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The Kawasaki KZ1000 had been raced in the AMA Superbike class since the first race in March of 1976, but hadn't won until the fifth race of the 1977 season. Reg Pridmore set the precedent for the domination of the class by Japanese bikes. Pridmore would go on to win the championship that year and also in '78. Until 1980, Kawasaki
was content to let others, such as the Vetter and Racecrafters teams, race
their bikes for them. Now they recruited a young rider named Eddie Lawson for
a factory backed Superbike team. Another racer of great promise, Wayne Rainey,
would later join the effort. Rob Muzzy would build and tune the bikes that Eddie Lawson rode to the championship in 1981. To commemorate the win, Kawasaki built "the most striking, most performance-ready street-legal Superbike ever. The brand-new 1982 Kawasaki KZ1000R Eddie Lawson Replica." (Quote from the KZ1000R brochure.) Based on the standard KZ1000J model, the R1 had the gas tank, rear-set footpegs, oil cooler and wheels from the GPZ1100. A GPZ style fairing and lower handlebar were added along with a Kerker KR-series four-into-one header. Revised steering geometry and suspension improved the handling. The motor was unchanged. Motorcyclist Magazine got an ET of 11.56 from their test bike in1982. That may seem slow in comparison to today's 10 second 600's and ZX12's running mid-9's, but it was quite respectable at the time. If you had the urge to
go even faster on an '82 Kawasaki, you could purchase the KZ1000S1. This was
no replica--this was the real deal. For a mere $10,999 a
At the crankshaft, the motor put out 136 horsepower compared to the 79 of the R1. Eddie Lawson's race bike was said to have 149 horsepower. Harnessing all this power was a braced swing arm and huge brakes attached to the Dymag magnesium rims. The power may have been harnessed, but it certainly wasn't tamed. These motorcycles were being ridden much faster and harder than their designers intended. The frames would twist and flex from the horsepower and cornering loads. It was common for the riders to be seen sliding the bikes around the turns. Rob Muzzy was quoted as saying," those bikes were like dirt-tracking on the pavement. You really had to muscle them around." At Bikeweek, Eddie Lawson was signing autographs
at the Yamaha tent. I asked him if they were fun to ride or just a lot of
work. He replied that they were fun. Wayne Rainey was also there and said that
the time with Kawasaki was a favorite period of his career. The GPZ750 that he won the 1983
Superbike This era was a turning point for Kawasaki, whose racing efforts in the 1970's had limited success. No longer would this be the case. To this day the green bikes are a force to be reckoned with, having a heritage of power and reliability. |
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ready-to-race Superbike could be in your driveway. 
Championship on (his first of two, the second in '87) was his favorite and he
would like to have it again. 
