In June 1983, I was 22 years old and stationed at Dyess AFB Texas. I had just bought a used 1981 Kawasaki GPz 550 in Red and Black. I bought this bike used with 28,000 miles on it for $1,300.00 dollars. I rode this bike until August 1984 as my primary transportation. It was a really good bike and reliable! I had to sell it because I received orders to Japan. I sold this bike for $1,300.00 dollars. So, I rode it for about 14 months for free, just insurance and gas! Cool memory, all these years later.
I owned a '78 Z1-R from '79 to 84. Monster power at the time (fastest production bike in the world for a while). I loved that bike a lot and have always wished I had kept it. Touring, city riding, sight seeing, that bike did it all with style and class. My girlfriend at the time broke up with me after I traded it in for an '84 Goldwing. She was pissed! Love Kawasaki's
That was the first Z1000 Fuel Injection that I've seen outside of a magazine, nice, very similar to the Z1000 Mk11 that I once had. Just love Kawasaki, many thanks for posting
I can't believe I didn't see one of the most reliable all purpose motorcycles of all time. The C-10 Connie. A 1000 CC engine like the ZX only these came with 28 mm bore carbeurators instead of the 32 mm and it is a 6-speed shaft driven sports bike with luggage capacity. It has lots of power that was completely useable. If you wanted a pure sports bike all you had to do was detatch the luggage and racks and pop in the body panel. It was a beautiful machine that could run with the big boys.
@@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne. Yeah but it was probably the handling on that Z1300 that made your hair fall out. What a sound though. A rich mate of mine had one and a GS 800 for work. He let me have a go on the GS but never trusted me on the Z. Oh well. I later got a 1200 Bandit in the 90s for fun but don't ride these days. Love to have one of those Kawasaki Z9000R retro bikes. I may treat myself in the spring but it will likely just be a Honda Rebel or something easy to ride. All I'm fit for now is a coffin really. But then our generation are lucky to even still be here. Have a good one.
@@Geffo555 Well said, I too feel we had the best days of biking...it took some guts to go fast on such narrow tyres too but then again we knew no differently. My last big bike was a Hayabusa which I sold barely 5 months ago. I now ride a Honda NC750 DCT and what a fun ride it is too......
@@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne. All true mate. Every bike these days has ABS. We had to just feel it. We did have he best days though. I was a despatch rider back in the 80s. I'd get arrested if I rode like that now. Take care out there.
Nice stuff. But you mention the 6 cylinder was "long before BMW" (4:20) without mentioning Benelli and Honda had already produced 6 cylinder street/sport bikes. But before THAT, at about 3:10, you can see an original H2--the legendary 1972 two-stroke triple (it's the blue one in the background), without even mentioning it! There's no two-stroke triple (500cc H1), so I would say the original H2 is the real classic here. I bought new both a 1972 H1 and a 1973 Z-1, after ditching my 1970 Honda CB750. That was back in the day when I was buying every new toy Japan came up with. I bought a new 1984 Yamaha FJ1100, and another a couple of years later, a 1988 Kawasaki ZX-10 (my favorite, I think), and later a 1990 ZX-11 (in my mind, not quite as good as the ZX-10, which was prettier, and more stable at high speeds--although much more clumsy at low speeds). At 170 mph, speedometer pegged at some high number which was not trusted, the tach was sitting on redline in sixth gear and the engine ran out of steam at exactly that point, because of perfect gearing by Kawasaki. The bike was utterly stable and trustworthy at 170.
I once had the chance to ride a GPz750 turbo. At low revs, it had no more power than my GT550 until you reach the magic 4000 on the tacho, then the turbo begins to spin up and the fun begins.
G'day Roy, I have one in my shed right now and I'm so looking forward to what you just described. It's a restoration project that's been waiting a while until I get time to commit. I have a few things to resolve on my '88 ZL1000 Eliminator and my '97 ZZ-R1100-D5 then I'll be right wrist down on the turbo. Once the Turbo is finished then I'll start on the '84 GPz1100 (ZX1100-A2) Cafe Racer...
TBH it was a bit disappointing at first as in town it's got no more power than yer average scooter, but I guess that's the point! But get on the open road open the throttle and wait a few seconds for the rotors to spin up and "hello horizon!" :-)
I just love the Z1 900 it is probably my favourite bike of all time. Particularly the Z1Amodel with the polished alloy engine, beautiful. Incidently, where was this filmed, all thespeedo's are in kph not mph.
@@YTjndallas Another of my all time favourite bikes was the Suzuki GT750 3 cylinder two stroke. I just loved the look and the sound of them. I can remember back in 1977 sitting on one in a dealers showroom and thinking Wow, would'nt it be great to ride home on this. I never got to own one, but got to ride one way back in 1986. My younger Brother bought one, that was in reasonable condition, and he let me ride it around the block. It was a "Dream" come true. Unfortunately, not long after he bought it, it began to turn mechanically noisy, we stripped down the top end of the engine and found broken piston rings. The cylinder block had to be re-bored, and we fitted over size pistons to it. I made sure the rings did not pinch at the top of the bore, this is what usually breaks rings. Put it all back together with new gaskets and small end bearings, then it ran really well, That is, until he sold it to some "Moron" who thrashed it mercilessly, and trashed an otherwise excellent bike. If I had had the cash at the time, I would have bought it of him.
GPX 750's sitting unloved :-( I currently ride a GPZ 1000RX A3 circa 1989 but was looking to find an old love of mine. One day when I win the lotto or rob kawasaki HQ? ;-)
I have owned and ridden Kawasaki most of my life. Looking at the video I remember some really great but also some really terrible Kawasaki's. I don't mean handling ( we wont go there on the 900's and early 1000's) I am talking pure reliability. Pork Chop Crankshafts come to mind that twisted if you dropped a clutch, the 1000 that followed the Ninja 900, absolute rubbish. Lot's there that I wouldn't give you thank you for ... but then again, lot's that I would love to own r ride again
No one can make 2 stokes anymore. They made 750 and 500 triple two stokes too. The 500 rides and stops like a bus, flexable chassis and bad drum brakes
In June 1983, I was 22 years old and stationed at Dyess AFB Texas. I had just bought a used 1981 Kawasaki GPz 550 in Red and Black. I bought this bike used with 28,000 miles on it for $1,300.00 dollars. I rode this bike until August 1984 as my primary transportation. It was a really good bike and reliable! I had to sell it because I received orders to Japan. I sold this bike for $1,300.00 dollars. So, I rode it for about 14 months for free, just insurance and gas! Cool memory, all these years later.
Die Klassiker sind wahre Schätze ,egal von welchen Hersteller sie kommen. Danke für den Rundgang ,war sehr schön anzuschaun.
Great bikes. Had a H1 500 which was a scary bike, very quick but didn't like going around corners. Then bought a Z650 in 1977, best bike I ever owned.
I owned a '78 Z1-R from '79 to 84. Monster power at the time (fastest production bike in the world for a while). I loved that bike a lot and have always wished I had kept it. Touring, city riding, sight seeing, that bike did it all with style and class. My girlfriend at the time broke up with me after I traded it in for an '84 Goldwing. She was pissed!
Love Kawasaki's
WOW...my loves👍👍👍.....amazing classic motorcycles. Kawasaki is my favorite 💙💙💙 thanks for sharing this video. 👍
That green z650 my dream bike as I couldn't afford a z1 or z900. Some really great bikes. Thanks for the upload
Kawasaki was my favourite off all the motorcycles had z650 and Z1000 A1 1015 cc
Früher waren die Motorräder eben noch echte Kunstwerke! Liebevoll konstruiert und wunderschön...
Kawasaki is great.
I am using KB100 RTZ from 1988 and till today it is working fine. Excellent workmanship.
Sanjay pune India.
That was the first Z1000 Fuel Injection that I've seen outside of a magazine, nice, very similar to the Z1000 Mk11 that I once had. Just love Kawasaki, many thanks for posting
I had a GPZ750 turbo in the 90's in Australia,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,ton of fun and super quick.
Not enough coverage of the triples. After all, these were the bikes that put Kawasaki on the map.
bring them back love these bikes arr bliss
I love Kawasaki
Very nice to see this movie . I own a Z900 in 1977 for years great bike .
come on kawasaki get your shit together and remake the 1975 z1b again ,you will be the hit with the world.
I can't believe I didn't see one of the most reliable all purpose motorcycles of all time. The C-10 Connie. A 1000 CC engine like the ZX only these came with 28 mm bore carbeurators instead of the 32 mm and it is a 6-speed shaft driven sports bike with luggage capacity. It has lots of power that was completely useable. If you wanted a pure sports bike all you had to do was detatch the luggage and racks and pop in the body panel. It was a beautiful machine that could run with the big boys.
That KH400 is GORGEOUS! Lightweight, and the 2-stroke sound must be music!
+AudiophileTubes It is.
wow that was fabulous. love them all. but that z1r 1000 and the z1300 I'd kill for them two.
Oh man, wish I still had my Z650. Wish I still had my hair.
I'm bald too but would happily settle for just my old Z1300....you can keep the hair, too much like hard work...
@@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne. Yeah but it was probably the handling on that Z1300 that made your hair fall out. What a sound though. A rich mate of mine had one and a GS 800 for work. He let me have a go on the GS but never trusted me on the Z. Oh well. I later got a 1200 Bandit in the 90s for fun but don't ride these days. Love to have one of those Kawasaki Z9000R retro bikes. I may treat myself in the spring but it will likely just be a Honda Rebel or something easy to ride. All I'm fit for now is a coffin really. But then our generation are lucky to even still be here. Have a good one.
@@Geffo555 Well said, I too feel we had the best days of biking...it took some guts to go fast on such narrow tyres too but then again we knew no differently. My last big bike was a Hayabusa which I sold barely 5 months ago. I now ride a Honda NC750 DCT and what a fun ride it is too......
@@BibTheBoulderTheOriginalOne. All true mate. Every bike these days has ABS. We had to just feel it. We did have he best days though. I was a despatch rider back in the 80s. I'd get arrested if I rode like that now. Take care out there.
No, Z1100 shaft drive.
They are vastly better looking than the majority of todays bikes by far.
Nice stuff. But you mention the 6 cylinder was "long before BMW" (4:20) without mentioning Benelli and Honda had already produced 6 cylinder street/sport bikes. But before THAT, at about 3:10, you can see an original H2--the legendary 1972 two-stroke triple (it's the blue one in the background), without even mentioning it! There's no two-stroke triple (500cc H1), so I would say the original H2 is the real classic here. I bought new both a 1972 H1 and a 1973 Z-1, after ditching my 1970 Honda CB750. That was back in the day when I was buying every new toy Japan came up with. I bought a new 1984 Yamaha FJ1100, and another a couple of years later, a 1988 Kawasaki ZX-10 (my favorite, I think), and later a 1990 ZX-11 (in my mind, not quite as good as the ZX-10, which was prettier, and more stable at high speeds--although much more clumsy at low speeds). At 170 mph, speedometer pegged at some high number which was not trusted, the tach was sitting on redline in sixth gear and the engine ran out of steam at exactly that point, because of perfect gearing by Kawasaki. The bike was utterly stable and trustworthy at 170.
I once had the chance to ride a GPz750 turbo.
At low revs, it had no more power than my GT550 until you reach the magic 4000 on the tacho, then the turbo begins to spin up and the fun begins.
G'day Roy, I have one in my shed right now and I'm so looking forward to what you just described. It's a restoration project that's been waiting a while until I get time to commit. I have a few things to resolve on my '88 ZL1000 Eliminator and my '97 ZZ-R1100-D5 then I'll be right wrist down on the turbo. Once the Turbo is finished then I'll start on the '84 GPz1100 (ZX1100-A2) Cafe Racer...
TBH it was a bit disappointing at first as in town it's got no more power than yer average scooter, but I guess that's the point! But get on the open road open the throttle and wait a few seconds for the rotors to spin up and "hello horizon!" :-)
Great Video! I used to own GPZ750 too, Good bike😉😀
A buddy of mine growing up had an '81 Z1000 that was hot af.
i would drive that 900 till the wheels fell off
Kawasaki heaven.......
had the RX1000 now have a ZX600R-G and a GPX 750R
haha... kein Wunder als Vertreter der Kawasaki-Fraktion (-: schön, dass du in meinen Kanal reinschaust (-:
The pick of the pack geonerd...maybe we're a bit biased though.
RX 1000👍 Had one in black that i toured Europe on.
At 3:14 I see my 1984 GPz750 Turbo (ZX750-E1) but where is my 1984 GPz1100-A2, 1987 ZL1000 Eliminator and 1997 ZZ-R1100 (ZX-11) D series?
I just love the Z1 900 it is probably my favourite bike of all time. Particularly the Z1Amodel with the polished alloy engine, beautiful. Incidently, where was this filmed, all thespeedo's are in kph not mph.
filmed in Härkingen Switzerland, one of the headquarters Kawasaki Schweiz
OK thanks.
A friend of mine has a 1972/3 Z1 900 that I have the pleasure of helping with restoration. It’s in pretty good condition.
@@YTjndallas Another of my all time favourite bikes was the Suzuki GT750
3 cylinder two stroke. I just loved the look and the sound of them. I can
remember back in 1977 sitting on one in a dealers showroom and thinking
Wow, would'nt it be great to ride home on this. I never got to own one, but
got to ride one way back in 1986. My younger Brother bought one, that
was in reasonable condition, and he let me ride it around the block. It was
a "Dream" come true. Unfortunately, not long after he bought it, it began
to turn mechanically noisy, we stripped down the top end of the engine
and found broken piston rings. The cylinder block had to be re-bored,
and we fitted over size pistons to it. I made sure the rings did not pinch
at the top of the bore, this is what usually breaks rings. Put it all back
together with new gaskets and small end bearings, then it ran really well,
That is, until he sold it to some "Moron" who thrashed it mercilessly, and
trashed an otherwise excellent bike. If I had had the cash at the time, I
would have bought it of him.
I love my zx6e if I buy a new bike I'm either going with a zx10 or a ninja 1000
witzig,,,war auch da und ist sogar ein Freund auf dem video also sollte ich auch inrgendwo herumlungern :-)))
Where's the GPz900R ...?!!!! The one and only ...Ninja?
Kawasaki also had a 600 ninja.
GPX 750's sitting unloved :-(
I currently ride a GPZ 1000RX A3 circa 1989 but was looking to find an old love of mine.
One day when I win the lotto or rob kawasaki HQ? ;-)
The soundtrack ???
The Z-1R didn't come out with a coffin shaped fuel tank for no reason... Shall I add the ZZR1100?!...
Kawasaki is the best
Very naic baik
wie wil nou n suzuki ry as daar sulke kunswerke is.
Were thise bikes .witch country
kawasaki swiss-import Härkingen SO, Switzerland....
I have owned and ridden Kawasaki most of my life. Looking at the video I remember some really great but also some really terrible Kawasaki's. I don't mean handling ( we wont go there on the 900's and early 1000's) I am talking pure reliability. Pork Chop Crankshafts come to mind that twisted if you dropped a clutch, the 1000 that followed the Ninja 900, absolute rubbish. Lot's there that I wouldn't give you thank you for ... but then again, lot's that I would love to own r ride again
at 4:37 a real dream Z1300 ! ! ! ! !! !
and at 4:18 the big daddy off all muscle bikes hones in to view.......Z1300
اشتري منكم واحدة
They have a plant in the USA hire American workers.
No Gpz 900 R, no LIKE...
3:17 :)
Wow,,a 400 triple 2 stroke? Not legal in Canada. Boo hoo.
No one can make 2 stokes anymore. They made 750 and 500 triple two stokes too. The 500 rides and stops like a bus, flexable chassis and bad drum brakes
I wouldn't own an air cooled over 750cc. They get too hot in the summer after a few hrs of riding.
I rode a xs11 from bullhead City to death valley last year in temps over 120 with no problems
Im done with the video after seeing this bike that just sits and does nothing.
No zx11👎🏾
I love my zx6e if I buy a new bike I'm either going with a zx10 or a ninja 1000