Kawasaki ZG1000 / GTR1000

If you want to impress your friends (and empty your wallet!), get a BMW. If you want to ride a bulletproof, good handling, decently fast, comfortabile motorcycle, get a Concours. It will commute, haul groceries, go long distance one or two up, and not impress anyone but you while doing it. You can buy them for a song because everyone needs 150 horsepower to ride at 75 mph! Like a loyal pooch, it will become part of you and not let you down.

Always starts immediately.....can withstand alot of riding without fussing over maintenance....I have 167k miles and I just tell the worrywarts to just ride it...forget the buzz, and as for hydrolock, Kawasaki mechanics I know say it is so rare that they have never seen it...only heard about it from others (someones makin money on it, for sure), theoretically is seen potentially on any bike I was told (hydrolock)...so quite worrying.

As for negatives, top heavy when full of gas...lumbers at slow speeds, but flys like a spitfire when you kick it in the ass.....Corners like a scary cat and accelerates like the cops are after ya, scary fast but poised and assured at high speeds. As for the plastics...you can weld plastic with heating iron and repaint it quite successfully if you have a mind to. These are tough machines....they are just catching there wind while other bikes are overheating and feeling sick!...Yet they are an older but proven design with a racing heritage behind them. So, if you want real quality and value, and see a connie in good condition, buy it....you will never regret it!

Nice ride. Bit heavy turning around in my driveway being little and old but Okay. No goldwing but not a sportbike. Girlfriend likes it and says its the best bike she has ever riden on. Heavy enough to feel secure. We have done 600 mile days on trips. Love the big tank. I live in western Washington state (west coast) Rains more than half the year (off and on) Record was 60 days straight. About as far north as you can get in the states.(except Alaska)Great fairing. For its size this thing handles great. (corners well) I've had the bike about two years and never need to bother a michanic. I've been doing about 10000 miles a year. Interstate most miles. Friends say - did a huge ride 200 miles. I laugh! Puny. Get rid of that sportbike I tell them. I have overhauled my carburators, Done a valve adjustment twice, changed all fluids. installed new fork springs. (Stiffer ones installed)Lots of help from knowledgeble people out there if need be. I even dismount and mount my own tires and balance them. Rides smoother than when I had the shop do it. I checked their balance job and they were not good. Their are cons out their and with this bike I can avoid them. I looked at a honda VFR 800. Its billed as a sport touring bike. Fairing covers you up to your stomach and I am 5'8". Your leaning over the tank like a sportbike. The guy selling it said you haven't seen nothing of what a sportbike is like. Can't imagine riding 300 + miles like that? Valves were near imposible to do yourself on it and cost $675.00 just to look at them! Goes up from there. That means for me every 1-1/2 years at 16,000 mile intervals.

The Concours is old looking, even my 2006. But I like it. Real glass lense on the headlight will never yellow and get cloudy. Lots of parts available and people with know how. If major tragedy should strike your bike down at the price get another one. Problem solved. Yes The Kawasaki ZG1000 should needs to be remembered in the history books but riden NOW.

Everyone said this bike is top heavy & probably is a little. If your not going on a long trip keep the gas tank below half. Still have over 3 gal of fuel.Once used to it its a blast to ride. Small mods like carb, air filter & air box mod a/m mufflers increase the performance greatly.Braided brake lines firm up the brakes. I installed peg lowering kit & this made the bike more comfortable on a long ride.Soft foam grips smooth out the vibes in the handlebars. The purchase price of these bikes is so low you can add these modifications & still come out with a better performing bike than most for the money. Gotta love that 10500 red line

this came out the year after my high school graduation... i've always wanted one... i've had many bikes and currently have a 2000 Goldwing... i found my 95 ZG1K recently with ONLY 19,200 miles... pristine a pretty!!! and i am NOT disappointed... its a bit to handle under 10 mph... but a dream on the road at speed... the riding position is okay.. but there are a lot of aftermarket products to adjust the bar height and peg locations to suit your build.. and the fuel capacity and mileage beats my Goldwing... it is quick and comfortable... definitely a NINJA in sheeps clothing... best of both worlds!!!

if you find one... buy one!!! (granted i'm in Florida, USA...)

Picked up an old one today near Melbourne, Victoria and did a quick 500 kilometre trip home along some bumpy roads with a 50 kph side wind. It handled the poor conditions with ease and the large tank helped make it a easy one stop trip. Very smooth engine, good brakes and very comfortable no numb bum.

The main regret is that I did not find out about this little gem, years ago. I bought it in the Summer of 2010 to take me from North Wales down to Oradour sur Glane, in the Limousin region of mid/centrale France. Then on up to the Normandy beach area and finally to Devon, to visit my brother. Then home ; about 2.5K in a week or so.

Comfortable, effortless tourer, which is capable of fairly high daily mileages. Superb mirrors, which are very adjustable. Frugal on fuel, ie, low to mid 50's @ French motorway speeds. Handling stable enough, even in windy conditions. Good rain / weather protection from the medium height screen. I have 4 screens, but did not like using the tall one, mainly due to the curvature distortion as I had to look thru it. Suspension is good solo, but a little vague on the front end when 2 up and loaded. Steering / manoeuvering it about is fine on mine, as I have higher bars fitted. Does away with back ache nicely. Also have a plush, mega comfy custom seat fitted.

Last year I fitted Avon Storms again, front + rear, these tyres inspire confidence, particularly in the wet.

The clock is handy, tho it looks like it was thrown on as an after thought, or Kawasaki had a few thousand of them they needed to use up. Shame about that. Luggage very useful, + I,ve fitted a Givi topcase too. So we can carry quite a bit of kit if needed.

The Mediocre Bits. Well, I would prefer 17" wheels, which offer a better tyre choice nowadays, especially as the rear is a 16" one, front 18" ; tho I,ve never struggled to buy new rubber for it. Cannot say I,m over happy with the brakes, the rear is average . Upgrade to 4 pot calipers is something I would like to do in the near future, specificall up front , just need to find a donor bike - anyone know which other calipers will fit ? May opt to upgrade the forks also, even try some different oil or springs, not sure yet. Do not forget though, this bike is now classed as a " tourer " , so remember to treat it as one. and ENJOY..

The Nasty Bits. Getting it up onto the centre stand.... Ouch ! ! I,m 5'9", 11 stone, and struggle a little / a lot.

So thats my thoughts on this value for money bike. Well done Kawasaki, if I was not so happy with it , I,d even consider upgrading to a newer GTR model in the near future.

Regards, Dave..

up to 48K.

Good value.

I bought a GTR1000 about 7 years ago. it had anannoying slight misfire which i never got to the bottom of. anyway. That bike was stolen 4ft from my front door> Got it back but insurance company wrote it off. I had a Fazer 1000, and then a CBR1100XX. then i was without a bike, and just looking at what was cheep on E-Bay. I came across a GTR1000 buy it now £500 tax & test.Ii couldn't believe it. I picked the bike up and brought it home. I had to spend time and a little money ion it. insurance was only £91. That year 2011 my wife and i did Wales 4 days, and then another trip 10 days round Scotland. The bioke ran brilliantly nevere missed a beat, and kept up with my brother on his CBR1000 no problem. Ilove my GTR1000 and feel right at home as soon as i sit on it, un like the other two bikes. can't wait for this years riding.

ive had many bikes,this one is a lovey ride handels nice sticks to road like glue, the wife loves it too , the kawasaki zg1000 is value for money x.

I decided to upgrade my old GPZ750 to a touring bike. After extensive research i could not go past the GTR1000. Since purchacing the bike i am amazed at the quality of the build considering its age. The bike handles well around corners, although it is heavy with a full tank. The bike has done 82,000klms and this did concern me. I am very particular about the condition and paid particular notice to the overall look. Yes the bike does look dated but hey this bike is a proven 1980's era machine. Kawasaki did get this right. I have had the minor issues with the mirrors saging but this is easy fixed. The engine and gearbox is very quiet. The bike does vibrate slightly at around 4000k revs but this is acceptable. Overall why pay an extra $3000 for an ST1100 when you can buy this excellent machine.