Kawasaki GPz 1000 B1

[@WillsWP1]

I had the same 1981 GPz 1100 in my army days and it was a beast and really fun to ride, best bike i have had.

[@aussietiger]

I had a ride of 1981 GPZ1100B1 that was new and on loan to a motorcycle magazine called Revs ( thank you Mike Esdale) and it was great but the 1982 GPZ1100B2 was far better, yes I purchased one new in 1982 and still have it. This machine would go like a missile and it would go faster then the B1 so fast in fact that it would over run the speedo with revs to spare. As for comfort just perfect, a seat you could ride on all day and a small fairing that kept most of the air away. This GPZ1100B2 was the true grandson of the original Z900. No I am not selling my baby, it sits in my front window so others can admire it, note my current ride is a 1996 ZZR600 which keeps an old man excited.

[@aussietiger]

MY 1982 GPZ1100B2 spoke in kms per hour as Australia stopped using miles per hour in mid 70's as for fuel injection the bike was smooth and no problems at all but when really pushing to the limits fuel consumption was like a thirsty camel at an oasis after a long dry walk. My understanding is that some problems the B1 had were solved with factory fixes and by the time of the B2 all was good. Even today a good B2 could give a lot of modern bikes a fright, especially on big long straights and wide sweeping bends. Oh yeah I am saving my coins to buy a ZX14R (ZZR1400) and old man needs some excitement

[@jfro5867]

Us men of a certain age dig these. Proper bike that. 👍

[@fyorbane]

Sorry Bill but Kawasaki debuted fuel injection on the Kawasaki Z1000H. It was basically a mk 2 Z1000 with er...... injection instead of carbs. It was black and gold and made a couple of horse power more than the mk 2. I should know I owned one [I knew I should have kept it]. It had interesting handling and the motor [for it's time] was a peach. And you are right about the seats on bikes back then. They were far more comfy than the hard seats of most bikes today [why is that?]. Ah those halcyon days of ages past. I would love a Z750 turbo by the way but finding a good one is really difficult like you said. Take care and ride safe.

[@Stargazer221160]

I had a Z1000H and loved it. I, like you should never have sold it, but replaced it with a 750 Turbo and I should never have sold that one either.

[@markjones4572]

Had all of those you mentioned. All great bikes

[@nickrider5220]

Good old Bill Hunter of quarter mile fame ! Good to see him again, had a big GSX turbo in the eighties, happy days...

[@ianh9871]

Iconic when it came out and still is 39 years on. What a beaut.

[@thinkingimpaired5663]

Amazing I sold my gpz750 turbo many years ago. Definitely a blast to ride, I'm hoping it's still in Oregon sitting on display at a Kawasaki dealer. It's been years since I sold my bike with about 3400 miles on it. Someday i'll get another Kawasaki unfortunately it won't have a blower on it like the H2.

[@perpetualgrin5804]

Rode my Z750 around Australia in 1983, childhood dream came true.

[@pietervstaden4395]

Absolutely stunning presentation and an awesome bike. Bravo to Bill🎯👌👍thumbs up...

[@TheHomeExpert5]

Great bike. One of the coolest bikes of all time as the Kawasaki z1r. A buddy of mine have one in high school and it was gorgeous. It had this silvery greenish blue paint that was OEM. If you put a kerker pipe on a Kawasaki 1000, it sounded amazing and you could hear it a mile away. Of course, now I'm older and realize it was way too noisy. But, at the time it sounded glorious, mean, and on the edge of control.

[@kdz666]

1:20 hope tacho works better than the speedo! What a beautiful bike!

[@JETJOOBOY]

Speedo works fine... I imagine it is a KZbin trick involving a 9V battery and an indicator solenoid designed to prevent Magistrates making one feel stupid before losing ones' loicence!?

[@JPHOT100]

I remember reading a magazine article about this bike in 1981 when I was 17. The title was “Time Warp Torpedo”. I wonder what the author would have said if he could have seen a supercharged H2...?

[@Shinysideup]

40 years old and still a thing of Beauty

[@yamrz500]

Still have mine Runs great still today 40 years old! :)

[@madbadger85]

I was at Cadwell Park when kawasaki brought 6 of these to race in the then called super bike round. Wayne Gardners first race in the UK on a Moriwaki Kawasaki blew Ron Haslam into the weeds on it, he then raced a B1 1100 but lost to Rocket Ron. A week later at another track 4of the 6 B1’s blew up!!!! I always wanted a B1 but by the time I’d saved up the B1 and B2s were out of production and I ended up with a 1984 GPZ1100 unit track, but I always liked the B1 the most. Those were the days

[@dufensmertz1]

I had the 1100 B2 . it was good for 1000 km day rides touring outback OZ and very comfortable also fun on twisting mountain roads . I replaced the fuel injection when it packed in with Z1000J carburetors and replaced the rusty stock exhaust with a 4 into 1 system which gave it a nice meaty growl. . Sold it for 2K in 1990 ..

[@scottlochans4180]

Loved kawasakis since '83, had, AR125, ended up 3 GT550'S, GPZ550 UNI TRACK WITH FUEL INJECTION 85,GT750 and a nearly new GPZ750TURBO' 84,and the turbo was superb, WHOOSH!!, heard WAS the first production bike any size to do standing quarter mile 10 seconds, mine did 161MPH. Done with top end stuff, and if I'm honest done with Kawasakis, unless they were to provide me with a ZX10 ninja or 1400 shaft drive. Got my first bike in 27 years, no Kawasaki shops anywhere near, turned down chance to get a '07 CBR600RR, sight unseen, saw it wanted it, knew nothing about it's performance, just looked really good to ride hard, just been sold gutted but delighted because I have a' 05 650 Bandit, one very careful, cautious owner who basically ran it in for 15,000 miles, and it pulls, fly's up up steep, steep hills like its falling off a cliff and it's magical a pure rider's treat? Nearly new GPZ750TURBO, or 15 years old 650 BANDIT??????, OH DECISIONS, that's how good my Bandit is, Because the GPZ750TURBO was really nice.

[@TheHomeExpert5]

Any of you guys out there remember the mid-eighties Yamaha V-Twin Vision 550? That thing was amazing. Good styling, very different but cool.

[@Mike-er7ym]

Yeah XZ550 very angular styling I remember but it was never a sales success 😒

[@chunkie412]

when i got mine my mate paul told me to stay away from 6-7 grand in any gear or it will scare the pants of you and of course i tried it and my goodness it was quick it showed a clean pair of heels to a lot of modern sports bikes and i rode it through 3 seasons in the u.k never missed a beat

[@westboundbadger]

Great bike and good paint apart from the tank stripes are too wide !

[@dankrzeminski6370]

Bought a my Gpz 1100 B-2 in 82 for $3,800 loved that bike

[@theriderdtm8650]

Thank You Sir 👍

[@martinwright9238]

i had this bike new in 81 fastest thing on earth ever truly amazing bike

[@1990-t1j]

Nice bike. I like the helmet. Brits abroad!

[@Mike-er7ym]

I had a 1983 GPZ 550 unit track and it didn’t have fuel injection! 🤨

[@JETJOOBOY]

I thought that too?

[@splodge57]

Neither did the one in the video.

[@rover100bunson]

neighbour had a lovely black z1000h, that was an injected beast

[@dugaldbarnard7533]

I have one in my collection - it has a genuine 21 000 Km on the clock

[@parsivalshorse]

I had one for years. Like many kwaka's at the time it was only really any good when you were wringing it's neck.

[@MichaelShawcross1]

I know you state 1100, but is a little misleading as Kawasaki first used fuel injection in 1980 with the Z1000H

[@twowheelsoneleg5672]

I think the z1000h was Kawasaki's first fi bike. Title reads "gpz1000". The 550 never had fuel injection, you can even see the carbs on the pic you posted. Nice to see the bikes getting some air time

[@fyorbane]

Correct.

[@Mike-er7ym]

Sure was....great looking bike 😎

[@splodge57]

The z1000h was a great looking bike. They came in Black with a white and gold pinstripe and fuel injection.

[@twowheelsoneleg5672]

@@splodge57 Basically a fuel injected Mk2 z1000. IIRC the US got a ltd style one maybe called "G" and/or "classic"

[@GeOgreSA]

Yeah, and Here is SA we only received 8 of these bikes. Was launched in 1980 and my Dad still has his 1980 Kawasaki Z1000 (Side cover never listed the 8)

[@J.J.C.JR.]

Two cylinder whir?

[@kdz666]

LOL - 2 sets of 2 cylinders I guess!

[@jackuytdewiligen4165]

i buy one of the first in the netherlands in 1981 and drive to tt in assen gp in 1981 it was a best for that era it was so special and go with the kawasaki to france at holiday on route de sun i fight with a ferrari

[@JETJOOBOY]

Where are yow from youth?

[@BrewsterMartha]

826 Rosenbaum Mills

[@MrAndrew1953]

I had a 1982 GPZ 1100 B2 with the digital fuel blocks that disappeared rapidly. 220 kmh would be about right. Honda CBR600 was good for 240 kmh.

[@gorutra]

I had one in California and speedometer only went up to 80 mph. Strange

[@gwynnromano5881]

Nice speedo cable

[@Gozling1]

Title of the video is wrong - its not a GPz1000, its a GPz1100. He makes a lot of mistakes about the specs of this bike during the video. Way too many. Fuel injection was debuted a year earlier in 1980 with the limited-edition Z1000H.

[@Mm1twiggy]

Used to wobble like shite at the 220km/h mark! 😱

[@ronbradshaw7404]

Wrong!!!. Kawasaki had fuel injection on the Z1000G in 1980 and 1981 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! An awesome looking custom bike.

[@daniellang6112]

dont forget the classic f.i.

[@jameshendry4208]

550 never had fi

[@PhilbyFavourites]

Why’s he wearing a jacket with “BERK” written on the sleeve....?

[@heinrichmatthee1609]

Z1300 dreadful? Blasphemy!

[@bearcatracing007]

But it's true!

[@BN1960]

Rose tinted specs I'm afraid Yes they're nice to relive your youth and so forth but truthfully, classic bikes aren't a patch on modern bikes for what we want out of bikes, which is power, speed, cornering and reliability.

[@splodge57]

Right, but they do look nicer.

[@RRSmurf]

I don't understand your comment. Noone thinks classic bikes are a patch on modern bikes when it comes to power, speed, cornering and reliability. Or are you saying people only buy bikes because of those attributes? To which I'll strongly disagree.

[@gorangustavsson7716]

A quarter-mile time of 11.2 seconds is not exactly slow even today

[@grazianobernardi9491]

io avevo il 550 unitrak 1982...la porto ancora nel cuore...questa va di piu ma la mia aveva il cupolino racing😂

[@germanmpower7010]

Arruinó todo el vídeo de piés a cabeza hablando cómo loro inglés en vez de dejar el sonido del motor de la moto!!!!! 😡