greatest. Keep in mind this was in the mid 80's, handling and brakes were getting better but still far below what is available to us today.
My brother bought a new one back in '84 and I can still remember my first ride on it. Wow what a bike. Went like hell, handled and stopped like nothing that I had ridden before. At the time I had a 1980 Z1R MK11, which I thought was a quick bike but the GPZ 900 was a fair bit faster and no comparison in the handling department. The GPZ900 started a whole new trend in the sport bike era with it's good looks, light weight, high performance water-cooled narrow width engine.
I'd jump at the chance to buy one if one came along at the right price. As far as I can recall he didn't have any major problems with it during the 5 or 6 years that he owned it. Regards, Pete. :good2:
Well..that is the bike Tom Cruise rode in Top Gun...
Totally shitty valves....I replaced dozens secondary to recession...GPZ900, ZL1000 and ZX10's. The valve margins were destroyed on lightly used bikes. Razor margins....I held back but you have to know. I do not think I have any creds on this forum BUT I do know what I am talking about. On the other hand,....Pat Conlan may back me up.
Quote from: pdxfj on May 01, 2014, 08:05:04 PM
Well..that is the bike Tom Cruise rode in Top Gun...
Unfortunately he was sitting on the back of one that was strapped down on a trailer while it was towed. The fork tie downs are still visible in the movie. They didn't want Tom to have any accidents. What Tom did't tell the studio was on the days they weren't shooting he was at the Drop Zone learning how to skydive! :lol: Dave
Quote from: JMR on May 01, 2014, 08:29:43 PM
Totally shitty valves....I replaced dozens secondary to recession...GPZ900, ZL1000 and ZX10's. The valve margins were destroyed on lightly used bikes. Razor margins....I held back but you have to know. I do not think I have any creds on this forum BUT I do know what I am talking about. On the other hand,....Pat Conlon may back me up.
And I will....
Mike, I don't know why you think that....folks just have to look at your bitchen CB750 accomplishments to see the depth of your knowledge and expertise.
You need to make it easy for us...post a link in your signature line. You do really good stuff.
We are very fortunate to have you contribute to our forum.
Quote from: Pat Conlon on May 01, 2014, 09:56:40 PM
Quote from: JMR on May 01, 2014, 08:29:43 PM
Totally shitty valves....I replaced dozens secondary to recession...GPZ900, ZL1000 and ZX10's. The valve margins were destroyed on lightly used bikes. Razor margins....I held back but you have to know. I do not think I have any creds on this forum BUT I do know what I am talking about. On the other hand,....Pat Conlon may back me up.
And I will....
Mike, I don't know why you think that....folks just have to look at your bitchen CB750 accomplishments to see the depth of your knowledge and expertise.
You need to make it easy for us...post a link in your signature line. You do really good stuff.
We are very fortunate to have you contribute to our forum.
Thanks Pat but I'll tell you the truth I forgot to include the grin icon :biggrin: after "what I am talking about"......to busy dashing to the TV to watch the Bruins. I apologize if I came off as an ass (not the first time unfortunately). :biggrin:
Seriously though I have rebuilt at least a dozen of those first, and in the case of the ZX-10, second generation Kawasaki heads and all the intakes were absolutely hammered. I am surprised parts of what used to be the margin didn't break off.
It starts to show up with a problem with cold starts as the valve loses all its lash and you cannot build good compression. First you think it just needs a valve adjustment which does cure the problem for a while. Unfortunately the valve continues to get pounded and it eats up all lash again. You eventually run out of a thin enough shim and need to rebuild the head. After replacing the valves with stainless pieces the problem goes away.
The other PITA thing I remember was trying to get all the air out of the coolant system if the system had to be drained and refilled. I do not know what it was with that engine but it took a long time to purge the system despite several bleed screws built into the system
Only other thing I recall is the nice paint on the Canadian the first generation 900 Ninja's. Really well done blue and silver.
Quote from: pdxfj on May 01, 2014, 08:05:04 PM
Well..that is the bike Tom Cruise rode in Top Gun...
Practical Sportsbikes mag says it was a GPZ 750 R in fact, not a 900
Quote from: Alf on May 02, 2014, 03:00:44 PM
Quote from: pdxfj on May 01, 2014, 08:05:04 PM
Well..that is the bike Tom Cruise rode in Top Gun...
Practical Sportsbikes mag says it was a GPZ 750 R in fact, not a 900
Practical Sportsbikes is incorrect....it was the liquid cooled 900
Quote from: JMR on May 02, 2014, 03:26:55 PM
Quote from: Alf on May 02, 2014, 03:00:44 PM
Quote from: pdxfj on May 01, 2014, 08:05:04 PM
Well..that is the bike Tom Cruise rode in Top Gun...
Practical Sportsbikes mag says it was a GPZ 750 R in fact, not a 900
Practical Sportsbikes is incorrect....it was the liquid cooled 900
Yeah, the GPZ 750 R were exactly the same bike but with 750 cc
Anything Tom Cruise is (even vaguely) related to, is reason enough to stay away.....What a tool.
Quote from: Pat Conlon on May 02, 2014, 03:56:42 PM
Anything Tom Cruise is (even vaguely) related to, is reason enough to stay away.....What a tool.
:good2:
Quote from: Pat Conlon on May 02, 2014, 03:56:42 PM
Anything Tom Cruise is (even vaguely) related to, is reason enough to stay away.....What a tool.
:rofl:
Quote from: Alf on May 02, 2014, 03:51:34 PM
Quote from: JMR on May 02, 2014, 03:26:55 PM
Quote from: Alf on May 02, 2014, 03:00:44 PM
Quote from: pdxfj on May 01, 2014, 08:05:04 PM
Well..that is the bike Tom Cruise rode in Top Gun...
Practical Sportsbikes mag says it was a GPZ 750 R in fact, not a 900
Practical Sportsbikes is incorrect....it was the liquid cooled 900
Yeah, the GPZ 750 R were exactly the same bike but with 750 cc
......but it was not imported to the USA. I know it was a 900 as I was a technical consultant on the movie set. I personally cc'd the cylinders and it measured out to 900cc with the bore and stroke. :rofl2:
Was going to say something about Cruise but on reflection 'tool' covers all the important stuff and ensures we don't spend any more time talking about him than absolutely necessary.
The GPz. Would modern lubricants help with the valve thing? Just asking.
First time I rode one I had all my inflated prejudices in place and hated the 16" front wheel which as it turns out, had a buggered front tire on it.
Replacing the tire transformed the bike. It was fast, smooth, handled well and a step and a half ahead of most of the stuff from the early 80s. It's probably fair to say it was the benchmark in sportsbikes until Suzuki introduced the first GSXR.
Riding a GPz still makes me smile now and if you can find away around the motor issues, blank off the front antidive and find someone who makes good 16" radial tires it would be a good thing.
Quote from: Pat Conlon on May 02, 2014, 03:56:42 PM
Anything Tom Cruise is (even vaguely) related to, is reason enough to stay away.....What a tool.
I thought it was only the Aussies that thought he was a cockwad, good to see his fellow countrymen think the same.
Quote from: Bones on May 03, 2014, 06:08:06 PM
I thought it was only the Aussies that thought he was a cockwad, good to see his fellow countrymen think the same.
Yeah we're still perturbed you got Nicole Kidman in the divorce.
Quote from: rusjel on May 03, 2014, 05:38:54 PM
Was going to say something about Cruise but on reflection 'tool' covers all the important stuff and ensures we don't spend any more time talking about him than absolutely necessary.
The GPz. Would modern lubricants help with the valve thing? Just asking.
First time I rode one I had all my inflated prejudices in place and hated the 16" front wheel which as it turns out, had a buggered front tire on it.
Replacing the tire transformed the bike. It was fast, smooth, handled well and a step and a half ahead of most of the stuff from the early 80s. It's probably fair to say it was the benchmark in sportsbikes until Suzuki introduced the first GSXR.
Riding a GPz still makes me smile now and if you can find away around the motor issues, blank off the front antidive and find someone who makes good 16" radial tires it would be a good thing.
Good question but the answer is no....the valves were junk from the factory. Normally there was Stellite treatment to the faces...(which makes grinding the faces a no-no if they are pockmarked etc)..which wasn't performed or who the hell knows what happened. There is a long history of valve failure beyond the warranty term. Aftermarket valves with a fresh valve job solved the problem. I helped make some pretty good power in those things seeing how they were liquid cooled and we could put compression in them. The Interceptors ( V4's) just sucked to work on.
On a side note and while I remember....I hated those spring coils that held the airbox manifolds and carbs manifolds....they were awful to deal with IMO.
But that is nit picking....as the previous poster noted it was the advent of real performance with better cooling. The oil cooled GSXR was OK but that Ninja showed the way with liquid cooling...which the GSXR eventually (had to) went with.
Quote from: JMR on May 03, 2014, 08:48:53 PM
It was fast, smooth, handled well and a step and a half ahead of most of the stuff from the early 80s. It's probably fair to say it was the benchmark in sportsbikes until Suzuki introduced the first GSXR.
Errr... sorry but not. The FJ literally smashed GPZs and VFs in club and production races. And today continue fighting in classic races and pre-injection classes all over the world
Well, are you a GPZ infiltrated member?... :biggrin: the GPZ is a good bike, even today, but a standard GPZ have never been at the same level than a std FJ
1984 Production TT
The new GPz 900 came in first and second. The new FJ1100 got fourth place.
An early GPz in original condition would be a great buy even though the later ones are arguably the better bikes. Collectors seem to love early versions without the practical improvements. Yes they do like to eat camshafts as did the early VF Honda's. I have never owned one but I know a man who has and his is still with its original cams. The only problem with that bike seems to be that its sprag clutch is now getting tired.
They handle really well although the diamond frame turned out to be a blind alley. Also from what I have read, they do not like to be fitted with fashionably fat modern tyres. The bottom line must be..
If the price is right, buy it and love it for what it is
Quote from: Dogsbestfriend on May 04, 2014, 06:00:23 AM
If the price is right, buy it and love it for what it is
I like your thinking, and would just add that the GPZ evokes memories of the 80's. I've never had one, or ridden one, but did want one at the time...so, if you have the time, inclination and money to lavish on the bike, then go for it...I would! (If I had the space/money). :good2:
Quote from: Alf on May 04, 2014, 03:37:57 AM
Quote from: JMR on May 03, 2014, 08:48:53 PM
It was fast, smooth, handled well and a step and a half ahead of most of the stuff from the early 80s. It's probably fair to say it was the benchmark in sportsbikes until Suzuki introduced the first GSXR.
Errr... sorry but not. The FJ literally smashed GPZs and VFs in club and production races. And today continue fighting in classic races and pre-injection classes all over the world
Well, are you a GPZ infiltrated member?... :biggrin: the GPZ is a good bike, even today, but a standard GPZ have never been at the same level than a std FJ
When I bought my FJ new in 87 I could have bought a new GSXR1100, Ninja 1000, GPZ (or Ninja) 900 or, believe it or not, a new CB900F. I bought the FJ and still have it today. I think that says something. :good:
Quote from: JMR on May 02, 2014, 12:50:45 PM
Quote from: Pat Conlon on May 01, 2014, 09:56:40 PM
Quote from: JMR on May 01, 2014, 08:29:43 PM
Totally shitty valves....I replaced dozens secondary to recession...GPZ900, ZL1000 and ZX10's. The valve margins were destroyed on lightly used bikes. Razor margins....I held back but you have to know. I do not think I have any creds on this forum BUT I do know what I am talking about. On the other hand,....Pat Conlon may back me up.
Thanks for the information on the Gpz with there valve issue. It has 33000km on it and sounds very quiet at the moment. When the time comes I guess she will get fitted with stainless valves. PO said he did not think the valves have ever been adjusted. Its my problem now since I did pick it up 3300 dollars, I just had to have it. My FJ is my work horse, the zx900 will be pampered as it is in amazing condition. One more bike to go for my collection will be a CX 650. :hi:
And I will....
Mike, I don't know why you think that....folks just have to look at your bitchen CB750 accomplishments to see the depth of your knowledge and expertise.
You need to make it easy for us...post a link in your signature line. You do really good stuff.
We are very fortunate to have you contribute to our forum.
Thanks Pat but I'll tell you the truth I forgot to include the grin icon :biggrin: after "what I am talking about"......to busy dashing to the TV to watch the Bruins. I apologize if I came off as an ass (not the first time unfortunately). :biggrin:
Seriously though I have rebuilt at least a dozen of those first, and in the case of the ZX-10, second generation Kawasaki heads and all the intakes were absolutely hammered. I am surprised parts of what used to be the margin didn't break off.
It starts to show up with a problem with cold starts as the valve loses all its lash and you cannot build good compression. First you think it just needs a valve adjustment which does cure the problem for a while. Unfortunately the valve continues to get pounded and it eats up all lash again. You eventually run out of a thin enough shim and need to rebuild the head. After replacing the valves with stainless pieces the problem goes away.
The other PITA thing I remember was trying to get all the air out of the coolant system if the system had to be drained and refilled. I do not know what it was with that engine but it took a long time to purge the system despite several bleed screws built into the system
Only other thing I recall is the nice paint on the Canadian the first generation 900 Ninja's. Really well done blue and silver.
The simple truth is that if you're looking at bikes from this era to fulfill a dream... GO FOR IT!! Try to find a nice one, and mod the shit out of it until it's what you always wanted!
I know the early 900 is related to my ZX900B (1994-7), but I'll wager the later bike is vastly superior. Probably a bigger gap there than there was from 97 to 98 (zx900c, the 75lb lighter version).
But you can't argue with dreams.