If you’ve ever owned a Kawasaki ZXR400, the chances are that its memory still leaves a big grin on your face. Wickedly quick (for a 400) and with sharp handling, a well-ridden example will still keep up with much newer, more powerful machines, but it needs an experienced rider to get the very best out of this diminutive machine. Introduced way back in 1989, the 400 Ninja weighed around 160Kg and offered some 62bhp meaning a top speed not far shy of 140mph. Undoubtedly a riders machine, the ZXR 400 quickly found its way on to the racetrack where it proved a very capable performer in the 400cc class and became a popular choice for both novice and experienced club racers alike.
So popular was the little 400 that it should be fairly easy to find a ZXR400 for sale in the UK, but tread carefully. Most will have had a hard life, many will have been raced and plenty more will have suffered accident damage at some stage in their life. A clean original and low mileage bike with service history would be preferable, but will take some finding. These bikes were built to be ridden and many will have been-and hard! – Bear in mind that a cheap ZXR400 might be tempting, and the jewel of a 4 cylinder motor has a good reputation for reliability, but will be just as expensive to fix as any other Japanese four if it goes wrong. That said, there are always plenty of used ZXR400 parts for sale to help keep yours running.