Hi all, I'm on the lookout for a GTR. Long wanted one but since parting with my ZZR1400 I went back to an FJR1300. Great bike but still want a GTR and Kawasaki has always been my weapon of choice.
I went to look at a GTR today at an indy bike dealer. 2010 bike with 20K miles. Stacks of service history and overall in very nice condition with the bits and pieces on it that I want such as bar risers. Trouble is I could not test ride it as it had no MOT. The battery was also flat but they boosted it and the bike started with no issues and the engine sounded fine. The bike was surrounded by 40 or so other bikes so space was tight.
Now I'm not a pro mechanic but I do plenty of my own maintenance so I've an idea what I'm looking at. The front discs on this bike were pretty badly lipped but I don't know if they were down past the 4.5mm service limit. I noticed that 6k miles ago there was an advisory on the 2014 MOT regarding wear on the front discs and some noise from the wheel bearing. I couldn't find any evidence in the service history that these items had been taken care of either.
I did discuss this with the dealer who said he would not replace the discs. I didn't actually ask if he would.
I think I'll be walking away from this one.
Quote from: Kendo on August 14, 2018, 08:34:22 PM
Hi all, I'm on the lookout for a GTR. Long wanted one but since parting with my ZZR1400 I went back to an FJR1300. Great bike but still want a GTR and Kawasaki has always been my weapon of choice.
I went to look at a GTR today at an indy bike dealer. 2010 bike with 20K miles. Stacks of service history and overall in very nice condition with the bits and pieces on it that I want such as bar risers. Trouble is I could not test ride it as it had no MOT. The battery was also flat but they boosted it and the bike started with no issues and the engine sounded fine. The bike was surrounded by 40 or so other bikes so space was tight.
Now I'm not a pro mechanic but I do plenty of my own maintenance so I've an idea what I'm looking at. The front discs on this bike were pretty badly lipped but I don't know if they were down past the 4.5mm service limit. I noticed that 6k miles ago there was an advisory on the 2014 MOT regarding wear on the front discs and some noise from the wheel bearing. I couldn't find any evidence in the service history that these items had been taken care of either.
I did discuss this with the dealer who said he would not replace the discs. I didn't actually ask if he would.
I think I'll be walking away from this one.
Good decision, unless the bike is cheap enough for you to purchase and install new discs and pads
Which dealership, and is it on their website so that we can view the item ?
Original Kawasaki disks are pricy, Asif who runs this forum has in the past used the Chinese copies from the bay of fleas with good results, see the forum lower down for others. The disks and bearings are easy enough to change once you have the wheel off so it's a DIY job.
Rear diff oil is easy, in fact getting the diff off to lube the shaft is easy enough as well, did mine twice and took less then two hours the second time with coffee and biscuits.
After further discussion with the dealer today they have agreed to install new discs and if need be front wheel bearings. A new battery will also be installed. Apart from that the bike should need for nothing so providing there are no further issues arising from the PDI and/or MOT that will delay the bike being ready the plan is to collect it next Wednesday. We've agreed that this is subject to me test riding it to ensure I'm happy that there are no issues. All being well I am taking the bike on tour to Italy departing end of next week.
Here are some pictures of the bike.
nice bike and lovely colour.
Maybe ask the dealer to change the pads as well.
Is that a Top Sellerie seat I see on the bike ?
That is a nice looking bike and with stacks of history you can't really go wrong. let us all know how you get on ! :yes:
No dealer should be replacing discs without also replacing pads !!!!!!!
Coman
Sure, pads are a given.
:185: :185:
Be aware that there is a major service at 25k miles.
Needs shims checking/changing, spark plugs (Iridium), and all fluids/filters.
Costs around £800 total unless yer adept at doing it yerself.
I bought the GTR 22nd August and rode it to Italy, via a few days in Switzerland, on the 24th August. 2,500 miles later I arrived home yesterday. All in all I love the bike. It's comfortable (Top Sel seat), smooth and it handles well. It stops well and ABS I can live with but but I've never liked linked front and rear brakes on a bike. I also don't like the harsh on/off nature of the throttle off the stop which causes some drive train lash so I'll certainly be doing some research into improving the fueling.
I was impressed with how the bike got me up and over the Grimsel pass on the way to Ulrichen because it was pissing down and we were riding through cloud from early on in the climb. OK I still had to pilot the bike and I'd never been over the Grimsel before but it went where I pointed it and it didn't complain. I went back over the Grimsel the next day in beautiful sunshine and didn't recognise any of it but the drops did not escape my attention. Several hundred hairpins later over various passes in the Swiss and Italian Alps and the bike has done well and my shoulders and arms have had a good workout.
I had to return to the UK a day earlier than planned which meant a 520 mile run from Lenzberg to Calais along the fastest route according to my sat nav. In order to make the 5:20 pm train I was determined that I would only stop when low on fuel, ie, down to reserve with low fuel flashing at me. Then I could take a drink, food and go to the loo. I was pleased I could sit on the bike for 200+ miles although to be fair I'd already done close to 1900 miles the previous week so was already feeling a tad sore. Anyway two stops for fuel were required and fuel low was flashing at me again when I rolled into check in. I still had 100 miles to do to get home from Folkestone but all in the journey took 11 hours door to do. The bike is an express train.
I like the turbine mechanical sound of the engine but an after market silencer is on the shopping list as the OEM can is too quiet.
I can't add pics as attachments. They are both under 4meg a piece.
Sounds like you've bonded with the bike, that's a great outcome. What's the issue with the photos?
Quote from: Lonewolf on September 05, 2018, 10:05:09 PM
Sounds like you've bonded with the bike, that's a great outcome. What's the issue with the photos?
Your attachment couldn't be saved. This might happen because it took too long to upload or the file is bigger than the server will allow.
Please consult your server administrator for more information.
Try a photo hosting service such as Smugmug. Trust me it's nothing like Photobucket! 🙄
Grimsel pass
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1854/42727348210_b3b4778b05_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/286EQ2q)
Lake Como
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1843/29598729917_8411c6f7aa_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/286EQ2q) (https://flic.kr/p/M6xecB)
Nice photos, I see you went with flickr who I understand are now owned by Smugmug. :clap:
Quote from: Lonewolf on September 07, 2018, 11:27:37 PM
Nice photos, I see you went with flickr who I understand are now owned by Smugmug. :clap:
I tried google first as I already have account there but no joy with linking photos. I then remembered I had a yahoo account for flikr and tried that. Even then it only worked when using the BB code.
Good to hear you had an enjoyable trip - I think you have the perfect bike for it.
Sounds like you hd a good trip ... photos are always popular on here ! :clap: