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{{Infobox Motorcycle | |||
|name = [[Kawasaki]] ZG1000 Concours | |||
|image = [[File:Kawasaki-GTR1000-86--2.jpg|frameless|Kawasaki ZG1000 Concours]] | |||
|aka = ZG 1000 Concours | |||
|manufacturer = Kawasaki | |||
|parent_company = | |||
|production = 1986 - 89 | |||
|model_year = | |||
|predecessor = | |||
|successor = | |||
|class = | |||
|engine = Four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder. | |||
|bore_stroke = | |||
|compression = 10.2:1 | |||
|top_speed = 216.0 km/h / 134 mph | |||
|power = | |||
|torque = | |||
|fuel_system = | |||
|ignition = Electronic | |||
|spark_plug = | |||
|battery = | |||
|transmission = 6 Speed | |||
|frame = | |||
|suspension =Front: 41mm Telescopic, air-assisted adjustable preload <br> | |||
Rear: UNI-TRAK with adjustable preload, [[rebound damping]] and air pressure | |||
|brakes =Front: 2x 272mm discs 1 [[piston]] [[caliper]] <br>Rear: Single 280mm disc 1 piston caliper | |||
|front_tire = {{tire|110/80 VR18}} | |||
|rear_tire = {{tire|130/80 VR16}} | |||
|rake_trail = | |||
|wheelbase = 1554 mm / 61.2 in | |||
|length = | |||
|width = | |||
|height = | |||
|seat_height = 797 mm / 31.0 in | |||
|dry_weight = 270 kg / 595 lbs | |||
|wet_weight = 296.0 kg / 652.6 lbs | |||
|fuel_capacity = 28.5 Liters / 7.5 US gal | |||
|oil_capacity = | |||
|fuel_consumption = | |||
|turning_radius = | |||
|related = | |||
|competition = | |||
}} | |||
It could reach a top speed of 216.0 km/h / 134 mph. | |||
==Engine== | |||
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]]. | |||
==Chassis== | |||
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 Liters / 7.5 US gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 270 kg / 595 lbs. The wheelbase was 1554 mm / 61.2 in long. | |||
== Photos == | |||
[[File:Kawasaki-GTR1000-86--2.jpg|600px|Kawasaki ZG1000 Concours]] | |||
[[File:Kawasaki-GTR1000-86--1.jpg|600px|Kawasaki ZG1000 Concours]] | |||
[[File:Kawasaki-GTR1000-86--3.jpg|600px|Kawasaki ZG1000 Concours]] | |||
== Overview == | |||
Kawasaki GTR 1000 / ZG 1000 Concours | |||
The Kawasaki Concours, known in Europe as the GTR1000 and in USA as the | |||
ZG1000, is a 997 cc, six speed, four cylinder, liquid-cooled | |||
motorcycle with shaft drive. The bike can reach speeds over | |||
190 km/h (120 mph), offers nimble handling and with its full fairing, tall | |||
screen, twin locking panniers, and 28 liters (6.2 imp gal; 7.4 US gal) fuel | |||
capacity is suited to cross-country two-up touring. | |||
Kawasaki introduced the Concours in 1986, based on their Ninja 900 and Ninja | |||
1000R models. Key differences between the Ninja 1000R and the ZG1000 included | |||
32 mm instead of 36 mm carburetors, less aggressively ramped cams, shaft drive, | |||
front and rear sub-frames, hard luggage, and full fairing. The Concours was | |||
introduced into the USA the year after the slightly faster (137 mph) BMW K100LT | |||
at less than two-thirds the price of the BMW machine. Both bikes were tested by | |||
the magazine Motorcyclist, which came out in favor of the Kawasaki concluding | |||
that it was "the most practical, useful and competent motorcycle made" and | |||
"superior to the BMW in almost every aspect imaginable." | |||
From 1986 to 1993 the design was largely unchanged aside from modifications | |||
to the screen, handlebars and other very minor changes. In 1994 Kawasaki updated | |||
the instrument cluster, forks, controls, front fender, front brakes, and the | |||
front wheel. From 1994 to 2006, the design again experienced only minor changes: | |||
fork protectors and exhaust tips. As the Concours first generation endured with | |||
few revisions, experienced mechanics and used parts are readily available. | |||
The GTR1000 has 1020 percent less horsepower than the US Concours, varying | |||
by country | |||
The sport tourer is the least clearly defined of all motorcycles. It's | |||
obvious which bikes fall into the super-sports or Grand Prix replica categories, | |||
but counting the number of true sports-tourers will leave you with several spare | |||
fingers on one hand. | |||
By sports-tourer I mean something that is capable of carrying you 600 miles | |||
in one day without leaving you feeling as if you've been through a mangle, but | |||
is also capable of acquitting itself well on fast, twisting A-roads | |||
against the likes of GPZ, VF, and GSX sportsters. I've always regarded the term | |||
sports-tourer as a misnomer when applied to bikes like the FJ1100, K100RS and | |||
XJ900. They are all able to fulfill both functions but compromise either comfort | |||
or handling, excelling neither as sportster nor tourer. I thought there was no | |||
such thing as a real sports-tourer - until I rode the Kawasaki 1000GTR. Here, | |||
finally, we have what I would term a real sports-tourer; a motorcycle | |||
that combines all the qualities of a superb tourer with all the qualities of a | |||
big sportster. | |||
The 1000GTR caused quite a stir when it first appeared at last year's Paris | |||
Show, not least because it was claimed to be the result of a lot of European | |||
input and its striking resemblance to a BMW. Indeed, the provisional spec was so | |||
impressive (soft-tuned GPZ1000 motor, shaft drive, GPZ900-type frame and full | |||
touring extras) that there was a lot of bitching going on in the office as to | |||
who would be the lucky one to go out to Italy to ride it. It was only rumours, | |||
that turned out to be totally without substance, of a Honda VFR750 launch in | |||
Australia that kept most editors at home while us minions went on the GTR | |||
launch. | |||
What a great idea it was to launch the bike in Sicily. While the rest of | |||
Europe suffered sub-zero temperatures and inches of snow we basked in bright | |||
sunshine and notched up over 600 miles over lovely roads on the GTR. The plan | |||
was to put in a day's riding in Sicily, spend another day riding up to Salerno | |||
(a 350 mile autostrada dash), and then spend two days riding around the | |||
hills of Campania. An excellent itinerary that took in all the road conditions | |||
anyone is likely to encounter, either in Britain or on the continent. | |||
The first thing you notice about the 1000GTR (apart from its likeness to a | |||
BMW) is the size of the thing: the fairing is big, the tank is big, the seat is | |||
big, the panniers are BIG, even the silencers are big. As I rolled it off the | |||
centre stand I knew this was a big bike; the seat height is just over 32 | |||
inches and fuelled up it weighs in at just under 6501b. If I'd been less | |||
substantial than my 6ft lin and 12and a 1/2 stone, the whole' lot would've | |||
crashed to the ground there and then as it lurched sideways and my right foot | |||
scrabbled for grip on the loose surface. The moment you start moving all the | |||
weightiness disappears and the GTR suddenly becomes agile; even at low speeds | |||
the steering was light and precise - something I hadn't expected from a bike | |||
that size and with an 18-inch front wheel. | |||
Once you're rolling, the next surprise (this bike was a constant source of | |||
surprises) is the tractability of the motor. This is basically a GPZ1000RX | |||
powerplant with a few top-end mods to give the GTR a claimed 12 per cent | |||
increase in power and torque over the GPZ up to 7000rpm. These changes include | |||
smaller airbox and carbs (32mm versions of the CVKs used on all the GPZ range), | |||
different cams giving reduced duration and lift, and smaller diameter exhaust | |||
header pipes. So the engine has been tuned to produce more horsepower and torque | |||
than the RX at lower revs. Kawasaki claim 72.3ftlb (l0kgm) at 6500rpm (2000rpm | |||
lower than the RX) and 108.5hp at 9500rpm (the same peak revs as the RX). The | |||
rest of the motor remains the same as the GPZ1000 with identical bore and | |||
stroke, pistons and compression ratio. | |||
These top-end changes make the GTR much smoother and willing than its GPZ | |||
brother at low revs. The 1000RX was decidedly glitchy below 4000rpm, whereas the | |||
GTR will bimble along in sixth at 800rpm and pull strongly from around | |||
two-and-a-half grand. That's the difference between an out-and-out sportster and | |||
a sports-tourer. The willingness of the GTR's motor to pull from any revs was | |||
illustrated beautifully on the coast road from Salerno to Sorrento. This is a | |||
breath-taking road that winds its way along the sides of the mountains which | |||
plunge vertically into the Mediterranean. The road is about 30 miles of mostly | |||
blind hairpin bends connected by the occasional 50-yard straight, so speeds in | |||
excess of 40mph were definitely not recommended. Swooping along on the GTR was a | |||
real revelation it was so effortless. All I had to do was stick it in third gear | |||
and let the motor pull round the corners and up the straights. I think the bike | |||
stayed in third for the full distance, with only the occasional downchange for a | |||
particularly tight hairpin. | |||
Although the Kawasaki has a six-speed box, top gear is really an overdrive. | |||
The GTR will go up to an indicated 140mph much quicker in fifth gear than it | |||
will in top, and once you get to the desired speed you just snick it into sixth | |||
and slot into cruising mode. In fact the GTR won't pull anywhere near the red | |||
line in top, the most I had out of it was just over 140mph at a tad over | |||
8000rpm. Even down-changing to fifth and giving it some severe grief wouldn't | |||
nudge the tacho or top speed any higher. | |||
Indulging in these high speeds highlighted the only two criticisms I can | |||
level at the Kawasaki - high-speed stability and vibration. The GTR was rock | |||
steady up to 110mph, but above that would oscillate slightly and took a while to | |||
settle down after it had been set snaking. Taking the panniers off or putting a | |||
pillion on improved matters somewhat, and I suspect that fine-tuning the | |||
suspension setting (something we weren't encouraged to do) would iron out this | |||
particular gripe. | |||
The suspension is handled at the back by Kawasaki's now familiar Uni-Trak | |||
system, although this is the first time it's been used on a shaftie. As per | |||
GPZ600,900 and 1000s, the Uni-Trak has air-assisted preload and four-position | |||
rebound damping, but unlike the system on the 1000RX the shock is only | |||
compressed from the bottom, not from both ends. Up front all the work is done by | |||
a pair of linked, air-assisted, 41mm forks. Unlike the GPZ range, the GTR | |||
doesn't feature Kawasaki's Advanced Variable Damping System, but it doesn't | |||
suffer for that. | |||
My other moan about the GTR is the vibration that's felt at high speeds. The | |||
bike feels smooth up to around 120mph, but above that, when the revs get up to | |||
7000, tingling vibrations can be felt through the bars despite the bar-end | |||
balancers. This slight buzz can be attributed to the fact that unlike the | |||
1000RX, which has a rubber-mounted engine in a cradle frame, the GTR's engine is | |||
slung in a diamond-type frame similar to that of the GPZ900 and uses the engine | |||
as a stressed member. The result of this is that the engine can't be | |||
rubber-mounted and consequently buzzes like the GPZ900 at higher revs (all of | |||
which is academic, because few people are going to keep up speeds of over 120mph | |||
for any length of time, however easy it might be on the GTR). | |||
Despite being basically bits of GPZ1000 and 900 cobbled together with a shaft | |||
drive adapted from a GT750 and the US-spec Eliminator, the GTR feels remarkably | |||
together in the handling department. It coped superbly with everything I threw | |||
at it, which ranged from 120mph autostrada sweepers to 20mph hairpins. | |||
The first day's riding was for the cameras, so it was decided to set up a couple | |||
of cornering shots on tight righthanders to illustrate the GTR's cornering | |||
abilities. Unlike any tourer I've ridden, the Kawa could be stuffed into tight, | |||
bumpy bends very easily, and very quickly. I found I could indulge in | |||
serious scratching antics normally reserved for balls-out sportsters, and | |||
although the ground clearance is excellent, after a few passes the GTR was going | |||
round the bends with the footrests or centre stand on the deck. Try that on a | |||
BMW RT and you'll find yourself in big-time trouble. | |||
Much of the GTR's cornering capability must be down to the super-smooth shaft | |||
drive. Because the shaft and swingarm are very long, the effect of the shaft | |||
loading and unloading the rear shock is minimized to the degree that it's | |||
noticeable only under very heavy acceleration or braking. | |||
Sweeping round a slow hairpin on a trailing throttle and then blasting out of | |||
it and on to the next won't have the back end pogoing all over the place, | |||
there's just an almost imperceptible lift at the back. No other shaft-driven | |||
bike, except maybe the old Suzuki GS850, has such smooth transmission, and it | |||
makes BMW and Moto Guzzi shafts seem prehistoric. | |||
It's not just slow corners that the GTR is good on, either. Anyone who has | |||
ridden on Italian autostradas will know that they are more like two-lane | |||
A-roads than motorways, with lots of tight bends (none of which are constant | |||
radius) and a wide variety of surfaces. On one occasion, I went into a very fast | |||
sweeper only to find it tightened up in an horrendous fashion and disappeared | |||
off to the left. To avoid going in through the driver's door of a Fiat Uno | |||
tootling along in the slow lane required a rapid, and none too subtle tightening | |||
up of line, something the GTR accomplished without so much as a twitch or | |||
complaint. It was a fairly close call, but illustrated just how well the | |||
Kawasaki can be made to change course, even at 120mph. | |||
Of course it's on the autostradas that the fairing really comes into | |||
its own. Fortunately, for the purposes of road testing at least, the last day's | |||
riding was done mostly in pouring rain, with the odd shower of sleet and snow | |||
thrown in for good measure. So we had ample opportunity to assess the fairing's | |||
protective capabilities - and capable it certainly is. Bearing more than a | |||
passing likeness to that of the K100RT, the fairing offers almost total weather | |||
protection without being overly wide and bulky. The screen is high enough to | |||
deflect air over any rider under six feet and creates a large pocket of still | |||
air. As I'm over six feet tall, I found that my helmet took a bit of a | |||
battering, but Kawasaki UK say that they may be offering a slightly higher | |||
screen as an extra at a later date. | |||
After four hours' riding in the rain and snow I would expect to be fairly | |||
comprehensively drenched, however good a fairing might be. But not on this | |||
Kawasaki. Unlike the K100RT, the GTR protects your feet, and if you keep the | |||
balls of your feet up on the pegs they'll keep dry during short showers. It | |||
takes a couple of hours before the rain gets through your boots. The only other | |||
part of me to get wet was the underneath of my wrists and forearms when the rain | |||
eddies round the fairing. The pieces of trim down either side of the fairing | |||
that deflect the elements still further away from the rider are a particularly | |||
nice touch. In hot weather these are detachable and different pieces can be | |||
fitted which deflect cooling air onto the rider. A brilliant piece of design | |||
that other manufacturers would do well to emulate. | |||
The rest of the fairing is similarly well thought out, with a small grille | |||
below the screen to aim cooling air at the rider's neck, flush headlight and | |||
indicators and superlative mirrors. These mirrors are quite simply the best on | |||
any bike I've ridden. They are adjustable in every direction, and even | |||
concertina in and out. And they give a massive field of vision behind you. | |||
The rest of the bodywork pays the same attention to detail and rider comfort. | |||
The saddle, which is easily big enough to accommodate two large persons, is as | |||
comfortable as that of the Moto Guzzi Spada (which, as everyone knows, is the | |||
world's most wonderful motorcycle perch). The top of the left-hand side-panel | |||
features a lifting handle for heaving the bike onto its centre stand - not an | |||
easy task, but easier than a Goldwing - and the same side-panel also has a | |||
little window in it for displaying your business card or a personalized | |||
nameplate (yes, I know, I laughed too). | |||
Further back are the Krauser look-a-like panniers, which as near as makes no | |||
difference are Krausers - the attachment and locking systems are exactly | |||
the same. | |||
Where the Kawasaki's score over the BMW ones is what happens once you've | |||
taken them off. Kawasaki supply natty panels that fit over the mounting points | |||
and give the bike a sleek, sporty look without said panniers on. Kawasaki say | |||
they will also be bringing out pannier inner bags at a later date. | |||
Above the panniers are two pillion grab rails with bungey hooks. Again, | |||
Kawasaki's designers have got it spot on, because the top of the tailpiece | |||
unbolts to reveal a small carrier rack. Two bungey hooks either side of the tail | |||
light can be used with the bungey hooks on the grab rails to attach a tent, tote | |||
bag, or whatever. Once you've filled up the panniers and luggage rack, there is | |||
even more room for smaller items in the fairing's two pockets and the huge, | |||
slab-topped tank is large enough to accommodate a tankbag of gargantuan | |||
proportions. To make the long-distance tourer's life complete, the GTR also has | |||
two accessory terminals so you can plug in your Teasmaid, cassette player or | |||
hairdryer. | |||
Kawasaki have decided to go with radial tires on the GTR because of their | |||
longer life expectancy and their claimed greater stability under heavy loads and | |||
at high speeds. During our four days' riding the tires were used under every | |||
condition you could care to imagine - high-speed cruising, spirited cornering | |||
and heavy braking. The Dunlop radials behaved in a thoroughly predictable manner | |||
and the only nasty moment occurred going into a sharp, downhill lefthander too | |||
fast. It was sleeting quite hard and the road surface was horrendous, so an | |||
indelicate handful of the front brake had the front end sliding a few inches | |||
sideways before it gripped again. | |||
For the rest of the test the tires behaved well despite the amount of weight | |||
on the skinny 110 front radial. I wouldn't like to hazard a guess as to how long | |||
a set of these Dunlops will last, but they should last up to 30 per cent longer | |||
than normal tires. | |||
One of the most impressive aspects of the GTR as a tourer is its fuel | |||
consumption and range. During the 350-mile autostrada blast from Sicily | |||
to Salerno the GTR returned 41mpg, which gives it a realistic range of around | |||
250 miles before you have to stop for petrol. And with the bike being so | |||
comfortable and effortless to ride it's no problem to do those 250 miles without | |||
stopping. Even when pushing the GTR along with indecent haste, the fuel | |||
consumption never dipped below 35mpg, although I dare say if you really went for | |||
it you might get it down to around 30mpg. Compare that with a K100, which is | |||
lucky if it can go more than 170 miles on a full tank, and you begin to see just | |||
how good the GTR is. | |||
Good isn't quite the right word to describe the 1000GTR. It is really the | |||
most complete motorcycle IVe ever ridden - its minor vices pale into | |||
insignificance against its all-round abilities as a sports-tourer. BMW must be | |||
seriously worried by the GTR, because when it comes into this country in May it | |||
will sell at just under £4500 (&400 less than a K100RT). They will have to make | |||
a lot more Vorsprung durch Technik before they better the GTR. | |||
Source MOTORCYCLE International 1986 | |||
The '''Kawasaki ZG1000A''' is a [[motorcycle]] produced by [[Kawasaki]] from 1986 to 2006. | The '''Kawasaki ZG1000A''' is a [[motorcycle]] produced by [[Kawasaki]] from 1986 to 2006. | ||
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<br style="clear: left"/> | <br style="clear: left"/> | ||
==Specs== | ==Specs== | ||
{| class="wikitable" | |||
|- | |||
!Make Model | |||
|Kawasaki GTR1000 / ZG 1000 Concours | |||
|- | |||
!Year | |||
|1986 - 89 | |||
|- | |||
!Engine Type | |||
|Four stroke, transverse four cylinder, DOHC, 4 valves per cylinder. | |||
|- | |||
!Displacement | |||
|997 cc / 60.8 cu-in | |||
|- | |||
!Bore X Stroke | |||
|74 x 58 mm | |||
|- | |||
!Cooling System | |||
|Liquid cooled | |||
|- | |||
!Compression | |||
|10.2:1 | |||
|- | |||
!Induction | |||
|4 x 32mm Keihin CV carburetors | |||
|- | |||
!Ignition | |||
|Electronic | |||
|- | |||
!Starting | |||
|Electric | |||
|- | |||
!Max Power | |||
|110 hp / 85 kW @ 9500 rpm (ZG 1100 - 97 hp / 72.3 kW @ 7000 rpm) | |||
|- | |||
!Max Power Rear Tire | |||
|94.4 hp / 70 kW @ 9500 rpm | |||
|- | |||
!Max Torque | |||
|10 kgf-m @ 6500 rpm | |||
|- | |||
!Transmission | |||
|6 Speed | |||
|- | |||
!Final Drive | |||
|Shaft | |||
|- | |||
!Front Suspension | |||
|41mm Telescopic, air-assisted adjustable preload | |||
|- | |||
!Front Wheel Travel | |||
|140 mm / 5.5 in | |||
|- | |||
!Rear Suspension | |||
|UNI-TRAK with adjustable preload, rebound damping and air pressure | |||
|- | |||
!Rear Wheel Travcel | |||
|140 mm / 5.5 in | |||
|- | |||
!Front Brakes | |||
|2x 272mm discs 1 piston caliper | |||
|- | |||
!Rear Brakes | |||
|Single 280mm disc 1 piston caliper | |||
|- | |||
!Front Tire | |||
|110/80 VR18 | |||
|- | |||
!Rear Tire | |||
|130/80 VR16 | |||
|- | |||
!Rake | |||
|28°, | |||
|- | |||
!Trail | |||
|100 mm / 3.9 in | |||
|- | |||
!Wheelbase | |||
|1554 mm / 61.2 in | |||
|- | |||
!Seat Height | |||
|797 mm / 31.0 in | |||
|- | |||
!Dry Weight | |||
|270 kg / 595 lbs | |||
|- | |||
!Wet Weight | |||
|296.0 kg / 652.6 lbs | |||
|- | |||
!Fuel Capacity | |||
|28.5 Liters / 7.5 US gal | |||
|- | |||
!Consumption Average | |||
|14.0 km/lit | |||
|- | |||
!Braking 60 - 0 / 100 - 0 | |||
|15.1 m / 39.8 m | |||
|- | |||
!Standing ¼ Mile | |||
|11.7 sec / 180.7 km/h | |||
|- | |||
!Top Speed | |||
|216.0 km/h / 134 mph | |||
|} | |||
*[[Media:ZG10A20.PDF]] | *[[Media:ZG10A20.PDF]] | ||
*[[Media:ZG1000A6F.PDF]] | *[[Media:ZG1000A6F.PDF]] | ||
==External Links== | ==External Links== |