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Speed
demons
Sunday shed wrap
June 22, 2025, by Guy 'Guido' Allen
Playing with the
290kph-plus end of the fleet
This afternoon was an
opportunity to exercise three of the speed demons in
the shed: Kawasaki ZX-12R, Suzuki Hayabusa and Honda
Blackbird. All of them are first-gen examples.
And, just for a change of pace, we also managed to get the Yamaha SR500 out for a gallop. It's a mildly enhanced unit with a throbbing 31.5hp at the rear wheel.
Talk about contrasts! The 2003 Hayabusa
is one of three in the shed, named
Hannibal, and is running a Phil Tainton motor
that has been dynoed at 208.9hp at the back tyre.
It has proven to be one of the survivors in the
fleet – bought from Suzuki Australia as a low-use
demo back in 2003.
Its stablemates are a
dead stock and very tidy 1999 model (above) plus a
third-gen 25th anniversary edition (below) that was
hatched in late 2023 for the 2024 model year. See our
Hayabusa Resources page.
Riding the Blackbird, ZX-12R and Hayabusa back-to-back is always entertaining and the three have very different characters.
The Blackbird is a bit of a sentimental
favourite as I've had three of them over the years – one
of each generation (see our model
overview). This is a 1996 first-gen, with
carburettors instead of fuel injection.
It's been in the
fleet for 11 years (how time flies!) and, as any
owner will tell you, is an ultra-smooth and very capable
motorcycle. Blackbirds are a bit of a bargain in the used
market, with the best one in the country likely to cost
less than Au$10k (US$6500, GB£4800) and workable examples
for two-thirds of that.
Now we get to the Kawasaki ZX-12R: it's a
2000 model, which means it is eligible for club or classic
plates later this year. That means one less rego at full
whack and I'll then have a Blackbird, a Hayabusa and a
'king Ninja' on club plates. Who knew we'd all live that
long?
This one was
bought from the original Brisbane-based owner in
early 2023 and ridden the circa 1800km (1100 miles) home
to Melbourne. It had some maintenance issues at the time,
which have since been fixed and is a bike that has grown
on me.
Something that really helps it as a
long-distance proposition is the subtle handlebar risers.
The lift is about 2cm, which is just enough to make a
significant difference to the comfort of the machine.
These were a seriously-powerful gadget
when launched, claiming up to 189 horses, and landed at
the tail end of the whole 1990s power race (see our profile).
It feels and sounds very different to a
Hayabusa of the same era, even though there are a lot of
similarities in the spec sheets. It has an engaging deep
induction note and you're looking out over a cockpit
that's punctuated with a wild-looking pair of mirrors. Oh,
and let's not overlook the huge intake snout under the
headlights. There's really nothing else out there that's
quite like it.
In fact the styling for all three 'speed demons' was a bit out there, with some fascinating influences – maybe a topic for a future story...
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