Make or Brake? Kawasaki ZXR750H1.
“What, you bought it blind from eBay?”
I spotted this ZXR750H1 on eBay and it ticked several boxes that made me put it on my watchlist. The biggest plus was that it was fairly local. Too often I spot a bike I fancy buying only to see that it’s located hundreds of miles away. Having bought bikes from far off places in the UK in the past, I often find concluding the transaction can quickly get messy if it requires wasting a day travelling to fetch it home.
The second plus was the starting price. It was realistically priced at £1,000 with no reserve or buy it now option. The clincher though was the fact that what was left of the bodywork was in the iconic green. Oh, and the main reason I fancied it was because I just love this model.
“Why are you emotionally invested in this model so much?”
Back in 1990 I scrimped and scraped enough coin together to buy my first ZXR750H1. In my opinion it was the best looking motorcycle that I’d ever seen. I was riding a GSX-R750H at the time, but a cheeky go on my brothers H1 opened my eyes to just how crude my Slabby was. The Slabby was promptly sold and the nice bank manager at my local Natwest bank agreed to loan me the rest of the money to stick a ZXR750H1 into my life. This was the last time that I ever took out a loan for a bike purchase, it was also the last time that I had that ‘must have’ instinct at any cost about a motorcycle. I bought one from the MCN classifieds and my life was complete, well once I’d bought a Micron end can and a small number plate for it.
“Did you enjoy the auction process?”
An opening bid of a £1,000 went in quite early. I opted though to wait until the last few minutes to check back in on what was happening. I had a price point in mind, but we all know how that can go shit shape when gripped with auction fever. With less than a minute to go a few more bids were placed and it was up to just over £1,200. With less than 20 seconds to go I slung my bid on, and it was good enough to get it bought. The auction ended at £1,272. This was well under my top bid, so I was well chuffed.
“Didn’t you ask any questions?”
No, none. The seller’s listing included plenty of info and his photos gave me all the info I needed. Post auction, I spoke to the seller to make arrangements to collect the bike. He filled in the missing gaps for me on why it had no bodywork. Well into his restoration he had sent the fairing and seat panels away to be repainted. Sadly for him that was the last he ever saw of them! His painter did a Lord Lucan and despite his best efforts to track him down, it was like pissing in the wind and he gave up. I still haven’t seen the bike myself. Ian at MotoAll promptly collected the bike for me and all I had to do was make a bank transfer. I love buying bikes in the modern era, it is so simple.
Article provided by Scottie Redmond
