Resources
Questions
Owners listed on the database can have maintenance questions posted here, anyone can reply with info.
Panlite Windscreen
It’s a really good design (thought needs a tank bag!) and tucking down behind it gives you a genuine wind-break when highway cruising and keeps you surprisingly dry when that unexpected rain-shower hits. But like all polycarbonate it yellows and develops fine crazing over time. Just UV I’m afraid, and in Australia we get that in spades!
I regularly use the ‘toothpaste’ polish trick to clean it up, but I would love to replace the the screen.
Plenty of acrylic replacements available, including some specifically designed for competition. But I’ll be honest for the road I prefer the strength of polycarbonate. But I haven’t found any after-market suppliers (Vstream don’t have anything for the GPz900r) and secondhand scrfeens are ridiculously priced – ranging on eBay from $500 (with stress cracks around mounting holes) to over a grand for a pristine example.
Maybe I should make my own replacement – with both clear (winter) and tinted (summer) options. I know enough about plastic manufacturing techniques to think this could be a pretty simple process, the time-consuming part is creating a nicely finished timber vacuum-mould. But this type of process requires multiple parts to be made and it’s just not economically viable for a production run of just a few parts – you might as well buy the one listed for a grand.
Obviously it wouldn’t have the fancy black edge finish of the OEM Panlite screen – but this is purely cosmetic and paint, or acrylic stickers or just tape would be more than effective and still look fine.
Anyone else be interested?
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Answers
Carb & Airbox differences
FYI I sourced the higher flow airbox intake for my A8 however it’s not a simple task to replace – the rubber between the carbs and the airbox) is hard and in-flexible, and even with new ones getting all of this back together is not for the faint-hearted. In the end I decided that along with the cost of purchasing A1/2 carbs it just wasn’t worth the effort at this time – I’ll ponder it later when doing more work on the engine.
‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!’
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Rebuilding the Rear Suspension
Sid Young explains how to rebuild the rear suspension back to factory. Recommend you track down a copy of his book on how to restore classic japanese motorcycles.
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GPz900r (ZX900) Database
A7
A8
A9
A4
A5
A6
About the Site
My family loves older vehicles, the newest one we own is 2003! But I am acutely aware of the ownership complexities especially:
- they often need more 'hands-on' mechanical work &;
- there often isn't any local expertise from the service centres;
- there is often no new parts available from the manufacturer;
- parts often have to be sourced 2nd-hand or from overseas.
So we often end up doing a lot of the research & work ourselves and this information gets stored either locally with the bike or online forums - although finding the useful parts in these forums isn't always simple.
The original goal of the site was simply somewhere for me to record service work & contacts on my GPz900r so that my kids (the one that likes bikes anyway!) could easily access it - it doesn't concern me if it was publicly available.
I then realised that with this online structure in place I could also offer it to other owners, and the site could potentially expand to record other owners experiences and expertise , meaning we can learn from others but also pass on this knowledge to subsequent owners of these wonderful motorcycles.
At least Covid-19 has given me plenty of spare time to pursue my passion for the motorcycle!

Location
Adelaide
South Australia
gpz900r@motoshoot.com.au
Timeline
1983 - Honda XR200
1984 - wanted a GPz
1985-2013 - cars+family
2014 - finally got one!
Disclaimer
The information provided on this site (or links) is personal experiences from non-professional home-mechanics, so neither it's accuracy nor it's validity can be confirmed. If you need professional advise please visit your local Kawasaki dealership or a qualified industry professional.
Like riding any motorcycle, at the end of the day the only opinion that really counts is your own!