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| {{Infobox Motorcycle
| | #Redirect [[Kawasaki ZG1000A]] |
| |name = [[Kawasaki]] ZG1000 Concours
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| |image = [[File:Kawasaki-GTR1000-86--2.jpg|frameless|Kawasaki ZG1000 Concours]]
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| |aka = ZG 1000 Concours
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| |manufacturer = Kawasaki
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| |parent_company =
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| |production = 1986 - 89
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| |model_year =
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| |predecessor =
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| |successor =
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| |class =
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| |engine = Four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder.
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| |bore_stroke =
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| |compression = 10.2:1
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| |top_speed = 216.0 km/h / 134 mph
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| |power =
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| |torque =
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| |fuel_system =
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| |ignition = Electronic
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| |spark_plug =
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| |battery =
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| |transmission = 6 Speed
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| |frame =
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| |suspension =Front: 41mm Telescopic, air-assisted adjustable preload <br>
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| Rear: UNI-TRAK with adjustable preload, [[rebound damping]] and air pressure
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| |brakes =Front: 2x 272mm discs 1 [[piston]] [[caliper]] <br>Rear: Single 280mm disc 1 piston caliper
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| |front_tire = {{tire|110/80 VR18}}
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| |rear_tire = {{tire|130/80 VR16}}
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| |rake_trail =
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| |wheelbase = 1554 mm / 61.2 in
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| |length =
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| |width =
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| |height =
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| |seat_height = 797 mm / 31.0 in
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| |dry_weight = 270 kg / 595 lbs
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| |wet_weight = 296.0 kg / 652.6 lbs
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| |fuel_capacity = 28.5 Litres / 7.5 US gal
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| |oil_capacity =
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| |fuel_consumption =
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| |turning_radius =
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| |related =
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| |competition =
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| }}
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| It could reach a top speed of 216.0 km/h / 134 mph.
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| | |
| ==Engine==
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| The engine was a Liquid cooled cooled Four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder.. The engine featured a 10.2:1 [[compression ratio]].
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| ==Chassis==
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| It came with a 110/80 VR18 front [[tire]] and a 130/80 VR16 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via 2x 272mm discs 1 piston caliper in the front and a Single 280mm disc 1 piston caliper in the rear. The front suspension was a 41mm Telescopic, air-assisted adjustable preload while the rear was equipped with a UNI-TRAK with adjustable preload, rebound damping and air pressure. The ZG1000 Concours was fitted with a 28.5 Litres / 7.5 US gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 270 kg / 595 lbs. The wheelbase was 1554 mm / 61.2 in long.
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| == Photos ==
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| [[File:Kawasaki-GTR1000-86--2.jpg|600px|Kawasaki ZG1000 Concours]]
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| [[File:Kawasaki-GTR1000-86--1.jpg|600px|Kawasaki ZG1000 Concours]]
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| [[File:Kawasaki-GTR1000-86--3.jpg|600px|Kawasaki ZG1000 Concours]]
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| | |
| == Overview ==
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| Kawasaki GTR 1000 / ZG 1000 Concours
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| The Kawasaki Concours, known in Europe as the GTR1000 and in USA as the
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| ZG1000, is a 997 cc, six speed, four cylinder, liquid-cooled
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| motorcycle with shaft drive. The bike can reach speeds over
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| 190 km/h (120 mph), offers nimble handling and with its full fairing, tall
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| screen, twin locking panniers, and 28 litres (6.2 imp gal; 7.4 US gal) fuel
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| capacity is suited to cross-country two-up touring.
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| Kawasaki introduced the Concours in 1986, based on their Ninja 900 and Ninja
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| 1000R models. Key differences between the Ninja 1000R and the ZG1000 included
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| 32 mm instead of 36 mm carburetors, less aggressively ramped cams, shaft drive,
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| front and rear sub-frames, hard luggage, and full fairing. The Concours was
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| introduced into the USA the year after the slightly faster (137 mph) BMW K100LT
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| at less than two-thirds the price of the BMW machine. Both bikes were tested by
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| the magazine Motorcyclist, which came out in favor of the Kawasaki concluding
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| that it was "the most practical, useful and competent motorcycle made" and
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| "superior to the BMW in almost every aspect imaginable."
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| From 1986 to 1993 the design was largely unchanged aside from modifications
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| to the screen, handlebars and other very minor changes. In 1994 Kawasaki updated
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| the instrument cluster, forks, controls, front fender, front brakes, and the
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| front wheel. From 1994 to 2006, the design again experienced only minor changes:
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| fork protectors and exhaust tips. As the Concours first generation endured with
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| few revisions, experienced mechanics and used parts are readily available.
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| The GTR1000 has 1020 percent less horsepower than the US Concours, varying
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| by country
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| The sport tourer is the least clearly defined of all motorcycles. It's
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| obvious which bikes fall into the super-sports or Grand Prix replica categories,
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| but counting the number of true sports-tourers will leave you with several spare
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| fingers on one hand.
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| By sports-tourer I mean something that is capable of carrying you 600 miles
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| in one day without leaving you feeling as if you've been through a mangle, but
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| is also capable of acquitting itself well on fast, twisting A-roads
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| against the likes of GPZ, VF, and GSX sportsters. I've always regarded the term
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| sports-tourer as a misnomer when applied to bikes like the FJ1100, K100RS and
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| XJ900. They are all able to fulfill both functions but compromise either comfort
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| or handling, excelling neither as sportster nor tourer. I thought there was no
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| such thing as a real sports-tourer - until I rode the Kawasaki 1000GTR. Here,
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| finally, we have what I would term a real sports-tourer; a motorcycle
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| that combines all the qualities of a superb tourer with all the qualities of a
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| big sportster.
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| The 1000GTR caused quite a stir when it first appeared at last year's Paris
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| Show, not least because it was claimed to be the result of a lot of European
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| input and its striking resemblance to a BMW. Indeed, the provisional spec was so
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| impressive (soft-tuned GPZ1000 motor, shaft drive, GPZ900-type frame and full
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| touring extras) that there was a lot of bitching going on in the office as to
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| who would be the lucky one to go out to Italy to ride it. It was only rumours,
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| that turned out to be totally without substance, of a Honda VFR750 launch in
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| Australia that kept most editors at home while us minions went on the GTR
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| launch.
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| What a great idea it was to launch the bike in Sicily. While the rest of
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| Europe suffered sub-zero temperatures and inches of snow we basked in bright
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| sunshine and notched up over 600 miles over lovely roads on the GTR. The plan
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| was to put in a day's riding in Sicily, spend another day riding up to Salerno
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| (a 350 mile autostrada dash), and then spend two days riding around the
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| hills of Campania. An excellent itinerary that took in all the road conditions
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| anyone is likely to encounter, either in Britain or on the continent.
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| The first thing you notice about the 1000GTR (apart from its likeness to a
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| BMW) is the size of the thing: the fairing is big, the tank is big, the seat is
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| big, the panniers are BIG, even the silencers are big. As I rolled it off the
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| centre stand I knew this was a big bike; the seat height is just over 32
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| inches and fuelled up it weighs in at just under 6501b. If I'd been less
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| substantial than my 6ft lin and 12and a 1/2 stone, the whole' lot would've
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| crashed to the ground there and then as it lurched sideways and my right foot
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| scrabbled for grip on the loose surface. The moment you start moving all the
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| weightiness disappears and the GTR suddenly becomes agile; even at low speeds
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| the steering was light and precise - something I hadn't expected from a bike
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| that size and with an 18-inch front wheel.
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| Once you're rolling, the next surprise (this bike was a constant source of
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| surprises) is the tractability of the motor. This is basically a GPZ1000RX
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| powerplant with a few top-end mods to give the GTR a claimed 12 per cent
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| increase in power and torque over the GPZ up to 7000rpm. These changes include
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| smaller airbox and carbs (32mm versions of the CVKs used on all the GPZ range),
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| different cams giving reduced duration and lift, and smaller diameter exhaust
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| header pipes. So the engine has been tuned to produce more horsepower and torque
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| than the RX at lower revs. Kawasaki claim 72.3ftlb (l0kgm) at 6500rpm (2000rpm
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| lower than the RX) and 108.5hp at 9500rpm (the same peak revs as the RX). The
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| rest of the motor remains the same as the GPZ1000 with identical bore and
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| stroke, pistons and compression ratio.
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| These top-end changes make the GTR much smoother and willing than its GPZ
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| brother at low revs. The 1000RX was decidedly glitchy below 4000rpm, whereas the
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| GTR will bimble along in sixth at 800rpm and pull strongly from around
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| two-and-a-half grand. That's the difference between an out-and-out sportster and
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| a sports-tourer. The willingness of the GTR's motor to pull from any revs was
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| illustrated beautifully on the coast road from Salerno to Sorrento. This is a
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| breath-taking road that winds its way along the sides of the mountains which
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| plunge vertically into the Mediterranean. The road is about 30 miles of mostly
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| blind hairpin bends connected by the occasional 50-yard straight, so speeds in
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| excess of 40mph were definitely not recommended. Swooping along on the GTR was a
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| real revelation it was so effortless. All I had to do was stick it in third gear
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| and let the motor pull round the corners and up the straights. I think the bike
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| stayed in third for the full distance, with only the occasional downchange for a
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| particularly tight hairpin.
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| Although the Kawasaki has a six-speed box, top gear is really an overdrive.
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| The GTR will go up to an indicated 140mph much quicker in fifth gear than it
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| will in top, and once you get to the desired speed you just snick it into sixth
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| and slot into cruising mode. In fact the GTR won't pull anywhere near the red
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| line in top, the most I had out of it was just over 140mph at a tad over
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| 8000rpm. Even down-changing to fifth and giving it some severe grief wouldn't
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| nudge the tacho or top speed any higher.
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| Indulging in these high speeds highlighted the only two criticisms I can
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| level at the Kawasaki - high-speed stability and vibration. The GTR was rock
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| steady up to 110mph, but above that would oscillate slightly and took a while to
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| settle down after it had been set snaking. Taking the panniers off or putting a
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| pillion on improved matters somewhat, and I suspect that fine-tuning the
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| suspension setting (something we weren't encouraged to do) would iron out this
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| particular gripe.
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| The suspension is handled at the back by Kawasaki's now familiar Uni-Trak
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| system, although this is the first time it's been used on a shaftie. As per
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| GPZ600,900 and 1000s, the Uni-Trak has air-assisted preload and four-position
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| rebound damping, but unlike the system on the 1000RX the shock is only
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| compressed from the bottom, not from both ends. Up front all the work is done by
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| a pair of linked, air-assisted, 41mm forks. Unlike the GPZ range, the GTR
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| doesn't feature Kawasaki's Advanced Variable Damping System, but it doesn't
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| suffer for that.
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| My other moan about the GTR is the vibration that's felt at high speeds. The
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| bike feels smooth up to around 120mph, but above that, when the revs get up to
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| 7000, tingling vibrations can be felt through the bars despite the bar-end
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| balancers. This slight buzz can be attributed to the fact that unlike the
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| 1000RX, which has a rubber-mounted engine in a cradle frame, the GTR's engine is
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| slung in a diamond-type frame similar to that of the GPZ900 and uses the engine
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| as a stressed member. The result of this is that the engine can't be
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| rubber-mounted and consequently buzzes like the GPZ900 at higher revs (all of
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| which is academic, because few people are going to keep up speeds of over 120mph
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| for any length of time, however easy it might be on the GTR).
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| Despite being basically bits of GPZ1000 and 900 cobbled together with a shaft
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| drive adapted from a GT750 and the US-spec Eliminator, the GTR feels remarkably
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| together in the handling department. It coped superbly with everything I threw
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| at it, which ranged from 120mph autostrada sweepers to 20mph hairpins.
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| The first day's riding was for the cameras, so it was decided to set up a couple
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| of cornering shots on tight righthanders to illustrate the GTR's cornering
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| abilities. Unlike any tourer I've ridden, the Kawa could be stuffed into tight,
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| bumpy bends very easily, and very quickly. I found I could indulge in
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| serious scratching antics normally reserved for balls-out sportsters, and
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| although the ground clearance is excellent, after a few passes the GTR was going
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| round the bends with the footrests or centre stand on the deck. Try that on a
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| BMW RT and you'll find yourself in big-time trouble.
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| Much of the GTR's cornering capability must be down to the super-smooth shaft
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| drive. Because the shaft and swingarm are very long, the effect of the shaft
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| loading and unloading the rear shock is minimized to the degree that it's
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| noticeable only under very heavy acceleration or braking.
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| Sweeping round a slow hairpin on a trailing throttle and then blasting out of
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| it and on to the next won't have the back end pogoing all over the place,
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| there's just an almost imperceptible lift at the back. No other shaft-driven
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| bike, except maybe the old Suzuki GS850, has such smooth transmission, and it
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| makes BMW and Moto Guzzi shafts seem prehistoric.
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| It's not just slow corners that the GTR is good on, either. Anyone who has
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| ridden on Italian autostradas will know that they are more like two-lane
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| A-roads than motorways, with lots of tight bends (none of which are constant
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| radius) and a wide variety of surfaces. On one occasion, I went into a very fast
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| sweeper only to find it tightened up in an horrendous fashion and disappeared
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| off to the left. To avoid going in through the driver's door of a Fiat Uno
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| tootling along in the slow lane required a rapid, and none too subtle tightening
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| up of line, something the GTR accomplished without so much as a twitch or
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| complaint. It was a fairly close call, but illustrated just how well the
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| Kawasaki can be made to change course, even at 120mph.
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| Of course it's on the autostradas that the fairing really comes into
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| its own. Fortunately, for the purposes of road testing at least, the last day's
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| riding was done mostly in pouring rain, with the odd shower of sleet and snow
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| thrown in for good measure. So we had ample opportunity to assess the fairing's
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| protective capabilities - and capable it certainly is. Bearing more than a
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| passing likeness to that of the K100RT, the fairing offers almost total weather
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| protection without being overly wide and bulky. The screen is high enough to
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| deflect air over any rider under six feet and creates a large pocket of still
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| air. As I'm over six feet tall, I found that my helmet took a bit of a
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| battering, but Kawasaki UK say that they may be offering a slightly higher
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| screen as an extra at a later date.
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| After four hours' riding in the rain and snow I would expect to be fairly
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| comprehensively drenched, however good a fairing might be. But not on this
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| Kawasaki. Unlike the K100RT, the GTR protects your feet, and if you keep the
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| balls of your feet up on the pegs they'll keep dry during short showers. It
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| takes a couple of hours before the rain gets through your boots. The only other
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| part of me to get wet was the underneath of my wrists and forearms when the rain
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| eddies round the fairing. The pieces of trim down either side of the fairing
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| that deflect the elements still further away from the rider are a particularly
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| nice touch. In hot weather these are detachable and different pieces can be
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| fitted which deflect cooling air onto the rider. A brilliant piece of design
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| that other manufacturers would do well to emulate.
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| The rest of the fairing is similarly well thought out, with a small grille
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| below the screen to aim cooling air at the rider's neck, flush headlight and
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| indicators and superlative mirrors. These mirrors are quite simply the best on
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| any bike I've ridden. They are adjustable in every direction, and even
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| concertina in and out. And they give a massive field of vision behind you.
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| The rest of the bodywork pays the same attention to detail and rider comfort.
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| The saddle, which is easily big enough to accommodate two large persons, is as
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| comfortable as that of the Moto Guzzi Spada (which, as everyone knows, is the
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| world's most wonderful motorcycle perch). The top of the left-hand side-panel
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| features a lifting handle for heaving the bike onto its centre stand - not an
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| easy task, but easier than a Goldwing - and the same side-panel also has a
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| little window in it for displaying your business card or a personalized
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| nameplate (yes, I know, I laughed too).
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| Further back are the Krauser look-a-like panniers, which as near as makes no
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| difference are Krausers - the attachment and locking systems are exactly
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| the same.
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| Where the Kawasaki's score over the BMW ones is what happens once you've
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| taken them off. Kawasaki supply natty panels that fit over the mounting points
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| and give the bike a sleek, sporty look without said panniers on. Kawasaki say
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| they will also be bringing out pannier inner bags at a later date.
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| Above the panniers are two pillion grab rails with bungey hooks. Again,
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| Kawasaki's designers have got it spot on, because the top of the tailpiece
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| unbolts to reveal a small carrier rack. Two bungey hooks either side of the tail
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| light can be used with the bungey hooks on the grab rails to attach a tent, tote
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| bag, or whatever. Once you've filled up the panniers and luggage rack, there is
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| even more room for smaller items in the fairing's two pockets and the huge,
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| slab-topped tank is large enough to accommodate a tankbag of gargantuan
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| proportions. To make the long-distance tourer's life complete, the GTR also has
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| two accessory terminals so you can plug in your Teasmaid, cassette player or
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| hairdryer.
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| Kawasaki have decided to go with radial tyres on the GTR because of their
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| longer life expectancy and their claimed greater stability under heavy loads and
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| at high speeds. During our four days' riding the tyres were used under every
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| condition you could care to imagine - high-speed cruising, spirited cornering
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| and heavy braking. The Dunlop radials behaved in a thoroughly predictable manner
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| and the only nasty moment occurred going into a sharp, downhill lefthander too
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| fast. It was sleeting quite hard and the road surface was horrendous, so an
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| indelicate handful of the front brake had the front end sliding a few inches
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| sideways before it gripped again.
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| For the rest of the test the tyres behaved well despite the amount of weight
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| on the skinny 110 front radial. I wouldn't like to hazard a guess as to how long
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| a set of these Dunlops will last, but they should last up to 30 per cent longer
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| than normal tyres.
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| One of the most impressive aspects of the GTR as a tourer is its fuel
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| consumption and range. During the 350-mile autostrada blast from Sicily
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| to Salerno the GTR returned 41mpg, which gives it a realistic range of around
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| 250 miles before you have to stop for petrol. And with the bike being so
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| comfortable and effortless to ride it's no problem to do those 250 miles without
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| stopping. Even when pushing the GTR along with indecent haste, the fuel
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| consumption never dipped below 35mpg, although I dare say if you really went for
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| it you might get it down to around 30mpg. Compare that with a K100, which is
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| lucky if it can go more than 170 miles on a full tank, and you begin to see just
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| how good the GTR is.
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| Good isn't quite the right word to describe the 1000GTR. It is really the
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| most complete motorcycle IVe ever ridden - its minor vices pale into
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| insignificance against its all-round abilities as a sports-tourer. BMW must be
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| seriously worried by the GTR, because when it comes into this country in May it
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| will sell at just under £4500 (&400 less than a K100RT). They will have to make
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| a lot more Vorsprung durch Technik before they better the GTR.
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| Source MOTORCYCLE International 1986
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| {| class="wikitable"
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| |-
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| !Make Model
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| |Kawasaki GTR1000 / ZG 1000 Concours
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| |-
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| !Year
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| |1986 - 89
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| |-
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| !Engine Type
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| |Four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder.
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| |-
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| !Displacement
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| |997 cc / 60.8 cu-in
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| |-
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| !Bore X Stroke
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| |74 x 58 mm
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| |-
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| !Cooling System
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| |Liquid cooled
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| |-
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| !Compression
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| |10.2:1
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| |-
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| !Induction
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| |4 x 32mm Keihin CV carburetors
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| |-
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| !Ignition
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| |Electronic
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| |-
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| !Starting
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| |Electric
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| |-
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| !Max Power
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| |110 hp / 85 kW @ 9500 rpm (ZG 1100 - 97 hp / 72.3 kW @ 7000 rpm)
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| |-
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| !Max Power Rear Tire
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| |94.4 hp / 70 kW @ 9500 rpm
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| |-
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| !Max Torque
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| |10 kgf-m @ 6500 rpm
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| |-
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| !Transmission
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| |6 Speed
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| |-
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| !Final Drive
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| |Shaft
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| |-
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| !Front Suspension
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| |41mm Telescopic, air-assisted adjustable preload
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| |-
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| !Front Wheel Travel
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| |140 mm / 5.5 in
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| |-
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| !Rear Suspension
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| |UNI-TRAK with adjustable preload, rebound damping and air pressure
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| |-
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| !Rear Wheel Travcel
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| |140 mm / 5.5 in
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| |-
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| !Front Brakes
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| |2x 272mm discs 1 piston caliper
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| |-
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| !Rear Brakes
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| |Single 280mm disc 1 piston caliper
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| |-
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| !Front Tire
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| |110/80 VR18
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| |-
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| !Rear Tire
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| |130/80 VR16
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| |-
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| !Rake
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| |28°,
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| |-
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| !Trail
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| |100 mm / 3.9 in
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| |-
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| !Wheelbase
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| |1554 mm / 61.2 in
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| |-
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| !Seat Height
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| |797 mm / 31.0 in
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| |-
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| !Dry Weight
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| |270 kg / 595 lbs
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| |-
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| !Wet Weight
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| |296.0 kg / 652.6 lbs
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| |-
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| !Fuel Capacity
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| |28.5 Litres / 7.5 US gal
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| |-
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| !Consumption Average
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| |14.0 km/lit
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| |-
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| !Braking 60 - 0 / 100 - 0
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| |15.1 m / 39.8 m
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| |-
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| !Standing ¼ Mile
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| |11.7 sec / 180.7 km/h
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| |-
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| !Top Speed
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| |216.0 km/h / 134 mph
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| | |
| |}
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| == External Links ==
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| * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_touring
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| [[Category:Kawasaki motorcycles]]
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