Kawasaki’s First Superbike Had Violent Turbo Lag And Cost More Than Two Ford Pintos

When Kawasaki dropped the K1000 in 1977 it was already one of the fastest motorcycles of the era, making an incredible 90 horsepower and running quarter-mile times in the 11s. The more sports-focused Z1-R dropped the following year with cast wheels, slimmer bodywork, and a headlight fairing for the track. Not content to merely be powerful and stylish, Kawasaki USA wanted to grab headlines with the quickest bike ever offered to the public so it contracted a small turbocharger company to develop a power-boosting snail for the lightweight literbike. When the Z1-R TC fell into Kawasaki showrooms (sans warranty) the bike had gained an alcohol-injection system and 10psi of boost, but no other modifications, now pushing a stellar 130 horsey-ponies to the rear wheel. Did it run tens? You bet your sweet booty it did. Grip it and rip it, baby, you’re going for a ride. 

Iconic Motorbike Auctions

The Z1-R TC, when tested by Cycle Magazine, was described as going “so damn fast that it is at best impractical and at worst unbearable.” If you wanted to subject yourself to those kinds of forces, you’d have to pay a whole lot of money for it, however. A non-turbo Z1-R would have cost you about $3,695 in the late 1970s, while the turbocharged job was a little over $5,000. The bike you see here, however, is one of the three “Stage 3” kitted Z1-R TCs built for media to test. In order to stand up to the rigors of competition Kawasaki outfitted the Stage 3 bikes with upgraded welded and reinforced crank pins, improved valve springs, stronger clutch springs, better rear shocks, grippier drag racing rear tires, and traction bars. According to the seller, this bike cost just a tick over $7,100 brand new in 1978, or about $34,593 2025 dollars. The popular Ford Pinto compact car of the era started at $3,076, by comparison, though it only had 88 horsepower.

Okay, so now that you know this bike exists and if you’re like me you probably want one, there happens to be one for sale right now on Iconic Motorbike Auctions with a barely-inflation-beating buy-it-now price tag of $37,450. Depending on who you listen to, somewhere between 500 and 519 Z1-R TCs were built before California emissions rules put a kibosh to the whole thing. This high-spec allegedly-one-of-three-bikes-like-it example has been meticulously restored by a guy who has at least ten more Z1-R TCs in his collection, so he probably knows a thing or two about them. 

Kawasaki

If you want a motorcycle that runs 10s, and you’re not interested in basically any liter bike on the market today with a warranty and a sub-$15,000 price tag, this might be the avenue for you. Who wants a boring Yamaha MT-10 anyway, when you could have this turbocharged monster from the age of disco for twice the price? Heck yeah.