If you know, you know...

[ZRX61]

[MrLongbeard]

All that lock wire and it's still missing a bolt

[ZRX61]

All that lock wire and it's still missing a bolt

KX80 ignition & cover.

Some of the wire was a thing of beauty, other places it was slacker than a whores drawers.

[ZRX61]

Case in point.. front brake bracket. Not only loose wire, but the bottom bolt is wired backasswards.

[MrLongbeard]

Aside from some way back 80's thing I have no idea what it is, but the more I look the more it appears to be a lash up, leccy tape around the clutch cable and a chain link that could do with being properly peened stand out.

[ZRX61]

Aside from some way back 80's thing I have no idea what it is, but the more I look the more it appears to be a lash up, leccy tape around the clutch cable and a chain link that could do with being properly peened stand out.

'82 KZ1000-R1, but dripping with factory KZ1000-S1 race parts... Real S1's sell for stupid money.

https://www.chinonthetank.com/2013/10/kz1000r-s1/

[ZRX61]

Dyno on this one has it at 128rwhp, which is almost 65% better than a stock one (around 82rwhp).

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I don't know how much power mine makes, it should be about 110bhp, a stock ZX1100A engine is 100bhp, mine is 1170cc and higher compression with less restrictive inlet and exhaust, so a 10% increase sounds reasonable, my mates one has very hairy cams and has been dynoed at 140bhp, but it's not as nice to ride as ones with ZX cams.

I'd love the ignition off that one, mine's running total loss because it revs quicker without the weight of the alternator on the crank, but it's a pain keeping the battery charged, I've still got the electric start, if I took that off it would rev quicker but he a pain to start.

Those S1 discs weigh a ton, they're like a big steel dinner plate, I wouldn't use them.

This is a good read

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

They're funny things to ride, they were clearly never intended to go anywhere near a race track and ride like big touring bikes (because they are), but they're fun, the Kawasaki is the worst of the bikes raced in AMA Superbikes in the early 80s to ride, and the race bike is closer to the road bikes than the Suzuki or Honda (the Honda pretty much just uses the bodywork and engine cases from the road bikes), Eddie Lawson and Wayne Rainey must have had balls of steel to race them.

[JackyJoll]

The parking cone on the front mudguard sets it off.

[Horse]

The parking cone on the front mudguard sets it off.

Completely on-trend for the USA

[DefTrap]

Reminds me too much of my z550d1 which was really, really shit and badly made despite being (at the time) one of the youngest bikes I've ever owned.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

Z550s were one of the better bikes of the time, the same age CB550 is truly dreadful, and anything Italian is worse.

[ZRX61]

I'd love the ignition off that one, mine's running total loss because it revs quicker without the weight of the alternator on the crank, but it's a pain keeping the battery charged, I've still got the electric start, if I took that off it would rev quicker but he a pain to start.

This one has a lithium battery & the charging port of that gray doodad on the right by the clutch housing.

Owner said this was the maiden outing. It came from Canada & has been at a shop in LA getting sorted for a month. One of the mechanics was also there & claimed he did the safety wire that's tight/correct & would be sorting the loose/wrong stuff... I'm not so sure he noticed until we talked about it.

[Sadlonelygit]

One of the 'issues' with Kawasaki's is they then paint everything the same, so from 50yds it could be a 400/550 to create a family 'image'.
A 400 isnt a green meanie!

[Ian]

The white ones looked fantastic but they seem to be very scarce

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

One of the 'issues' with Kawasaki's is they then paint everything the same, so from 50yds it could be a 400/550 to create a family 'image'.
A 400 isnt a green meanie!

The only air cooled 4 cylinder bikes that were painted green by Kawasaki were Japanese / US spec Z1000Rs and worldwide Z1100Rs, all the green 400s, 550s and 750s were after market paint jobs.

European Z1000Rs were white with red and blue stripes.

[ZRX61]

I think I've told this story before...
There was a bloke by the name of Razor in Cambridge who apparently held the M11 record for a while on his white '83 ELR. One day he got nicked for flashing his wedding tackle at some schoolgirls on a school playing field.
Case goes to trial. He manages to convince the judge that he was out riding his bike & merely stopped to piss in a hedge, had no idea there was a girls school on the other side of the hedge blah blah blah...
Case dismissed...

Then about three months later it happened again... Different outcome that time.

Also:
Standard J models corner better than the ELR's as the J had a short wheelbase.