The new project...

The sale of the EX650 and sundry racing parts has allowed me to purchase a 1999 ZX7R.  My goal is for this to be my one and only "do it all" bike.

As you can see it looks very green and very mean.  Like my old RC51, it is built in that traditional 90s style of slightly overbuilt, to compensate for serious HP being thrown at these things in race trim.  It was pretty clean, with a few cosmetic scratches, and a nice Yosh slip on exhaust.  Otherwise it was quite stock.  Got it for a bit of a steal (which is OK), and the good news is, MPI only charges a small fortune to insure these things...

Analogue!  Nothing digital here... even the temp gauge is old school.  Cable driven speedo... simple, if not a bit heavy.  31,000 km in about 15 years... around 2K a year?  Pretty low mileage.

My critical eye and racer-level of expectations means that it will need some work to meet my degree of mechanical readiness.  New tires, new fluids, chain and sprockets (still stock!) are step one.  The main failings of these bikes are the brakes and rear shock, while front end stability is still considered exceptional by modern standards.  Of course, if I am going to take it to the track, I need some spare bodywork as unmolested stock green fairings are exceedingly rare.  The only thing is, I've been spoiled a bit by radial brakes (even retrofitted to a commuter bike), and power commanders handling the fuelling.  Hard to believe I've been trolling ebay looking for a "jet kit"... remember those?
The ultimate goal is to get it up to snuff mechanically, and take it out to the track first to suss out the riding experience.  Come August, put a plate on it and see how far into fall I can commute on it.  I might try to go away on it as well, but that is unlikely this summer.  We'll see if this truly is a "Practical Sportsbike".  Stay tuned... lots of pics and info to come.