Kawasaki KZ1000

The Kawasaki KZ1000, also written Z1000, is a four-cylinder motorcycle that Kawasaki built in Japan from September 1976 for the 1977 model year, upgrading the KZ900 that had itself replaced the 1972 Z1. Its inline-four engine and five-speed gearbox made about 83 hp, which put it among the fastest production motorcycles of its day. Against the KZ900 it had a heavier crankshaft, a bore enlarged from 66 to 70 mm and a rear disc brake, and chain or shaft drive were both offered. Variants include the 1980 Z1000H, the first mass-produced fuel-injected motorcycle, the Z1-R, the 1981 Z1000J with a 998 cc engine, the Eddie Lawson Replica and the KZ1000C and KZ1000P police models, which stayed in production until 2005. It won AMA Superbike titles in 1977, 1978 and 1981, and is not the same machine as the 2003 Z1000.