KAWASAKI Z1000 A1

KAWASAKI Z1000 A1.
I love these old Z's and this bike looks like new.
In Mike's own words:
"I’ve only owned the bike for 6 months, in a swap for a very different bike – 1991 ZXR 750K1. Chalk and cheese!! Although this a nice bike clean 45 year old bike, 1977 Z1000A1, something just wasn’t quite right. Most of the mods were those done back-in-the-day to personalise or mod your bike but I wanted it back to original – or as close as. The clock covers were chrome, as was the headlamp bowl, the seat was from the later A3/A4, the centre stand was a generic one and didn’t sit well with the original exhausts and the biggest eyesore to me was the later A3/A4 carbs that were fitted. Most of the aesthetic bits were easy enough to find fit, albeit some expensive, and luckily I had some A1 carbs sitting in a cupboard waiting for this day to come out and play. Unfortunately the carbs weren’t quite ready for the video shoot, but are now fitted.

The Z1000A1 was a natural successor to the 903cc Z1 models and relied heavily on the performance reputation and brand image of its predecessor. The original Z1 903cc was bored out to 1015cc, 66mm to 70mm diameter pistons, and now produced 83bhp. This was only slightly more than the 81bhp from the predecessor Z1, but the crank was heavier to give less engine vibration and smoother acceleration with the bigger pistons. The A1 came in Diamond Wine Red or the Diamond Sky Blue that I have and it was visually the same as the Z1 but with a four into two Jardine exhaust and a disc brake at the rear, instead of a drum. Transmission was the same 5-speed, 1 down and 4 up, from the Z1 to power the 4.00” by 18” rear wheel, with a 3.25” by 19” front."

“The king is dead, long live the king!”

Kawasaki Z1000 manufacturing commenced in September 1976 for the 1977 model year. The Z1000A1 was an upgraded model to replace the 1976 Kawasaki Z900, which in turn replaced the Z1 launched in 1972 in the Z series. It has an inline-four cylinder engine and a 5-speed transmission, in a 'one down and four up' configuration. Producing about 90 hp, it was one of the fastest production motorcycles of the era.
Engine: 1,015 cc (61.9 cu in) 1977-1981
998 cc (60.9 cu in) 1981-2005 4 stroke DOHC air cooled Inline 4, Bore x stroke 70.0 mm x 66.0 mm, Compression ratio 8.7:1
Top speed 132 mph (212 km/h)
Power 83 hp @ 8,000 rpm (1977), 90 hp(1978)
Wheelbase 1,505 mm (59.3 in)
Dimensions L: 2,210 mm (87 in)
W: 880 mm (35 in)
H: 1,200 mm (47 in)
Weight 245.5 kg (541 lb) (dry)
563 lb (255 kg) (½ tank) (wet)
Fuel capacity 16.7 l (4.4 US gal)
Fuel consumption 45 mpg‑US (5.2 L/100 km)
Turning radius 2.4 m (7.9 ft)