1973 Kawasaki Z1: King of the Road
(Page 4 of 5)
May/June 2006
By Margie Siegal
Despite producing what was at the time amazing power, the Z1 ran on regular gas, featured emissions-control piping and ran a compression ratio of 8.5:1. It was marketed as a Grand Prix tourer: a fast bike with excellent handling and reliability.
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Upon its release, the Z1 was the front-burner test project for all of the motorcycle magazines, and testers raved about the smoothness of the bike, with vibration damped by rubber mountings for the footpegs, headlight, speedometer and mufflers. Starting (either kick or electric) was easy, acceleration was linear with no flat spots, and straight-line stability was impressive.
Testers also noted the bike's wide powerband, good low-speed manners, accurate steering and excellent handling on both tight mountain roads and big sweepers. Complaints centered on the rear shocks, chain and rear tire: all wore out way too fast.
In December 1972, Cook Neilson, Jess Thomas and Dale Boller conducted a Superbike comparison test for Cycle Magazine, pitting the Z1 against Kawasaki's 750cc two-stroke, a Norton Commando, a Ducati, a Triumph Triple, a Honda and a Harley Sportster. The Z1 tied for the fastest lap times, came in second in the braking test (just ahead of the Norton) and turned a 12.386 quarter mile. It was one of the quietest in the test group, averaging 84.3 decibels. Cycle Magazine's dyno rated the Z1 at 64.15hp @ 8,440rpm, 15 horses more than the Norton, which, although it was powered by an engine originally designed in the late 1940s, had a racetrack lap time only a second slower.
Kawasaki hit a home run with the Z1, and continued building bikes derived from its architecture for almost a decade. While hardcore Kawasaki fans will tell you the model died in 1975 when it became the Z900, visually little changed for the next two years. The real shift came in 1977 when the 1,015cc Z1000 was introduced, the model that signaled the end of the original King of the Road. Various iterations were produced over the next few years, including a touring version with shaft drive, and in 1981 Kawasaki turned out a Z cafe racer, which returned the bike to its roots after several years of increasingly sedate specification. The big air-cooled engine was finally retired in 1984 in favor of liquid cooling and four-valves-per-cylinder.
Back to the future
By the time Kawasaki stopped making Z1s, Troyce had cut back on the youthful pursuits of partying and traveling to the Coast on a moment's notice, instead settling down to steady work. He kept riding, however, and began building a collection of bikes. And despite his experience with the Norton, Troyce has owned several British motorcycles, and a 1964 BSA A65 Rocket currently sits in his garage.
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