Kawasaki’s Best 10 Cars in History

The 10 greatest people of all time.

One of Japan’s Big Four has had excellent motorcycles, but which one is the best?

a11-1

Heavy industry originated from shipbuilding in the late 1800s, and then developed into railway, aerospace and heavy engineering. After World War II, all these activities continued, but motorcycles entered the portfolio in 1949, and now, they are mainly famous for motorcycles. Since the first step into motorcycles, there have been some unforgettable motorcycles, and here are 10 greatest models.

10/10

1969 H1 Mach III

Red H1 studio shooting

Studio shooting of H1Mach3 in 1969.

Just like Honda’s CB750 civilized motorcycle, it runs counter to frankly crazy and dangerous H2. This is a 500cc three-cylinder two-stroke motorcycle with only one purpose: to win the traffic light resistance race. It weighs 383 pounds and is very light, but in order to achieve lightness, engineers cut the metal of each motorcycle part: the frame is made of thin tubes, the front fork is similar to a straw, and the rear shock absorber and swing arm are not stronger. The result is that a motorcycle can run a quarter mile in 12.4 seconds, and the speed is less than 120 mph, but what is more worrying is its performance in corners. Or it should be, it has no way of expression in the corner! The frame has great elasticity, and H2 was soon named widow maker. Legend has it that not many of the original owners of H2 survived!

9/10

1971H2 Mach LV

Blue H2 Mach 4

Studio shooting of blue H2 Mach 4.

In order to keep consistent with the Japanese theory, that is, more power equals higher speed, while ignoring the development of chassis, MachlV is equipped with a 748cc version of a two-stroke three-cylinder engine. Some changes have been made to the chassis to improve the handling slightly, and a disc brake has been installed on the front wheel to replace the overgrown drum brake of Machlll. However, MachLV is still a terrible bicycle, especially in high-speed corners, and the front wheel will be lifted with a slight movement of the accelerator. Both Machlll and MachlV have consolidated their reputation for making beautiful but extremely fast motorcycles.

8/10

1972 Z1

Shooting in Green Z1 Studio

Studio in Z1 in 1972

In 1972, Z1 was the best four-cylinder sport motorcycle in Japan. After Honda showed the road with CB750 in 1969, it responded with the iconic Z1, powered by a 903cc inline four-cylinder four-stroke engine with a power of 82 HP. This is the first large-displacement Japanese motorcycle equipped with double overhead camshafts. At that time, only MVAgusta750S used this technology, and the price was more than twice that of Z1. I have been studying the 750cc engine, but when Honda launched the CB750, the release was postponed until the 900cc version was ready. When it arrived, it redefined the performance of the sports bike at a top speed of 130 mph. More importantly, at this time, the art of chassis development has been mastered, and Z1 is several years ahead of Machlll and lV.

7/10

1984 GPz900

Red GPz900

Shooting in red GPz900 studio

Another landmark, not only because it appeared in Tom Cruise’s Top Gun. When it was introduced, it was the first motorcycle equipped with a water-cooled 16-valve DOHC in-line four-cylinder engine. Its 115 horsepower made its top speed exceed 150 mph, making it the fastest mass-produced motorcycle in the world. The engine is used as the stress component of the frame, which eliminates the bottom tube of the frame and allows the motor to be installed lower, thus improving the maneuverability. The first person to wear the ninja’s name, its position in motorcycle legend was guaranteed, even though Tom Cruise didn’t take Kelly McGillis to one of the biggest movies in the 1980s.

6/10

1988KR-1

KR-1 blue

Studio shooting of KR-1

In the 1980s, the 250cc class in the Grand Prix was still popular with Japanese racing teams Honda, Honda, Honda and Honda. In order to take advantage of this popularity, they all produced 250cc two-stroke road bikes, and KR-1 and KR-1S are the most powerful and fastest. They are also easy to adjust for higher performance. With an ultra-light weight of 271 pounds, 55 and 65 horsepower (KR-1 and KR-1S, respectively) make their displacement extremely fast, with a top speed of 139 mph. However, unlike the early Machlll and lV models, at this time, the chassis technology has been mastered, and fast driving in a straight line is no longer at the expense of turning power.

5/10

1988 Male Cat ZX-10

ZX-10 is standing in the warehouse.

The first three quarters of the red and white ZX-10 lens in the warehouse.

Throughout the 1980s, the power output was getting higher and higher. With the help of ZX-10, it won the title of the fastest motorcycle when it made its debut in 1988, with a top speed of 165 mph. The 997cc inline four-cylinder engine can produce 135 horsepower and is installed in the first aluminum peripheral frame of the. The model lasted only two years, and it was stronger (faster! ), ZX-10 series is still around us, and has won many championships in the world super motorcycle and other series.

4/10

1989ZX-7R

Green ZX-7R

Shooting in Green ZX-7R Studio

Although it has never been a great success in the Grand Prix, it has an enviable record in the production-based racing series such as the World Super Motorcycle Championship and the AMA Super Motorcycle Championship. The preferred weapon in the early 1990s was ZX-7R, a 750cc, 110 horsepower four-cylinder engine sports bicycle. Having said that, GSX-R750 circled it on the road when it arrived in 1996. Although ZX-7R is relatively heavy, it helps to maintain stability in straight lines and long and fast corners. It is fast and relatively simple, and is sought after by collectors today.

3/10

1990ZZ-R1100/ Ninja ZX-11

Blue ZX-11R

Blue ZX-10R studio shooting

Have you been striving for the highest production motorcycle speed record? Two years after the appearance of ZX-10, this beast ZX-11R appeared. The engine of ZX-10 has been expanded, and now it can produce 145 horses, and the top speed has been increased to 175 mph. It may be 32 years old now, but it is still ridiculously fast. Even better, ZX-11R is more comfortable than ZX-10, which is very suitable for long-distance riding, and it can also be thrilling in corners. If there were no ZX-11R, we might never have seen products like Honda CBR1100XX Super Blackbird or Hayabusa.

2/10

2015H2

Black/Green Ninja H2

Ninja H2′ s studio

When this bicycle appeared in 2015, it really changed the scene of performance bicycles. It already has a ZX-14 with a 1,400cc engine, while H2 may have only 1,000cc, but it also has a supercharger with a power output of more than 200 horsepower. H2 is the first mass-produced motorcycle equipped with supercharger, although turbocharger has been used on motorcycles for a period of time in 1980s. The 1,000cc route was chosen because the displacement is the core of the high-performance market. It is also closely related to racing, so the development of this field may penetrate into road bicycles and the rich professional knowledge gained in chassis and suspension development. For the whole series, it is a commendable flagship, but it is certainly not the motorcycle that has made the most headlines.

1/10

2015H2R

Black-green H2R

H2R’s studio

If you think standard H2 is crazy, what is H2R? Once again, the fastest motorcycle production record was obtained, although it was a non-road legal model. At that time, H2R, which was driven by several world super sports champions Kenan Sofoglu, reached a speed of 400 km/h (248 mph) on a suspension bridge in Turkey. The engine may be the same as the standard H2, but in H2R, it produces frankly crazy 310 horsepower. It is sold without lights or indicator lights, with winglets, smooth tires and a special exhaust system on the front fairing.

Frequently asked questions

Q: What is the best motorcycle?

The best bicycle is H2, because it is not only amazing in speed and technical victory, but also comfortable enough to be a good touring bicycle.

Q: What is the best-selling motorcycle?

The best-selling model is the Z900RS, with 4,850 units sold in 2021.

Q: What is the fastest motorcycle?

The fastest motorcycle is supercharged H2R with a top speed of 248.5 mph.