Tuesday, July 5, 2022
MCNews
  • NEWSLatest
  • REVIEWS
  • LATEST BIKES
  • RACING
  • FEATURES
  • TOURING
  • PRODUCTS
  • MEDIA
    • GALLERY
  • MORE
    • POPULAR ARTICLES
    • MCNEWS COMMENTS
    • MAIN FORUM
    • CONTACT US
    • ABOUT US
No Result
View All Result
MCNews
  • NEWSLatest
  • REVIEWS
  • LATEST BIKES
  • RACING
  • FEATURES
  • TOURING
  • PRODUCTS
  • MEDIA
    • GALLERY
  • MORE
    • POPULAR ARTICLES
    • MCNEWS COMMENTS
    • MAIN FORUM
    • CONTACT US
    • ABOUT US
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
MCNews

Video Of The Week | Kawasaki Z1300 six-cylinder

Trev by Trev
January 23, 2020
in Kawasaki News, Motorcycle News, Videos
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare

Kawasaki Z1300

When people think of six-cylinder motorcycles they naturally think Honda. From the six-cylinder 250cc GP racers that enjoyed great success at the Isle of Man TT and in Grand Prix Motorcycle Racing during the 1960s. Then of course there is the famous in-line six of the Honda CBX1000 of 1978, through to the flat-six of the current generation Gold Wing. Honda is somewhat synonymous with six-cylinder motorcycles.

Honda CBX 1000
Honda CBX 1000

Of course BMW currently has the very impressive K1600 line-up of touring motorcycles, and the likes of Benelli turned out six-cylinder motorcycles as far back as 1973 with the original Benelli Sei, the first production road going model to utilise six-cylinders.

Benelli Sei PA BenelliSei
Check out the Benelli 750 and 900 Sei through the lens of Phil Aynsley

And then of course there was the incredible V6 Laverda endurance racer! Just look at that beautiful bank of six Dell’Orto carbuerettors nestled in that 90-degree vee. Art!

Phil Aynsley features the Laverda V6 1000
Check out the incredible Laverda V6 through the lens of Phil Aynsley

Many though forget the muscularly handsome Kawasaki KZ1300 that was released in 1979.

Kawsaki Z
Kawasaki Z1300

It looked tough, with a sculpted modern style to its crankcases and cylinder block which, thanks to water-cooling, was notable at the time for its absence of cooling fins.

Kawsaki Z
Kawasaki Z1300

The shaft-driven beast tipped the scales on the wrong side of 300 kg but found many followers during its ten-year production run. It also had a spin-off touring variant known as the Voyager.

Kawsaki Z
Kawasaki Z1300

Power from the original 1286cc engine was a claimed 120 hp at 8000 rpm with 116 Nm of torque peaking at 6000 rpm. The engine was of an undersquare configuration with the 71 mm stroke much longer than the 62 mm wide bore size, to help reduce the width of the engine and boost torque.

Kawsaki Z
Kawasaki Z1300

The first model years saw the DOHC 12-valve engine fed by three Mikuni 32 mm CV twin-throat carburettors before Kawasaki then switched to fuel-injection in 1983. With EFI came an increase in power to 130 ponies.

Kawsaki Z
Kawasaki Z1300

UK tuner Allen Millyard also made a V12 version of the Z1300 by mating two of the six-cylinder donks to make a 70-degree V12! Give me some of the drugs that man is on! A bit of his engineering brilliance wouldn’t go astray either…. We have included a video of the Millyard V-12 further below also.

Kawasaki Z Millyard V
UK tuner Allen Millyard also made a V12 version of the Z1300 by mating two of the six-cylinder donks to make for a 2.3 litre V12! – Image by Phil Aynsley

In an earlier column for MCNews.com.au Phil Hall reflected on the efforts to race the Z1300 in Australia that we also include here. Back in those days if the company made it, then the company ensured someone raced it!


Kawasaki Z1300 Australian Racing History

In 1979 a well funded team entered two Kawasaki Z1300 machines for the Bathurst races at Easter time.

One was to be ridden by the Kiwi ace, Graeme Crosby and the other by one of the Blanco brothers (sorry, I can’t remember which one). However, after the first practice session, Croz returned the bike to the pits, jumped off and threw the bike against the wall of the tent, muttering in terms that were undeniable in their meaning and unrepeatable here that he wasn’t going to ride that *&&^%^%$ thing.

Kawsaki Z
Kawasaki Z1300

With numerous Honda CBX’s still entered and circulating, it was vital for Kawasaki to find a good rider to replace him, and find one they did. The by-now legendary Kawasaki stalwart, Gary Thomas was drafted in and quite unwittingly helped to tell one of the great Bathurst stories.

The Production Race soon became a brawl between Thomas on the amazing six and Honda’s trump card, Tony Hatton on a more conventional CB900/4 Bol d ‘Or.

Rumours and protestations continue to this day concerning the legality of Hatton’s mount but, that aside, the race was a cracker. Against all the odds, Thommo took it to Hatton and made old 55 pull out every bit of skill and daring that he possessed.

Gary was blindingly fast on the two long Bathurst straights aboard the Kawasaki, leaving Hatton in his wake. But, over the top of the mountain in the twisty bits, Hatton regained the ascendency as the Kawasaki added lightness by grinding large parts of its undercarriage away on the unforgiving track surface.

Hatton, cagey devil that he was (still is), waited till the end and, knowing that the big heavy K was running out of brakes at the end of Conrod Straight, he pulled out and executed the perfect inside pass and won the sprint to the line.

It was an amazing race and prompted the Crawford brothers to use the bikes again in further races, but never with the success that Thomas had achieved that day.

Kawsaki Z
Kawasaki Z1300

Kawasaki sold over 20,000 of the Z1300 variant over the ten-year production run of the model. Kawasaki Australia living legend Murray Sayle told us that, from memory, the model only had a three-year run in the Australian market.

This video below demonstrates the unique sound of the Z1300 during a lap of Spa. The Kawasaki sound differs greatly from that emitted from Honda’s air-cooled CBX. Enjoy.


Kawasaki Z1300


Millyard Kawasaki V12


Submit a Video

[gravityform id=”3″ title=”false” description=”false” ajax=”true”]

RelatedPosts

Honda RC166 as ridden by Mike Hailwood

Video Of The Week | Honda RC165 250cc six-cylinder at the TT

April 16, 2020
The crossplane engine's uneven 270° - 180° - 90° - 180° firing sequence gives each piston and con rod its own individual and separate movement to create a stronger low to mid range pulse

Video Of The Week | Audio-visual demonstration of the cross-plane four

January 16, 2020
Tags: videooftheweek
Trev

Trev

Motojourno - Founder of MCNews.com.au - Australia's leading resource for motorcycle news, reviews and race coverage for over 20 years.

Related Articles

Berlin BMW Motorrad Days 2022

BMW Motorrad Days in Berlin hosted 17,000 enthusiasts

July 5, 2022
AFT Singles Start at the 2022 New York Short Track - Image by Kristen Lassen

Moto News | WSX | MX | Enduro | Flat Track | Long Track

July 5, 2022
Crossing the Simpson Desert by Motorcycle: Part 1 Prep

Crossing the Simpson: Part 3 Into the Simpson…

July 5, 2022
Triumph Tiger Sport 660 Review

Hi-res images from Pro Motocross Round Five RedBud Gallery B

July 5, 2022
Load More

SOCIALS

  • 7.2k Followers

SUPPORT OUR SUPPORTERS

INCASE YOU MISSED

Senna Agius

Senna Agius on the podium at JuniorGP Round 4 in Jerez

July 4, 2022
Crossing the Simpson Desert by Motorcycle: Part 1 Prep

Crossing the Simpson Desert by Motorcycle: Part 2 Oodnadatta Track to Dalhousie

July 2, 2022
Daniel Milner on podium at EnduroGP of Portugal

Daniel Milner on podium at EnduroGP of Portugal

July 4, 2022

GET LATEST NEWS IN YOUR INBOX

MCNews

MCNEWS.COM.AU is a specialist on-line resource that provides motorcycle news for motorcyclists. MCNews covers all areas of interest for the motorcycling public including news, reviews and comprehensive racing coverage.

© 2022 MCNews

No Result
View All Result
  • NEWS
    • ALL NEWS
    • ALL NEWS CONDENSED
    • POPULAR ARTICLES
    • BMW News
    • Honda News
    • Husqvarna News
    • KTM News
    • Suzuki News
    • Yamaha News
    • Triumph News
    • CFMOTO News
    • Ducati News
    • Moto Guzzi News
    • Royal Enfield News
    • Kawasaki News
    • Aprilia News
    • Harley News
    • Indian News
    • MV Agusta News
    • Benelli News
    • GASGAS News
    • BETA News
    • Norton News
    • Victory News
    • EBR News
    • Rieju News
    • E-Bike News
    • Scooter News
    • LAMS News
    • ATV / SSV News
  • REVIEWS
    • All Bike Reviews
    • LAMS Reviews
    • KTM Reviews
    • Honda Reviews
    • Yamaha Reviews
    • Triumph Reviews
    • BMW Reviews
    • Suzuki Reviews
    • CFMOTO Reviews
    • Ducati Reviews
    • Kawasaki Reviews
    • Husqvarna Reviews
    • Aprilia Reviews
    • Benelli Reviews
    • BETA Reviews
    • E-Bike Reviews
    • EBR Reviews
    • GAS GAS Reviews
    • Harley Reviews
    • Indian Reviews
    • Kymco Reviews
    • Moto Guzzi Reviews
    • MV Agusta Reviews
    • Norton Reviews
    • Royal Enfield Reviews
    • Scooter Reviews
    • Sherco Reviews
    • Victory Reviews
    • Rieju Reviews
  • NEW PRODUCTS
  • LATEST BIKES
    • ALL LATEST BIKES NEWS
    • BMW
    • Honda
    • Husqvarna
    • KTM
    • Suzuki
    • Yamaha
    • Triumph
    • CFMOTO
    • Ducati
    • Moto Guzzi
    • Royal Enfield
    • Kawasaki
    • Aprilia
    • Harley
    • Indian
    • MV Agusta
    • Benelli
    • GAS GAS
    • BETA
    • Norton
    • Victory
    • E-Bike
    • Scooters
    • LAMS
    • Rieju
  • RACING
    • ALL RACING
    • ROAD
      • MotoGP
      • WSBK
      • ASBK
      • BSB
      • Real Road / TT
      • Historic Road Racing
      • Japan / Asian Road Racing
      • Endurance Road Racing
      • American Road Racing
      • NZ Road Racing
      • Supermoto
      • FIM Junior GP & MiniGP
    • DIRT
      • Supercross
      • AMA MX
      • Australian Pro MX
      • MXGP
      • Enduro / Rally
      • Dirt / Flat Track
      • Speedway
  • FEATURES
  • TOURING
  • GALLERY
  • LATEST COMMENTS
  • CONTACT
  • ABOUT US
  • COMMUNITY FORUM

© 2022 MCNews