z550
12-03-2004, 12:07 AM
Reasons to buy one?
Quite a lot of bike for little money. Also, supposedly have a bullet proof engine, though this is only what I have heard.
Best role?
As a motorway cruiser she (the z550) would fail, but as a town-to-town blap she is good fun, and thats where she sits most comfortably.
The all important question, performance?
Only had her up to about 75-80 so far, but she still had plenty of go in her. Admittedly, she would probably struggle against modern mid-weight racers, but that is not what the z is about, the z is basically an old racer hiding as a classic, to some they are cult bikes. She cruises at 60 at about 4000RPM, and red-lines at 9grand (but boy does she go beyond the redline :D ). I would estimate a top speed of 105-115, maybe a bit more on a good day, with a rider on it with extremely big balls (she gets a bit wobbly at 70 plus so I don't think mine are big enough :cry: )...!!
Engine?
553cc, DOHC, 4-cylinder, air-cooled, which is less important to me than the fact that it is the same engine as in the old GPZ550, of the same era, albeit with a lesser tuned engine than the GPZ.
Pointless facts:)?
The z series was used in the 'Mad Max' films, and....Wait for it... the classic cop series 'Chips'. Now how cool is that? (ok so they were z1's I think, but don't burst my bubble :evil: )
Final comments?
My overriding comment on this bike is that it is basically a raced engine in a frame that can't really cope with it, in other words it's a bit of a beast. That doesn't bother me much though as it is a very fun bike, and as it has standard suspension on it, I wouldn't expect to much (it is 23 years old after all). Plus the fact I like being scared:) Also, when you wind her up she really can grow, and she just keeps growling and roaring at ya, but she ain't all bark and no bite, far from it, this dog bites quite hard as well. Nice.
Jeremy Clarkson....Move over.....
Quite a lot of bike for little money. Also, supposedly have a bullet proof engine, though this is only what I have heard.
Best role?
As a motorway cruiser she (the z550) would fail, but as a town-to-town blap she is good fun, and thats where she sits most comfortably.
The all important question, performance?
Only had her up to about 75-80 so far, but she still had plenty of go in her. Admittedly, she would probably struggle against modern mid-weight racers, but that is not what the z is about, the z is basically an old racer hiding as a classic, to some they are cult bikes. She cruises at 60 at about 4000RPM, and red-lines at 9grand (but boy does she go beyond the redline :D ). I would estimate a top speed of 105-115, maybe a bit more on a good day, with a rider on it with extremely big balls (she gets a bit wobbly at 70 plus so I don't think mine are big enough :cry: )...!!
Engine?
553cc, DOHC, 4-cylinder, air-cooled, which is less important to me than the fact that it is the same engine as in the old GPZ550, of the same era, albeit with a lesser tuned engine than the GPZ.
Pointless facts:)?
The z series was used in the 'Mad Max' films, and....Wait for it... the classic cop series 'Chips'. Now how cool is that? (ok so they were z1's I think, but don't burst my bubble :evil: )
Final comments?
My overriding comment on this bike is that it is basically a raced engine in a frame that can't really cope with it, in other words it's a bit of a beast. That doesn't bother me much though as it is a very fun bike, and as it has standard suspension on it, I wouldn't expect to much (it is 23 years old after all). Plus the fact I like being scared:) Also, when you wind her up she really can grow, and she just keeps growling and roaring at ya, but she ain't all bark and no bite, far from it, this dog bites quite hard as well. Nice.
Jeremy Clarkson....Move over.....