Kawasaki Z1000A1
Kawasaki Z1000A1 | |
Manufacturer | |
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Also called | Z 1000 A1 |
Production | 1976 - 77 |
Engine | Four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 2 Valve per cylinder. |
Compression ratio | 8.7:1 |
Top Speed | 125 mph / 200 km/h |
Ignition | Mechanical breaker dual lead coil |
Spark Plug | NGK B8ES or ND W24ES-U |
Battery | Yuasa YB14L-A2 |
Transmission | 5 Speed |
Frame | Double tubular steel cradle |
Suspension | Front: 36mm Telescopic hydraulics forks Rear: Dual chocks, swinging arm, 80mm wheel travel. |
Brakes | Front: Single 295mm disc Rear: Single 295mm disc |
Front Tire | 3.25-19 |
Rear Tire | 4.00-18 |
Weight | 240 kg / 529 lbs (dry), |
Oil Capacity | 3.7 liters |
Recommended Oil | K-tech 10W-40 |
Fuel Capacity | 16.7 Liters / 4.4 US gal |
Manuals | Service Manual |
It could reach a top speed of 125 mph / 200 km/h.
Engine[edit | edit source]
The engine was a Air cooled cooled Four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 2 Valve per cylinder.. The engine featured a 8.7:1 compression ratio.
Drive[edit | edit source]
Power was moderated via the Wet, multi disc.
Chassis[edit | edit source]
It came with a 3.25-19 front tire and a 4.00-18 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via Single 295mm disc in the front and a Single 295mm disc in the rear. The front suspension was a 36mm Telescopic hydraulics forks while the rear was equipped with a Dual chocks, swinging arm, 80mm wheel travel.. The Z1000A1 was fitted with a 16.7 Liters / 4.4 US gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 240 kg / 529 lbs.
Photos[edit | edit source]
Overview[edit | edit source]
Kawasaki Z 1000 A1
1977 Z1000-A1 FRAME NUMBER: KZT00A-000001 > ENGINE NUMBER: KZT00AE-000001 > COLOUR: DIAMOND WINE RED OR DIAMOND SKY BLUE This was the natural successor to the 900 range. Bored out to 1015 cc and producing 83 bhp, the biggest difference to the Z1 was the four into two exhaust system and the use of a disc brake at the rear instead of the previous drum brake. "The king is dead, long live the king!'
There is one sure way to get respect from other road users when you are on two wheels. Ride a Kawasaki Z1000 four. The sheer majesty of the machine is enough to impress even lorry drivers. You glide along feeling like the king of the road, your lowly subjects clearing a swath through the traffic for your passing. The big Kawasaki has become a legend in its own lifetime. That legend has been based on arm-wrenching performance. If you are the sort of person who gets kicks from taking off like a Bobcat from a carrier then no other machine will satisfy like the Z1000. That is a hallmark of the bike, and everybody on the road knows it. There is an almost erotic pleasure to be enjoyed in squirting the Kawa past a line of cars, feeling that you have been shot from a monster cannon. The action is instantaneous on the big 1,015 cc four. Regardless of revs, a flick of the wrist on the twistgrip is enough to twang your arms taut and literally take your breath away. The Z1000 surprisingly lacks the absolute top speed of its first 903 cc predecessors, but makes up for this in smoothness and docility. The first Zl models were capable of a genuine 130 mph, but by comparison to the Z1000 were harsh, hairy and developed phenominal top end power - just as a double overhead camshaft should. Despite higher gearing provided by a 33 tooth rear sprocket instead of a 35 tooth one and an increase in bore size from 66 mm to 70 mm, the absolute top speed of the Z1000 with the rider flat on the tank is just under 125 mph - barely more than the 750 cc Honda and Suzuki fours - with the engine turning over at a leisurely 7,600 rpm. That is 400 revs short of the maximum 8,000 rpm, where the whistling all-roller bearing engine develops a claimed 83 bhp. Why the Z1000 should be slower with over 1,000 cc more than the old nine hundred is a puzzle. But it should be no surprise that the bigger bike has less poke when the carburetor size has been dropped from 28 mm to 26 mm and the engine is pulling gearing that gives theorecti-cal speeds of 130 mph and 147 mph in fourth and top at the red line of 8,000 rpm.
For all but the budding drag racers among us, that top end power will not be
missed, for the Z1000 more than makes up for it in flexibility and gentlemanly
manners. There is no doubt at all that the latest model is light years ahead for
its smoothness, quietness and ease of operation.
In fact, the Z1000 is one of the few bikes - perhaps the only bike - on the
market that offers a blend of outright performance on a par with the Italian
Laverda 1000 with an equal measure of round-town unfussiness and simplicity of
handling.
One end of the Z1000 performance spectrum is acceleration that rockets you
from rest to 60 mph in a shade over 4 seconds and 100 mph in 11 seconds. At that
speed the bike is still pulling hard enough for the rider to have to hang on
hard. The other end of the spectrum is flexibility that allows the rider to
trickle along in top gear at 16 mph and pull away smoothly without a jerk.
Clean carburation and a wide spread of torque give the Z1000 a light thirst
for fuel. On low octane fuel, the bike eaked out 47 miles from each gallon.
Including reserve, the fuel capacity is 3-6 gallons, much less than the big tank
suggests.
High speed handling has been tremendously improved over the 900 four. At
lower speeds - below 50 mph - it is much as before; light and easy and with a
neutrality in the steering that belies the 560 lb tanked up weight of the
machine. The broad spread of the handlebar helps, indeed it enhances the
majestic feel of the bike, but coupled with wind pressure it also makes riding a
strain at anything over 60 mph. Switching to a lower handlebar is made trickier
than normal as the wiring runs through the tubing.
The steering geometry, a steep rake of 64 degrees and short trail of just 3|
in, inevitably means that some degree of stability has to be sacrificed at very
high speeds. And most riders agree that the Kawasaki lacks the sure-footedness
of its Italian 1,000 cc equivalents.
Nevertheless, a measure of improvement in the Z1000 handling over the Zl and
Z900 has been achieved by more generous gusseting and stiffer suspension and
should put the shine back on the big Kawasaki's tarnished reputation for wobbly
roadholding. Whether it is the light steering, squirmy tires, light suspension
damping, the frame or a mixture of all four, the Kawasaki will start to shake
when cranked over on smooth surfaces at 90 mph - and that is an improvement. Its
predecessors used to do it at speeds well below that.
With only one silencer either side, cornering clearance is even more generous
and the first piece of hardwear to grind the tarmac is the prop stand. The
stiffer suspension and needle-roller swing-arm pivots have helped here too,
limiting the amount of squat during cornering (but that is about as far as the
bonuses go).
The rear springs have been changed to dual-rate 123/174 lb/in boneshakers
while the front fork contains 45 pounders that give an adequate ride but do not
take kindly to bumpy surfaces, responding with a clattery and uncontrolled
amount of bouncing once a few miles have been covered.
The addition of an extra brake disc at the front together with a rear brake
disc may have upset the suspension with the higher unsprung weight, but they
certainly do bolster the braking power. The two front units with floating
calipers are capable of locking the front wheel at will in the dry with a
pleasant degree of sensitivity. Likewise the same size - 11 -6-in diameter -
rear disc offers progressive stopping.
But like similarly equipped bikes with three stainless-steel discs, under
certain conditions, in the wet the brakes are completely ineffective. Invariably
when rain was heavy, the bike was not being ridden fast enough to fling off
water, and the discs were cold, you would find yourself sailing up to a stop
light with no more than a prayer to pull you up.
The sooner the Transport and Road Research Laboratory work on this subject is
completed and acted upon, the better. In other departments, the Z1000 is
'standard Japanese'. The five-speed gearbox has a light action spoiled only by
clunkiness when notching bottom from neutral. Neutral is easy to find at rest
because the mechanism is designed to prevent a rider passing through neutral
into second at a stop. That is still a unique feature. The controls are all very
light, including the throttle and clutch lever. Incidentally, the clutch
survived several full-blooded drag starts with only slight swelling.
The Z1000 is a big bike though. The cosy seat is not unduly high at 32£ in
but being broader than most will cause anyone with less than a 32-in inside leg
to be searching for the ground with their toes.
Although the higher gearing lessens vibration from the engine, the
high-frequency buzz is still there, particularly above 5,000 rpm. Its not great
trouble to the rider but the well-spread mirrors deteriorate into a blur above
75 mph in top.
Lighting is adequate, although many riders will want, to uprate the headlamp
if they want power to match the bike's performance. Starting on the button was
always achieved but there is an indication that the start jet metering was
over-generous as the engine started hunting almost as soon'as it was running.
Chain rear drive on such a potent bike such as the Z1000 may seem an
anachronism in these days of increasing use of shaft drive, but Kawasaki appear
to have overcome many of the drawbacks with their Enuma f-in pitch chain. Each
link has its lubricant sealed in by O-rings and the fact that the chain remained
properly tensioned over 500 miles of general use is ample testimony to its
effectiveness. The price the rider pays for such heavy chain is that it vibrates
as it clatters around the 15-tooth gearbox sprocket when opening up from low
speeds in a high gear.
But that is a small point when measured against the host of detail changes
that have contributed to the metamorphosis of the Z900 into the Z1000.
On a pound per performance basis the Kawasaki Z1000 remains the King.
Road Test 1976
Make Model | Kawasaki Z 1000 A1 / KZ1000 |
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Year | 1976 - 77 |
Engine Type | Four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 2 Valve per cylinder. |
Displacement | 1015 cc / 61.9 cu-in |
Bore X Stroke | 69.4 х 66 mm |
Cooling System | Air cooled |
Compression | 8.7:1 |
Lubrication | Forced Lubrication wet sump |
Oil Capacity | 3.7 liters |
Induction | 4x 26mm Mikuni VM26SS carburetors |
Ignition | Mechanical breaker dual lead coil |
Spark Plug | NGK B8ES or ND W24ES-U |
Battery | Yuasa YB14L-A2 |
Starting | Electric |
Max Power | 83 hp / 61.8 kW@ 8000 rpm |
Max Torque | 8.1 kgf-m / 58 lb-ft @ 6500 rpm |
Clutch | Wet, multi disc |
Transmission | 5 Speed |
Final Drive | Chain, 630 endless with 92 links, sprockets 15 front, 42 rear |
Frame | Double tubular steel cradle |
Front Suspension | 36mm Telescopic hydraulics forks |
Rear Suspension | Dual chocks, swinging arm, 80mm wheel travel. |
Front Brakes | Single 295mm disc |
Rear Brakes | Single 295mm disc |
Front Tire | 3.25-19 |
Rear Tire | 4.00-18 |
Ground Clearance | 155 mm / 6.1 in |
Dry Weight | 240 kg / 529 lbs |
Fuel Capacity | 16.7 Liters / 4.4 US gal |
Consumption Average | 42.7 mpg |
Standing ¼ Mile | 12.6 sec / 109 mph |
Top Speed | 125 mph / 200 km/h |