80-talet
Kawasaki ZXR 750 H1 1989
En grön önskar jag, Prio 1, röd som 2a
Ifrån classic-motorbikes.net
The ZXR750, first seen in 1989, is a beautiful machine even by today’s standards. It is sleek and very business like looking. Lavishly finished in a thick coating of paint that is so typical of Kawasaki’s top bikes from the period, the livery mimics the racing styling perfectly. Even at a standstill the ZXR takes on an aggressive stance. It looks every bit a racer on the road with its large section aluminium beam frame and sexy air vents tucked away just below the mirrors, feeding the hungry air box, via a pair of space age vacuum cleaners hoses that disappear into the petrol tank.
In keeping with Kawasaki’s wild and raucous two-stroke machines, the ZXR750 is a thoroughly raw and untamed beast. The engine develops its 100 plus horses in way that never fails to excite while the chassis barely keeps it all in check, adding up to a breath taking journey every inch of the way. It is hard, if not impossible, to ride the ZXR in a manner less than the pure lunatic. The experience is harsh and solid, with few times during the journey upon which to take a breath and catch up with the proceedings. Pulling strongly from as low as 2000 revs, the inline four rises rapidly, up through the rev range, hardening with every increment, ripping your arms out of their sockets by the redline. Despite the tacho dial indicating otherwise, the power does cease to increase at 10,500rpm. However, the engine is willing, and indeed happy, to rev on through this to a searing redline 1500revs further around the dial. This makes for a huge adrenaline rush as the tacho dial speeds clockwise and the air box joins in with tuneful, four-into-one exhaust pipes, chorus.
Kawasaki ZXR750Rider comfort takes a back seat with an intense attack on the senses, bum up and head down all of the way, making every journey a lap of the TT course. The steering is heavy at low speeds while the rear end is under damped and yet over sprung in a way that only late 80’s Japanese machines ever could be. The rear suspension is fatally flawed on the early H models and is a result of a badly designed linkage system, coupled to an inefficient and ridiculously stiff, damper unit.
At its best on smooth surfaces, the inadequate rear suspension and lengthy wheelbase, are easily upset, so choose roads that won’t annoy the ZXR. Having said that the front end is one of the most confident of any bike of the period. Even the benchmark Bimota YB6 from the same year, doesn’t exude the sure-footedness that the ZXR does when on the brakes and tipping into corners. The big and beefy, 43mm forks, are well damped and hold the front wheel rock steady as the engine comes off the throttle and the weight shifts and centres around the small contact patch of the front tyre. This feeling is addictive and when faced with a set of S bends the temptation is to just dive in far too hot and hope for the best. Thankfully the ZXR copes very well and makes the best of a bad, or ham-fisted job, on the way into a tight corner, but falls by the way side a few yards further on when a change of direction is called for.
ZXRKawasaki, mindful of the homologation rules in World Superbike racing, equipped the ZXR750 with as much trick kit as they could get away with for the price. Remote master cylinders and adjustable levers are among the armoury, as is a primitive, yet still effective, reverse torque limiter. This in reality is an early form of slipper clutch and can make the ZXR just as much fun to go down the box, as it is to climb up it in the first place. Great big dollops of down shift soon has the rear end way out of line and performing all manner of tail sliding. Another handy gadget is Kawasaki’s positive neutral finder, a device that prevents the rider from snicking into second gear while at a standstill, hence making neutral a doddle to engage, just drop into first and lift up all the way and there it is, every time.
Looking back, it is clear to see that the original ZXR750 was far from prefect. A heady mix of 80’s thinking, and a desperate desire to create a winning machine on the cheap, is the result of Kawasaki’s labours while others, like Honda, could see a little further into the future. Kawasaki did perfect the beast however, and in a very short space of time but the original H version is there and can’t be erased. It still evokes strong memories among bikes from the period though. During the shoot people were transfixed by the Green Meanie it is difficult to imagine the same effect happening with a red and black version.
ZXR750 Model History
The creation of the World Superbike series in 1988, left Kawasaki seriously lacking when it came to a high performance, road based machine upon which to base a competitive racer. That first year they did compete with a highly developed, but still not quite good enough, version of the dated GPX750. With serious and costly lessons learnt in that first season, a new machine was developed based heavily upon the bikes that had seen much success in the heat of world endurance racing, the ZX7R, and the result was the ZXR750H model. Surprisingly the end result, with its alloy beam frame and race bred construction was heavier than the steel framed GPX by around 5kgs. The factory resisted the temptation to build an exotic, and prohibitively costly, pure bred, race machine as was the case with Honda’s RC30, choosing instead to make a good basis for further modification and create an affordable road machine for the masses. Although the same basic engine layout was retained power was increased by redesigning the head, incorporating huge valves to improve breathing and upping the size of the Keihin carburettors from 34 to 36mm. The use of the old design of engine did save much cost but was the limiting factor in the ZXR’s initial design. It wasn’t until a new power plant was developed and introduced that the bike started to show its true potential.
Kawasaki ZXR This format remained relatively unchanged for the next two years and, even if the racers weren’t successful, generally customers where happy with the ZXR750. For the H2 model power was upped and weight was shaved ,but with little impact on the scoreboard of the WSB races.