How green is my Kawasaki?

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Mr. Dazzle
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by Mr. Dazzle »

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 9:06 pm And having old ones to fiddle with stops me ruining my new one with poorly thought out modifications.
There's another kind? :eh:
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by KungFooBob »

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 9:06 pm I just don't particularly like riding old bikes, they're not as easy to ride as new ones.
If only 2023 Cheesy could talk to 2020 Cheesy :)
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by mangocrazy »

It looks great and very much of its era. Just one question (Columbo style) why is the seat ducktail so humunguous? Were they like that as OE?
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

mangocrazy wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 9:25 pm It looks great and very much of its era. Just one question (Columbo style) why is the seat ducktail so humunguous? Were they like that as OE?
Yes, that's original, it's huge, the seat is wide and comfy, it's the comfiest bike I've ever ridden
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by A_morti »

To what end?
Tool kit, ECU, sandwich box... What lived there?
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

KungFooBob wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 9:19 pm
Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 9:06 pm I just don't particularly like riding old bikes, they're not as easy to ride as new ones.
If only 2023 Cheesy could talk to 2020 Cheesy :)
Indeed, it's be better if I had a word with 2015 Cheesy, that's when I decided to buy another road bike and thought I wanted a classic bike, but to be fare to me then, I didn't have £30K going spare, I had £400 spare and bought the lovely CB400SF, a great little 1990s bike styled like a 1980s bike, which then led to me buying several 80s bikes, 3 of which I still have.
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

A_morti wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 9:28 pm To what end?
Tool kit, ECU, sandwich box... What lived there?
There's a sort of cubby hole thing that goes there, they're incredibly rare now, I've only seen one bike with one and the owner has had it from new, they're probably made from really brittle plastic.

The tool kit went in a little tray that was above the fuses, they're also very hard to find now.
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by A_morti »

So it has a place to keep junk in its trunk, which cracks.
Say no more, fam.
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by KungFooBob »

It's where he keeps his sandwiches, as long as they're not too crusty.
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by Taipan »

A_morti wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 9:28 pm To what end?
Tool kit, ECU, sandwich box... What lived there?
Apparently its where Supermofo stores his topbox! :shock:
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

Taipan wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 9:55 pm
A_morti wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 9:28 pm To what end?
Tool kit, ECU, sandwich box... What lived there?
Apparently its where Supermofo stores his topbox! :shock:
It's not that big :D
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by Horse »

A_morti wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 9:28 pm To what end?
Tool kit, ECU, sandwich box... What lived there?
That's how bikes were, 'three box' design: tank, side panels, tail.

Typically there would be a tool tray under the seat. Yes, sometimes stuff would be in the tail.

Usually enough room to have a lightweight pair of overtrousers. If you packed them carefully, they could obstruct the airbox intake :thumbup: :oops:
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by mangocrazy »

It was a regular feature of road tests back in the day; if your tailpiece (ahem) wasn't sufficiently commodious you'd be marked down. If there was room for a U-lock, your sandwiches and a toolkit you'd be given Full Marks. I suspect Kawasaki had that in mind when designing the Z1000's posterior...
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by KungFooBob »

My GP100 had a tail box you could open with a coin, handy place to keep a small flask of two-smoke oil.
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by Alan PBTD »

At Last !! A proper Kawasaki... I had mine for 10 years. Sold it to a bloke in Scotland and we met in Birmingham and got pulled by the old bill putting it in the back of his van...Be worth a fourtune now I suppose..
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by MyLittleStudPony »

My first thought when I saw the pictures is the back end is out of line and I'd worry the rear subframe was bent. At that ages it's probably to be expected and probably doesn't really matter.
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by Taipan »

Alan PBTD wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 10:56 pm At Last !! A proper Kawasaki... I had mine for 10 years. Sold it to a bloke in Scotland and we met in Birmingham and got pulled by the old bill putting it in the back of his van...Be worth a fourtune now I suppose..
Bonus points for the Kerker exhaust! :thumbup:
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by ZRX61 »

Le_Fromage_Grande wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 8:28 pm
KungFooBob wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 8:19 pm What do the Power and Torque figures look like?
Not that fantastic, I can't remember the torque, but BHP is 103 at 9000rpm, it's quite slow revving as the crank is heavy.
About 40lb IIRC
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by The Spin Doctor »

Horse wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 10:16 pm
A_morti wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 9:28 pm To what end?
Tool kit, ECU, sandwich box... What lived there?
That's how bikes were, 'three box' design: tank, side panels, tail.

Typically there would be a tool tray under the seat. Yes, sometimes stuff would be in the tail.

Usually enough room to have a lightweight pair of overtrousers. If you packed them carefully, they could obstruct the airbox intake :thumbup: :oops:
I always liked the clever little triangular container under the side panels that hid the toolkit on the CB250RS... for about 30 seconds until some scrote stole it because it was unsecured.
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Re: How green is my Kawasaki?

Post by The Spin Doctor »

Alan PBTD wrote: Mon Jul 24, 2023 10:56 pm At Last !! A proper Kawasaki... I had mine for 10 years. Sold it to a bloke in Scotland and we met in Birmingham and got pulled by the old bill putting it in the back of his van...Be worth a fourtune now I suppose..
Blimey - a red letter day... the police actually intervening as a bike is loaded into a van.
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