Get me up to speed on the FZR1000 EXUP
The early 90s saw some very different schools of thought from the Big 4 Japanese motorcycle manufacturers, on what ingredients were required to build the flagship models for their ever expanding ranges. Honda stuck with the build it for comfort and speed with the CBR1000FK. Kawasaki wanted the kudos of producing the world’s fastest production motorcycle, mission was accomplished with the ZZR1100.
Suzuki kept with the up and over alloy frame design of the earlier Slabside models, but added more cc and weight! The result was the GSX-R1100 Slingshot.
Yamaha though took their FZR1000 Genesis, perhaps one of the most overlooked and underrated bikes of the 80s, and sharpened it up and gave us the FZR1000 EXUP.
Fast forward to 2021 and unlike the GSX-R Eleven, you can pick up a decent EXUP Thou for buttons.
Even less if you find a non standard bike that needs tlc.
Come and look at what I bought
This H reg EXUP is firmly in the project category. Like all project bikes, sometimes the positives blindside the negative parts of the puzzle.
This bike came with some sketchy paper history. Having been passed around the trade in recent times, this is the only concrete history that comes with the 30 year old 20 valver. The paperwork shows that back in 2002 it was probably involved in a mishap, that’s when the MOT certificates give us a mileage discrepancy, going from around the 20,000 mark to zero!
The bike arrived sporting some shitty chrome custom dials, they were so rubbish I took them off! Mileage on the made in Hong Kong custom speedo was 2,000 ish. The remaining MOT certificates tailed off in the last decade.
Since then the FZR was no doubt left to rest. The chap I bought it from had gone in deep bringing it back to life. Freshly painted tank and a R1 seat unit, which I also slung away, were paired with the gloss white wheels. It’s amazing how much some fresh paint here and there can perk up an old bike.
He didn’t stop there. The front calipers, a well known weak spot on this model, have been rebuilt. Next up he cleaned the carbs. Sadly they were in such a poor state inside he ended up spending over two hundred quid on new parts to bring them back from the dead.
The engine is spot on. After a brief juggle with the choke lever, the four cylinder lump settles into a perfect tick over. A running project is always a good thing! The silencer is pointless, it’s been gutted out and sounds offensively loud, which is perfect for those ‘loud pipes save lives’ type, but bad for the image of motorcycling.
Removing all of the bolt on gash parts that have been fitted, which also included some nasty chrome twin headlights… reveals a decent bike.
What’s it worth Mister?
If this was a GSX-R1100 from the same era in this shape it would easily fetch £2,000. Those who say that all of the old Japanese bikes are too expensive have clearly forgotten about the FZR1000.
Prices across the board are in the shadows, which makes them a smart move, it’s not like they’re going to get any cheaper too.
This is a classic example of what lays before me being worth more in parts. Those freshly rebuilt carbs would make at least £150, and with a fully running motor, I’d expect that to pull in £350 ish. They are still popular with those wanting to build a YZF750 with litre poke.
That’s £500 without totting up the rest of it.
I’m sending this to market for £895, cheap speed indeed.
Article provided by Scottie Redmond
