Kawasaki opinion, 2nd attempt

[gumby302ho]

 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

[Capn Ron]

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!  I was instantly hooked on motorcycles and the rest is history.   

Cap'n Ron. . .

[Burns]

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.

[Pat Conlon]

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.....

[Country Joe]

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.

[oldktmdude]

   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.   

[pdxfj]

Well..that is the bike Tom Cruise rode in Top Gun...

[JMR]

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.

[TexasDave]

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!     Dave

[Pat Conlon]

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.

[JMR]

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   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).
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.

[Alf]

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

[JMR]

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

[Alf]

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

[Pat Conlon]

Anything Tom Cruise is (even vaguely) related to, is reason enough to stay away.....What a tool.