Buying a secondhand bike is always a bit of a gamble, especially when you are
buying privately from someone who lives a
long way away. But as I drifted down the
A30, 15 minutes into the 25-year-old,
35,000-mile, nine-owner Kawasaki ZX-7R
experience, I had a warm glow. And not just
because of the low evening sun and the
prospect of an excellent curry to come.
Against the odds, I’d bought a good ’un,
and tomorrow’s ride, 350 miles back home,
was going to be great as well. Turning the
long distance buying experience into an
excuse to go for a long distance ride turned
out to be a very good idea
Of course, part of the ZX-7R’s appeal is
unashamed nostalgia. The 1990s’ sportsbike
boom was a great moment and nothing gets
the Bike team frothy like looking at used
metal from one of biking’s golden eras.
25-years-ago, when I first joined the staff of
Bike, I loved the ZX-7R. I still do.
The current crop of retros have a similar
attraction. Their visual appeal takes us back
in time, but technology and performance are
bang up to date, and the riding position is
kinder to wrists than a 1990s’ sportsbike
(though it wasn’t as bad as I’d feared).
This juxtaposition of past and future
seems appropriate; this is my last issue of
Bike as editor. I’m going to Classic Bike
magazine from next month and the green
Kawasaki is going with me.
Thanks for reading, and thanks to Paul,
Nigel, Mike, John, Colleen and the rest of the
Bike team for making it seem like I knew
what I was doing. You are in good hands.
Everything comes around.
Enjoy the issue.