Kawasaki Z750 - Between the Hedges

This 750cc twin was bought second hand from a work colleague in January 1978. The only Kawasaki I've ever owned, it was my introduction to heavyweight motorcycling. Being truthful, it nearly put me off the idea altogether!

Kawasakis were good looking bikes. The Z900 and Z1000 were trend-setters in style and even people who weren't interested in bikes stopped to admire them. Coming from the same drawing board, the Z750 also attracted glances wherever it went. It was, without doubt a handsome piece of kit. It was unmistakably a "Kwack". The aforementioned bikes are now much sought after by collectors and command serious prices while the poor old Z750 has been very quietly forgotten, which is probably for the best..

The fact is this bike was rather indigent in most other departments. Handling was shaky at best and slow speed manoeuvres required due care. It also displayed an odious tendency to wheelbarrow in slow turns... something that nearly had me on the floor of a petrol station forecourt once. The single front & rear disc brakes weren't altogether adequate to arrest the substantial momentum that this brute could gather. It is quite possible that a set of "sintered" pads might have improved this picture. The engine, a 360° DOHC twin was very gutsy and torquey but sadly lumpy enough to pass for British. It was also somewhat unreliable and was prone to bothersome ignition disorders in wet weather. Sometimes it simply refused to start... a problem I never managed to cure. Another detestable trait was fuse-blowing which led to some pretty disagreeable experiences on the move. Overtaking a lorry on the motorway one night I found myself without an engine or lights - not pleasant.

Despite persistent efforts to remedy the various maladies that afflicted this bike, it seemed resolved to be a rogue. Its overall demeanour led to the parting of the ways rather quickly. It was traded against an almost new Honda CB750 F2 around May '78.

One point worth noting is that Kawasaki were producing DOHC engines long before Honda. The Kwack engines have often been described as bullet-proof and I do believe that this one was. It is a real pity that such imaginative engineering was spoilt by poor ancillary equipment and running gear.