Kawasaki ZZR 600

When I first passed my test, way back in 1990, the Kawasaki ZZR 1100 had just been unleashed on the nation.

At the time of its launch it was the fastest production bike ever – a record which it was to retain for nearly a decade, and the hot topic down the pub was which would win a straight race, the ZZR or the Ford Sierra Cosworth.

As both machines were well out of my and my teenage mates' price range, we stuck up the posters on our bedroom walls and dreamed on. I can still see the original burgundy and blue liveries as if it was yesterday.

I spent many happy years working up to my dream bike – the ubiquitous CB250 Superdream, which then got replaced by the slightly faster RS model, and then the Kawasaki GPz550 took pride of place in the garage. But then I got married, had two beautiful children and biking just wasn't practical any more – after all, you can't fit a pushchair on pillion, can you?

That was until I went back to work, and then my dream was a necessity. And, what's more, it turns out that the 600cc version of the bike that I once longed for was actually the perfect model with which to get back on to two wheels.

Working in Wales, I was determined I was not going to pay the £5 toll over the Severn Bridge every day, and this largely-overlooked mid-range sports tourer, with its top speed of 154mph and 99bhp engine, made perfect sense for the daily commute. And it does about 45 mpg. That was six years ago.

And so my charcoal black T-reg ZZR600 still sits proudly on my driveway. My mate Steve, who has been through more motorbikes than hot dinners, mocks my dream bike. Why choose a ZZR when there are so many other, newer models on the market? Well, I'll tell you why – when I sit on my ZZR we become as one. I don't have to think about riding because my bike does it for me. I can reach the ground with ease, the seat is so comfortable that I can sit on it all day without going numb, the fairing deflects most of the River Severn's roaring winds, the dash is easy to read, it goes really fast, and above 6,000rpm it's ever so slightly mental (a lot like my old GPz, actually!).

It would take a lot for me to change my mind about the ZZR. It was love at first sight 17 years ago and, it seems, this was one particular dream that was well worth hanging on to.

by Jayne Bennett