ZX-9R Prospective Owner Questions

[phpbiker]

Hi Everyone,

I am a prospective UK Owner of a 2000 (ish) ZX-9R.

I got a couple of Questions, hope thats OK :-)

The 9R looks to have a fairly sporting riding position, has anyone successfully raised the bar height without fowling the cockpit fairing edges? Whats the best way of doing this?

Aside from this, what specific pointers can any of you guys give a prospective owner as far as looking out for stuff when buying one of these bikes??

Cheers :-)

[e1_ZX-9r]

Looks can be deceiving. Have you ridden an E or F 9r? The riding position is fairly UJM. The only time the bars will feel like they're too low is if your braking riding two-up. The bars are right where I like them for sporting and touring.

As for items to look for: wheelies can cause frame stress cracks. The other stuff would just be standard bike checkup stuff: mileage, valve adjustment & oil change intervals, compression checkup, engine smoking, smooth gear shifting and braking.

[phpbiker]

Thanks E1.

Where do I check for these stress cracks?

What is the service interval for valve clearances?

[countriboy84]

Hands down one of the best and most comfortable sportbikes i have ever ridden. On the bar height I have rode several long trips and never get uncomfortable on mine. I'm a big guy at 6'2 285 and it is still a very capable and comfy bike, good luck on the bike and enjoy like the rest of us do.

[e1_ZX-9r]

Originally Posted by phpbiker

Where do I check for these stress cracks?
What is the service interval for valve clearances?

Cracks: tri-mount mostly, but generally anywhere on the frame. The frame isn't that big, so give it a good look over. Same would be true for any motorcycle.
Valve clearance inspection: every ~8,000 miles

The m/c was engineered for sport riding and track use, not for stunting. If the bike looks like it's been used for stunting, move on. Otherwise, if it passes your used bike criteria as a viable purchase, go for it.

[phpbiker]

Stunting ... LOL...

So broken frames go along with broken bones and transmissions then :-)

[maut9r]

The ONLY problem on the 2000's are a tendency for the frame to crack on the top of the left spar in one of the bends. This only happened on early build models, not sure what serial numbers were ok but they revamped the frame with more gradual bend midway through the year and the problem went away. Otherwise the 2000 and later 9's are pretty much bulletproof unless it had been abused obviously.
As far as comfort goes, Heli-Bars here in the States has a aftermarket handlebar that raises and moves the bars rearward without getting into the fairing. There are also better seats, find one that fits you and you'll be able to do 500 mile days with no ill effects.