GPZ900R Owners Club Germany
Engine: Four-cylinder, four-stroke/inline - displacement: 908 cm³ - transmission: six-speed gearbox/chain - power: 84.5 kW (115 hp) at 9000 rpm
Max. torque 86 Nm at 7000 rpm
Front brake double disc (Ø 280 mm) - Rear brake disc (Ø 270 mm) Front tire 120/80 V 16 - Rear tire 130/80 V 16
Suspension travel front/rear 140/115 mm - Tank capacity 22 liters, Normal - Maintenance intervals 6000 km
GPZ900R
Kawasaki burst onto the motorcycle market in 1984 with its first 16V four-cylinder water-cooled engine.
It was time to show who was king in the sport motorcycle world. So, for the 1984 season, Kawasaki presented a completely redesigned motorcycle that could unashamedly be called a superbike.
The GPZ 900 R.
The Kawa engineers fired with everything they had: four cylinders, four valves each, water-cooled, short-stroke and thus designed for high revs, and a crisp six-speed gearbox to match. The timing chain, routed from the center to the left outside, ensures straight intake paths and thus increased power. A bracing 115 hp from 908 cc was considered a slap in the face to the competition back then. Today, that figure would be good even for naked highway robbers. Both there and on the highway, the fast GPZ feels at home because its engine is a blast. Even at medium revs, there's plenty of fire; from 7,500 rpm, the sports tourer seems to explode and revs effortlessly up to 12,000 rpm - with the redline starting at 10,500 rpm.
Ninja GPz900R models from 1984 to 2003, presented by OCD, produced by MotoBasic.com
Source: Youtube Kawasaki Germany: The Kawasaki GPZ 900R - the first Ninja
When it was introduced in 1984, the Kawasaki GPZ 900 R Ninja was a revolutionary sports motorcycle, the best and fastest of its time.
The sharp, sporty lines, the powerful liquid-cooled engine, technical innovations such as a 16" front wheel, and a chassis with an anti-dive system...
1984: George Orwell greets us with “Big Brother…”, the Cold War between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, James Cameron with Terminator, but also the year in which the Kawasaki GPZ900R appears on the market, a turning point in the development of motorcycles.
When it was released, the Ninja competed with the then booming turbocharged mopeds such as the Honda CX500 Turbo and the Kawasaki Z750 Turbo.
But with revolutionary bold lines, a liquid-cooled engine, 4 cylinders in line,
With 2 overhead camshafts, 16 valves and 115 hp, and a narrow design because the timing chain was moved to the outside left, this motorcycle was an innovation on the motorcycle market!
The 908cc inline four-cylinder engine accelerated this bike to over 243 km/h, making it faster than anything else on the market at the time.
The chassis was also reinvented and boasted impressive performance. The engine was integrated into the tubular steel chassis as a load-bearing element, and the aluminum rear subframe saved even more weight. An air-assisted fork with ADVS (Automatic Variable Damping System) that prevented dive under braking, and the progressive air-assisted Uni-Track system at the rear, completed the excellent impression.
The brakes, with their single-piston calipers on each disc, may not seem like much today, but the press of 1984 praised their performance. A sporty seating position with rearward footrests and upright semi-handlebars allowed the riders to ride with stability and precision. Compared to the then-current 1000-1100 cc powerhouses, the Ninja was lighter, more compact, more maneuverable, and faster.
Dunlop developed new tires specifically for the 16- and 18-inch tire combination, resulting in the sportiest and most advanced overall concept at the time.
The motorcycle was unveiled to the world at the Laguna Seca racetrack in 1983. Wayne Rainey, then winner of the AMA North American Championship on a Kawasaki GPZ 750, rode a production Ninja around the American track in 1:16 minutes.
Before it arrived at dealerships in 1984, Kawasaki had already entered three brand-new Ninjas in the Tourist Trophy Stock class the previous summer, with Geoff Johnson taking the win.
The film "Top Gun" (1986) also brought the GPZ to fame, as Tom "Maverick" Cruise used the ninja in the famous film to impress the girl.