1983 GPZ 750
Kawasaki GPZ 750 made a good case for simplicity and simple engineering Wayne Rainey used a bicycle race based on the stock GPZ to win the Superbike Championship in 1983, even though, on paper, Kawasaki shouldn t have been competitive with Honda V-Fours mounted Raineys main competition Rainey won is a tribute both to the hard riding and building capacity of the motor Rob and Steve Johnson and the rest of Kawasaki racing crew, but is also a tribute to the motorcycle used as a basis for Rainey s runner.
This tribute is reinforced by a little-expected in California, New England, the South, GPz750s are winning road races stock club class and defeating Honda VF750F Interceptor in the process, while remaining reliable and no problem.
The GPZ750 1984 is still 738CC with bore and stroke of 66x54mm Both camshafts mounted directly in the molding cylinder head and act on the pushers secured to each valve and the spring, and eyelashes is adjusted by replacing small shims positioned in the upper portion of the valve spring retainer, beneath the bucket tappet cams are driven out of the center of the bearing crankshaft smoother by a chain link-plate another wider chain link plate bears power from the crankshaft to the output shaft, which drives the wet multi-plate clutch via a gear train transmission live speeds and the final transmission is a string 630 O-ring.
The GPZ breathes through a set of four carbohydrate CV Mikuni 34 mm; the exhaust system is in black chromium; and the ignition system is electronic.
The frame double downtube steel using a single damping and the air pressure adjustable damper connected to the aluminum swingarm by a wheelbase progressive linkage system is 58 inches rake 9 and track 28 degrees and 4 6 inches from the drive chain is adjusted by moving the rear axle forward a pair of Concentrics.
If all this sounds familiar, it is GPZ750 1984 is essentially the same as the GPZ750 1983 There are some GPz750s changes are available in silver paint or bright traditional red; 18 to gray iron alloy wheels are painted with polished reflections instead of red with polished reflections; the shroud mounted on the frame has a smooth inner liner; the drive chain is lighter through holes in the inner link plates, and longer with the new silicone grease used inside roller O-rings.
The only handlebar change improves dramatically driving comfort, and now the GPZ750 is not comfortable speeds, only twice Legal In fact, the new sitting position created by the bars changes the character and feel of the bike around the city and on the road without the distraction of sore wrists and shoulders caused by the 1983 bars, opinions runner how well the suspension of the Kawasaki is in normal use, the Kawasaki is a comfortable motorcycle If a word can be used to describe the behavior of the GPZ to speed, under pressure, is stable this stability is particularly noticeable in fast sweepers, bumpy and Kawasaki never shakes his head or flickering or changes direction without explicit command pilot If is a required price stability is a slight loss of agility, speed and the answer unless the GPZ is just my side before or just after an interceptor or GS750 with 16 to the front wheels, the rider will never notice anything, except that the Kawasaki goes around corners with a stable accuracy.
The bike has a good top speed, as well as to reach that speed takes more than half a mile from our test bike 1984 reached 123 mph in the half-mile extent, down two mph But 1983 given enough room, Kawasaki redline fifth speed, reaching 136 mph.
best quarter mile time a less-than-perfect day for Kawasaki was 12 43s with a terminal velocity of 106 25 mph, slower than our test bike s 1983 December 13 s to 109 Kawasaki 48 mph good peak power, according to a 85 hp at 9600 rpm, but the power band has a large hump over 7500 rpm and has no power midrange Suzuki or Honda 750s distribution power is most apparent traffic lights detach or pull around slower traffic on public roads; fast launch takes much rpm and a rapid transition takes demotion or two depending on the original cruising speed The GPZ running at 4400 rpm real indicated 60 mph 55 mph 60 is real.
At this speed†and to each other speed†engine Kawasaki is smoother 750 on the road, using the rubber surface of engine mounts It s no resonance of the body, without buzzing handles, none of blurred images in the mirrors fairing mounting that these mirrors do not show too much elbow and sleeve and not enough floor at the back.
Kawasaki gauges are a combination of simple and -tech, classic and unusual The speedometer is simple, integrated reading 150 mph with odometer and resettable Trip Meter The tachometer is smaller, maybe two third the size of the speedometer, and doubles as a voltmeter if the driver pushes and holds down the button on the panel mounting apparatus flanking the upper contact mounted triple clamp and fork lock switch are small pods containing hazard lights for turn signals, high beam, neutral, and failure of the lighthouse is also a flashing red light if the fuel level or battery fluid is low, if the pressure of falling oil or the sidestand to see what the problem light refers, the rider must look down to a liquid crystal display panel mounted on top Tank oir gas before the fuel gauge tank cap is a type of bar chart - most bars show, more fuel is in the tank gauges the deployment location and instruments is not universally popular - some rid ers hated it.
Where we Kawasaki beamed test was braking, it was only 119 feet to stop from 60 mph with perfect control and excellent feedback through the farm handlebar lever The anti-dive system, which increases the compression damping for slow fork compression braking, is controlled by a valve actuated by the brake fluid pressure system is adjustable, with four settings selected with a plastic button on each fork arm, but even at the solid system setting has no significant effect This obviously didn t hurt braking.
Dunlop tires Kawasaki s - a 110 F17 90-18 front and 130 K427rear 80-18 - are among the best original equipment tires and work well with sensitive brakes They're good for the vigorous street riding as well, tidy and good performance tread mileage too.
Perceptive readers may recall that when we compared the 1983 Honda, Kawasaki and Suzuki 750s, Kawasaki came third in almost all long-term performance measures t didn test show the durability and response Kawasaki easily achieved, legal class changes.
It seems that adding five or six teeth in a GPZ750 rear sprocket, good work valve, second Kawasaki oversized pistons and strict attention to factory specifications for minimum height platform cylinder any wonders for the fact that a Kawasaki Kawasaki is easy to work encourages modification, unlike Honda and its cylinders cast in Carter-.
It is therefore one of the two valves per cylinder, GPZ cooled air is rotatable with and overcome a four valves per cylinder, cooled with water and VF750F-per-four-cylinder valves, cooled to the GS750 air on the race track road.
Compared to the rest of the class, then, Kawasaki adapted high, undermining dragstrip and roadrace performance at least until the gears are changed by the owner but using mileage on our test loop mileage, Kawasaki returned 52 mpg.
Which brings us to a small disclaimer The machine seen and tested here is a model 49-state Bikes set in California in 1984 must have a charcoal canister system to capture the unburned hydrocarbons discharged from the gas tank and carburetor Kawasaki positions cannisters in its tail and routes the pipes carbohydrates and tank vent to the canister the entire system added a pound or two in weight bike, Kawasaki representatives tell us, and did not affect the performance of our bike but test t was not equipped with a canister.
On delivery, GPZ750 Kawasaki isn t as fast nor as fast as Suzuki or Honda 750, but the riders gift race t and don t ride Suzukis and Hondas back to back with Kawasaki will never notice the differences in delivery power is smooth, reliable and well meets minor changes to increase power because he is not the quickest and fastest 750, the GPZ is updated in many states, making it a good high flash case but at reduced or no cost, the GPZ750 is able to give his rider a lot of fun without problems.
Kawasaki GPZ 750, Kawasaki, GPZ750.