Kawasaki Z1
The mighty 903cc four with which Kawasaki redefined high-performance motorcycling in 1973 was not just the most awesomely fast and powerful superbike ever built. It was also a breathtakingly handsome machine whose high bars, teardrop tank, slinky sidepanels and colour-matched ducktail perfectly complemented its muscular, aircooled powerplant. Not that most riders of rival bikes got more than a glimpse of its upswept four-pipe exhaust system as the Z1 charged into the distance.
Good looks are all very well, but it was brutal power that earned the King its nickname. The dohc engine’s maximum output of 82bhp at 8500rpm outclassed Honda’s single-cam CB750 unit by fully 15bhp. The Z1 accelerated towards its 130mph-plus top speed with enough acceleration to rip the sleeves off its rider’s cheese-cloth shirt. In addition the engine’s tuning potential was huge, and its bottom-end strength turned the adjective “bulletproof” into a Seventies cliché.
Handling was a different story. The Zed’s blend of horsepower, high bars, marginal frame stiffness, basic twin-shock suspension and almost 250kg of fuelled-up weight made high-speed travel distinctly lively at times. Ridden hard, nothing on earth got the blood flowing like the big Zed. That merely adds to a legend which, 35 years later, shows absolutely no sign of dimming.
