Kawasaki WEREWOLVES

[strikemaster]

Hi All,
Years ago Kawasaki produced some k1000(1973-1977)that were turbocharged. I think they were called WEREWOLVES, anyway I saw 1 or 2 in the flesh and these things could go. Anybody out there with more info or history on these beasts? It was the same type of bike that my brother was killed on.

[timbo]

Try ksrc mate

[sickboy]

http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1275570335.jpg

this?

[RevHead]

yeah thats the bike a tc 1000 i had a mag with the test ride in it ,im gunna look fr that mag ,now

[ozzy1100]

from mem they where sold in the usa and had no warenty

[sharky]

quote:from mem they where sold in the usa and had no warenty

Well...it is a kawasaki...

[ALBI]

something tells me that when the boffins at kwaka asked for a hair dryer,
they saked the bloke who came up with this!!

[Gix11]

Yea, my mate Tom had one of those back in the UK in the 70's. Z1R TC. His looked like this:

http://www.asfphotos.com/upload/1275599612.jpg


Scared the shit out of him, but then kicked himself for selling it. He's done that many times since as well....

[nick76]

The guy at Antique Motorcycles in Mentone Vic had one for sale afew years ago now,when i went down to look at something else.
I think he imports containers of mainly Harley crap,but brings all sorts of interesting things over.

[80s freak]

Found this for you at http://www.turbomotorcycles.org/TMIOA/Bike_Kawasaki_Z1RTC.html

Suggested price in 1978 $5,000
ENGINE
Type Air-cooled, transverse turbocharged four-stroke in-line four
Valve arrangement DOHC, 2 valves per cylinder, adjusting shims over buckets
Carburetion One 38mm modified Facet pumper (modified by ATP)
Displacement 1015cc
DRIVE TRAIN
Clutch 16 wet plates, 5-speed
Final Drive 3/8 x 3/4 inch endless chain
CHASSIS
Front suspension Kayaba, 5.1-inch travel forks
Rear suspension Kayaba, 3.5-inch travel twin shocks
Front tire 3.50-18H Dunlop F6
Rear tire 4.00-18H Dunlop K87
Wet weight 558 lbs (253kg)
Fuel capacity 3.4 gallons (13 liters)
PERFORMANCE
Average touring range 119 miles
Best 1/4 mile acceleration 10.90 sec. @ 130 mph ( Motorcyclist , 8/78)
200 yd. top-gear accel. from 50 mph NA
Total production Approx. 500 (250 silver-blue in '78, 250 black w/ Molly graphics in '79)
Total imported in U.S. Sold only in the U.S.

Best press quote:
"And its performance--well, it's absolutely shocking. We've never tested anything that accelerates so fiercely."
Motorcyclist, August 1978



By 1978 the "King" -- a.k.a Kawasaki's legendary Z1 -- saw its prior performance supremacy eclipsed by the competition, mainly Suzuki's GS1000, Honda's CBX, and even Yamaha's XS1100. A bold stroke was needed -- and fast (pun intended). Hence the Z1RTC Turbo. Though not a true "factory" product, the Z Turbo nonetheless was the harbinger of future factory Turbo efforts to follow.

The Z1RTC was built by the Turbo Cycle Corporation (the TC in Z1RTC) utilizing American Turbo-Pak (ATP) turbocharging kits. TC Corp., headed by former Kawasaki marketing director Alan Masek, essentially bought the turbocharger units from ATP, bolted them up to existing Kawasaki Z1Rs and sold them through "select" Kawasaki dealerships, without warranty (you're on your own, kid). The kits were essentially basic Z1 kits sold over the counter, however they featured an improved (No. 370F40) Rayjay turbocharger which utilized a thicker heat shield separating the turbine and compressor housings and a new center-bearing that offered improved lubrication. The turbocharger's wastegate came pre-set to operate at 6-8 lbs. of boost, but could easily be insanely increased via an adjusting screw on the bottom of the wastegate. But since the Z1RTC's crank pins were inexplicably not welded -- a common Z1 performance modification -- your $5,000 investment wouldn't last very long if you got the urge to "boost up." And you'd undoubtedly need to run racing fuel to keep the engine from grenading.

In '78 silver-blue trim the Z1RTC was not exactly a sales success. So TCC painted the remaining warehoused Turbos jet black and added racy red/orange/yellow Molly graphics in an effort to make the bikes more appealing. The marketing ploy worked, but some of the credit had to go to the bike's growing reputation as a two-wheeled hellraiser. TCC even added an improved "spider"-type header to replace the ugly "log"-type unit and the Z1RTCs sold out quickly in '79. But the euphoria over the bike's new-found showroom success was short lived as a new law in California made it illegal for dealers to sell any motorcycles with a modified exhaust system (and a turbocharger is about as modified as you can get). So there were no Z1RTCs in 1980 and the "experiment" was dead.

The Z1RTC performs like you would expect any overly-modified, hinged-framed, skinny-tired, inadequately-braked motorcycle to perform. But if you like being scared this is the Turbo for you. Every card-carrying Z1 collector should have one in his/her garage. But, alas, there aren't nearly enough to go around. So expect to pay $7,000-$8,000 for a decent example, if you can find one.

[kevkatana]

quote:Originally posted by nick76

The guy at Antique Motorcycles in Mentone Vic had one for sale afew years ago now,when i went down to look at something else.
I think he imports containers of mainly Harley crap,but brings all sorts of interesting things over.

He's got about 5 of them :(

[nick76]

What sort of money do they fetch??

[ozzy1100]

quote:Originally posted by sharky


quote:from mem they where sold in the usa and had no warenty

Well...it is a kawasaki...


at least they can put a tank in the right place mate lol