Riding Impression of the Zephyr 1100

This article was originally published in the March 1992 issue of Cycle World.

Underestimate the power of nostalgia? Not us. For we have seen the future—at least a compelling bit of what we strongly suspect will be the future—and it, in the form of Kawasaki's all-new Zephyr 1100, looks a whole lot like motorcycling's past.

To understand how nostalgia is driving at least a part of the motorcycle market, a review of recent motorcycle history might be instructive. Motorcycle sales are way down from their early-1980s peak figures: they have been for a long time now. Executives at every manufacturer, except perhaps at a particular one in the American heartland, are worrying themselves bald as they attempt to ferret out solutions to this problem: How can they give American riders what we want to ride, at a price we'll pay, and thus end the motorcycle sales slump?

Meanwhile, executives responsible for Japan-only motorcycle sales have no such problem. Because of the terrific enthusiasm for motorcycles in Japan—and indeed, nearly everywhere else on the globe—they’re selling motorcycles like crazy. How they do it varies from company to company. Where Kawasaki is concerned, two things are all-important. One is big-time performance. That’s covered by the pavement-ripping ZX-11, the fastest production streetbike in the galaxy. The other is nostalgia. That's covered by the Zephyr line.

This deference to nostalgia has worked incredibly well in Japan. There, the Kawasaki Zephyr (its name means "a soft, gentle breeze from the west"), that retro/Z-1 -styled standard, is very nearly a national craze, rather like a hula-hoop with motor and wheels. This craze has given rise to Zephyr clubs. Zephyr magazines. Zephyr roadracing classes. Zephyr speed and custom parts. Zephyr apparel. For all we know, Zephyr dating services. For Kawasaki, the Zephyr has been the polar opposite of the ill wind that blows no good.

Except in the United States. Here, Zephyr sales have been disappointing. The original family member, the Zephyr 550, was a slick little bike. And its larger sibling, the Zephyr 750, is simply stunning, with great looks, a terrific engine, and the feel, finesse and finish that denote very careful, thoughtful design. Yet Zephyr 750s languish in showrooms, gathering dust. Yes. they’re priced somewhat higher than Honda's competing Nighthawk 750, but they've got better brakes, better suspension, a more powerful engine and are finished every bit as well. So if the Zephyr 750 is priced somewhat higher than the Nighthawk, it would seem to offer extra value for the extra loot.

Nobody would blame Kawasaki for becoming discouraged with this state of affairs and abandoning the American branch of the Zephyr family, and with it, the standard concept. But Kawasaki isn’t. It sees the Zephyr as a beneficent wind, not an ill one. And it is following the Zephyr 750 with the grandest Zeph of them all. It is releasing, in Japan and Europe, and we suspect in America, the Zephyr 1100. We’ve just spent two hard-riding days aboard a pilot example of this bike, brought to the U.S. for the purpose of gauging dealer reaction. We can tell you that it’s an absolutely splendid motorcycle, a bike with styling, finish and performance worthy of the close attention of anybody the least bit interested in motorcycles.

In coming up with this bike, it would have been stunningly easy to borrow a motor from here, wheels from there, other bits and pieces from somewhere else. That isn’t what happened. This bike may look a whole lot like the Zephyr 750, may look a lot like the vaunted old Z-1, but it is completely new, right from the ground up—with very few exceptions.

The bike’s designers started with engineering drawings of the liquid-cooled Voyager XII touring-bike engine, but revised every component—cases, crank, pistons, everything. The result is a dohc, two-valve-per-cylinder, air-cooled Four that uses a gear-driven balance shaft to help dampen the vibrations inherent in any inline-Four. The engine is tuned for strong midrange power, with a bank of Keihin 34mm CV carbs, 39mm intake valves and 34mm exhaust valves, and a bore/stroke of 73.5 x 62.2mm. It uses two sparkplugs per cylinder, located the same distance off-center in each combustion chamber. The purpose of twin plugs is to minimize detonation and to enhance the burn characteristics of the lean mixture required by contemporary emissions requirements. Both plugs are fired simultaneously by a digital ignition system. The result is a smooth, free-running engine, redlined at 9500 rpm, that makes 92 horsepower and pulls hardest between 5500 and 8500 rpm.

The engine puts its power to the bike’s 160/70-17 rear Dunlop K505 tire through a clutch with nine friction plates and eight steel plates, a five-speed transmission—five cogs being all the ratios required for an engine this torquey—and front and rear sprockets with 16 and 48 teeth, respectively.

The engine is hung in a round-tube, double-cradle frame, and is solidly mounted at the rear, rubber mounted up front. This mounting system dampens out most of the vibration not canceled by the engine’s balance shaft. Some few vibes do seep through at engine speeds beyond 5000 rpm, but at highway speeds of 60 through 75 mph, when the engine is turning below 4500 rpm, the engine is as smooth as honey.

The bike’s swingarm bears the same evidence of thoughtful design that shows up on the engine and frame. It uses double-box-section aluminum tubing, pivots on a combination of roller and ball bearings, and has neat eccentric chain adjusters. Rear suspension is via twin shocks with piggyback reservoirs, offering four rebound-damping adjustment positions and five spring-preload positions. The fork is non-adjustable, with 43mm stanchions. On this pilot-production unit, Kawasaki’s spring and shock rates were right on the money, offering a very comfortable ride, and at the same time being fully capable of mildly spirited sport riding.

Riders of sportbikes might call the big Zeph’s steering a little slow, a little heavy. Riders of cruisers might call it a bit too quick. Riders of late-’70s and early-’80s standards, however, probably would call it just right. It uses 27 degrees of rake and 4.3 inches of trail, and this amounts to a very workable compromise of responsiveness, solid feel and good directional stability. Anyone whose tastes call for slightly quicker steering has the option of reducing the rake just a little by cranking the rear shock preload, and with it, rear ride height, all the way up to its top position.

Everybody's tastes call for great brakes. The Zephyr 1100 has them, pulled directly from the same parts bin that supplies the ZX-11. These use dual 12.2-inch rotors up front and an 11.4-inch rotor at the rear. Gripping those massive front rotors are a pair of four-piston calipers, actuated via an adjustable four-position brake lever. This is matched by a clutch lever that also is adjustable. Those brakes aren't there just for looks, however: This machine tipped the Cycle World scales at 540 pounds dry. With its full load of rider and five gallons of fuel, the 1100, then, is no lightweight, and needs all the brakes it can get.

Still, the Zephyr 1100 weighs 50 pounds less than Suzuki's just-introduced GSX1100G, and it masks its weight well. Clever styling makes it appear to be about the same size as the Zephyr 750. It's considerably larger-indeed, large enough, with its commodious seat, to comfortably carry two people on a day-long ride.

A ride on the Zephyr 1100 is a delight. Its seat-footpeg-handlebar relationship offers what may be the most comfortable riding position on any standard, and this is enhanced by the smooth, confident ride designed into the suspension. This soaks up small bumps well, yet is sufficiently firm to invite a brisk pace, if that’s the rider’s desire. Indeed, with the pace cranked up to Full Scorch, the bike is still surprisingly competent. What you discover, when the spirit moves you to use the big Zephyr’s engine, is that the bike emerges from the standard-bike closet wearing a musclebike suit. It is no sportbike; it doesn’t have the suspension, steering geometry or high-rev horsepower for that. But it will still haul the mail, in comfort and style, just like a proper all-around motorcycle ought to. Go fast enough, and you’ll touch the footpeg feelers down, feel the slowness of the steering, and note that the bike’s brakes are a match for its weight, though not by much. You’ll also have a whale of a good time.

And why not? Good times are what motorcycles are for, though if recent sales figures are anything to go by, a smaller percentage of people than ever are enjoying good times on new bikes. But who knows? There would seem to be strong demand, among riders and former riders, for a liter-class standard-style motorcycle that offers a workable combination of style, comfort, performance and value. The Zephyr 1100 would seem to be that bike. And if it is, it might be just the machine to blow in the winds of change.