1985 Kawasaki GPZ400R
1985 Kawasaki GPZ400R
This is the first motorcycle I bought. A friend let it go cheap. I think it had about 12,000 km on it. It was my first bike, and I took it everywhere. The instruments lighting up at night felt like the middle of being young.
A magazine once wrote that the demand was fierce: in the debut year, 1985, and again in 1986, it was the best-selling bike in the 400 cc class (Moto Enthusiast). I almost never saw another one.
A period advertisement. The frame is the distinctive aluminum cross frame. Image: Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
The exhaust was a Yoshimura collector. Not too loud, and a good note. The engine, though, hated starting, and the bike kept going back to the shop. A tuner who worked on Kawasaki engines at the time told me this engine was a defective design.
I started riding mountain passes. Front 100/90-16, rear 130/90-16, bias-ply, under a 200 kg bike. The chassis felt vague, and I had more than one close call. Turning left out of a stop, I opened the throttle too far, the rear stepped out, and I fell off.
The size, and that exhaust note, made it satisfying to own. The screen worked. Highway trips were easy. The starting was bad enough that I sold it in under a year.
I did not own a camera then. It still bothers me that not a single photograph survives.
Specifications
| Grade | GPZ400R |
|---|---|
| Model code | ZX400D |
| Year introduced | 1985 |
| Month introduced | 2 |
| Market | Japan domestic |
| Overall length (mm) | 2095 |
| Overall width (mm) | 675 |
| Overall height (mm) | 1180 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 1430 |
| Ground clearance (mm) | 135 |
| Curb weight (kg) | 200 |
| Engine code | ZX400DE |
| Engine type | Four-stroke |
| Cylinders | 4 |
| Cylinder layout | Inline |
| Cooling | Liquid-cooled |
| Displacement (cc) | 398 |
| Valve gear | DOHC |
| Valves per cylinder | 4 |
| Bore(mm) | 56 |
| Stroke(mm) | 40.4 |
| Compression ratio（:1） | 11 |
| Peak power（PS） | 59 |
| Power rpm（rpm） | 12000 |
| Peak torque（kgf･m） | 3.6 |
| Torque rpm（rpm） | 10500 |
| Fuel system | Carburetor |
| Fuel tank (L) | 18 |
| Reserve (L) | 3.3 |
| Fuel | Regular gasoline |
| Starting | Electric start |
| Ignition | Fully transistorized |
| Spark plug | D9EA |
| Spark plugs | 4 |
| Battery | YB12A-AK |
| Battery capacity | 12V-10Ah |
| Lubrication | Wet sump |
| Engine oil, total (L) | 3.4 |
| Engine oil, change (L) | 2.8 |
| Engine oil, with filter (L) | 3.0 |
| Recommended oil | 10W-40 |
| Clutch | Wet multiplate |
| Gearbox | 6-speed return |
| Shift | Foot shift |
| Primary reduction | 3.277 |
| Final reduction | 2.600 |
| Gear ratios | 1st 2.571/2nd 1.776/3rd 1.379/4th 1.125/5th 0.961/6th 0.851 |
| Final drive | Chain |
| Front sprocket | 15 |
| Rear sprocket | 39 |
| Chain size | 520 |
| Chain links | 102 |
| Frame | Double cradle |
| Caster | 26°00′ |
| Trail (mm) | 86 |
| Front brake | Hydraulic dual disc |
| Rear brake | Hydraulic disc |
| Brake fluid | DOT 3 |
| Front suspension | Telescopic fork |
| Fork type | Conventional fork |
| Rear suspension | Swingarm |
| Rear shock absorbers | 1 |
| Front tire | 100/90-16 |
| Front tire construction | Bias |
| Front tire type | Tubeless |
| Rear tire | 130/90-16 |
| Rear tire construction | Bias |
| Rear tire type | Tubeless |
| Front rim type | MT |
| Front rim width | 2.15 |
| Rear rim type | MT |
| Rear rim width | 3.0 |
| Front pressure, loaded | 2.00 |
| Rear pressure, loaded | 2.50 |
| Headlight | 60W/55W |
| Headlight bulb | H4 |
| Tail / brake light | 27W/8W |
| Speedometer | Analog |
| Tachometer | Yes |
| Center stand | Yes |