Kawasaki GPZ900R

Kawasaki GPZ900R

Manufacturer	Kawasaki
Also called	Ninja 900[1]
Parent company	Kawasaki Heavy Industries
Production	1984–1996[2]
Predecessor	none
Successor	ZZ-R1100
Class	Sport bike
Engine	908 cc (55.4 cu in), 4-stroke, transverse 4-cylinder, liquid-cooled, DOHC, 4-valve-per-cylinder[3][4][5]
Bore / stroke	72.5 mm × 55 mm (2.85 in × 2.17 in)
Top speed	151 mph (243 km/h)[3] 158 mph (254 km/h)[5]
Power	115 bhp (86 kW) @ 9,500 rpm (1986)[3][4] 108 bhp (81 kW) @ 9,500 rpm (1990 Europe)[4] 100 bhp (75 kW) @ 9,500 rpm (1990 Europe)[6] 89 bhp (66 kW) @ 9,000 rpm (1986 Japan)[4]
Torque	8.7 kgf·m (63 lbf·ft) @ 8,500 rpm[4] 8.5 kgf·m (61 lbf·ft) @ 8,500 rpm (Europe)[4] 7.3 kgf·m (53 lbf·ft) @ 6,500 rpm (Japan)[4]
Transmission	6-speed constant mesh, return shift. Wet multi-disc clutch. Chain drive.
Suspension	Front: telescopic fork, air Rear: Uni-Trak, air shock
Brakes	Front: dual disc Rear: single disc
Tires	tubeless 120/80-16 (front) (A1 - A6) 130/80-18 (rear) (A1 - A6) 120/70-17 (front) (A7-A8) 150/70-18 (rear) (A7 - A8)[4]
Rake, trail	29°, 114 mm (4.5 in)
Wheelbase	1,495 mm (58.9 in)
Dimensions	L: 2,200 mm (87 in) W: 750 mm (30 in) H: 1,215 mm (47.8 in)
Seat height	780 mm (31 in)
Weight	228 kg (503 lb)[4] 249 kg (549 lb) (Europe)[6] 234 kg (516 lb) (Europe)[4] (dry)
Fuel capacity	22 L (4.8 imp gal; 5.8 US gal) Reserve: 4 L (0.88 imp gal; 1.1 US gal)[4]
Related	GPZ1000RX GPZ750R

The Kawasaki GPZ900R (also known as the ZX900A or Ninja 900) is a motorcycle that was manufactured by Kawasaki from 1984 to 2003. It is the earliest member of the Kawasaki Ninja family of sport bikes. The 1984 GPZ900R (or ZX900A-1) was a revolutionary design^[1][3] that became the immediate predecessor of the modern-day sport bike.^[5] Developed in secret over six years, it was the world's first 16-valve liquid-cooled inline four-cylinder motorcycle engine, years ahead of rival manufacturers' efforts.^[3][7] The 908 cc four-cylinder engine delivered 115 bhp (86 kW), allowing the bike to reach speeds of 151 mph (243 km/h), making it the first stock road bike to exceed 150 mph (240 km/h).^[3]

Prior to its design, Kawasaki envisioned producing a sub-liter engine that would be the successor to the Z1.^[3] Although its steel frame, 16-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels, air suspension, and anti-dive forks were fairly standard at that time, the narrow, compact engine^[5] was mounted lower in the frame, allowing it to take Japanese superbike performance to a new level.^[3] Only three months after being unveiled to the press in December 1983, dealers entered three works GPZ900R bikes in the Isle of Man Production TT finishing in first and second place.^[3][5][8][9]

Description

GPZ900 in Montreal in 1987.

Technical advances included water cooling and 16 valves, allowing additional power, and a frame that used the engine as a stressed member for improved handling and reduced weight,^[1] as a result of testing that showed that the standard downtubes carried virtually no weight and could be eliminated.^[5] Its top speed gave it the title of the fastest production bike at the time,^{[1][3][10][11]} and standing quarter mile times of 10.976 seconds,^[1][10] or 10.55 seconds recorded by specialist rider Jay "Pee Wee" Gleason. The 1984 GPZ900R was the first Kawasaki bike to be officially marketed (in North America) under the Ninja brand name.^[1]

2003 GPz900R Final Edition.

In spite of its performance, the GPZ900R was smooth and ridable in urban traffic,^[3] owing to the new suspension and a crankshaft counter-balancer to nearly eliminated secondary vibration.^[5] The fairing's aerodynamics combined with good overall ergonomics to make comfortable long-distance riding possible.^[11]

The GPZ1000RX was to be the replacement for the GPZ900R in 1986, but the Ninja 900 continued alongside the GPZ 1000RX. In 1988 the GPZ 1000RX was replaced by the ZX-10, yet still the GPZ900R remained. With the release of the ZZ-R1100 in 1990, the GPZ900R lost its status as Kawasaki's flagship model,^[12][13] but continued, with some revisions of the fork, wheels, brakes and airbox, until 1993 in Europe, until 1996 in the US and until 2003 in Japan.^[2][14]

The GPZ900R was featured in the movie Top Gun,^[15] becoming a cultural icon.^[16][17][18]

Having tested and dismissed Meriden Triumph's Phoenix/Diana project, John Bloor's relaunch of the Triumph marque needed a new development starting point and the GPZ900R motor was used, as that starting point, for the original Triumph modular design of 1990. It is not a direct copy of it though, as the cam chain being at the other end of the engine and the use of wet liners (instead of dry ones) demonstrate.

Notes

1. Kawasaki Museum GPZ900R History, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, 2008
2. Walker, Mick (2001), Performance Motorcycles, Amber Books, Ltd. and Chartwell Books (Book Sales, Inc.), pp. 152–153, ISBN 0-7858-1380-2
3. Krens (2001) p. 356
4. Kawasaki Museum GPZ900R Specifications, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, 2008
5. Walker (2006) pp. 174-5
6. Workshop Manual
7. Walker (2006) p. 172
8. Isle of Man TT Official Site . TT 1984 Production 751-1500cc Results, IOM Government Department of Tourism and Leisure by Duke Marketing Ltd., 2009
9. Walker (2003) p. 140
10. De Cet (2005) p. 141-2
11. Brown (2000) p. 185
12. Ker, Rod (2007), Classic Japanese Motorcycle Guide, Sparkford, UK: Haynes Publishing, p. 209, ISBN 1-84425-335-X
13. Dowds, Alan (2007), Superbikes: Street Racers: Design and Technology, Thunder Bay Press, p. 246, ISBN 1-59223-777-0
14. Brown, Roland (2005), The Ultimate History of Fast Motorcycles, Bath, England: Parragon, pp. 184–185, ISBN 1-4054-5466-0
15. Trivia for Top Gun, IMDb.com, 2009
16. Christian Science Monitor (2005) p. 11
17. Brandweek (2008) p. 18
18. Gingerelli (2011) p. 93

References

• Brandweek (April 21, 2008), "Kawasaki's new top gun.(Case Study: Stories from the Front Lines of Marketing)", Brandweek (The Nielson Company) 49 (16), p. 18
• Brown,, Roland; McDiarmid, Mac (2000), The Ultimate Motorcycle Encyclopedia: Harley-Davidson, Ducati, Triumph, Honda, Kawasaki and All the Great Marques, Anness Publishing, ISBN 978-1-84038-898-5
• Christian Science Monitor, The (September 30, 2005), "Motorcycle safety schools see boomer boomlet; Motorcycle-safety schools are ballooning as baby boomers tap into their Harley fantasies", The Christian Science Monitor, p. 11
• De Cet, Mirco (2001), The Complete Encyclopedia of Classic Motorcycles: informative text with over 750 color photographs (3rd ed.), Rebo, ISBN 978-90-366-1497-9
• Gingerelli, Dain; Everitt, Charles; Michels, James Manning (2011), 365 Motorcycles You Must Ride, MBI Publishing Company, p. 94, ISBN 0-7603-3474-9, retrieved May 6, 2012
• Krens, Thomas (2001), The Art of the Motorcycle, Guggenheim Museum, pp. 357–7, ISBN 978-0-8109-6912-4
• Walker, Mick (2003), Japanese Production Racing Motorcycles, Redline Books, ISBN 978-0-9544357-0-7
• Walker, Mick (2006), Motorcycle: Evolution, Design, Passion, JHU Press, pp. 172, 174–5, ISBN 978-0-8018-8530-3