This is the Z1000ST (FLA 476T) I
bought direct from Kawasaki, Slough, a few months after it was tested by Bike
back in 1979. It was simply wonderful, and from the sweet spot in bike
history between awful and silly; tiny and Tupperware. Comfortable but not
unwieldy, uncluttered and with a bulletproof motor – and believe me, like most
23 year-olds, I knew how to fire bullets at an engine – it did everything you
could possibly want a bike to do. I can’t deny that motorcycle ABS has probably
been the most significant safety feature since the introduction of the front
brake but there was nothing like riding one of these uncomplicated superbikes,
just you, the road, and the perfect machine.
Bike is still as
good, though. Fewer dolly birds advertising nylon over suits or draped over a
Ducati 900 and the writing’s still very entertaining and informative.
However, the silencers on the ST were shot within a year and, of course,
as an ex-demo there was no warranty. Did you wash it properly when you had it?
