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Alrighty... my GPz750 is looking to be a failed purchase and that now the repairs from a shop might cost north of $600 just to get her running in top shape (carbs, piston rings, fork seals, chain & sprockets plus labor and maybe more to crop up should I be stubborn enough to keep at it). I found a decent looking GPz900R, also known as the Top Gun bike and was wondering if anyone can tell me what to expect from this bike. If anyone is familiar with this model just give me the straight details on what to look for and if it'll be a possible maintenance nightmare. Asking price is $1600 as the guy put in money for recent maintenance.

I also found another GPz750 for $1600 and maybe I could talk him down and use my current GPz as a parts bike. If the guy won't budge on price I'll head for the 900R. If anyone was wondering why I am heading towards old sports bikes it is because insuring them in NYC is cheap and the bike itself is cheap... not to mention people praise them for loads of torque.

Lastly if I end up with the 900 any ideas on how to get rid of my 750 (as it doesn't really run unless I put in hours of coaxing)?

Thanks for any input.

And for you folks in NJ I will be heading to Clifton to check out the bikes.

Sorry to hear about your bike problems. What dealership are you going to in Clifton?

What year is it? Since you are saying the Top Gun bike, I assume it is the first generation 1984? That was the very first Kawasaki Ninja and replaced the 750 Turbo as the fastest 1/4 mile bike at the time.

Of course it depends on the bike but I would eyeball the air suspension and the quirky anti dive on the forks. Also it came with the then vogue 16" front tire which you may or may not like.

Are you looking to buy to keep or to fix-up and re-sell for profit?

This bike is through private sale on Craigslist. I'm looking for a keeper of a bike and I thought the first GPz 750 I bought was in decent condition until problems began cropping up seemingly all at once (I should have known when the chain was really slack but I was desperate for a bike). I'm familiar with the anti-dive forks and the 16" front tire (supposedly made it turn better) but they gave it a 17" tire in later iterations of the bike but I'm gonna have to go and see for myself. The guy says it's an '84 but the engine looks like an updated 900R (from the pics). This time I'm gonna look inside the gas tank for sediments, pull the spark plugs for signs of piston ring failure and have the guy stall it from a cold start to give me an indication if it'll start up without problems when the choke is pulled out.

Anything I should need to know about the liquid cooling, valves or any other engine related info? Thanks again for any info anyone can give me.

Say it costs $1000 to get the 750 running again. You're looking to spend twice that to buy a different bike and it could need all the stuff your current bike needs. Chain and sprockets you can do yourself. Look around on the net and you'll find people that sell carb racks that are already setup for a bike (about $300 to $400). I say fix the GpZ you got.

I am now the owner of a 1984 GPz 900R flat black and can go ride around like Tom Cruise in Top Gun! I talked the guy down in price and my insurance actually dropped by $350 when moving from the GPz 750 to the 900R, talk about odd but now I get to decide whether I want a refund or credit. Anyway, as I tore deeper into the 750 the problems kept getting worse and it became a job I needed a shop to handle. Buying and insuring the 900R ended up being cheaper than fixing the 750 using used/ cheap parts (they ain't cheap because it's hard to find people who have it and when they do they gouge) plus labor. I guess I could chop it up into spare parts or just sell it as a non-runner or abandon it. Suggestions?

Now the 900R is freakin' fast. Unlike today's sport bikes the thing pulls like no other from 2000 RPM all the way up. It came with SuperTrapp exhausts and it sounds great without being too offensive. The brakes are strong and responsive without much, if any, fork dive. The only things I don't like is the near useless gas gauge and the fan only turns on when the needle is past H on the temp readout. I was told to not worry about it as that's how all 900Rs act but I keep an eye out on my coolant and oil (it has two coolers on it). The gas gauge fluctuates and it once told me that I was running low on gas only to find out I had 3/4 of a tank. I thought 16" wheels sucked in both handling and looks but turns out I was wrong. I just now have to learn how to use the center stand.

The bike is in good shape so far and nothing needs to be worked on yet. tires are new as is the chain/ sprockets. fueling is decent but I won't use any of the gumout carb cleaner additive after what happened to the 750.

Sweet! Congratulations on the new ride!

As for the centerstand, hold the bike from the side with your left hand on the bar and the right hand under the seat, step on the centerstand and center it so that both points make contact, then put your full weight on the stand and simultaneously lift the bike up on the rear and pulling up and back on the bars. I've seen little tiny women do it with Goldwings using that method... lol

Grats!! pics?

Here it is. nothing too spectacular.