Photo: Bring A Trailer
The Z1-R is one of those bikes whose identity you can recognize as soon as you see the silhouette.
The Honda CB750 may have been the first UJM (Universal Japanese Motorcycle), but Kawasaki’s KZ1000 Z1-R is no less spectacular. What you’re seeing in this article’s photo gallery is a 1978 model equipped with an assortment of aftermarket accessories, but let’s remind ourselves about the bike’s technical specifications before we go into any other details.
Within its tubular steel duplex cradle skeleton, the Z1-R houses an air-cooled DOHC inline-four colossus and a five-speed transmission. The four-stroke mill prides itself with four Mikuni carbs, eight valves and an astronomical displacement of 1,015cc. When the crankshaft spins at 8,000 revs, a peak horsepower figure of 94 ponies will be fed to the rear hoop via a chain final drive.
On the other hand, the powerplant will be more than happy to produce 63 pound-feet (85 Nm) of torque lower down the rpm range. This state of affairs allows the KZ1000 to sprint past the quarter-mile mark in 11.9 seconds while accelerating to a top speed of no less than 137 mph (220 kph). Long story short, it goes without saying the ‘78 MY missile was way ahead of its time!
Besides sporting fresh engine covers and a four-into-one Kerker exhaust system, the beast we’re featuring here also packs an electronic ignition setup. The valves and carburetors were resynchronized under current ownership, while the seals and gaskets have all been replaced. Z1-R's five-digit odometer tells us that it saw about 28k miles (45,000 km) of tarmac during its lifetime.
The vintage wonder is on its way to the auction block as we speak, with a top bid of just under seven grand. This whole ordeal is taking place on Bring A Trailer, where you’ll be able to bid for the mighty KZ1000 until Wednesday, August 18. If you find this creature as irresistible as we do, we’d encourage you to act before it’s too late.
Within its tubular steel duplex cradle skeleton, the Z1-R houses an air-cooled DOHC inline-four colossus and a five-speed transmission. The four-stroke mill prides itself with four Mikuni carbs, eight valves and an astronomical displacement of 1,015cc. When the crankshaft spins at 8,000 revs, a peak horsepower figure of 94 ponies will be fed to the rear hoop via a chain final drive.
On the other hand, the powerplant will be more than happy to produce 63 pound-feet (85 Nm) of torque lower down the rpm range. This state of affairs allows the KZ1000 to sprint past the quarter-mile mark in 11.9 seconds while accelerating to a top speed of no less than 137 mph (220 kph). Long story short, it goes without saying the ‘78 MY missile was way ahead of its time!
Besides sporting fresh engine covers and a four-into-one Kerker exhaust system, the beast we’re featuring here also packs an electronic ignition setup. The valves and carburetors were resynchronized under current ownership, while the seals and gaskets have all been replaced. Z1-R's five-digit odometer tells us that it saw about 28k miles (45,000 km) of tarmac during its lifetime.
The vintage wonder is on its way to the auction block as we speak, with a top bid of just under seven grand. This whole ordeal is taking place on Bring A Trailer, where you’ll be able to bid for the mighty KZ1000 until Wednesday, August 18. If you find this creature as irresistible as we do, we’d encourage you to act before it’s too late.
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