2001 ZX7R questions/advice

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Since I know there are many gurus on this website... I went and looked at a 2001 ZX7R last night. He's asking 2200 OBO for it, and it has about 14.5k miles on it. Naturally when I got there I expected it to have no fairings and look like garbage....but it wasn't all that bad. The right side fairing is a little cracked up from an obvious spill, but it didn't look all that bad. The chain was looser than hell, I mean way way way loose.

As far as some stuff I noticed that was wrong.... The headlights don't seem to be in solid, they bounce up and down over bumps, the rear brake light is not solid in there. The right foot peg seems to move just hair. Minor amount of fork oil on the fork. Side fairing cracked, but he has a FULL set of primer, not painted fairings....as in every single piece that are included with the bike. Gauge cluster seems to work but does not have any backlighting. The front tire is shot with cupping on the right side of it only and it really seemed like the center of the tire was kinda pooching...but it was dark and these are observations made mostly by feel.:whistle: Edit: Forgot to add it also does have a yoshi pipe on it...but didn't look like a full system.

I elected not to test ride it although I did start it and sit on it for the simple fact that since I haven't really ridden a bike I didn't want to be responsible for dumping it, it was also dark outside. I did have a good friend take it on a test ride just so see what he thinks. He said it accelerated smoothly although he couldn't really get on it had because of the chain being so loose. It wasn't a cold start, but it was only slightly warm but it did start and idle smoothly also.

My thoughts on this thing are that if I were to get it, I know that I would have to put at least a little money into it. He also said that it could use a tune up, so from what I can tell I would need spark plugs, possible wires, a new air filter, an oil change, possible carb rebuild or at least clean just to be safe, and probably some fork seals. My father is a mechanic and has had many motorcycles so fixing this stuff isn't really a problem. I can do most of it myself and what I can't do, he would be able to....minus the tire.


Some of you may recall that I do not have a bike and never had. I am holding off on buying my dream bike until we buy a house and get that 8k credit back....but I want to get myself on two wheels so I am kinda shopping on a budget right now. I am just wondering what you guys think of this bike overall. I would rather not buy a 2k dollar bike if I am going to have to dump money into it all the time or work on it alot. I know it's a long read but I appreciate anyone who took the time!:thumbsup:

Thanks, Robert
 
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Maybe if you can get by with putting a chain and sprockets and a couple of things on it, just where you can ride it, dont worry about putting a lot into it or really fixing it up, just do what ever it needs to make it mechanicly sound and safe and ride it, that way you will at least be getting some seat time and riding, and having fun, save the rest of the money until you get the busa, just make sure its safe and sound and RIDE dont worry about the looks right now.:thumbsup:
 
Sounds like it's a bit rough. Check the frame for cracks, welds, or bends, and check (Look and listen) the motor as best you can for obvious signs of damage. Bodywork is easy to fix, and pretty cheap to buy. Head and tail lights probably have mounting tabs missing. If it were me I would shoot him a lowball offer, $12,1300 and see what happens. I understand your wanting to get on 2 wheels, but don't waste money. Remember there are bikes for sale cheap everywhere, even more so now that the economy has tanked.
Post some pics if you can.....
 
Check out craigs list and cycle trader for your area. I have seen bikes in really goo shape on there in the 2-3000 dollar range. Shope around and don't jump on the first thing you see. Better to put a little extra $$$ with it and get on you don't have to work on, than to spend less to have it taking up space in the shop.
 
Check out craigs list and cycle trader for your area. I have seen bikes in really goo shape on there in the 2-3000 dollar range. Shope around and don't jump on the first thing you see. Better to put a little extra $$$ with it and get on you don't have to work on, than to spend less to have it taking up space in the shop.

+1

I was looking for one a while ago and i found them in pretty good shape in that range.
 
My advice is similar to what others have already said...don't settle on something that is in rough shape as there are lots of bikes available and lots of desperate people selling them. Bike repairs are not cheap even if you are doing the minimum with used parts off ebay.

One other note....you say you have never ridden a bike before and yet you are buying a 750 sportbike as your starter bike? Not recommended IMHO. You will be amazed at how fast you can get yourself in trouble on a sportbike and the larger ones don't tend to be very forgiving. As a newbie you are going to make plenty of mistakes and you will hopefully learn from them but it is a process that you have to live through. One of those processes is judging how long it takes to slow from high speeds. You will find yourself going much faster than you thought possible in a short period with either an obstacle or a curve coming up on you with alarming speed and it is experience that will allow you to deal with this hurdle. Learning on bikes that don't have massive power lessens the changes of getting in situations that are over your head. Maybe look at an early model SV650 or something similar.:2cents:
 
Agree^^^^ I was going to suggest a nice 600 Katana or something. Somewhat styling of a sportbike, but not the full blown power of one.
 
My advice is similar to what others have already said...don't settle on something that is in rough shape as there are lots of bikes available and lots of desperate people selling them. Bike repairs are not cheap even if you are doing the minimum with used parts off ebay.

One other note....you say you have never ridden a bike before and yet you are buying a 750 sportbike as your starter bike? Not recommended IMHO. You will be amazed at how fast you can get yourself in trouble on a sportbike and the larger ones don't tend to be very forgiving. As a newbie you are going to make plenty of mistakes and you will hopefully learn from them but it is a process that you have to live through. One of those processes is judging how long it takes to slow from high speeds. You will find yourself going much faster than you thought possible in a short period with either an obstacle or a curve coming up on you with alarming speed and it is experience that will allow you to deal with this hurdle. Learning on bikes that don't have massive power lessens the changes of getting in situations that are over your head. Maybe look at an early model SV650 or something similar.:2cents:

Valid points, however an ZX-7 doesn't make very much power, less than today's 600's, and it weighs a TON!. I would suggest it as a good starter bike for somebody without reservation. If that bike gets you into trouble, you're gonna get into trouble on anythin. They are stable, predictable and cheap.
 
Valid points, however an ZX-7 doesn't make very much power, less than today's 600's, and it weighs a TON!. I would suggest it as a good starter bike for somebody without reservation. If that bike gets you into trouble, you're gonna get into trouble on anythin. They are stable, predictable and cheap.


I think when we talk about bikes not making very much power we have to remember that this is being presented on a Hayabusa forum. My other bike, a 96 GSXR 750 makes 130 hp and weighs in at 395 lbs. That is a lot of hp and it is way beyond what is reasonable for a beginner. I don't know the exact hp numbers or weight figures for this version of ZX7R but I can guess they are in the same neighbourhood. The whole idea here is to have a rider learn how to ride a bike without hurting or scaring himself to the point where they don't want to ride anymore. There is plenty of time to upgrade to a bigger, faster bike....this isn't a race. Some people just aren't suited to riding motorcycles and hurting them is not the best way to weed those people out. It takes coordination of your 2 feet, 2 hands, your eyes and your brain to ride a bike well. A lot of people don't have that ability. I can usually tell just by watching how people drive a car as to whether or not they would be capable motorcyclists and I don't promote the issue to folks (whether friends or relatives) who I don't think would be good, safe riders.
 
I went and looked at it again tonight in the day light. If you didn't look close you can't really tell it's ever been down. It's not in the best shape, but I have been watching in this area for about 6 months now and haven't seen a bike under 3500. I was just thinking that this bike I could probably put about 3-400 into it and have a very reliable bike to learn and ride on. I have grown up around all forms of motorsports from race cars to dirt bikes to snowmachines...so I have developed a good sense of being able to limit myself to what is comfortable. I think this bike is closer to 470 pounds and has roughly 120 rwhp. I am also at an altitude of around 4500 feet so that will limit the power even more. I think I am going to hit him with an offer of 1500-1750 depending on what we determine the parts are going to cost. At minimum I am looking at brakes, fork seals, and a front tire...probably a chain too. So I could still have around 2k into it and have a good bike from what I have seen. The motor sounds very solid, no ticking or rattling, no hesitation at all. The cluth needs adjustment but it's engagement is as it should be. I truly think that if it all falls in line that I am going to offer him tomorrow and see what happens. I'll let you know what happens.

As far as pics....if I took a pic, with the exception of the front tire and the mirror missing from the ball end, you wouldn't suspect anything was wrong at all. I also feel that looking at it from a financial standpoint that I am not going to lose any money if I buy it and could most likely sell it for what or more than I had/put into it. Another thing that I found is that it really really fits me well. The seat height is perfect as is the reach to the bars. Thanks everyone for the input and wish me luck! :cheerleader:
 
I think when we talk about bikes not making very much power we have to remember that this is being presented on a Hayabusa forum. My other bike, a 96 GSXR 750 makes 130 hp and weighs in at 395 lbs. That is a lot of hp and it is way beyond what is reasonable for a beginner. I don't know the exact hp numbers or weight figures for this version of ZX7R but I can guess they are in the same neighbourhood. The whole idea here is to have a rider learn how to ride a bike without hurting or scaring himself to the point where they don't want to ride anymore. There is plenty of time to upgrade to a bigger, faster bike....this isn't a race. Some people just aren't suited to riding motorcycles and hurting them is not the best way to weed those people out. It takes coordination of your 2 feet, 2 hands, your eyes and your brain to ride a bike well. A lot of people don't have that ability. I can usually tell just by watching how people drive a car as to whether or not they would be capable motorcyclists and I don't promote the issue to folks (whether friends or relatives) who I don't think would be good, safe riders.

I don't know how long you've been riding bro, but saying you can tell who would be a good rider based on how they drive a car seems ridiculous to me. Anybody that can walk and carry something has hand/feet/eye/brain coordination, so that doesn't really narrow it down, now does it? Of course the idea isn't to hurt somebody so that they don't ride, evidently you missed my point. Let me reiterate: A zx-7 is enough bike to have fun on, but not too much to learn on. With 126 (crank) hp and 450lb (dry) weight, it's slow and heavy. Your gixxer figures are crank hp and dry weight also, and a 96 SRAD is not what I would consider fast either. Point is, a responsible adult can handle a zx7 just fine learning to ride. I learned on a RM 250, 35 hp, 200 (ish) lbs and that ***** scared the pi$$ outta me until I learned to respect it.
Anyway, enough of the threadjack, I'm out.
 
Dont buy it. Find something well cared for in excellent condition. For that price range you should find something else.
 
I don't know how long you've been riding bro, but saying you can tell who would be a good rider based on how they drive a car seems ridiculous to me. Anybody that can walk and carry something has hand/feet/eye/brain coordination, so that doesn't really narrow it down, now does it? Of course the idea isn't to hurt somebody so that they don't ride, evidently you missed my point. Let me reiterate: A zx-7 is enough bike to have fun on, but not too much to learn on. With 126 (crank) hp and 450lb (dry) weight, it's slow and heavy. Your gixxer figures are crank hp and dry weight also, and a 96 SRAD is not what I would consider fast either. Point is, a responsible adult can handle a zx7 just fine learning to ride. I learned on a RM 250, 35 hp, 200 (ish) lbs and that ***** scared the pi$$ outta me until I learned to respect it.
Anyway, enough of the threadjack, I'm out.

Well, I starting riding when I was around 12 so that would be 34 years of riding. If you don't think a GSXR750 is fast then you must be runnin with Valentino Rossi.:bowdown: Personally, if a 16 year old with no experience showed up to buy my Gixxer, which is for sale, I would have serious misgivings about selling it to him. If you got scared learning on an RM250, not in traffic, haven't you just proven my point for me????
 
I have to agree with both of you. A 750 is a pretty quick bike for what it is. Even though he having the experience of the different motorsports, riding a dirt bike on trails is a whole different animal than being out on the street with people that don't care about how well you can ride. My suggestion to him would be to take a basic riders course first. One might say they have good control, but if something happens out of the blue with no experience, your gonna get hurt. I was pulling out of a bike shop once, had to cut across a 4 lane to hed back the other way. Traffic was heavy, so there was no time for putting across. Tires cooled off a little while parked, hit the painted line, broke traction and drifted across the 4 lanes. If I was inexperienced, I probably would have paniced and end up laying her down. A friend of mine, came out of a parking lot, hit a dip, and got thrown forward a bit. This causing him to roll hard on the throttle, pulling the front wheel off the ground. Not knowing what to do, he had grabbed the front brake iinstead of the clutch and hen she come back down, he found himself thrown over the front and in the median with a torn up big. He was inexperienced with riding on the street with a bike with more power than he thought. Basically what I am saying is, start small and work your way up. Most of us have been that route.
 
Well, I starting riding when I was around 12 so that would be 34 years of riding. If you don't think a GSXR750 is fast then you must be runnin with Valentino Rossi.:bowdown: Personally, if a 16 year old with no experience showed up to buy my Gixxer, which is for sale, I would have serious misgivings about selling it to him. If you got scared learning on an RM250, not in traffic, haven't you just proven my point for me????
RM scared me for about an hour, then I learned to respect it. I rode it in traffic, I grew up in Los Angeles. That was back in the mid 80's when the cops had better things to worry about than teenagers on dirtbikes on the street! I can't run with Rossi, but a 10 year old 750 is slow. I've had a Gpz 750, Ninja 600, 1st gen ZX10, Oilcooled Gixxer 11, and compared to a current 600, everyone of them was slow, except the gixxer and that's only cuz it was supercharged........
I understand your point, just don't agree with it.:beerchug:
 
RM scared me for about an hour, then I learned to respect it. I rode it in traffic, I grew up in Los Angeles. That was back in the mid 80's when the cops had better things to worry about than teenagers on dirtbikes on the street! I can't run with Rossi, but a 10 year old 750 is slow. I've had a Gpz 750, Ninja 600, 1st gen ZX10, Oilcooled Gixxer 11, and compared to a current 600, everyone of them was slow, except the gixxer and that's only cuz it was supercharged........
I understand your point, just don't agree with it.:beerchug:


Okay, not to beat a dead horse here but:deadhorse:look at all the experience you have had riding different bikes over what, 20 years? Your definition of fast is based on comparing it to other sportbikes both modern and not so modern. When you go back and read the reviews of these same bikes when they were introduced what did the journalists say? The 96 GSXR750 turned a 1/4 mile in 10.4 seconds and was recommended only to riders with lots of experience as it didn't suffer fools gladly. It may not be able to lap with a 2009 GSXR750, even though the 1/4 mile time might be almost identical, but to a newbie rider it doesn't make any difference what it compares to, it only matters whether their skill set can handle what this bike can deliver. And just because someone can lay down the money for a Busa as their first bike doesn't mean it's a good idea. Most of us that are drawn to sportbikes and have had lots of them usually do so for a reason....we like the power and the speed and the acceleration...all the things that get new and inexperienced riders into trouble. I wouldn't teach my 16 year old son how to drive in a Ferrari 430 or Porsche Turbo for the same reason....and the consequences of mistakes with those vehicles are much less severe than with a sportbike. I think we will have to agree to disagree on this one.
 
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