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1984/85 Kawasaki ZX750E1/E2 Turbos
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Suggested price in 1984 |
$4,599.00 |
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ENGINE |
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Type |
Air-cooled, transverse turbocharged four-stroke in-line four/95 RWHP (150 with race circuit board, polished turbo, and adj. fuel pressure reg. and wastegate - no need to touch the engine/175-200 rwhp with 810cc kit/225 rwhp with 880cc kit and larger valves, larger injectors, intercooler, and adjustable boost pressure regulator) |
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Valve arrangement |
DOHC, 2 valves per cylinder, adjusting shims under buckets |
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Carburetion |
Digital fuel injection |
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Displacement |
738cc |
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DRIVE TRAIN |
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Clutch |
Wet, multi-plate, 5-speed |
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Final Drive |
630 chain, 46/15 |
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CHASSIS |
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Front suspension |
37mm air-adjustable forks, adjustable anti dive, 5.1 in. (130mm) travel |
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Rear suspension |
Kawasaki Uni-Trak air-adjustable single shock, adjustable for rebound damping, 4.1 in. of rear wheel travel |
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Front tire |
110/90 V18 Michelin A48 |
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Rear tire |
130/80 V18 Michelin M48 |
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Wet weight |
556 lbs. (252.7 kg) |
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Fuel capacity |
4.5 gal. (17 L) |
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PERFORMANCE |
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Average touring range |
176 miles |
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Best 1/4 mile acceleration |
11.13 sec., 120.32 mph ( Cycle , 12/83) |
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200 yd. top-gear accel. from 50 mph |
82.2 mph terminal speed |
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Total production |
1984: approx. 4500, 1985: approx. 1500 |
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Total imported into U.S. |
? (Most U.S. spec ZX Turbos were built in Lincoln, Nebraska) |
Best
press quote:
"The 750 Turbo is far
more than the hottest. It's a milestone in motorcycling."
Motorcyclist, October 1983
No factory turbocharged motorcycle came closer to fulfilling "the promise" (liter-bike performance in a middleweight package) than Kawasaki's GPz750 Turbo. It was simply the fastest thing you could buy on two wheels at the end of 1983 (it was an early-release '84 bike). Acceleration was an arm-ripping, eyeball-squashing experience that's still impressive to this day. And to think that Kawasaki "detuned" it just before it was released (or should we say, unleashed) to the motorcycling public.
Sporting a Hitachi HT-10B turbocharger positioned close to the headers and utilizing digital fuel injection the GPz Turbo was comparatively (turbo-ly speaking) simple in design. The GPz750 engine on which it was based needed only minor strengthening to handle the Turbo's 95 horses. The conservative valves and cylinder head came straight off the KZ650 (the better to keep all that pressure under wraps, my dear).
Handling was, in a word, stable, or if you prefer, truckish. Yes, it had to be muscled through corners and had a harsh, over-damped ride, but if you liked high speed blasts the chassis was supremely stable. Swapping the stock Michelin tires for Perrellis or, better yet, Metzelers, lightened steering effort considerably with only a marginal lessening of high-speed stability (a good trade off).
Be prepared to pay between $2,500 and $4,500 for a clean, low-mileage 750 Turbo today. Showroom examples can set you back $5,000 or more. Engine performance can be greatly increased - how does 230 hp grab ya? Contact the T.M.I.O.A. for details.
Disclaimer
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Turbo Motorcycle International Owners Association
