Could Kawasaki’s Square Four Have Been A World Beater?

The fascinating story of Kawasaki's attempt in the early 1970s to make a 750cc Square 4 production motorcycle. Thanks to ‪@Free_Ranger_CT110‬ for suggesting this video.

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Translation of display notes at Kawasaki Good Times World in Kobe, Japan:

Kawasaki, which always aims to be the fastest in the world, won the title of the fastest commercially available vehicle with the air-cooled, two-stroke, three-cylinder 750SS (Mach IV) that was released in 1971. However, the power race became numerical due to market needs. In the midst of the demand for further performance improvement, the development of the SQUARE-FOUR, code number "0280", was started secretly. Kawasaki's development team aimed to exceed the Mach IV in top speed and machine perfection while maintaining the displacement and maximum output of the 750SS. It was a new challenge to pursue the performance of the entire motorcycle, rather than relying on power alone for acceleration performance and top speed. The engine adopts a compact water-cooled square 4 layout to reduce air resistance at the front, and the right front and left front and rear cylinders are integrated. It is a twin carburetor specification with an intake port connected to each, and fuel injection was also developed to match it. The 2-in-1 exhaust pipe, designed with design as a priority, has two independent pipes on the inside to prevent power loss. Development progressed smoothly and they were close to achieving their target figures, but the plan was halted in August 1973 due to US exhaust gas regulations. The ultra-high performance machine SQUARE-FOUR, nicknamed "Steak Tartare" within the company, became a phantom model that never saw the light of day.

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Music credit:

Ishikari Lore by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-...

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

#classicmotorcycles #classicmotorbike #kawasaki #1970smotorcycles