Kawasaki ZRX1200R (Eddie Lawson Replica)
Story and Photos by: Sid Byers

A picture from one of my favorite rides: From Lake Sonoma, Ca. via Skaggs Springs Road to Stewart’s Point Store on Hwy1 and the Pacific Ocean. This ride shows many of the great attributes the Kawasaki ZRX1200 does well... It works well over the very bumpy and narrow Sonoma County roads absorbing most bumps except for the biggest potholes.

With its upright riding position, very comfortable seat, and good foot peg location, it is a pleasure to ride all day long. The 1200 is great for exploring the less traveled roads, and taking a sporting paced ride at a local track day. It works well over the graveled sections of road providing positive feedback and good control.

From Santa Rosa, the round trip of this ride is nearly 180 miles, a nice daily ride for this bike. Some of my favorite things about the bike are the power and torque of the 1200cc motor. The 5-speed transmission has perfectly placed gear ratios for most any situation you might encounter. I consistently got around 50 mpg on most sport rides.

The one thing ZRX1200 liked was new rear tires! It would eat them up in as little as 2,500 miles, if I was hard on corner exits for most of those miles. Brakes were very good for the street, and the front brake only needed a two finger pull to haul it down from any speed. The six-piston calipers had great feel and fade restistance, plus an adjustable lever, and provided the necessary feel to modulate the front tire howl during rapid decelerations.

The only love this bike needed while I owned it was oil changes, many rear tires and several front tires and a couple of chain adjustments. It was always reliable, ran perfect, started every time, and idled. The throttle response was dialed in too.
 
I used a tank bag for short trips to carry a digital camera, something to drink and a sandwich for lunch. For my longer trips or overnighters, I used the small bags shown in the picture below so that I could carry layered clothing, extra gloves, digital camera, and bungee cords to strap my Vanson Leather Jacket on the rear seat for the ride in the hot country side.



Another picture of my Kawasaki ZRX1200 while resting on Highway 16 near Highway 20 actually in Colusa County. This picture is from the ride described below.

This is another of my favorite rides. I would go from Santa Rosa to Calistoga, up the hill to Angwin past the college, then to Pope Valley and over to Pope Clayton Road out to Lake Berryessa. This road is one of my favorites because it offers many twists and turns, with rises and falls in the turns and very few cars durnig the week. This road also has several good safe straightaways if you felt like twisting the gas a little harder. Then I’d head out Highway 128 to Highway 5 North for a short way, to the Highway 16 turnoff. Heading for Rumsey. The road goes past Cache Creek Casino. I really enjoyed the Northern section of this ride along the Cache River. Beautiful scenery as the road twists and turns as it follows the river. Several great places to stop and watch the white water and the rafters.  After a wonderful ride I’d come to the end of Highway 16 at Highway 20. Turn left and head to Clearlake. Then turn on Highway 53 and follow it through Lower Lake, Middletown and over Mt. Saint Helena grade, back to Calistoga and then return to Santa Rosa via Old Petrified Forest Road. This ride is a great way to spend many hours in the saddle; burn thru a couple tanks of gas while covering about 240 miles. The ZRX1200 was excellent for this trip showing off its great motor, good handling, and comfort for the long haul.
 

For the riders who like lots of technical information I have Kawasaki’s factory specifications below:
 
General Specifications

Engine: 4-stroke, 4-cylinder, DOHC, Liquid cooled, 16-Valve
Displacement 1164 cc
Bore x Stroke 79.0 x 59.4 mm
Compression Ratio 10.1:1
Carburetor Keihin CVK36(4) Constant velocity, Diaphragm-type
Ignition System TCBI w/Digital Advance and K-Tric
Ignition Advance Electronic
Cylinder Material Aluminum alloy with ferrous sleeves
Fuel Min 91 Research/87 Avg. Oct. Unleaded OK

Transmission
Clutch Type Wet, Multi-disc, Manual
Transmission 5-speed, Constant mesh, Return shift
Shift Pattern(Bottom up) 1-N-2-3-4-5 (w/Neutral Finder)

Chassis
Wheelbase 1,465 mm (57.7 in.)
Seat Height 780 mm (30.7 in.)
Ground Clearance 135 mm (5.3 in.)
Dry Weight 224 kg (494 lbs.)
Fuel Tank Capacity 19 liter (5.0 gal.)
Tire Size —Front 120/70-ZR17 Tubeless
—Rear 180/55-ZR17 Tubeless
Brake Type —Front Dual Hydraulic Disc
—Rear Single Hydraulic Disc



I really enjoyed this bike while I owned it, and it was truly an excellent example of the do everything well UJM (Universal Japanese Motorcycle).  I still have smiles every time I look at the pictures I took of my rides, and as I recall the good times and rides on this excellent motorcycle.  Hope this article will inspire you to send in your favorite motorcycle pictures and rides to 2WheelTimes.com.


Enjoy the ride, and keep the shinny side up!