2004 Kawasaki ZX-12R - Used or New - Street Dealin'

SSB rates and evaluates one used sportbike each month to help ease the pain and confusion of buying.

Though the Suzuki Hayabusa has reigned supreme at the top of the hyperbike heap for years, the ZX-12's secondary status certainly isn't due to a lack of performance. This is, after all, a seven-year-old streetbike pushing a true 162 horsepower at the rear wheel with 90 foot-pounds of torque; it's taken the motorcycle industry six years to create that much power from literbikes, which proves the ZX-12 can still run with the big dawgs.

When first tested, the ZX-12 threw down a solid 186 mph and sprinted through the quarter-mile in the very low 10s. These are jaw-dropping, license-losing numbers, but since most magazine testers and showroom customers judged the Kawi against the Hayabusa (which squeaked out slightly better numbers), sales of the ZX-12 never reached their potential.

Today, with the ZX-12 a couple of years out of production, the bike is starting to develop the sort of cult following it deserved. This means clean, well-maintained, used models are holding steady on price, requiring patience and perseverance when buying used.

And when you do locate a pristine version of this mean-sometimes green-machine, what do you get for the money? Well, at 533 pounds topped off with unleaded, the ZX-12 is a sizeable beast for a performance bike, weighing a good 100 pounds more than, say, a Kawasaki ZX-10. But that extra heft means glued-to-the-ground stability at the warp speeds this bike was created to travel at.

Pick a passing lane, whip the throttle up anywhere past seven grand on the tach and watch as the scenery shifts into reverse. Almost surreally quiet and plush to ride, this is the sort of performance bike that feels as if it's almost flying a few feet above the asphalt.

Part of that high-speed tranquility is due to the designers at Kawasaki imbuing it with gracefully angled bodywork that helps the big machine literally slice through the air. A unique frame that runs above the engine and holds the airbox makes the ZX-12 narrow-waisted for a 1200cc in-line four, which means that with a little muscle it will dance around other bikes in its class (hear that, Mr. 'Busa?) on a twisty back road or racetrack. But be forewarned-a bike capable of reaching 60 mph in 2.7 seconds is not for the inexperienced or those whose licenses are hanging by a thread.

Overall finish is said to be excellent, says Steve Stiller, owner of Stiller Motorsports, a Pennsylvania-based Kawasaki shop. The numbers the ZX posts out on the freeway can mean big, everyday maintenance costs when it comes to consumables like tires, chains, sprockets and brake pads. Clutches have been known to burn out from repeated dragstrip launches and cost around $200 to replace.

The bike is fitted with an odd-sized 200mm stock rear tire that's expensive and hard to find (but you can always poke a 190 on and it'll handle better anyways). Keep in mind that a bike with this kind of power can lose tread in as little as 2500 miles.

Since its release in 2000, three factory recalls have been issued, including faulty tire-valve stem nuts, a fuel-gauge sender inside the tank and one for a combination oil leak/generator wire repair. Make sure all of these have been performed on your selected used machine, which can be checked easily by phoning a Kawasaki dealer with the bike's vehicle identification number.

Stiller swears by the engine reliability of the ZX-12, though the fuel injection, which can be snatchier than a team of trained pickpockets, is best cured with the installation of a Power Commander.

After it became well known that Kawasaki intentionally neutered the ZX-12 of its true, 199-mph potential, owners the world over have made it their life's mission to unearth those extra ponies. De-restricting a ZX-12 is a tricky, complex job that involves re-wiring the ECU and recalibrating the speedometer, though true madmen will simply add nitrous injection or a turbocharger for a quick route beyond 200 mph. The 12's biggest problem seems to be fuel consumption-expect only 80-90 miles from a full tank of gas when you're playing Nicky Hayden on this beast. Still, despite its operating costs and historical deference to the Hayabusa, the ZX-12 demands and gets respect-even from traffic cops (which you'll meet plenty of when owning one).