Motorcycle legends and their successors

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Motorcycle legends and their successors

Motorcycle legends and their successors
Coveted forever

Everyone knows them, many admire them. Legends of the rank of a BMW R 90 S, a Kawasaki Z 1000 and a Suzuki GSX-R 1100. How do we experience them today, how can their successors stand alongside them?

Ralf Schneider

04/24/2003

I confess everything and hope to be forgiven. At least for a statute of limitations. The thing is, in the past I didn’t like four-cylinder, yes, downright hated it. A motorcycle engine could not have more than two cylinders? Cycle number does not matter? or at least had to come from MV Agusta. Honda CB 750, Kawasaki I thought Z1 and the like were insidiously whispering, overpowered sewing machines that would have taken better care of their threateningly bad undercarriages. So I was wrong, without even having driven without it. As also, at 16, without a driver’s license?
No cardboard, I have no idea, but a fat prejudice, but now the late revenge overtakes me in the form of a dark green one Kawasaki Z 1000 A2. Beautiful, perfectly restored by the specialist Roland Lenden. And with a not original one, but ?? the preachers of pure doctrine will cry out – inflict highly authentic change. It has a lively four-in-four exhaust system from the previous model, the Z 900, a conversion that, according to Roland Lenden, a good half of the Z 1000 drivers did back then, starting at the end of 1976. It fits even better with the current Z 1000, which with this stylistic element of the four tailpipes has reached out to its ancestors for a good 27 years.
The Z-Kawa’s late revenge couldn’t be more enchanting. The engine is just great, even by today’s standards. A subtle way to rub the full extent of my early error under my nose. How could I ever mistake this dark tone for a rustle? It has strength and substance, is exactly the right expression for the bearish serenity with which the air-cooled four-cylinder works. In contrast to the new motor, the old one has more flywheel mass, runs smoothly even at the lowest speeds and is the perfect partner for forgetting, rhythmic driving in the range between 3000 and 5000 revolutions. Which, as is well known, is not the slowest.
If you turn higher, you come to the area that the Z 900 and Z 1000 in 1976/77 added the attributes “Frankenstein’s daughter” and “Frankenstein’s masterpiece”. At that time, the colleagues from MOTORRAD wrote of clubs in the cross, giant fists grabbing and brute force. Everything is understandable, but cannot be relived in a direct comparison with the modern Z 1000. Because the old one simply gets going more slowly than the new one, giving the driver more time to coordinate further driving maneuvers following the increase in performance. While her tachometer needle sways comfortably due to insufficient damping, the other twitches back and forth on the scale like a foil blade. The driving dynamics behind it are fascinating, but more strenuous. Just try once to accelerate the new Kawa from zero to 140 in 4.8 seconds. The 6.8 seconds of the A2 don’t seem slower, just more pleasant. Generation-typical differences can also be felt in the running culture and, like everything that is sensed, not easy to describe in terms of quality. Perhaps like this: What the modern four-cylinder with its completely slide-bearing crank drive does not achieve in terms of smoothness can rightly be called vibrations. Tingly, unpleasant. The roughness of the roller-bearing veteran, on the other hand, unfolds in pleasantly massaging waves, it only becomes really nasty to the light bulbs.
Even the thing with the chassis turns out to be less dramatic than feared. Not that the Z 1000 doesn’t wobble. She does that, and vigorously. On bumps in the slope and at high speed anyway. Precisely because the motorcycle was restored so authentically, it becomes clear that the reasons for this do not lie in the structure. Frame and swingarm are probably sufficiently torsion-resistant, but the fork is undersized and, above all, undamped. You just have to press the front for a test, then this knowledge, together with the front structure, literally jumps into your face. It doesn’t look much better with the struts. So there is still potential for improvements inside the damping systems that go beyond the old recipe for Koni struts and Metzeler tires. In this context, the Bridgestone BT 45s mounted on the A2 are worthy of praise. A great tire for historical material. Not least because of him, the A2 manages to be better than its granddaughter in one point with all its precision, stability and cushioning reserves. What is meant is the steering behavior over the entire usable lean angle range. The A2 remains neutral, the new one always braces itself a little against the sloping position, and every bump acts as a reinforcing impulse.
A comparison of the size of the old and new motorcycles confirms that BMW did everything differently than others back then and has not stopped doing it to this day. The gaze wanders over the baroque curves of the old Z 1000, then picks up the angular lines of the new half a floor below. Jumps from front to back on the short, compact motorcycle a few times before taking the long climb to the fairing mountains of the Suzuki GSX-R 1100 and sliding down to the raptor profile of the GSX-R 1000 almost needs a parachute. At BMW, the journey through time goes up from old to new; over the decades, motorcycles have not become lighter, lower, more compact, but more and more powerful.
How delicate and delicate the R 90 S looks next to the R 1100 S. from today. No wonder that the owner of the specimen driven by MOTORRAD has remained true to his good piece for 28 years now. In view of this, the scratches in the paintwork, the patina on the Dellorto carburetors and the typical oil mist on the cylinder base and rear axle drive acquire their own quality. To renovate it would be to break off a tradition, as if a backhoe were raging in an archaeological site. As luck would have it, the R 90 S also forms the opposite pole to the Kawasaki Z 1000 in this respect and once again. And proves that both ways of experiencing an old motorcycle, flawless or patinated, can be equally fascinating. Especially since its boxer engine is so fresh to the point, as if it had only just retracted. At first it runs without dying with minimum idle speed, so that delighted listeners can count the individual explosions. An indication of the impeccable condition of the valves and valve seats. He gives the gentleman higher up, even gives himself a well-behaved yawn between 4500 and 5000 rpm, but also looks less tired than the later R 100 engines with the angular black box air filter boxes.
Yes and then it goes off. Lively, biting, strong and snotty in tone, the boxer tightens the shock absorber in the cardan and pulls forward. Forwards upwards to be precise, which does not mean a wheelie here. Yes, he had almost been forgotten, the elevator effect, the irresistible command from the cardan to the rear suspension to stretch and stand at attention as long as the acceleration continues. The reason for the disrespectful and loving term rubber cow. The current R 1100 S has lost around 80 percent of that, or has supported it thanks to Paralever. It is definitely easier to drive with it; the shorter suspension travel and the harder adjustment of the shock absorber reduce the up and down of the hindquarters in the rhythm of the load changes.
On the R 90 S, the driver has to make use of what he cannot change. Anyone who manages to brake late but quickly enough before the curve, to have shifted down without jerking at the turn-in point and to pull up the gas again in order to use the lifting of the butt to increase the lean angle, is already on the verge of the higher consecration. Then, of course, like a priest monk, he is almost lost to the rest of the world. Switching back and forth is not that easy. Because even less than the Z 1000 A2, not to mention the GSX-R 1100 and the three contemporary machines in this story, the R 90 is suitable for the normal, simple in-rum-out cornering style. And above all, this is due to the unchangeable, not the tuning details as with the Z 1000. At least the weak braking effect of the pendulum calipers, whose master brake cylinder is curiously actuated by the handbrake lever via a stretchable cable, fits in perfectly. There is a nasty tongues that an R 90 S doesn’t brake, it just slows a little faster.
At this point progress has produced the most beautiful blooms. The R 1100 S with its partially integrated braking system in combination with ABS and brake booster can be compressed as if it were equipped with a braking parachute, anchor and reverse thrust in one. On top of that, almost without any risk. In other things, however, to come back to the engines, the balance sheet is not so clear for the modern age. Because what takes a little behind the elevator effect in the perception of the first acceleration maneuvers, the longer you notice the more pleasant: the smoothness of the two-valve bumper boxer and its ease of turning. It might sound strange, as neither of them should turn much more than 7000 rpm. But while the traditional boxer crosses this threshold with verve, the new one gets tough from 6500 onwards. And badly rumbled in the crankcase, which the driver feels unfiltered because of the rigid screw connection of the engine in the frame. No matter how often BMW engineers refer to 20 HP more power with much lower pollutant emissions, to the constant travel jerks eliminated thanks to double ignition or whatever. When it comes to felt temperament instead of measured performance, the hearts of the old boxer fly to.
A Suzuki GSX-R 1000 from 2003 does not allow such emotions towards its ancestor to arise in the first place. Measured, felt, heard, seen ?? There is no objective or subjective category in which the driving experience on the 1987 1100 could approach that of the high-tech 1000. Perhaps they are too close together in time, and their goals are probably too similar. Because between the two Suzuki, there is no change from the strong all-rounder to the 1000cc fun bike, as with the Kawasaki, or, as with the BMW, a development from the puristic driving machine to the high-tech safety motorcycle, whereby the old ones can emphasize their independence. Both GSX-R want the same thing, the combination of superior power and lightweight construction. Therefore, when switching from the old to the new, 16 years of progress can be seen in blunt, almost harsh clarity. 27 kilograms less, 45 hp more, 57 kilometers an hour faster, more manageable, more stable, safer, that claps like a series of slaps in the face. Not even the extremely pretty design of the air / oil-cooled 1100 from 1987 with its fine cooling fins really comes into its own against the cool technical smoothness of the 1000 rocket engine. Because both Suzuki hide their engines behind large full fairings.
The fact that the GSX-R 1100 was a sports cannon at its heyday, lighter than a Yamaha FZR 1000, almost as strong as a fat Kawasaki Z 1000 RX and far less willing to compromise than a Honda CBR 1000 F, can hardly anyone more convincingly today make clear. She would need her competitors from back then. Or she finds someone who has known her since then, like the owner of the motorcycle ridden for this story. He bought the well-cared for, original piece again and prepared it because it represents an important stage in his motorcycle life. Anyone who does not have this background of experience will at least find a strong, reliable country road athlete of high practical value in it today, who thanks to excellent wind protection makes longer trips quite pleasant.
So what is it about these motorcycle legends and legendary motorcycles, the existing ones and the ones to come? Very easily. All the more, the more peculiarities, consciously or because of tight development budgets, are allowed to them. The more energetically a fascinating machine can stand for itself at all times, regardless of nostalgic sentimentality. A successful overall concept is of course also important for this. Not perfection in every detail. On the contrary. Perfection leaves no room for variance, so anyone who achieves it would be the same. Boring without polarizing the force right ?? think of the beginning of this story ?? to provoke a down-to-earth prejudice once in a while. It is precisely this power that many motorcycles need more urgently than a few more points in the 1000-point ranking. Not so with the three new bikes from our history. They have what it takes to become legends of tomorrow.

Technical data: Kawasaki Z 1000 A2

Kawasaki Z 1000 engine: air-cooled four-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, two overhead, chain-driven camshafts, two valves per cylinder, bucket tappets, wet sump lubrication, slide carburetor, Ø 26 mm, contact-controlled battery-coil ignition, kick starter, electric starter. Bore x stroke 70mm x 66 mm Displacement 1016 cm³ Compression ratio 8.7: 1 Nominal power 62.6 kW (85 PS) at 8000 / minMax. Torque 79 Nm (8.1 kpm) at 6500 rpm Power transmission: primary drive via gear wheels, mechanically operated multi-disc oil bath clutch, five-speed gearbox, O-ring chain. Chassis: double-loop tubular steel frame, telescopic fork, standpipe diameter 36 mm, two spring struts, directly articulated, adjustable spring base, double disc brake at the front, Ø 295 mm, two-piston calipers, disc brake at the rear, Ø 285 mm, single-piston caliper. Spoked wheels 2.15 x 19; 2.15 x 18 tires 3.25 H 19; 4.00 H 18 Chassis data: wheelbase 1520 mm, steering head angle 64 degrees, caster 90 mm, spring travel f / h 140/80 mm. Weight fully fueled * 256 kg Color green Price (1977) including ancillary costs 9,000 marks Driving performance * Top speed 202 km / h Acceleration 0-100 km / h 3.5 sec 0-140 km / h 6.8 sec 0-160 km / h 9.1 sec * MOTORCYCLE measurements

Technical data: Kawasaki Z 1000

KAWASAKI Z 1000 engine: water-cooled four-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, two overhead, chain-driven camshafts, four valves per cylinder, bucket tappets, wet sump lubrication, electronic intake manifold injection, Ø 38 mm, engine management, uncontrolled catalytic converter with secondary air system, electric starter. Bore x stroke 77.2 x 50.9 mmCapacity 953 cm³Compression ratio 11.2: 1Nominal output 93.4 kW (127 PS) at 10,000 rpmMax. Torque 96 Nm (9.8 kpm) at 8000 rpm Power transmission: primary drive via gear wheels, mechanically operated multi-disc oil bath clutch, six-speed gearbox, O-ring chain. Chassis: backbone frame made of tubular steel, load-bearing motor, upside-down fork, guide tube diameter 41 mm , adjustable spring base and rebound damping, two-arm swing arm made of aluminum profiles, central spring strut with lever system, adjustable spring base and rebound damping, double disc brake at the front, floating brake discs, Ø 300 mm, four-piston calipers, disc brake at the rear, Ø 220 mm, two-piston caliper. Cast aluminum wheels 3.50 x 17; 6.00 x 17 tires 120/70 ZR 17; 190/50 ZR 17 Chassis data: wheelbase 1420 mm, steering head angle 66 degrees, caster 101 mm, spring travel f / h 120/138 mm. Weight when fully fueled * 224 kgColors orange, green, blackPrice 9900 eurosAdditional costs 105 eurosDelivery performance * Top speed 245 km / hAcceleration0-100 km / h 3.1 sec 0-140 km / h 4.8 sec 0-160 km / h 6.2 sec * MOTORCYCLE measurements

Technical data: BMW R 90 S

BMW R 90 S engine: air-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke boxer engine, crankshaft lengthways, one lower, chain-driven camshaft, two valves per cylinder, tappets, bumpers, rocker arms, wet sump lubrication, round slide carburetor, Ø 38 mm, contact-controlled battery-coil ignition, kick starter, E. -Starter. Bore x stroke 90mm x 70.6 mm Displacement 898 cm³ Compression ratio 9.5: 1 Nominal power 49 kW (67 HP) at 7000 rpm Max. Torque 75 Nm (7.6 kpm) at 5500 rpm Power transmission: primary drive via gear wheels, mechanically operated single-plate dry clutch, five-speed gearbox, cardan. Chassis: double-loop tubular steel frame, telescopic fork, standpipe diameter 35 mm, single-joint two-arm swing arm made of tubular steel, two spring struts, adjustable Spring base, double disc brake at the front, Ø 260 mm, single-piston calipers, simplex drum brake at the rear, Ø 200 mm. Spoked wheels 1.85 x 19; 2.15 x 18 tires 3.25 H 19; 4.00 H 18 Chassis data: wheelbase 1465 mm, steering head angle 62 degrees, caster 90 mm, spring travel f / h 208/125 mm. Weight fully fueled * 235 kg Color orange / white Price (1973) including additional costs 9130 marks Driving performance * Top speed 196 km / h Acceleration 0-100 km / h 4.9 sec 0-140 km / h 9.7 sec 0-160 km / h 12.6 sec * MOTORCYCLE measurements

Technical data: BMW R 1100 S.

BMW R 1100 S engine Air / oil-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke boxer engine, crankshaft lengthways, one high, chain-driven camshaft, four valves per cylinder, bucket tappets, bumpers, rocker arms, wet sump lubrication, electronic intake manifold injection, Ø 45 mm engine management, regulated catalytic converter, electric starter .Bore x stroke 99.0 x 70.5 mm, displacement 1085 cm³, compression 11.3: 1, rated output 72 kW (98 PS) at 7500 rpm, max. Torque 97 Nm (9.9 kpm) at 5800 rpm Power transmission: primary drive via gear wheels, hydraulically operated single-disc dry clutch, six-speed gearbox, cardan. Chassis: bridge frame made of aluminum profiles, load-bearing motor / gear unit, telescopic fork guided by trailing arms, standpipe diameter 35 mm, adjustable rebound damping , Two-jointed single-sided swing arm made of cast aluminum, central spring strut directly hinged, adjustable spring base and rebound stage damping, double disc brake at the front, Ø 320 mm, four-piston calipers, disc brake at the rear, Ø 276 mm, double-piston caliper, composite brake system, ABS, brake booster. Cast aluminum wheels 3.50 x 17; 5.00 x 17 tires 120/70 ZR 17; 170/60 ZR 17 Chassis data: wheelbase 1478 mm, steering head angle 65 degrees, caster 100 mm, spring travel f / h 110/130 mm. Weight fully fueled * 247 kg Colors gray, red, gray / yellow, blue Price 11 350 euros Additional costs 260 euros Driving performance * Top speed 226 km / h Acceleration 0-100 km / h 3.4 sec 0-140 km / h 6.6 sec 0-160 km / h 7.7 sec * MOTORCYCLE measurements

Technical data: Suzuki GSX-R 1100

Suzuki GSX-R 1100 engine: air / oil-cooled four-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, two overhead, chain-driven camshafts, fork rocker arms, four valves per cylinder, wet sump lubrication, constant pressure carburetor, Ø 34 mm, transistor ignition, electric starter. Bore x stroke 76 mm x 58 mm Displacement 1052 cm³ Compression ratio 10: 1 Nominal output 74 kW (100 PS) at 8700 / min (open power 95.6 KW (130 PS) at 9500 min. Max. Torque 101 Nm (10.2 kpm) at 8300 Power transmission: primary drive via toothed wheels, hydraulically operated multi-disc oil bath clutch, five-speed gearbox, O-ring chain. Chassis: double loop frame made of aluminum profiles, telescopic fork, standpipe diameter 41 mm, adjustable spring base, two-arm swing arm made of aluminum profiles, central spring strut with lever system, adjustable spring damper base and drawbar Front, Ø 310 mm, four-piston calipers, rear disc brake, Ø 220 mm, two-piston caliper. Cast aluminum wheels 2.75 x 18; 4.00 x 18 Tires 110/80 – 18; 150/70 – 18 Chassis data: wheelbase 1460 mm, steering head angle 63.5 degrees , Caster 117 mm, spring travel f / h 130/126 mm. Weight fully fueled * 227 kg Color black / red, blue / white Price (1987) including ancillary costs 15,849 marksDelivery performance * Top speed 228 km / h Acceleration0-100 km / h 3.3 sec 0-140 km / h 5.5 sec 0-160 km / h 7.4 sec * MOTORCYCLE measurements

Technical data: Suzuki GSX-R 1000

SUZUKI GSX -R 1000 engine, water-cooled four-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, two overhead, chain-driven camshafts, four valves per cylinder, bucket tappets, wet sump lubrication, electronic intake manifold injection, Ø 42 mm, engine management, uncontrolled catalytic converter with secondary air system, electric starter. Bore x stroke 73.0 x 59.0 mm Displacement 988 cm³ Compression 12: 1 Nominal output 120.5 kW (164 HP) at 10 800 rpm Max. Torque 113 Nm (11.5 kpm) at 8400 rpm Power transmission: primary drive via gear wheels, mechanically operated multi-disc oil bath clutch, six-speed gearbox, O-ring chain. Chassis: Bridge frame made of aluminum profiles, load-bearing motor, upside-down fork, guide tube diameter 43 mm , adjustable spring base, rebound and compression damping, two-arm swing arm with upper pulls made of aluminum profiles, central spring strut with lever system, adjustable spring base, rebound and compression damping, double disc brake at the front, floating brake discs, Ø 300 mm, four-piston calipers, disc brake at the rear, Ø 220 mm, two-piston caliper 3.50 x 17; 6.00 x 17 tires 120/70 ZR 17; 190/50 ZR 17 Chassis data: wheelbase 1410 mm, steering head angle 66.5 degrees, caster 91 mm, spring travel f / h 120/130 mm. Weights fully fueled * 200 kg, colors blue / white, silver, black / orange, price 12 510 euros, additional costs 140 euros, driving performance * top speed 285 km / h Acceleration 0-100 km / h 2.9 sec 0-140 km / h 4.4 sec 0-160 km / h 5.3 sec * MOTORCYCLE measurements

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