Kawasaki ZRX1200R Review - Best retro motorcycle ever?

In this ride and review video, I am revisiting an old friend - Kawasaki's ZRX1200R. To my eye, the ZRX is the best looking retro bike ever made! It's an early eighties super bike on steroids - a 1980 GPZ with the heart of a Ninja! When it was introduced, the ZRX was in a class by itself as the only retro-styled performance standard. Sure, there was the Suzuki Bandit and then Yamaha's FZ-1, but though these were performance standards, they were not retro bikes. My two favorite ZRX color schemes were the Eddie Lawson Replica Green/Blue/Silver and the GPZ inspired Red/Blue/Silver.

With a tuned-for-torque motor based on that of the mighty ZX-11, the ZRX was no slouch. Top notch, fully-adjustable suspension was on the firm side but up to the task of keeping the ZRX's chassis well controlled in most riding situations. Massive six-piston front brake calipers clamping down on huge rotors meant that the ZRX stopped hard. Hard enough in fact that you could feel the weight of your face in your helmet under aggressive braking! The controls were set up "tight" - a twitch of the wrist produced instant acceleration and the brakes required judicious use of the front lever. Aggressive riding required concentration and smoothness on the controls. Ham-fisted riders beware!

Steering input was light and the ZRX loved tight, twisty, smooth back roads. The upright seating position had a bit of forward lean but the ZRX was truly comfortable just cruising through the countryside, doing light-duty touring, or carving it up in the corners. Minimal wind protection meant that highway work could get tiresome without an aftermarket windshield. The 5-speed transmission also left riders wishing for a sixth gear at higher speeds.

I have lots of great memories riding ZRX 's over the years. But, is it as good as I remember? How does it stack up against more modern bikes? Has the ZRX become a flabby slouch over the years? Let's go for a ride and find out together!