If you love classic Kawasaki motorcycles this photo and video gallery is for you. If you know any fellow vintage Kaw maniacs, please share it with them and please feel free to share a photo or a story involving your favorite classic Kawasaki. Enjoy!
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Two of the most iconic and legendary motorcycles of all-time, a 1973 Kawasaki Z900 and a 1972 Kawasaki H2 750 two stroke.
An outstanding 1976 Kawasaki KZ 900. It was the first year for the KZ 900 following the Z1900, How many of these legendary machines went to the drag strip?
A very cool, vintage 100 c.c. Kawasaki Dragbike
Not a lot of horsepower, but a whole lot of fun!
The 1972 Kawasaki H2 750. This legendary two-stroke triple was known as “The Widowmaker.”
The Kawasaki GPZ1100 is a motorcycle that was manufactured by Kawasaki from 1981 to 1984. All four models featured fuel injection and 1,089 cc engines. All were short lived and were an attempt to fill a market segment that was rapidly changing.
The basic design of the Z1 remained relatively unchanged until 1975, when the 903 cc “Z1-B” was introduced, with changes including increased power output, improved suspension, and a stiffer frame. The automatic chain oiler was deleted, the styling was revised (essentially paint scheme and side cover nomenclature), and the braking was improved.
The famous, mighty four cylinder Z1900 engine.
The “Purple People Eater” 1973 Kawasaki H2 used a 748 CC air cooled two stroke inline 3 cylinder motor that made 74 HP with a five speed transmission for a top speed of 120 MPH. A wet weight of 463 LBS, front disc and rear drum brakes, steel tube cradle frame and good suspension made a very, very fast motorcycle.
The Kawasaki H2, for all it’s ‘widowmaker’ reputation was actually an upgraded and refined bike compared to the H1 that appeared in 1969. The Kawasaki design team really did a lot to fix the obvious flaws from the H1. Head shake was much improved (the H2 came with a stock steering damper), power delivery wasn’t as peaky, and the brakes were much improved
In 1980, a very young Eddie Lawson was just beginning his ascension to the top ranks of road racing. He won the AMA Superbike Series in 1981 and 1982 as a Kawasaki factory rider, and the KZ1000R – henceforth forever known as the Eddie Lawson Replica (ELR) – was his tribute.
The Kawasaki A1 Samurai is a 250 cc (15 cu in) standard class Kawasaki motorcycle which was sold from 1967 through 1971
The engine was a unique straight twin, two-stroke, air-cooled, oil-injected, dual rotary disc valve. The engine’s ignition air supply began in an air filter canister below the seat and was pulled through a large plenum chamber just above the transmission and behind the cylinder head then downward into the two internal passages leading to the carburetor housing feeding the carburetors. The A1 had two Mikuni carburetors located on the engine’s left and right sides and inline with the crankshaft. The carburetors were enclosed and protected from the elements by carburetor covers fixed to the crankcase. Inboard of each carburetor, and supporting each carburetor, was the disc cover. The rotary disc valve was housed inboard of that cover. The A1 Samurai motor was lubricated by the Superlube system, with 2-stroke oil directly injected in the intake tract. Previously equipped with points, the ignition system was equipped in 1969 with a Capacitor discharge ignition including thyristor-based switching system then increased the voltage to between 25,000 and 30,000 volts reducing the unburned fuel mixture within the cylinders.[1] This combination of displacement (247cc), CDI system, and rotary discs produced 31 hp (23.1 KW) @ 8000 RPM gave the Samurai a power-to-weight ratio of 1 horsepower per 11 pounds of weight, a 0-60 mph of 6.6 second,[citation needed] making the Samurai as fast or faster than production competitors in its class.
By mid-1960s, the US had become the largest motorcycle market. American riders were demanding bikes with more horsepower and higher maximum speeds. Kawasaki already had the first 650 cc,[citation needed] the Kawasaki W series, but it did not fit the niche Kawasaki was aiming for. Honda introduced its Honda CB450 in 1965 and in 1969, the Suzuki T500 1 Cobra appeared. Also in development was the Yamaha XS 650. Already familiar with the Honda CB450, Kawasaki development began work on the top secret N100 Plan in 1967. The goal was to produce a motorcycle with 500 cc displacement that was able to develop 60 hp and have 13-second quarter-mile times, then considered over the achievable limit for a road bike.[1] When announced, the H1 was critiqued in UK motorcycling press for their “own ambitious claim” of “the fastest and best accelerating road machine ever produced, being capable of 124 mph and 12.4 sec. for the standing start quarter mile”.
The paint looks like a 1973 but it’s actually a 1977 KZ 1000 “Resto Mod.” It’s been restored and modified using more modern components
The Kawasaki Z1-R was introduced in 1978 and was produced for two years, 78 and 80. Here is a custom painted 78.
Following the success of the Z 1000, Kawasaki developed the “Z1-R” as a new top model motorcycle that would set standards in design and performance. This emphasizes motorcycle with a fixed half-shell lining was only available with a metallic silver-blue paint. Although the design was well received from the potential buyers, sales remained unsatisfactory after tests in motorcycle magazines. They criticized among other things such as the poor engine performance and the small fuel tank.
The Z1R was more a styling exercise than a new motorcycle. The R-bike featured a handlebar fairing — a first on a Japanese sport bike — the squared-off lines of which were echoed in the “coffin” gas tank, triangular side panels and swooping tailpiece, all finished in ice-blue metallic paint. You certainly couldn’t miss it — which was the idea.
Underneath the bodywork the KZ1000 engine (now with 28mm versus 26mm carbs) went into the same flexy frame and exhaled through a new 4-into-1 exhaust. Claimed horsepower was up to 90 at the crank (though period dyno tests failed to find much more than the stock KZ). New cast alloy wheels were 18-inch front and rear (the KZ1000’s wire front wheel was 19-inch), and drilled triple discs handled slowing the big blue bike. It was when reviewers actually rode the Z1R that the wheels started to come off — off the ground, anyway. Although it had extra gusseting, the R bike used essentially the same frame as the earlier, lighter Z1. The smaller front wheel reduced the marginal trail even more, making the R even livelier than its predecessor, plus it had stiffer rear springs and increased damping. “It doesn’t roll over bumps: it bounces from crest to crest,” wrote Cycle Guide in a period review. The same magazine found the handling “less than road racer precise thanks to numerous rubbery frame tubes.”
1975 Z1 Candy Super Red Kawasaki
The Z1 was noted for being the first large-capacity Japanese four-cylinder motorcycle to use the double-overhead-camshaft system on a production motorcycle. When it was introduced, only the MV Agusta 750 featured this system, and was a limited-production, very expensive machine, as opposed to the Kawasaki, which was less than half the price
The classic Kawasaki instrument cluster and gauges.
Have you ever seen a 1978 Kawasaki KZ 1000 American? This was a very rare production to commemorate the opening of Kawasaki’s first American factory.
Beautiful paintwork on the rare 1978 Kawasaki KZ 1000 American
The Kawasaki Z1300 is a muscle bike with a water-cooled 1,300 cc straight-six engine that was manufactured by Kawasaki between 1979 and 1989.
The Z1300 had six cylinders, water cooling, and shaft drive, The undersquare stroke of 71 mm and bore of 62 mm kept the engine width acceptable, but the high piston speed limited the maximum rpm figure. During its ten-year production run, fuelling was switched from carburetors to electronic fuel injection and suspension was upgraded to air systems front and rear. Fuel injection system was adopted primarily to improve fuel consumption, but as a bonus were increased power and torque.
The 1972 H2 came with a single front disc brake, a second disc brake was an optional Kawasaki part, an all-new capacitor discharge ignition system unique to the H2, a chain oiler, a steering friction damper and a hydraulic one .
A standard, factory produced H2 was able to travel a quarter mile from a standing start in 12.0 seconds. It handled better than the Mach III that preceded it.
Yes, indeed, Kawasaki’s 1972 Mach IV—a.k.a. the H2—was shockingly quick for its day, faster than most street riders could wrap their heads around. It ran low 12s at the strip, quicker than any streetbike in history. It wheelied too easily in first gear, surged and shook like a wet dog at certain revs, got lousy fuel mileage (high teens when ridden hard), was loud, and smoked like a chimney. Yes, the very recipe for success.
The Cycledrag.com 1977 Kawasaki KZ 1000 – a work in progress since 2001. It’s got a fresh 1197 built by the great Larry and Steve McBride
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