article on Kawasaki Z1R ATP kit factory turbo

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Fire-medic

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A 'blast from the past,' the Kawasaki Z1R with the ATP (American Turbo Pak) factory bolt-on kit, making the VMax RWHP if your VMax was done by someone who can tune the Stage 7/Kerker 4-1 setup to get 130 RWHP.
http://www.odd-bike.com/2012/12/kawasaki-z1r-tc-psycho-turbo-z.html

A great read, and be sure to read the comments after the article from present and former owners who all say, 'scary-fast,' probably due to the unmodified stock frame and the sudden onset of boost. Being equipped with a Rajay turbo which had a provision in the plumbing to modify the boost via a simple screwdriver, and without sufficient internal mods (in the first version) to allow the engine to live at anything over minimum boost, these quickly grew a reputation as 'hand grenades.' Fast, but no longevity in the hands of an enthusiastic owner who used their screwdriver to max-out on the boost.

Locally in south FL, I had several acquaintances who ran turbos on their XS-11 Yamahas, built to accept the increase in HP, and they were faster than any stock bike of the day.

I recall being on the road to the beach to the ocean one night, and the only thing on that road were land crabs going back and forth across the road, moonlight, and us. I was on a '83 KZ1000J with 33 Mikunis, a Kerker no-baffle 4/1, GPZ1100 cams, and Dyna ignition & coils. He was on a Kawi 750 Turbo, and he walked that front end high in the air through first, second, and into third before he put it back down. It was quite a sight to see. The turbo bikes are impressive producers.

Another of my acquaintances from that time, Mark Moisan, (early 1990's) ran an air/oil-cooled GSXR 1100 equipped with a turbo, he tuned it to produce 405 RWHP at Daytona's HP SHootout at the old American Motorcycle Institute (AMI) contest. When he was invited by Sport Rider magazine to a builder special contest in CA, he took that bike and went 229 mph before the boost blew-loose the carbs! I've mentioned this guy in the past, his wife could and did ride the bike to local bike nights w/the boost turned-down. There is some controversy on the internet over his use of an aftermarket kit to get his results, and if he gave credit where credit may be due, but it was a starting point, and he took it farther than others did at the time. Now there are turbo Hyabusas and Kawi 14's besting that by quite a bit, but his work was well-before that, and he 'made the numbers.'
 

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Great read F.M. I can remember the first time I saw a stock Z1. It hit Harley town USA, where I lived, and destroyed the hottest Big bore, Sportster around. By second gear it was over. I believe the hate for Japanese bikes started about then too. There
was nothing that could touch them. I wanted one. Got to ride one, and many years later own one like it.
 
The Japanese Big 4 all did a turbo bike, some, more than one. Honda's CX 500-based bike became a 650, and that was probably the most-advanced design mechanically. Suzuki had a mid-displacement bike, as did Yamaha, but it was really Kawasaki and Honda that spent time and effort to do it on > than 1 model.

In the aftermarket, the Suzuki GS1100/1150 models and the Kawasaki KZ1000-based bikes dominated the efforts, and the Suzuki is today still the basis for many power-added drag bikes. There are a lot of people who like the Kawi's, I'm one of them, but I currently don't have a KZ-based bike, though I owned 3 KZ1000's and one each in the 550/750 displacements, though none were turbo'ed, which is really the common thread for the post.
 
I still have my 83 Seca Turbo. With the 750 motor I installed it was as fast as my Vmax when on boost (much slower when not spooled up).

I do have this bike coming very soon (and will be selling it at some point too)
 

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