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On the freeway
it was
the licest thilg
in recent memory.
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Highway Patrolman involved in police test felt the Z-l had potential for police use. We agree.
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Conservatively styled but handsome.
cornerjng at any velocity, the machine
became very unsure of itself. The rear
end would begin to pogo and then to
creep out. Keeping a steady line was
nearly impossible, and all that weight
did nothing to lend confidence. New
shocks would have been better if brand
new, but then you will have to replace
them pretty soon anyway. Cheap shocks
have no place on a $2000 machine.
Out on the freeway, they are
splendid as is the rest of the machin~.
At 70 MPH you are registering 5,500 on
the tach. The engine sounds very
relaxed and pLeasant. Wind is cut down
by the instruments which act as a
spoiler to shield you somewhat.
Throttle pressure is very light despite
the absence of a friction dampener.
Even in fifth gear acceleration is all that
you need - and more. If you want to be
really impressive, drop it into third··and
let the tach spin. Red line is at 9000
RPM. By the time you get there in fifth,
you are going about 130 MPH. No muss.
No fuss.
The gear box is ligh t and very
positive. The neutral lights was slightly
out of synch and would occasionally lie
and say that it was in neutral when it
was in first. There is a fairly generous
gap in the ratios between first and
second which will be famiHar to most
Kawaski owners. The low first cog does
allow you to come off the line a little
more impressively than the weight
might otherwise allow.
The low first gear isn't necessary,
though, because of the bounty of low
speed power. In fact, you could literally
idLe the big machine around in first or
second without complaint. Power is
fairly even from 1500 RPM up.
To start, you richen the mixture and
push a button. It fires quickly (if you
remembered to tum the kill swi tch or! if not the starter won't work), but
requires a long warm up before the big
engine gets the idea. After four or five
