Kirkus Reviews Book Review – 900 Super Four Z1
Oehl continues his series documenting Kawasaki motorcycles with this volume, which focuses on the manufacturer’s Z1 series.
In the early 1970s, Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Kawasaki was set to debut their first-ever superbike, only to get beaten to market by rival Honda. In response, Kawasaki developed a bike with an unprecedented 900cc four-cylinder engine, one that broke industry standards at the time. Unveiled in 1972, the motorcycle garnered colorful nicknames like “Frankenstein’s Bride” and the “Porsche Killer,” but officially the superbike was known by the simple designation Z1. The powerful vehicle was not without its dangers: “Unskilled drivers of a Zed 1 often found out the hard way that the motorcycle behaved oddly during a ride closer to its limits,” writes the author in his preface. “Many drivers reported that the motorcycle starts to oscillate during lane changes at higher speeds on a highway.” With this book, Oehl documents the components of the Z1 across various models (Highway, Trail, Motocross, Enduro, and four-stroke road bikes of both Japanese and American manufacture). From the specifically developed engine and unique four-into-four exhaust system to the emblems and paint job (designed according to the “three s” styling concept—slim, sleek, and sexy), the author takes the reader through the specifications of this remarkable vehicle. The book includes hundreds of color photographs of the bike and its parts, many taken by Oehl himself. (As he notes, the Z1 series dates to “an era where not so many photos were taken.”)
When the author offers explanations, they are direct and unadorned, though there is poetry to be found in the precision of his language, as here when he discusses the rear brake panel: “A knurled nut is fitted to the rear end of the brake rod to allow for an adjustment of brake pedal position when the brake shoes wear down.” As with his previous volume on the Z1000 R and Z11000 R series, this is a book for collectors and superfans as opposed to the general reader.
An impressively exhaustive, full-color documentation of the Kawasaki Z1.
Kirkus Indie, Kirkus Media LLC, 2600 Via Fortuna Suite 130 Austin, TX 78746
indie@kirkusreviews.com
900 Super Four Z1: Book Review by Kirkus Reviews
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Posted: May 10, 2025 by Stefan R. Oehl
Kirkus Reviews Book Review – 900 Super Four Z1
Oehl continues his series documenting Kawasaki motorcycles with this volume, which focuses on the manufacturer’s Z1 series.
In the early 1970s, Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Kawasaki was set to debut their first-ever superbike, only to get beaten to market by rival Honda. In response, Kawasaki developed a bike with an unprecedented 900cc four-cylinder engine, one that broke industry standards at the time. Unveiled in 1972, the motorcycle garnered colorful nicknames like “Frankenstein’s Bride” and the “Porsche Killer,” but officially the superbike was known by the simple designation Z1. The powerful vehicle was not without its dangers: “Unskilled drivers of a Zed 1 often found out the hard way that the motorcycle behaved oddly during a ride closer to its limits,” writes the author in his preface. “Many drivers reported that the motorcycle starts to oscillate during lane changes at higher speeds on a highway.” With this book, Oehl documents the components of the Z1 across various models (Highway, Trail, Motocross, Enduro, and four-stroke road bikes of both Japanese and American manufacture). From the specifically developed engine and unique four-into-four exhaust system to the emblems and paint job (designed according to the “three s” styling concept—slim, sleek, and sexy), the author takes the reader through the specifications of this remarkable vehicle. The book includes hundreds of color photographs of the bike and its parts, many taken by Oehl himself. (As he notes, the Z1 series dates to “an era where not so many photos were taken.”)
When the author offers explanations, they are direct and unadorned, though there is poetry to be found in the precision of his language, as here when he discusses the rear brake panel: “A knurled nut is fitted to the rear end of the brake rod to allow for an adjustment of brake pedal position when the brake shoes wear down.” As with his previous volume on the Z1000 R and Z11000 R series, this is a book for collectors and superfans as opposed to the general reader.
An impressively exhaustive, full-color documentation of the Kawasaki Z1.
Kirkus Indie, Kirkus Media LLC, 2600 Via Fortuna Suite 130 Austin, TX 78746
indie@kirkusreviews.com
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