Description
Please note: In order to celebrate the opening of our new Rhode Island facility, Adam will be including a free 3 days / 2 nights stay at Iconic East (valid for the wining bidder plus one guest) as part of the sale. The winning bidder will be invited out when the Iconic team is there, and the stay will include coffee and breakfast. If you’re lucky, Adam will treat you to an Aussie-style BBQ!
Click here for an VINData Motorcycle History Report on this 1991 Kawasaki ZX-7R. Additional photos are available here for your perusal.
The “K” model of the ZX-7R, built between 91-92, was a homologation special built in limited numbers so Kawi could go racing in AMA Superbike.
For that extra dough you got a whole bunch of goodies, including 120 horsepower from a tweaked engine, close-ratio six speed transmission, Keihin 39mm flat slide carbs, aluminum (versus steel) tank, lighter subframe with a solo seat/fiberglass tail, and fully adjustable suspension with a remote reservoir rear shock.
The extra power came from a higher redline (+500rpm), higher compression, and larger cams, plus the bike weighed 10 pounds less. It may look rather similar to the standard J model ZX-7, but it was happier on the track than the street thanks to the above changes and a very tall first gear. (Fun fact: you can tell if the fairings are proper K model panels when you see the supplemental hole on the right side – that’s to adjust the flatslides. Regular J models had CV carbs and no adjustment hole.) In a 1992 test, Performance Bikes magazine got 110 horsepower at the rear wheel (Kawasaki claimed 120 at the crank) and hit 158.5 miles per hour – all while returning 41 average miles per gallon.
This example is VIN: JKAZXDK14MA001291. It comes from Adam’s personal collection. His story with the bike is as follows:
“I picked up this bike before starting Iconic Motorbikes as early ZX7s have always been a personal favorite and I was initially just buying bikes for me and not for resale. The bike was already in nice shape but it wasn’t perfect, so I decided to strip it down to the frame and get it as close to perfect as I could with some small changes from OEM.
ZX7’s have a very thin paint on them from the factory, so much so that a fuel leak from a petcock or even service work where you need to remove the tank will mark up the paint almost immediately. Most ZX7s that I’ve come across have quite a few light scratches or tend to be missing paint where the front of the tank mounts to the frame (behind the triple clamp) so with all that considered, I wanted to send the frame, swingarm and the rear caliper arm out for a thicker paint with a little bit of sparkle in it so it popped. The painter that handled it was a Japanese man that was known for meticulous work but rather expensive. He’s since retired but I was really pleased with the work.
I had an old stock brand new tank and all new old stock fairings but a client really needed a full body kit so I ended up selling the new old stock body and keeping the new tank on the bike. I ended up using the OEM body kit that was originally on the bike despite having a few flaws figuring I’d just make it a rider OR send it to our painter to perfect.
Over the many years I acquired more and more parts for the eventual build. I kept an eye out for new / old stock parts and just kept putting them aside. I found brand new OEM mirrors, I sent some of the brackets out to have them either re-zinced or powder coated and so on. I sent the wheels out for paint to match the tank color, they are pretty spot on!
While the bike was apart and before Iconic had a shop of our own, I sent the motor out. I’ve been a fan of Carry Andrew of Hypercycle since I was a young man so I thought it would be cool to have him work on it. I sent him the motor and told him to spare no expense and get it 100% dialed in. Even though the bike only had about 9,500 miles or so, he said some of the valves had carbon build up so he replaced some (perhaps all) of the valves, went through the motor and so on. We can include the receipt for the work.
Once we started putting it back together at Iconic we went through just about everything. Steve rebuilt the calipers, took the best of parts from my other ZX7R spares such as the rotors, new chain, new tires, fresh fluids and more.
The one part I really wanted for the build that just could not find for the longest time was a Muzzy exhaust… Every ZX7 should have a Muzzy! Thankfully one of our clients found one for me so I had Steve install that as well. It took Steve a while to get the jetting sorted as the OEM flat slide Keihins are known to be difficult. However, after a half dozen attempts or so, it’s one of the better ZX7R’s I’ve ridden! So much so I took it for a 30 mile or so test ride (in bad traffic) and it was great!
ZX7R’s have a very tall first gear and with flat slides you really need to feather the throttle off the line but once you get going, they pull quite strong for a 750 that’s over 30 years old!
I’ll miss this one but happy to see it complete and hopefully going to a new owner that plans to ride it or make it perfect.”
The odometer shows 9,929 miles.
Maintenance:
In preparation for the listing, our service department replaced the battery, the spark plugs, the oil and oil filter, the brake and clutch fluid, and the coolant. We also rebuilt the calipers and installed new rotors and a new chain. Our service department notes the following in their condition report:
Gas Tank Internal Condition: Ok
Tire Year – Front: 3815; Rear: 4815
Tire % – Front: 99%; Rear: 99%
Tire Pressure – Front: 32 PSI; Rear: 36 PSI
Brake % – Front: 99%; Rear: 99%
Front Hydraulic Fluid: New
Rear Hydraulic Fluid: New
Clutch Hydraulic Fluid: New
Engine Oil – Level: Ok; Quality: New
Coolant – Level: Ok; Quality: New
Low Beam: Ok
High Beam: Ok
Turn Signals: Ok
Tail Light: OK
Brake Light: Ok
Plate Light: Ok
Killswitch: Ok
Horn: Ok
Fork: Ok
Shock/s: Ok
Final Drive: Ok
Battery Standing Voltage: 12.63V
Charging Voltage @ 4k RPM: 14.7V
Test Ride: 10 miles, unit operates as designed
Notes:
-Plate light illuminates when bike is running
-LH switch from a model with passing light, however harness has no passing light. Original switch unavailable.
Modifications:
Muzzy exhaust.
Custom-painted frame, swingarm, and rear caliper link.
Paint-matched wheels.
Inside of the tank:
It is riding on Dunlop Sportmax Q3 tires with date codes of 3815 and 4815.
The sale includes two keys, a selection of invoices and maintenance records, the receipt from Hypercycle, and a service recap for the work we completed at Iconic.
Cosmetic Blemishes: please see the album up top for all known cosmetic blemishes. Here is a selection:
Currently located at our facility in Santa Monica, California (please make an appointment for an inspection), this Kawasaki is offered on a clean Oregon title. Have any ZX-7R stories or questions about this listing? Let us know in the “Comments” tab!
