1993 Zephyr 1100

What do you guys think about this bike? I know it was sold for 1 year. I know I personally dig it's style/look.

What can you tell me about it? Handling? Why didn't sell well? Any other pointers? What are they going for used? Any value?

I have always really liked that model, but like most other folks, I have admired it from afar. To the best of my knowledge, it is the quintessential UJM. It does many things pretty well, but is not best at anything. So far as I know, the only real shortcoming is in the suspension, and that is common to most Japanese motorcycles, save the most expensive ones. Obviously, the tank and bodywork are unique and will be difficult to replace. Also, I believe the engine is a bit of a unicorn, so some parts may be hard to source. If you shop carefully, you should be able to find a low mileage, well cared for example for relatively little money.
Why didn’t they sell well? Kawasaki would love to know. It seems that the U.S. market is a really fickle place to do business. Riders bitch and moan that there are no standard bikes to buy, so the manufacturers come out with some really nice ones, and people do not buy them in droves. A few, like the ZRX have developed a cult-like following, but most languished for years on the showroom floors, and have been collecting dust in sheds and garages.

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If you shop carefully, you should be able to find a low mileage, well cared for example for relatively little money.

How little is little? I am not going to buy it, but here is one on local FB. Looks very good. But asking price is? Good or not?

www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1950415521786642

Also, as far as suspension goes.. Is it construction "defect"? Or it's basically something that needs to be upgraded? Like forks/shocks?

 

I have not shopped for one in quite a while, so I am not sure where prices are now. That one looks really nice, I kinda like the black, Z1replica exhaust. Price seems a little high to me, but may not be.

Fork and shock upgrades will make a huge improvement.

I have a ‘90 Zephyr 550. It’s a great bike and the whole Zephyr series share many attributes, which I would say represent what happens when Kawasaki doesn’t “cheap out” on components. Dual disc floating rotors, aluminum box section swingarm with eccentric chain tensioners, tapered roller steering head bearings, and 4 into 1 exhaust all stock. 

From what I’ve gathered, they didn’t have much success because the timing just wasn’t right. They were air-cooled standards tuned for mid-range power at the time that some of the classic liquid-cooled super bikes were coming out. 

The Zephyrs were supposed to be "Retros" in the 90's.      The 750/550 had the real KZ750/650/550 air cooled engines with upgraded ignition.   But the 1100 had the 90's liquid cooled ZX1100 engine back-engineered into air cooling with only 8 valves.    The original Z900/Kz1000/1100 air cooled were not considered modern enough for the '90s.

The reason the Zephyrs did not sell was simply because they were in the same showrooms, as the more 'high performance' liquid cooled models, selling for about same price. ...too high for 'retro' bikes.   Most people simply went for the higher performance bikes.

The 1100 was a big heavy brute.   It had a complicated ignition system with 4 coils, 8 spark plugs (2 per cyl), and eight wires, but did not show any outstanding performance to justify the system.  .  By then the Suzuki Bandit 1200 was lighter, had a true oil and air cooled engine, 16 valve head, and performed rather better.   This is not to say it would not be a interesting old bike, as long as you don't care for the weight and ignition system.

That bike looks like a nice sample.  Way too expensive in my opinion.  I'd put the stock exhaust and airbox back on post haste if that thing was mine.

>>What do you guys think about this bike? Why didn't sell well? Any other pointers? 

I always thought they were really cool, and would love to own one.  I remember going to a dealer with my dad when they were new.  I spent a bunch of time looking at the floor model.  I don't remember any other bike from that day, so it must have made an impression.

As for why they didn't sell, I guess my dad is a good example, as he was pretty much the target market.  He was the right age and he bought a Z1 in 1975.  But he had no interest in the Zephyr at all.  He wanted a ZX11, because it was the fastest production bike.  And 20 years later he still wanted a ZX11.  I guess he figured, why compromise?

I think it's hard to know if anything that is "different" from the market leaders is going to sell, and sometimes you get lucky and sometimes you don't.  In this case I think it was a good formula but it just didn't stand out from the crowd.  This engine was pretty unique, with the 8-plug air-cooled conversion of the ZX9/10/11 engine.  A somewhat similar later model was the 95-96 GPz1100, which was a simplified ZX11, and then the ZRX starting in the US in 1999 which was pretty much another attempt at the Zephyr formula using the GPz1100 as a base.  The ZRX actually was quite successful, and they sold it in Japan from 1997 until 2016 (99-05 in the US).  I guess if you keep trying eventually you get it right?  The current instance is the Z900RS, which is on the fourth model year?  I'm surprised it's lasted as long as it has.

As for value, even though they are rare, they were also never popular.  Rare doesn't mean valuable if no one wants it.  The ZRX1100 and 1200 are so much easier to find, and are essentially the same formula as the Zepher.  The ZRX is more similar to other Kawasaki models, and is newer, and both help with parts availability.  I wouldn't pay more for a Zephyr than I could get a ZRX for, unless you were seriously committed to this specific model.  It looks like you can get a pretty nice ZRX for $3500 to $5500.  That facebook page shows a ZRX1100 listed for $3500.

There was a Zephyr listed as NOS on EB a couple of years ago, I think 2019.  Last two pics.  I forget what the asking price was or if it sold.  The other two were on EB as well.