Beschreibung:

Having established its performance credentials with the Mach III two-stroke triple, Kawasaki went on to ace the opposition again with the awe-inspiring Z1. The model had been planned in 750cc form in the late 1960s but was beaten to the showroom by Honda's CB750. Kawasaki's proposed superbike already had two overhead camshafts to the Honda's one, so its designers redrew the motor as a 900. Launched in 1972 at the Cologne Show, the big 'Zed' set new road-bike performance standards, at least as far as straight line speed was concerned. With 82bhp on tap, top speed was around 130mph, but if the rider used all that power on twisty roads, things could get exciting. As a fast tourer though, the Z1 excelled. Mildly revised, the model was renamed Z900 for 1976. Characterful in the extreme, these early 'Big Zeds' are served by an enthusiastic owners club and are increasingly sought after today. Few bikes from Japan have had as big an impact on the motorcycling world. An imported model first registered in the UK in 1994, this particular Z1 was purchased by the current vendor in October 2003 and subsequently restored to concours condition by Gerry O'Kane. Briefly tested after restoration to ensure correct running, the Kawasaki has been kept in storage since then and is presented in beautiful condition. The machine is offered with four expired MoT certificates (2000-2004), 2003 purchase receipt, SORNs for the period 2004-2010, sundry invoices and old/current Swansea V5/V5C registration documents.