Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Cycle News 1972 09 19

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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By Art Friedman Photos by Randy Dietzel The rumors have been flying about for several years. A Kawaski four-stroke of monstrous displacemen t was being developed. A t first there were two configurations that kept running through the rumor mill. Both were four cylinder dual overhead cam four strokes. One was an in line configuration of about 1000cc's and the other was a V-4 displacing about 1300cc with the banks being arranged somewhat like the Ducati 750. The one that arrived first is the former and the displacemen t of the production version is 903cc. It does have the DOHC in line four which is a first for the industry. Honda has produced both the four cylinder and DOHC features on their production bikes but they have never combined them. The Z-l, as the machine is designated, produces a claimed 82 bhp at 8500 RPM. The carbs are smallish looking Mikunis patterned after the Keihins found on the Honda 350 four and 250 single. Transmission is a five-speed, and there is an electric stayter. There is no dipstick on the filler for the wet sump lubrication system. Instead, the right case has a small round window that has marks indicating where the oil level should be. Even the lazy rider can check his oil without any hassle. Although the few machines that are in the country are in great demand, we were allowed to spend an afternoon with one of the pre-pToduction versions in order to muster our impressions. Our first impression was that it is. a big machine. The wheelbase is 58 inches long, and weight is claimed to be 506 pounds. The size isn't reflected in seat height, however. The operator's portion of the seat is lowered so that even smaller staffers could reach the ground. However, the slope of the seat tended to cause a piJIion passenger to slide forward under braking. Kawasaki engineers have done their usual detailing. That seat back (which inspired some debate about styling) incorporates a drawer that may be used for tools and there is another storage area under the seat, too. There are all the usual lights on the instrument panel: neutral, flasher, high beam, and oil pressure. The oil system features a large ABrief Excursion into the 903cc Z-l en Ci " (/) ~ w Z W ...J U >U The extreme cornering style wasn't really necessary, cooler which is mounted under the front of the gas tank and looks very efficient. The side reflectors required by Big Brother Sam are mounted on the suspension in both the fron t and rear. Alright, enough of the preliminaries. What is it like to ride? Well, it is fast. Is it the fastest? Maybe_ The strongest machine going these days is the Kawaski 750, and seat of the pants impressions make the 900 seem just about equal. Kawasaki claims a higher top speed for the Z-l, however. So up there around the 9000 rpm redline it may be traveling at a greater velocity in top gear than the 750. Acceleration seems to be very even between the two, however. This means that you can expect quarters in the 12's from the Z-l. The braking of the Z-l is good. A four stroke has a higher center of gravity than a two stroke, and therefore the weight transfer is greater under braking. In a hard braking situation the rear wheel locks up easily while tbe 3.25 X 19 front tire takes a 101' of pressure to lock. Low speed handling is very ligh t and pleasant. At high speed the machine goes right where you want it, although there is a distinct wobble-wish in hard cornering at high speed. There was no steering damper and the new H-I "wobble pump" would probably cure the wiggle if it exists in the final production version. There was no vibration to fatigue you and cornering didn't require a lot of muScle. Ground clearance was adequate at least. It looks like the Z-l is going to be a very good motorcycle. Reliability has been tested very thoroughly. Thousands of hours have been put on them at Talladega, Ontario, and other race courseS and highways getting to and from them_ One machine had a Honda decal slapped on it and went back and forth across the country without comment. They have a lot of testing miles on them. They will be available by the end of the year it is hoped and look for a CN test before then. Left: The bike that we rode had a big oil cooler. Bike is tall, but seat is low. Above: There is a viewing hole for checking oil level rather than the usual dip stick. some AJItima....' iOlperf(>

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