Kawasaki Z400

The Z400's DOHC twin is a genuine surprise — it pulls hard past 6,000 rpm and that top-end rush felt genuinely sporting for a mid-70s 400. I ran mine for two seasons and the engine's willingness to rev was its best trick, though the dual carbs need constant synchronization or you'll chase a nasty flat spot around 4,500 rpm until you want to throw a wrench. The drum rear brake is adequate on dry tarmac but inspires zero confidence in the wet, and 187 kg feels heavy when you're wrestling it through tight urban traffic. Parts availability is the other honest problem — finding good-condition camshafts or carb rebuild kits means haunting swap meets and Japanese parts dealers, not your local shop.

The DOHC twin pulls cleanly from about 4,000 rpm and gets genuinely exciting past 7,000 — for a late-70s middleweight, it still surprises you. The rear disc was overdue and transforms braking confidence on wet roads compared to the drum-equipped Gen 1. Vibration is present but honest rather than brutal, and the 790mm seat makes it accessible without feeling cramped for taller riders. Weak points are the gearbox — second gear is notchy on every one I've ridden — and those carbs need annual synchronization or it runs rough at low throttle openings.

That DOHC inline-four revving past 8,000 rpm sounds genuinely exotic for a 400 — it's one of those engines that makes you hunt for every gear just to hear it sing. Handling is taut and communicative, and the low seat height means shorter riders finally feel planted rather than perched. The flip side: 43 horses from 399cc means you're working that motor hard in real traffic, and the air-cooling runs noticeably hot on slow summer commutes — inner thigh burns are a rite of passage. Carburettor synchronisation drifts over time and requires obsessive attention, but when it's dialled in, this bike punches well above its displacement.

The Zephyr 400 is exactly what it looks like — a straightforward, unpretentious UJM that Kawasaki built to remind people why inline-fours felt so right in the first place. That air-cooled motor pulls cleanly from about 6,000 rpm and genuinely sings past 9,000, though 45 horses means you're working it hard on highways rather than cruising. At 189 kg it's no lightweight, and the suspension is comfortably mediocre — fine for city commuting and weekend mountain roads, but it gets loose and wallowy if you push hard through fast corners. The chrome, the spoke-style wheels, the simple cockpit — none of it is pretending to be something it isn't, and after two years of daily riding that honesty is genuinely refreshing.