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Top Gun: Maverick Finally Showcases The New J/125 Sailing Yacht

The long-awaited trailer for Top Gun: Maverick was released this week, giving fans a first look at the long-awaited sequel to the beloved 1980s blockbuster. One of the most highly anticipated scenes in the trailer is the sailing yacht scene, which features Tom Cruise and Jennifer Connolly.

It's no surprise that the scene was filmed on a J/125 sailing yacht, as the J/Boats shipyard is known for its high-performance racing yachts. The J/125 is a popular model among racing sailors and has been featured in several major films and TV shows.

This article takes a closer look at the Top Gun: Maverick sailing yacht scene and the J/125 yacht that was used in the filming.

What made the Top Gun: Maverick sailing yacht scene so iconic?

The sailing yacht scene in Top Gun: Maverick is one of the most iconic scenes in the movie. It's a beautiful, serene moment that starkly contrasts with the rest of the film, which is full of high-octane action and adventure.

But what makes this scene so iconic? Is it the beautiful location? The amazing cinematography? The fact that it's such a change of pace from the rest of the movie?

We believe it's all of these factors and more. The sailing yacht scene in Top Gun: Maverick is an iconic scene because it's a perfect example of how to use all the elements of cinema to create a truly memorable moment.

The J/125 sailing yacht that was used in the filming of Top Gun: Maverick.

The J/125 sailing yacht is a state-of-the-art vessel that was used in the filming of the 2020 movie Top Gun: Maverick. The yacht, which businessman John Pompa owns, was featured in a key scene in the film where it is seen sailing past the Golden Gate Bridge.  

The J/125 is a high-performance sailing yacht that is designed for long-distance cruising. It is equipped with a variety of features that make it ideal for sailing in rough conditions, such as a keel-stepped mast and a carbon fiber hull. The yacht also has a large onboard water tank that allows it to go for long periods of time without having to stop for fresh water.

How the J/125 yacht helped make the scene of Top Gun: Maverik so memorable.

In the film Top Gun: Maverick, the J/125 yacht plays a pivotal role in the iconic beach scene with Tom Cruise and Jennifer Connolly. The yacht, which is owned by Connolly's character, is central to the scene in which Cruise's character meets Connolly's.

The J/125 is a popular yacht among filmmakers due to its sleek design and its ability to turn on a dime. This makes it perfect for action scenes like the one in Top Gun: Maverick.

But the J/125 isn't just a pretty face. It's also a highly functional yacht that can accommodate several guests. This makes it perfect for entertaining.

Why the J/125 yacht is the perfect choice for a sailing adventure?

The J/125 yacht is the perfect choice for those looking for an exceptional sailing experience. This amazing yacht offers superb performance, unmatched comfort, and stunning good looks. Here are just a few of the reasons why the J/125 is the ideal choice for your next sailing adventure.

The J/125's extraordinary stability index of 143 degrees, with a stability curve ratio of positive to negative areas of 12.5:1, is what creates a sense of solidity and power when sailing it. This greater stability is paired with a balanced hull-form that has the right amount of reserve buoyancy forward. This makes the J/125 capable of safer and more controllable high-speed planing offshore in large waves. Also, the average helmsperson can maintain peak performance for sustained periods of time because the hull-form provides a wider steering groove upwind.

The J/125 is manufactured to ABS offshore standards by TPI Composites using the SCRIMP resin-infusion process. The US Naval Surface Warfare Center at Carderock, MD found that the properties of laminates created by TPI's patented SCRIMP resin-infusion process are better than the low-energy pre-pregs used by many custom boat shops--they're even twice as strong as hand lay-ups.

J/125 weighs in at 2700 pounds, which is 1500-2500 pounds lighter than its competitor designs, after subtracting the weight of the keel and adding 1000 pounds for the rig, engine, and hardware. This is not only due to the J/125's narrower beam. The Hull & Deck Laminate Design of the J/125 is stronger for its weight than E-Glass/epoxy laminates using slit CoreCell foam. J/125 uses epoxy with a combination Kevlar & E-Glass for the outer skin with two layers of carbon fiber (bi-axial & unidirectional) for the inner skin. The elevated strength of these exotic materials allows for a thinner, lighter skin than the equivalent E-Glass structure.

It's no surprise that the scene was filmed on a J/125 sailing yacht, as the J/Boats shipyard is known for its high-performance racing yachts. The J/125 is a popular model among racing sailors and has been featured in several major films and TV shows. In fact, the J/125 was also used in the film The World's End, starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. The J/125 is the perfect boat for cruising or racing, and it's no wonder that it was chosen for the Top Gun: Maverick film.

If you're looking for a high-performance sailing yacht, the J/125 is a perfect choice. Whether you're interested in racing or cruising, the J/125 will provide you with an amazing experience.

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Bay Area’s J/125 ‘Rufless’ Gains Movie Star Status

Could sailboats turning into movie stars be a growing trend? First it was the appearance of two SailGP F50s in the sci-fi thriller Tenet , which featured the Japan and US foiling catamarans racing on the Solent . Now, the new Top Gun film starring Tom Cruise features a well-known Bay Area J/125, Rufless .

Rufless , owned by Rufus Sjoberg, finished first on both the Saturday and Sunday of this year’s Great Vallejo Race. But before that, she featured in a six-minute-long scene in Top Gun: Maverick , the film that brings Cruise’s character, Maverick, face to face with the now-adult son of his former wingman, Goose.

In the scene, Cruise and co-star Jennifer Connelly are sailing on San Francisco Bay — sailing upwind, reaching, and setting the spinnaker downwind. And according to Stephen Colbert’s interview with Connelly on CBS’s The Late Show , Connelly did actually have the helm, as is portrayed in the film.

Rufless appears to be moving very quickly, and Connelly looks to be in her element as she informs Cruise the conditions are, “A little rougher than I expected.” (Classic Bay Area sailing conditions.) After Maverick divulges his lack of sailing knowledge, he delivers another future classic movie line: “I don’t sail boats, Penny, I land on them.”

The boat scene had originally been filmed in San Diego amid beautiful conditions, and with dolphins! But the action was lacking, so it was reshot on San Francisco Bay, chosen for its windy reputation.

Here is the full interview, including a snippet of the co-stars sailing aboard Rufless :

The film is screening in theaters, and from what we’ve read, viewers are impressed!

10 Comments

The Top Gun Maverick Sailing Scene was exciting to watch, however it would have been even better with Tom Cruise wearing his life jacket outside his Tee Shirt and Jennifer Connelly wearing a tethered lifejacket and parka at the helm. The baylink ferry in the scene marked the location as San Francisco Bay being cast as a windy version of San Diego Harbor.

As can be inferred from his knowing nods and questions, Colbert is a legitimate sailor https://www.yachtingmagazine.com/stephen-colbert-sails-second/

Very interesting that the mainsail traveler is all the way to windward to avoid the mainsheet blocking Tom delivering his lines 🙂

They’re sailing on a tight reach – I think the traveler is in the correct spot. But it would make sense to move it if they needed to get a clean shot.

Just learning about trimming with a traveler. The only reason they left it there would be to get an attractive heel. Sliding it away from the wind would have made the sailing more pleasant and less dangerous…

The crew was down below

Don’t knit pick or whine about no PFDs…it’s just a movie.

We got a fantastic and very unexpected sailing scene in a mainstream movie. I was thrilled, so hopefully we can minimize the whining and critique and say yes thank you more sailing please!

Any one know who was on the crew below or when the scene was filmed?

A sailor and an aviator – They have much in common: As sailors know, a sail is an airplane wing on its end. See the fabulous movie “Wind” (1992) for the details!

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VIDEO: Top Gun: Maverick sailboat scene

Published on May 26th, 2022 by Editor -->

As Scuttlebutt HQ is located in San Diego, CA, this is very much a military town which proved to be a good backdrop for filming the Top Gun movie released in 1986. But the local locations weren’t limited to just the Navy bases for that movie, which is also the case for the sequel Top Gun: Maverick that gets released on May 27, 2022.

However, when they sought out San Diego Bay to film an action scene, nobody told them about the region’s light winds. “We filmed that sequence twice. We filmed it the first time in San Diego, and it was very beautiful,” describes actress Jennifer Connelly. “We got lovely shots, and there were even dolphins swimming alongside us. But Tom (Cruise) said, ‘No, this isn’t fast enough’.”

For the second attempt, somebody did their research and they went to San Francisco where Connelly and Cruise get a real taste of high wind sailing on a J/125.

“It was a very distracting environment,” said Connelly. “It was incredibly windy, with big waves. The boat was at an impossible angle, moving so fast, and we had to play the scene at the same time. I was so paranoid that I was going to forget something with all those distractions. I found myself standing on the coffee table in my living room, practicing with my kids spraying water at me and blowing on me while I ran my lines.”

Connelly shared the story on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and while Cruise is known for doing his own movie stunts, Connelly was pretty stoked to have taken on the role of a sailor. “I love it, it was great, it was amazing,” she said of the experience. “I was taking lessons to prepare for the role, starting in the New York harbor. Kind of like learning how to drive on the Autobahn.”

Tags: Jennifer Connelly , sailing movie , Top Gun

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Top Gun: Maverick's Jennifer Connelly On Learning To Sail, Flying With Tom Cruise And More - Exclusive Interview

If Jennifer Connelly 's character in "Top Gun: Maverick" could have a callsign, it might well be "Phantom."

Connelly plays Penny Benjamin, who was referenced but never seen in the original "Top Gun" as the "admiral's daughter" with whom Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Tom Cruise) spent some sexy time. Flash forward 36 years, and Penny now appears in the flesh in "Top Gun: Maverick." It seems her relationship with Maverick has waxed and waned over the years even as she built an independent life of her own, became the owner of the local watering hole (The Hard Deck) and, in contrast to almost everyone who hangs out in her bar, learned to sail instead of fly.

The actor joins the "Top Gun" universe while continuing a career that began in 1984 with the crime epic "Once Upon a Time in America" and has included films such as "The Rocketeer," "Career Opportunities," "Requiem for a Dream," "Hulk," and "A Beautiful Mind," the latter of which landed her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress . More recently, she appeared in "Only the Brave" (for "Top Gun: Maverick" director Joseph Kosinski) and has spent three seasons as one of the stars of the sci-fi series "Snowpiercer."

Connelly tells us that she thinks the time is right for the world to revisit the lives of Maverick and the rest of the elite "Top Gun" pilots. "It's a spectacle of a movie," she says, "but it has a lot of heart, and it really delivers."

Who is Penny Benjamin?

Your character is mentioned in the first film.

She sure is.

Tell us a little bit about Penny .

She's Penny Benjamin, and clearly, in the original, Pete had been dating her. They've been in an on-and-off relationship all these years and have a lot of history. Then, he walks into her bar yet again, and they come back into each other's lives. I love the way she reacts to him and handles that unfinished business that they clearly have with so much playfulness and a little bit of mischief.

This is not a tortured relationship .

Not at all. She is someone who really wants to be happy and makes choices that move her in that direction. She looks out for herself. She's independent and strong, and she really adores Pete, but she knows him too, and she knows how to set her boundaries.

Jennifer Connelly learned to sail for a movie about flying

The sailing scenes are absolutely incredible. Did you have to go through training for that?

I did. I took sailing lessons, which was really fun and sometimes terrifying, because I live in New York City. I was taking lessons in New York Harbor, which is really insane. There's so many ferries and police boats and, believe it or not, kayakers and jet skiers in New York Harbor. Who knew? There's a lot of traffic, so that was pretty funny.

You also got to go up in planes .

I got to go up in Tom's plane, his P51, with him piloting , which was pretty extraordinary.

Would you have gone through the training if they'd asked you?

Yeah, I would have. I wasn't sorry that I wasn't one of the pilots, but I would have done it.

We do have to mention that you actually got to watch the beach scene .

I sure did. It was great. It was so important that they revisited that scene, because it's such an iconic moment in the original movie. They did a great job with this version.

Why the time is right for more Top Gun

Speaking of the original film, what sort of impact did that have on you?

The flying blew me away when I saw that. Tom Cruise is an amazing movie star. He was so charismatic as that rebellious Maverick. He made a huge impact as well.

He's very hands-on with his movies. Was there a good balance between Joe directing and Tom providing his input?

It definitely felt like a collaboration. Tom's also producing the movie with Jerry, who was part of the original movie. There was a team working on it, working together.

This was filmed in 2018 and 2019. How does it feel to finally have this movie come out?

It's great. Actually, it feels like such a great moment for it now. I know I'm so ready to be having a collective experience again. I feel like this is a celebratory movie. It's a spectacle of a movie, but it has a lot of heart, and it really delivers. If you want to go out and have an experience in a big theater with a group of people, it's so deeply satisfying.

So see this on the biggest screen that you can?

I think so. Absolutely.

"Top Gun: Maverick" is out in theaters this Friday, May 27.

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"Can't Touch This" is one of the best equipped J/125's and has been continually upgraded.including new rudder, sails & silver LPU topsides. She has both a buoy race inventory and an offshore inventory. The boat has gone thru a long list of upgrades as well as a serious carbon diet. Carbon hand rails, hatch boards, carbon steps, carbon padeys with Spectra loops, a custom carbon step for offshore driving and Equiplight shackles throughout, . The boat has the new rudder design by Al Johnston along with all offshore safety gear. The boat is ready to go offshore today.

Make or Manufacturer

Displacement, fuel capacity, water capacity.

“ The J-125 is a boat of exceptional stability and power. Her handling is explained by an extraordinary stability index of 143 degrees, with a stability curve ratio of positive to negative areas of 12.5:1. This greater stability is combined with a balanced hull-form with proper amounts of reserve buoyancy forward. This provides safer and more controllable high-speed planing offshore in large waves as well as a wider steering groove upwind for sustained peak performance by average helmsmen. No IMS rule-inspired hull form can match the high 4.72 length-to-beam ratio of this seakindly yacht, nor the reserve buoyancy designed into her bow sections. High length-to-beam ratio ensures straight tracking in rough seas and light steering loads. Sailboats with fine bows and full midship sections are more difficult to balance and more likely to spin out of control in big waves. As user-friendly as it may be, this is a sailing machine designed to be the fastest, best-built boat of its type in the world. A long-lasting, high-tech carbon - Kevlar - E-glass - epoxy laminate is the answer. TPI Composites is the world leader with its patented SCRIMP process. This yields a laminate that's been tested by the US Naval Surface Warfare Lab at double the strength of hand lay-up construction. SCRIMP overcomes long term ownership concerns about delamination and structural failure because there are no air-pockets in the hull laminate and integral keel beam grid. Secondly, the ratio of glass fiber to resin is 2:1 rather than 1:2, resulting in a strength-to-weight ratio that exceeds custom race-boat, pre-preg construction. ”

Standard Equipment List Hull & deck built with TPI's patented SCRIMP vacuum resin infusion molding process. Hull has carbon fiber biaxial - unidirectional inner skin, biaxial Kevlar - E-glass hybrid outer skin and thermo-formed CoreCell linear structural foam core drilled for Pro-Set, or equivalent, epoxy resin.

Deck has carbon - E glass - CoreCell - vinylester laminate with gelcoat finish. Hull & deck laminates meet ABS offshore yacht standards to be CE Mark Certified for Europe.

E-glass - epoxy keel floors, mast step and longitudinal girder structural matrix molded using SCRIMP process and bonded and tabbed to hull with epoxy. o Five composite transverse bulkheads at forepeak, forward head, main bulkhead, aft settee, and aft berth area built with molded E-glass - foam core & reinforced w- unidirectional carbon. o Longitudinal hull stringers from forepeak bulkhead to main bulkhead P&S; from forepeak bulkhead to structural grid P&S. Two foredeck stringers from forward end of coach roof to forepeak bulkhead. Local reinforcements in way of high load areas. o Centerline stringer from structural grid to forepeak bulkhead incorporating mast step. o Dual longitudinal cockpit support bulkheads from transom to aft bulkheads.

Hull - Structure - Bulkheads are assembled, tabbed, painted and oven post-cured together at a peak 140 degrees during a total 25 hour curing cycle. o Molded seahood with integral instrument pod curved acrylic slider and drop board sliding in extruded PVC rails and equipped with inside - outside stainless hasp and combination lock. o Two continuous ORC height toe-rails integrally molded with deck forward of mast.

Removable 8.0' draft keel with high aspect nickel - aluminum - bronze alloy strut and lead bulb. Wide flange bolted into hull recess through solid carbon - E-glass backbone using ten 7-8" 316 grade stainless bolts.

Awlgrip topside and boot stripe in 2016.

Yanmar Diesel 3GM3OC x SD20 Saildrive. o Bri-Ski 16 x 11 folding propeller. o Recessed cockpit mounted engine panel with Spinlock single lever throttle-shift control. o Engine housed in composite box in two sections with air intake vent at aft end and sound insulated interior surfaces. o Wet type engine exhaust system with GRP stern tube and waterlock muffler. o Single cartridge Racor fuel filter with shut-off valve at tank and fuel gauge in cockpit.

Engine serviced April 2017

Molded steering pedestal with binnacle cover, Ritchie SP-5 compass, Edson ultra-light racing components, 58" Edson "Diamond" series aluminum wheel with black foam grip. o Aluminum emergency tiller with deck plate access. o Carbon fiber reinforced composite rudder blade & shaft mounted in Harken composite rudder bearings.

20 gallon aluminum fuel tank located aft of engine box vented through transom with cockpit sole deck fill. 22 gallon fresh water capacity in bladder tank mounted under port settee bunk with deck fill and vent to galley sink.

Bass DC electrical distribution panel w- 10 circuit breakers o Halogen swivel lights over berths above nav. station and galley. o Fluorescent lighting in head. Running & steaming lights. o Cockpit operated Henderson manual bilge pump. o Standard Rule 1100 electric bilge pump with manual override switch mounted in nav station. o Chainplate, keel, engine, pulpits, lightning ground & bonding system. o Two 8G27 gelcel batteries under companionway ladder with Guest 3 function battery switch. o Whale manual fresh water foot pump in galley with spigot at sink. o Flush seacocks below waterline including head intake, head discharge, galley sink, engine intake o Through-hulls include bowsprit-housing drain, engine exhaust on transom, bilge pump exhaust on transom, wheel well drain. o Solid laminate recess for electronics transducers with interior cover.

Carbon mast with 2 spreaders, custom engineered by Hall Spars and built with epoxy pre-preg carbon & autoclave curing to 80 psi at 250 degrees F. with new custom luff extrusion accepting either Antal sliding cars or boltrope, molded carbon gooseneck & vang attachment points. o Mast Collar: SparTite mast chock system shipped loose. o Mast Step: G10 epoxy custom fit mast step attaches to molded centerline longitudinal hull stringer with four SS bolts tapped to aluminum plate integrally molded in stringer. o Hall Spars aluminum boom (black Awlgrip finish) with vang attachment, clew outhaul sheave, webbing strap for mainsheet block attachment, reef sheaves at gooseneck. o Retractable 8.5' carbon J- sprit by Advanced Composites. Harken tackle system with control line led aft to cockpit. o Bowsprit bearing system with drain mounted in hull housing and exterior neoprene seal. Standing & Running Rigging o Standing Rigging: Continuous Nitronic 50 rod built by Hall Rigging. o Hydraulic Backstay Adjuster: Sailtech -12 long throw (14") hydraulic cylinder with remote panel mounted on forward side of pedestal. o Hall "Air" Vang with integral tackle system. o Chainplates: custom stainless chainplates and fasteners for shrouds, stemhead and backstay with plate doublers at shroud pins.

Sail Inventory Inshore Racing Inventory

North Mainsail-1 3Di

North Mainsail-2 3Di Raw 2015

North #1 Genoa 2012 3Di

North #2 Genoa 2012 3Di

North #2 Genoa 2015 3Di Raw

North #3 Jib, 2013 3Di Good Condition

North Jib Top Tri Radial Good Condition

North A-1 2013 Spinnaker Like New

North A-2 2013 Spinnaker Good Condition

North A-2.5 2016 Spinnaker Good Condition

North A-2.5 2017 Spinnaker Like New

Offshore racing inventory

Quantum Mainsail-1 with 1 reef Fair Condition 2010

Quantum Mainsail-2 2014 1 reef for offshore Like New - Hoisted 5 times

Quantum 150 MED/Heavy Genoa 2014 Good Condition

Quantum #3 Jib 2014 Hoisted once

Quantum #4 Jib 2014 New - never used

Quantum Genoa Stsl 2012 Good condition

Quantum Big Spinnaker Staysail New 2014 - almost no use

Quantum Small Spinnaker Staysail 2012 Fair Condition

Quantum A-2 Spinnaker 2012 Good Condition

Quantum A-2.5 Spinnaker 2012 Good condition

Quantum A 3 Spinnaker 2012 Very light use

Quantum A-5 Spinnaker 2012 Good condition

Quantum Mast Head Genoa 2017 that flies off the sprit

Modifications Can't Touch This has undergone rigorous modifications including:

Deck fittings upgraded to carbon Replaced padeyes with soft loop dynema Removal of all excess deck hardware PBO backstay Interior wood replaced with foam cored carbon SS hand rails replaced with carbon 2 Pipe berths replaced with carbon frames New custom high aspect carbon rudder Powder coated stanchions Bottom long boarded & faired Custom Grab bar installed by the pedestal New Head foil Self Retracting Bob stay MOB button at the helm New Rudder Bearings Aluminum goose neck and sheave box fittings at the ends of the boom replaced with custom carbon fabrication. New Raptor Deck in the cockpit Offshsore gear 6 man life raft

All offshore safety gear

Electronics All New electronics

H5000 with 6 displays

Zeus 2 chart-plotter

2 new Lithium house batteries to replace the AGM's.

Recent Upgrades 1) New head foil.

2) Custom carbon grab bar on the pedestal.

3) Cockpit repainted.

4) New Raptor deck in cockpit.

5) Original aluminum fittings on both ends of the carbon boom replaced with custom carbon fittings.

6) Boom kicker replaced with racing boom vang configuration.

7) Check stays replaced.

8) Custom bob stay installed on the sprit.

9) New hatch cover, wheel cover and sheet tail bags in cockpit.

10) Replaced stern hatch cover.

11) New B&G Hydra 5000 electronics and displays.

12) Rebuilt masthead wind instrument and replaced cable.

13) New carbon nav station panel, new chart plotter, new vhf and vhf antenna cable.

14) Replaced both rudder bearings.

15) Replaced batteries with Lithium batteries, new alternator and regulator, serpentine belts, battery monitor and battery switches.

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Top Sailing – Top Gun: Maverick

Being a lady of a certain age it didn’t take me long to book tickets for the sequel to Top Gun, Top Gun: Maverick . I grew up in the 1980’s along with permed hair, leg warmers and Tom Cruise, so a Top Gun trip back in time was always going to be on the cards.

Cruise reprises his role as ace top gun Navy pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell and that’s about as much as I’m going to tell you about the plot. Cruise does not disappoint and the film has everything the original had, and more, in spades. Fast jets, fast bikes, fast yachts (J/125), an absurd plot involving uranium (a hallmark of most 1980’s action films), leather biker jacket with patches, adrenaline and romance all wrapped up in a cinematic marvel. With cinemas in the UK lurching along since lockdown, we needed a blockbuster to burst onto our screens. Kosinski, Bruckheimer, Cruise et al have achieved this in supersonic style.

Even the sailing scene doesn’t pull any punches with some top sailing. Jennifer Connelly is at the helm of a beautiful J/125, guard rails in the water.  It will quicken the hearts of many sailors watching (the J/125 that is, sorry Jennifer!).  As with most sailing scene’s on the big screen they don’t get it quite right, but I’ll forgive them, the footage is realistic enough even if the skipper’s instructions do seem a little strange.  Seeing Maverick out of his comfort zone on the water provides some comedy gold moments and provides some light relief from the high octane jet fighter sequences. Rumour has it the sailing scene had to be filmed twice. The first time the crew chose San Diego Bay as their backdrop but with light winds common in the bay it was producing too many dolphins and not enough action. A switch to San Francisco provided the more challenging conditions required to satiate Cruise’s need for speed.

Better than the original I would most wholeheartedly recommend Top Gun: Maverick, you’ll leave the cinema/movie theater grinning from ear to ear and wondering whether your finances (and nerve) will run to a vintage Kawasaki GPZ 900!

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