The Kawasaki Kz1000 or Z1000 is a

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

made in Japan by Kawasaki, manufacturing commenced in September 1976 for the 1977 model year. The Z1000A1 was an upgraded model to replace the 1976 Kawasaki KZ900 (Z900), which in turn replaced the Z1 launched in 1972 in the Z series. It has an inline-four cylinder engine and a 5-speed transmission, in a 'one down and four up' configuration. Producing about 90 hp, it was one of the fastest production motorcycles of the era. The police model continued in production until 2005.

Model differences

Some of the significant differences between the KZ900 and the KZ1000 include that the 1000 has a heavier crankshaft for less engine vibration, smoother acceleration and a larger displacement as a result of increasing the cylinder bore from 66mm to 70mm. The 1000 received a rear disc brake. There were various configurations of specifications and assembly, such as having the choice between chain-drive and shaft-drive. The cruiser version LTD was assembled in Nebraska and sold in the United States and Canada. Kawasaki swapped the traditional 4-4 exhaust (available on Z1 and KZ900) for the 4-2 Jardine exhaust (which came standard on the KZ900B) on the LTD and quiet and restrictive muffler on the 1000 A1 and A2 as shown in the top photo in this article. The KZ1000 came with either a chain drive or shaft drive in 1979 and 1980 named ST and SHAFT, KZ1000E1 and E2. The frame on the KZ1000 was a conventional featherbed (duplex cradle) design, but was not significantly changed in over 30 years of production in terms of basic geometry. There were changes to frame construction with the use of thicker frame tubes in the MkII models (1979/80) to improve frame rigidity. The 1980 Kawasaki Z1000H was the first mass-produced fuel-injected motorcycle in the world and also Kawasaki's first fuel injected motorcycle. It was based on the KZ1000A3/A4 Mk.II frame and body work, with a unique black/gold/white colour scheme and gold mag wheels . There were only 1000 examples of the Z1000H made for the global market. The Z1000H was manufactured for 3 months only, during March/April/May of 1980 and was a test-bed for the incoming new 1981 fuel-injected model, the GPz1100B1. In the US market, the Z1000G "Z-1 Classic", based on the LTD frame and body work, also featured the same fuel injection system used on the Z1000H. The 1981 Kawasaki Z1000J debuted with Kawasaki's new "J" motor with displacement down to the drop in displacement from 1015cc to 998cc was in order to comply with the new rule for superbike racing-which stipulated a maximum of 1000cc.. For the 1982 model year, Kawasaki introduced the KZ1000R1 Eddie Lawson Replica (ELR); based on the KZ1000J2. The 1983 model was designated KZ1000R2 with cams and a cylinder head from the 1982 GPz1100B2, boosted power from 102 to 104 at 8500 rpm. The bike had a limited run of 750, and was named after the

Eddie Lawson Eddie Lawson (born March 11, 1958) is an American former four-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. His record of not crashing and consistently finishing in the points earned him the nickname "Steady Eddie".dry. Aside from the 1982-2005 KZ1000P Police motorcycle, the model was discontinued in 1984, in favor of Kawasaki's liquid-cooled bike, the Ninja GPZ900R.

Wheels and tyres

The Kz1000P (police) has 18 inch cast wheels with Dunlop

run-flat tire A run-flat tire/tyre is a pneumatic vehicle tire that is designed to resist the effects of deflation when punctured, and to allow the vehicle to continue to be driven at reduced speeds - under – and for limited distances – usually , dependin ...

s. The front tire is size MN90-18, and the back tire is size MR90-18.

Accessories

The KZ1000 had optional dealer installed Windjammer brand fairing, saddle bags, sissy bar and highway bars. Highway bars were also used for comfort on long trips and sometimes held additional lighting.

Z1000 Z1-R

The Kawasaki Z1000 Z1-R is a Japanese motorcycle from

Kawasaki Heavy Industries (or simply Kawasaki) is a Japanese Public company, public multinational corporation manufacturer of motorcycles, engines, Heavy equipment (construction), heavy equipment, aerospace and Military, defense equipment, rolling stock and ships, headq ...

. Styling characteristics are the front fairing, black engine finish, the 4-into-1 factory exhaust system and cast wheels.

History

Following the success of the original Z1000, Kawasaki developed the "Z1-R" as a new top model that would set standards in design and performance. This emphasized motorcycle with a fixed half-shell fairing was only available with a metallic stardust silver paint. Although the design was well received from the potential buyers, sales remained unsatisfactory after tests in motorcycle magazines. They criticized the poor engine performance and the small fuel tank. Readers of the German

Motorrad Motorrad is the German word for motorcycle. * ''Motorrad'' (magazine), German motorcycle magazine * BMW Motorrad BMW Motorrad is the motorcycle brand of BMW, part of its Corporate and Brand Development division. It has produced motorcycles sin ...

magazine selected the Z1-R as their ''Motorcycle of the Year'' for 1977.

Z1R-TC

The Z1-R was introduced for the 1978 model year, the same year as the Yamaha XS11, the

Suzuki GS1000 The Suzuki GS series was Suzuki Motor Corporation's first full range of 4-stroke powered road motorcycles, having previously almost exclusively manufactured 2-stroke machines. Suzuki had produced the 4-stroke Colleda COX 125cc and 93cc 4-stroke ...

, and the

Honda CBX The Honda CBX sports motorcycle was manufactured by Honda from 1978 to 1982. With a 1047cc inline six-cylinder engine producing , it was the flagship of the Honda range. The CBX was well-received by the press, but was outsold by its sibling intr ...

. Magazine tests showed all three competing bikes to be quicker in the

Motorsport

The Z1000 was successfully raced in European, Australian, American and British

Superbike racing Superbike racing is a category of motorcycle racing that employs highly modified production motorcycles, as opposed to MotoGP in which purpose-built motorcycles are used. The Superbike World Championship is the official world championship series, t ...

. A KZ1000 ridden by

Reg Pridmore Reginald Charles Pridmore III (born 15 July 1939) is an English former professional motorcycle road racing national champion. He is remembered for winning the inaugural AMA Superbike Championship in 1976, followed by 1977 and 1978. He is the fat ...

won the

AMA Superbike Championship AMA Superbike Championship is an American Motorcycle sport, motorcycle racing series that has been run every year beginning in 1976. For most of its existence it has been considered the premier motorcycle road racing series in the United States. ...

in 1977 and 1978.

Pops Yoshimura Hideo "Pops" Yoshimura (October 7, 1922 – March 29, 1995) was a Japanese motorcycle tuner, race team owner, and manufacturer of speciality motorcycle accessories. He is remembered for his ties to the beginnings of Superbike racing and the Yoshim ...

first began to make his reputation in the mid-1970s by fielding fast, reliable Kawasaki KZ1000s in the AMA Superbike championships. Kawasaki Z1000s tuned by

Mamoru Moriwaki Moriwaki Engineering is a Japanese manufacturer of speciality high performance products and motorcycle accessories. __TOC__ Company founder Mamoru Moriwaki is a Japanese motorcycle tuner, race team owner and founder of Moriwaki Engineering, a ...

were successfully raced in the Australian Superbike championships in the late 1970s by New Zealander

Graeme Crosby Graeme Crosby (born 4 July 1955) is a former professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer from New Zealand. A versatile rider, Crosby was equally capable on either four stroke Superbike racers or two stroke Grand Prix racers. He is the only p ...

. John Cowie riding a Z1000 for the Pecket & McNab team, won the 1978 British ACU Formula One championship for production bikes.

Freddie Spencer Frederick Burdette Spencer (born December 20, 1961), sometimes known by the nickname Fast Freddie, is an American former world champion motorcycle racer. Spencer is regarded as one of the greatest motorcycle racers of the early 1980s. Motorcycle ...

rode a KZ1000 during the 1979 AMA Superbike Championship, winning two races and finishing third in the final championship points standings.

Wayne Gardner Wayne Michael Gardner (born 11 October 1959) is an Australian former professional Grand Prix motorcycle and touring car racer. His most notable achievement was winning the 1987 500 cc Motorcycle World Championship, becoming the first Aust ...

and co-rider John Pace qualified their Moriwaki-Kawasaki Z1000 on

pole position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the rac ...

at the prestigious 1981

Suzuka 8 Hours The is a motorcycle endurance race held at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan each year. The race runs for eight hours consecutively and entrants are composed of two or more riders who alternate during pitstops. History The race began in 1978 as a ...

, ahead of all the major factory racing teams. Also in

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

Eddie Lawson Eddie Lawson (born March 11, 1958) is an American former four-time Grand Prix motorcycle racing World Champion. His record of not crashing and consistently finishing in the points earned him the nickname "Steady Eddie".factory-backed In motorsports, a factory-backed racing team or driver is one sponsored by a vehicle manufacturer in official competitions. As motorsport competition is an expensive endeavor, some degree of factory support is desired and often necessary for suc ...

KZ1000S1.

Film and TV appearances

The KZ1000C was ridden by

California Highway Patrol The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is a state law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and roads and streets outside city limits, and can exercise law enfor ...

officers Ponch and Jon of the 1977–1984 TV show ''

CHiPs ''CHiPs'' is an American crime drama television series created by Rick Rosner and originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to May 1, 1983. It follows the lives of two motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol (CHP). The serie ...

''. It was also in the anime television series ''

Great Teacher Onizuka ''Great Teacher Onizuka'', officially abbreviated as ''GTO'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tooru Fujisawa. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from January 1997 to February 2 ...

'', and ridden by

Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor. Born in Beirut and raised in Toronto, Reeves began acting in theatre productions and in television films before making his feature film debut in '' Youngblood'' (1986). ...

in the film ''

Chain Reaction A chain reaction is a sequence of reactions where a reactive product or by-product causes additional reactions to take place. In a chain reaction, positive feedback leads to a self-amplifying chain of events. Chain reactions are one way that syst ...

''. Fourteen of the motorcycles in ''

Mad Max ''Mad Max'' is an Australian post-apocalyptic Action film, action film series and media franchise created by George Miller (filmmaker), George Miller and Byron Kennedy. It began in 1979 with ''Mad Max (film), Mad Max'', and was followed by thre ...

'' (1979) were Z1000s. The bikes were donated by a local Kawasaki dealer and modified in appearance by Melbourne business La Parisienne; one as a police bike ridden by 'The Goose', and thirteen for members of the Toecutter's gang, played by a real motorcycle club called the Vigilantes. The KZ1000P appeared in the 1991 movie '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day''.

Notes

References

* {{Kawasaki motorcycles (1980s) KZ1000 Motorcycles introduced in 1976>quarter mileperformance test. In response, the company quickly introduced the semi-production, turbocharged Z1R-TC.

Police use

The KZ1000C and KZ1000P were police sub-models. The KZ1000C was based on the 1977-1980 KZ1000 (KZ1000 C1-C4 from 1978-1981) while the KZ1000P (KZ1000P1-P24 from 1982-2005) was based on the "J" model. They had a number of technical problems, including electromagnetic interference between some radios that caused problems for the ignition system. In addition, the combined set of equipment mounted at the rear (and particularly the placement of the radio on the rear rack) caused high-speed handling difficulties.. That said, with a relatively light weight, comfortable seat, good cornering clearance and powerful engine, it remained so popular for the police market that it remained in production until 2005.