Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125800
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(>