Description
Kawasaki ZR550 Zephyr B3.
1993 'K' reg. 7 previous owners. MoT till March 2027. 19, 750 miles (mileage may increase). MoT history and some paperwork including handbooks and spare key. Kawasaki ZR550 Zephyr B3. 1993 'K' reg.
Purchased in Jan 2023. It had been stood for approx a year and during 2023/ 2024 I cleaned the carbs, changed the oil and filter, fitted new air filter, new spark plugs and a new battery. Fitted new Bridgestone BT46 tyres plus new throttle and choke cables plus a new genuine fuel tap. I had the front brake calipers refurbed internally by the brake refurb specialists Powerhouse Automotive, plus fitted new brake pads front and rear plus fresh fluid. I got an MoT and it was back on the road in March 2025. I've put an enjoyable 1400 miles on it in the last year.
Overall good condition for age. It's no show pony, but it's no dog either, just a very usable modern classic that has an honest level of patina for a 33 year old bike. It has a few bits of corrosion, couple of scuffs, that sort of thing, and would benefit from more polish and time than I can devote to it currently, but it doesn't need anything and could be used as is, which is what I have been doing. The clutch does stick when left for a couple of weeks, but frees off easily with a little rock in gear and works fine afterwards. It doesn’t stick at all when used regularly and I’ve learned to lived with it over those 1400 miles. It's one of those quirks of a 33 year old bike, but I want to be honest and transparent.
I've enjoyed putting it back on the road and the miles I've done, but I've just got another bike and I don't think I'll use the Zephyr enough to justify keeping it. As it stands it could simply be used and enjoyed, or treated as a usable rolling project and taken and polished to a higher level. I'm not desperate to sell it, and would be quite happy to keep it and use it when the mood takes, but I don't want it just sitting there either. I also appreciate I'm never going to recoup what I've spent on it, but I'm not going to give it away either. I would consider sensible offers though.
UPDATE: Just thought I'd go for a Sunday potter. It hasn't ran for 4 weeks, and as I started it and warmed it up I noticed petrol coming out of the bottom of the carbs. Obviously something has got stuck. It's summer, and personally with the time I have available to me, I'd rather be out riding than fiddling with carbs. So, I'm making the decision to reduce my price from £1850 to £1500 to reflect it needs tinkering with and that it will need collecting, and won't be able to be ridden away. If we get a load of rain and I end up having more garage time than riding time I'll get it sorted and re-list it back at the original price. Kind of proves my point that I'm not using it enough though!
UPDATE NUMBER 2: All fixed! I feared it was stuck float bowls and all that gubbins, turned out it was a couple of fine splits in a fuel hose between the tap and fuel filter. I've now replaced the fuel hose and all leaks seem to have gone. Looking forward to giving it a run at some point over the weekend. I've changed the price once more to reflect that it's back to how it was when I first listed it. The charm of old bikes I guess! As mentioned previously I am just trying to be transparent with my description, hence this level of detail
UPDATE NUMBER 3: This is turning into a right saga! Why do these things happen after you put it up for sale... Anyway, took the bike up the road today after sorting the fuel pipe yesterday, but it wasn't right. Turns out it's still dripping fuel out of the bottom of the carbs, so I'm back to where I was on update one. Reduced the price again for the same reason as before. Though I'd be happy to take the carbs off and sort them myself, I haven't got the time. I'd rather be riding than tinkering. If I planned to keep the bike I'd pack it off to a garage and get it sorted to save my time, but as I'm not, I've dropped the price again. Again, it starts and runs, but needs the carbs sorting and will need collection.
