Kawasaki Open Class History - Part 1 The Air Cooled Years

With the release of the Kawasaki H2 and H2R still blowing everyone's minds, lets look back at some of the other big bad open class bikes Kawasaki has made over the years.

Back in the 60s, Kawasaki was making a big name for themselves with high powered two-stroke triples, and that name was unfortunately “the widowmaker.” One of the fastest bikes your saved up lunch money could buy in 1968 was the Kawasaki H1 500cc two-stroke triple.

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Even when Honda introduced the revolutionary CB750 four-cylinder in 1969, the H1 was still the quickest—at over 100lbs lighter with nearly the same power. So why the evil reputation? Because it didn’t handle or stop anywhere near as well as it went. The power also came on all of a sudden, even more so if it was tuned.

Team green had a solution though: more power! The 750cc H2 version came out in 1972. Of course, 70s motorcycle fashion didn’t help much in the handling and stopping department.

But Kawasaki knew the writing was on the wall for two-strokes and had been working on their own 750cc 4 cylinder, code named “New York Steak,” before Honda had revealed the CB750. The engineers took a good long look at the Honda and went back to the drawing board, vowing to outdo Honda with a better everything. They came back with a 903cc, dual overhead cam, air-cooled inline that was so well engineered, versions of it are still used for drag racing today.

1973-74 Z1 – It’s the real thing

At almost 550lbs ready to ride and full of gas, these bikes are no lightweights, but they featured over 80hp and plenty of torque everywhere. Unlike their two-stroke siblings, these bikes all came with a disc brake from the factory, and the option of a second as close as the parts department.

That big heavy four-stroke motor also helped keep the front wheel on the ground, which was a real boon to handling and stopping. Don’t be misled though, the front wheel would easily point at the North Star if you wanted it to. Tire, shock, and brake technology still weren’t up to the amount of go power, but engineers were burning the midnight oil trying to get there.

Today, these bikes sell for more than you would think. Yes, early Honda CB750s are gaining in price, but a nice Kawasaki Z1 from 1973-74 goes for more. The NADA price guide lists excellent condition 1973 examples as being worth nearly $10k, while good condition bikes from either year go for nearly $2,500.

1975-76 Z1-B/KZ900 – Evolutionary Changes and the LTD

In 1975, the Z1 got some updates which actually make it a better bike to ride and live with, and it got even more tractable in 1976 (read: less powerful), but these year bikes sell for much less than their nearly identical older brethren. NADA says excellent 1975-76 examples are worth just $3,400, and good ones little more than $1000. This includes the KZ900 LTD factory custom bike too, which was hugely popular with everyone—except the people at Harley Davidson.

The LTD version features cast aluminum “mag” wheels, a scooped out seat, a smaller rear wheel, and more chrome and custom touches. People who care about these things draw a direct line from this bike to the Honda Shadows, Kawasaki Vulcans, and the rest of the modern Japanese cruiser set.

1977-1978 KZ1000 – A full liter of fun

These bikes are very similar to the 900cc bikes, but with an extra-large bore and over 1000cc. The engine cases were improved and strengthened, but still featured the round cam covers of the original Z1. Power was up slightly for 1977, and for ‘78 some models made an even 90hp. Of course, brakes and handling had improved by leaps and bounds over the early 70s models as well, and these bikes even got a disc brake on the back too.

The best of the bunch was the factory café racer KZ1000 Z1-R, which had larger carburetors, a 4-1 exhaust, a smaller diameter front wheel, and a bikini fairing for better high speed riding. This was the Kawasaki Ninja’s great grandpa.