A mysterious side to the Z1300 story is why
Kawasaki chose to build the type of bike
they did. Why did they choose to build a
305kg machine with hardly any sporting
credentials at all? It was fast, the 1286cc
dohc liquid-cooled transverse six produced
120bhp at 8000rpm. Top speed was around
225km/h. The CBX weighed in at 259kg
with a top speed of 217kp/h.
The jury is out on which bike won round two.
Some believe the Honda won the opening
skirmish, but that Kawasaki won the war. The
Honda was in production for around four
years, the Kawasaki for ten years, and many
believe it is the Z1300, with its growing cult
status, that will be the last of the great six-
cylinder bikes to be cherished by collectors.
This, of course, is subjective and open
for debate.
It seems that what the Z1300 gave away
in bulk it more than made up for in other
areas. Experienced road testers found it
remarkably agile and stable at high speed,
and with a reassuring triple-disc braking
system. The upright riding position, and
lack of a fairing, exposing the rider to
harsh weather conditions, attracted some
criticism. But how many bikes came
straight from the showroom with a fairing
in the 1970s?
On the subject of big bikes, and I mean
big, the 1286cc of the Z1300 shrinks into
Kawasaki Z1300 Beginning of Superbike battle round two
Sharing your passion
facebo
ok.com
/Caffein
eAndCla
ssics