Kawasaki GT550 1997

[boisdevie]

Back in the mists of time when I were a lad motorbikes were there as a cheap and practical form of transport. Some bikes still are, like the Kawasaki GT550.

I bought this bike as a way of spending less on fuel, road tax, insurance, servicing and (here in France) motorway tolls. This bike is not the latest greatest pocket rocket but is a supremely well put together form of transport.

Engine. 4 cylinder four. Pulls well from 3k plus in any gear. Compared to a GSXR600 it's as slow as a snail but compared to most cars it's very quick. Top speed 110 and 0 to 60 in 5.1 seconds. Cruises easily at 80mph.

Riding position. Wide comfy seat and upright position. Means you don't need an osteopath after riding it. But the lack of a fairing means for long distance stuff wind blast can be tiring but speeds of 70mph are OK.

Running costs. Hard to tell because I've had the bike for a few weeks only but it does around 50mpg and with shaft drive there's no problem with chains and sprockets wearing out. Also, because it's not that fast I suspect tyres will last well.

Practicality. I love practicality. A rear rack comes as standard. And two helmet locks.

Living with the beast. I've ridden lots of sexy bikes - Ducati 600ss, GSXR600, Buelle XBR9. But this bike is better than any of them IF you want a sensible practical cheap bike. It goes from A to B faster than a car, costs sod all to run and is comfortable. Which explains why so many despatch riders used them (and the 750cc version). Despatcher riders can't be wrong.

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