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Difference between revisions of "Kawasaki Z500/Z550"
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This series began with the 1979 Z500, a scaled-down version of the legendary Kawasaki Z1R. It used a double-cradle steel ([[Norton]] [[Featherbed Frame|featherbed-style]]) frame with a transverse-mounted [[air-cooled]] 4-cylinder engine--a classic [[universal Japanese | This series began with the 1979 Z500, a scaled-down version of the legendary Kawasaki Z1R. It used a double-cradle steel ([[Norton]] [[Featherbed Frame|featherbed-style]]) frame with a transverse-mounted [[air-cooled]] 4-cylinder engine--a classic [[universal Japanese motorcycle]]. | ||
'''Z500/Z550 (KZ550)''' - This was the first of the line, with a 500cc engine, later bored out to 553cc's and also available as the 398cc Z400J (identical to the Z550). Early Z550 models (1980-1981) had a double [[disk brake]] in the front (The US model KZ550 had a single [[disk brake]]) and a [[drum brake]] in the rear, with a conventional [[swingarm]] using twin [[shock absorbers]]. Later models (1982-1983) had improved brakes (twin disks in the front, with a single disk in the rear). The original Z500 (1979-1980) differed from the early Z400/Z550 models in having twin front and single rear disks. | '''Z500/Z550 (KZ550)''' - This was the first of the line, with a 500cc engine, later bored out to 553cc's and also available as the 398cc Z400J (identical to the Z550). Early Z550 models (1980-1981) had a double [[disk brake]] in the front (The US model KZ550 had a single [[disk brake]]) and a [[drum brake]] in the rear, with a conventional [[swingarm]] using twin [[shock absorbers]]. Later models (1982-1983) had improved brakes (twin disks in the front, with a single disk in the rear). The original Z500 (1979-1980) differed from the early Z400/Z550 models in having twin front and single rear disks. | ||