The Kawasaki GPz900R - A True Classic
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All through the seventies, bike manufacturers, particularly the Japanese giants had been competing to produce the most powerful and fastest bikes of the time.
1983 had seen the launch of Honda's VF750F with its revolutionary 90 degree V4 engine sitting in a package that gave unprecedented power and handling for a Japanese bike, and whose roots have extended right up to the present day.
Kawasaki had already produced the GPz1100 in 1981, which although fairly basic with its 1100cc two valve per cylinder engine actually blew the competition away. However, the 1984 GPz900R, although looking simillar cosmetically, was a whole new machine which devasted the competition.
The fact that the GPz900R stayed in production for 15 years, and remained at or near the top of the superbike tree for all that time, is testament to significance of this machine.
When American drag racer "Pee Wee" Gleason achieved sub 11 seconds for the standing quarter at Leguna Seca on the bikes launch, and over 150mph on the track, the GPz900R showed that it was king of it's class. Not only fast, but this bike handled so well that it made the available power useable.
Like the GPz1100, there was little true innovation in the bike in terms of parts, but it did have a liquid cooled 16 valve 4 cylinder engine, which was a first at the time. With the bike completely wrapped in flowing. aggressive looking bodywork, it was very impressive to see.
Shunning the lattice style frames that seemed to be being used everywhere at the time, Kaeasaki stuck with the somewhat old fashioned tubular steel spine design, but with some modofocations to shed weight.
The design brief had been to combine traditional Japanese raw power in a motorcycle, but this machine had to handle well also.
With anti dive front shocks and monoshock rear suspension, superb brakes and an aerodynamic package resulting in its classic good looks, the GPz is in many ways the bike that most superbikes have been fashioned since.
In line with manufacturer's policy of continual development resulting in new models, Kawasaki just could not manufacture a finer machine for many years after the intended life of the GPz900R, surviving as it did both the GPZ1000RX and the later ZX-10 which had been produced at different times to replace it!
Article Source: Articlelogy.com
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