Basing their design on the Z1-R's stock fuel tank, the guys fashioned a custom aluminum alternative from scratch. Right behind it lies a fiber-reinforced polymer tail that merges with the seat pan ...

It all started with a Kawasaki Z2, which was developed as a variant for the domestic Japanese market while the bigger Z1 was taking the world by storm abroad.

The Z1 went on sale in the UK a year before Kawasaki had established any sort of administrative base here, let alone any dealer network. The first bikes were brought in by importers Agrati.

While the Z1 is one of most eye-catching Kawasaki motorcycles of all time, the 1978 Kawasaki Z1-R takes the Z1's design cues up at least a notch. Here's what makes it unique from other motorcycles.

Cycle’s Z1 road test in the November 1972 issue, which quoted Kawasaki’s General Manager T. Yamada, read like this: “Kawasaki wanted to build, in their words, the King Motorcycle, a bike ...

The Kawasaki Z1 has stood the test of time and cemented itself as one of the best motorcycles ever made — and Kawasaki is still known as one of the best major motorcycle brands. There's no ...