Kawasaki Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Z series

40 years ago, Kawasaki has unveiled the iconic four-stroke multi-cylinder Z1 at the 1972 IFMA motorcycle show in Cologne. At the show, the Kawasaki Z1 with its four-stroke 903cc engine and the four pipe style exhaust layout – created by Kawasaki designer Gyoichi ‘Ben’ Inamura and his team of KHI engineers in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s- helped spearhead the popularity of the Japanese Inline-Four.

The Kawasaki Z1 was created for “expert riders who want to move up to a bigger, stronger motorcycle.” powered by 903cc engine and double-overhead cams. The engine with a claimed 82 horsepower made it the strongest bike in the market at that moment.

To celebrate 40 years of the iconic Z1, the Company is planning a number of activities including a day dedicated to the bike at the Ace Café Kawasaki day on Sunday 22 April in the UK, and culminating in a display of the Z machines at the German Intermot motorcycle show in October.