Kawasaki Gpz750

KAWASAKI GPz750

CYCLE WORLD TEST

EVOLUTION PRODUCES A SOLID SPORTBIKE

GOOD BIKE—THAT COULD BE AN epithet for the Kawasaki GPz750. If the GPz were a student, it would have a B average; if it were an athlete, it would qualify for the Olympics but wouldn't win a medal.

Two years ago, when Cycle World compared the 1983 GPz750 to Honda's 750 Interceptor and Suzuki's GS750E, it was a classic case of a good performer pitted against two stellar ones. And so the Kawasaki finished third out of three. But those results surprised us; w&d had a chance to ride the GPz before the other 750s arrived, and we were im pressed with it. "Good bike," we thought. But when ridden back-to back with the other 750s, the GPz was less impressive. In comparison with the Honda and Suzuki, the GPz had a peaky engine, its steering was excessively heavy, and its riding posi tion was roadracer-extreme.

If you are wondering why, then, we are bothering to test this bike again. there are two basic reasons. First, the GPz has changed since then, albeit subtly. The higher handlebars added last year made for a more comfort able riding position while adding le verage that substantially reduced steering effort. And this year, the GPz's fairing has been fully extended to cover the engine and mimic the styling of Kawasaki's 750 Turbo.

But more important, the GPz's competition has changed. The newer, higher-performance 750 sporting machinery, such as Yamaha's FZ750, is in a higher price class altogether. And to avoid the stiff tariff put on imported bikes of 700cc or more. Honda's 750 Interceptor and Suzuki's G5750-those same motorcycles that beat out the GPz two years ago-have had their dis placement reduced to 699cc, with differing results. Honda has concen trated on maintaining roll-on perfor mance through the use of milder camshafts and lower gearing, but peak engine performance has been emasculated in the process. Suzuki went the opposite way and tried to maintain peak power by using moreradical camshafts, but that has seriously detracted from the GS’s midrange output.

But while both the Interceptor and the GS700 have suffered because of the tariff, the GPz750 has not. By virtue of being assembled in Kawasaki’s Lincoln, Nebraska, plant, the GPz is not subject to the tariff and so is able to maintain its full 750cc displacement and engine performance at a competitive price.

Providing that performance is a 739cc engine that has its roots in the KZ650 motor first introduced back in 1977. That heritage leaves the GPz with a proven, reliable engine, but one whose relatively long-stroke, two-valve-per-cylinder design yields competitive horsepower only through the sacrifice of some midrange power. Nonetheless, the GPz’s proven engine and solid chassis, along with skillful modifications by factory tuners and inspired riding by Wayne Rainey, were enough to earn the GPz750 the 1984 Superbike championship, defeating Honda Interceptors with superior technical credentials.

Even in 1985, this heritage allows the GPz to be a satisfying ride. Its> quick-revving engine starts easily and pulls strongly, with a healthy surge of power between 8000 rpm and the 10,000-rpm redline. Smoothness is a notable virtue, with rubber front en gine mounts shielding the rider from most vibration. The riding position is sporty, with slightly rearset pegs and some forward body lean, but it's still comfortable at normal highway speeds and is by no means extreme. The GPz's seat isn't as worthy of praise, though, for it's narrow and hard and uncomfortable.

Other than that, the GPz is a sat isfying, seemingly responsive machine. Its brakes are solid and sure feeling, and can haul the bike down from high speed quickly and safely. The cable-actuated clutch provides more feel than most of its hydrauli cally controlled cousins. The suspen sion is sportbike-firm without being punishing, and, with low air-pressure settings in the shock and fork, even can provide a smooth freeway ride.

So, yes, the GPz is indeed a good motorcycle-or at least it seems that way until you ride it back-to-back with any of the latest-generation sportbikes, including Kawasaki's own Ninjas: doing that can raise seri ous doubts about the bike's goodness. Suddenly, the GPz75O seems less nimble, less willing to change lines in the corners, less responsive. It's not a two-wheeled truck, but neither is it really agile. What's more, in com parison with its liquid-cooled com petitors, the GPz's air-cooled engine is noisier and more rattly. The fairing sits further away, and the entire mo torcycle is more stretched out, less compact, less molded to the rider. There's no overwhelming single dif ference that can be pointed to, but the sum of the small differences la bels the GPz as belonging to an ear lier generation of sport machines.

But that's only if you switch back and forth from the GPz to one of the new-wave sportbikes. When you ride only the GPz and learn to appreciate it for what it does well, its goodness is as apparent as ever. Traveling down a deserted backroád at 80 mph, the en gine pulls strongly and is uncom monly smooth. The fairing keeps the wind pressure off the rider's chest and contributes to high-speed comfort. Steering that's slow when dicing with another bike on a strange road be comes merely stable and steady at a slightly less racy pace, and allows the rider to relax while maintaining a high average speed. All in all, the GPz is a satisfying motorcycle.

But satisfying may not be enough for much longer; this could very well be the last year for the GPz75O. It's likely to be replaced next year with a 750 Ninja, a motorcycle that will of fer not just more performance. but more cost and complexity as well. In the meanwhile, the GPz will remain a simple, solid, proven bike, a good motorcycle in a world where good is not always enough.

KAWASAKI

GPz750

$3499