KAWASAKI KZ1300

Kawasaki KZ 1300

It’s the Spring of 1980.
I’m here in Switzerland, Europe undergoing my apprenticeship training program for Industrial Refrigeration.
Although it is still cold, the springtime temperatures are a far cry from the brutal cold of the deep winter season we have endured and are just coming out of, and I find myself - with a few other colleagues and friends an hour and a half north of Zurich at a car show, the first of which I had ever had the opportunity to visit and experience.
It was equally surprising to me that some of the exhibitors were motorcycle manufacturing companies.
It was there I came upon the Kawasaki KZ 1300.
Holy moly!
This thing was huge!
It was pretty!
My initial cursory view of it revealed that it had features I had come to like over the years of riding bikes to date.
Particularly striking and commanding - the inline arrangement of 6 cylinders, liquid cooling (which was a novelty in those times and immediately noticeable by the unmistakeable radiator) and final driveshaft output to the rear wheel!
Although standing on its center stand, I could see that it would have high ground clearance too.
Prior to this time the dominant 6 cylinder machine on the market was Honda’s CBX 1000.
One look at this machine and I could already tell that Honda’s design was up against a serious challenge.
My personal ratings put the Kawasaki ahead of the Honda, primarily because of the liquid cooling and drive-shaft capabilities offered on the Kawasaki.
The 6-into-2-cylinder arrangement was very pleasing to my eyes.
As I sat astride it, the specifications on the ID/description sheet described performance of which I could not fathom!
What wouldn’t I give not only to get the chance to ride and experience this level of performance, but let alone own one?
I was totally amazed and captivated. (No doubt the look on my face in the header photo of this write-up says it all.)
… the dreams started
… and stayed with me for a very long time.
A few years later one such machine “crossed paths” with me due to a battery charging problem it had.
So here again, being the kid on the block that could fix anything - and in particular, motorcycles - I had the opportunity actually get to experience a bike of my dreams.
Troubleshooting the issue led to a faulty alternator that needed a new stator.
Part ordered, replaced and problem solved, it ended up staying with me for about 5 months, again due to a fact that I had once experienced in my very early days of motorcycling - It’s owner was intimidated by its sheer “brute strength”, and was ready to part ways with it! (Oh, what wouldn’t I give to own it?)
Unfortunately at that time of my life I was just a broke ‘ol kid with no purchasing power whatsoever!
The KZ 1300 was an outrageously smooth machine!
It was equally as powerful and fast!
The brakes could have done better had they been little more responsive.
I found them lacking the “quick bite” to bring a machine with this level of performance to a quick and safe stop.
But in that era, manufacturers were still in the experimental phases of so much changing design charateristics and technology.
And as we have come to know, was sure to improve.
Suspension was soft and cushy, allowing for lovely slow-paced riding comfort, but requiring additional additional stiffness for better handling quality.
The bike tended to wallow in turns but held the straight line speed without a problem.
This thing was a “bullet”.
It’s the only way I can describe it.
Twist that throttle open and you’d better hang on for life, or for sure it would take off without you!
I'm sure this machine could outrun anything on the roads in that era.
It’s performance statistics were mind-boggling!
The memories of that are still very vivid!
I was convinced that this Big Kawasaki came about in response to Honda’s CBX.
It was no secret that the Kawasaki-mantra was about dominating the space of having the quickest machine “off-the-line” and fastest in all its classes of machines.
So came the day when I delivered it back to its owner, who had found a buyer for it.
And to this day, I have never laid my eyes on another!
For me, a truly special experience.
Much as I would like to, I’d love to own one today but my ST1300 is a much finer machine all around!