The Andy Chapman Collection – Part III, 1976 Kawasaki Z900

• Landmark Kawasaki superbike
• Imported from overseas
• Part of the collection since 2019

Having established its performance credentials with the Mach III two-stroke triple, Kawasaki went on to ace the opposition with the awe-inspiring Z1. The model had been planned in 750cc form in the late 1960s but was beaten to the showroom by Honda's CB750. Kawasaki's proposed superbike already had two overhead camshafts to the Honda's one, so its designers redrew the motor as a '900'. Launched in 1972 at the Cologne Show, the big 'Z' set new road-bike performance standards, at least as far as straight line speed was concerned. With 82bhp on tap, top speed was around 130mph, but if the rider used all that power on twisty roads then things could get exciting. As a fast tourer though, the Z1 excelled.

Introduced in 1974, the Z1A featured different tank livery and a plain alloy finish for the engine's upper half, the Z1's having been black, together with minor mechanical alterations. The Z1B, introduced in 1975, featured different tank livery and the plain alloy finish for the upper engine first seen on the Z1A, together with minor mechanical alterations including the adoption of a sealed drive chain and the deletion of the chain oiler. In 1976 the model was mildly revised yet again and renamed 'Z900', gaining twin front discs and 26mm carburettors among other more minor changes. Few bikes from Japan have had as much of an impact on the motorcycling world as Kawasaki's original 'Big Zed', and today all versions of this landmark model are highly sought after.

Imported from overseas and first registered in the UK on 1st March 2015, this Z900 was acquired for the collection in 2019 and currently displays a total of 29,774 miles on the odometer (at the time of cataloguing/photography). Following a period of inactivity, this motorcycle will require recommissioning to a greater or lesser extent, or possibly more extensive restoration, before returning to the road and thus is sold strictly as viewed. Accompanying documents include a current V5C Registration Certificate, some expired MoTs and a DVLA SORN confirmation slip. The machine also comes with an owner's manual and one key. It should be noted that the engine number is not recorded in the aforementioned V5C.