Motorcycle specifications KawasakiZ 1300 Voyager 1985 Roadworks

The first Z 1300, launched in 1979, was huge, really huge: 6 cylinders, 12 valves, 1286 cc, a wheelbase of 1580 mm and, above all, a weight of almost 300 kg.

Kawasaki, which had been working on its 6-cylinder model for several years, had lost out to Honda and its CBX 1000 a year earlier. Fortunately for the greens, the CBX, positioned as a sport tourer, never got the chassis. The Z 1300, designed as a large tourer, didn't have this positioning problem.

In 1984, the big Z was refreshed and fitted with electronic fuel injection. Kawasaki took the opportunity to develop a GT version, mainly for the American market. The result was the Z 1300 Voyager, with its inexhaustible engine, ready to take on the Honda 1200 / 1500 GoldWing and Suzuki 1400 Cavalcade, both equipped with less noble 4-cylinders.

For the occasion, the engine is slightly deflated. It now develops only 117 hp (compared with 130 for the Z1300i), but its torque now reaches 13.2 m.kg at 6,000 rpm.

Its equipment is plethoric and well up to GoldWing standards: digital speedometer, radio pre-equipment, watch, on-board computer for calculating speed and average fuel consumption over a given distance....

While the chassis didn't shine particularly brightly against the competition, it did have the merit of being relatively neutral and sufficiently sized to handle the engine's torque and power. The weight, however, was still a good quintal heavier. Fortunately, the engine, undoubtedly the main asset of this American-style GT, more than made up for the Voyager's "stoutness".

Its career ended in 1989, a year after the launch of the Honda Gold Wing 1500cc and its 6-cylinder flat engine, which could at last compete with the Z's breathtaking performance.