Motorcycle specifications Kawasaki1100 ZZR 2001 A monument to GT sports

since 1990, Kawasaki has left its mark on the world of motorcycle magic with three letters that still thrill many motorcyclists today: the ZZR.

history: From Prehistory to the Future

1985: 1985 seems to have been a good year for the motorcycle world, not only was Suzuki's legendary GSX-R 750 a smash hit, but Kawa's 1000 RX came off the assembly line, and the alchemy prepared by the Osaka engineers could begin.

1988: Three years later, the ZX-10 Tomcat, with its 222 kg and 137 hp, delighted its owners.

1990: Presentation of the ZZR 1100 Hayate at the 1989 Paris Motor Show, marketed a year later. This time, the muse of the max-speed world was born, with 152 hp and 16 kg more than the Tomcat.

1993: For the ZZR 1100, '93 was a year of technical and aesthetic change. It became more beautiful and more powerful (148 hp), but also heavier, weighing in at 290 kilos fully loaded. It remains by far my favorite model.

2002: The reign of the ZZR 1100 came to an end at Kawasaki with two bikes: the first was the ZZR 1200, with the GT spirit of its ancestor, and the ZX-12R Ninja, with the task of taking up the torch from the sulphurous GSX-R 1300 Hayabusa.

2006: Back to its roots with the ZZR 1400, which elegantly combines the Sport and GT characteristics inherited from its distant ancestor.

the test: Contact with the 93' ZZR 1100

The bike's curvaceous blue-and-purple bodywork is impressive. The front end is unmistakable, with its fins and two symmetrical air intakes under the headlamp, which later proved to be powerful and effective at night. The same is true of the rear of the machine: two chrome mufflers and, once again, the ZZR's trademark fins (1100 and 600).

I climb on the bike, the position a little forward and the legs not too bent. My gaze instantly fixes on the rev counter, with the start of the red zone at 11,500 rpm, and the 320 km/h that the speedometer indicates in no uncertain terms. That alone gives me a banana under the helmet! Then there's the engine temperature dial and the fuel gauge, which can become demoralizing given the speed at which it drops when the biker is in arsouille mode. In short, a complete dashboard with two totalizers: one for servicing and the other for anticipating the need to fill up the tank and use the old-fashioned tap.

Off I go, into gear, and the beast lets out a throaty roar, first gear, and the clutch surprises me with its smoothness. The gears shift smoothly on the fly and I pick up the pace.i repeat the experience, but I'm coming in too fast, so I brake on the curve ... and the bike lifts off, so I push back on the half-bracelet, phew!!! it passes. Then I calm down and roll onto the torque and it's a real pleasure. I do notice a little jerkiness on acceleration, but it's nothing to write home about. The suspension could have been of better quality, as the big Kawa waddles around corners on bad surfaces without becoming dangerous. Braking is not obsolete, even if you need to pull hard on the right-hand lever to stop the whole crew at prohibited speeds. In the long run, the position hurts the wrists, but you soon get used to it after a few weeks of intensive use.

As far as the chassis is concerned, as you'll have gathered, the ZZR 1100 isn't superbly manoeuvrable, but will remain stable even in the worst situations. Otherwise, the main problem with this bike is that it offers so much pleasure and sensations that the lucky owner can only ask too much of it. Yes, an attractive plastic, an enthusiastic engine, a healthy chassis and you'd almost think you were a professional rider, with the disastrous consequences we're all familiar with ... In any case, the ZZR's preferred playground remains the main roads, not to say the German autobahn.

What more can we say? The ZZR 1100 is a well-born motorcycle that will continue to monopolize the neurons of many motorcyclists for a long time to come.

Abielles
(manufacturer's photo)