Kawasaki GTR 1000 / ZG 1000 Concours

The sport tourer is the least clearly defined of all motorcycles. It's obvious which bikes fall into the super-sports or Grand Prix replica categories, but counting the number of true sports-tourers will leave you with several spare fingers on one hand.

By sports-tourer I mean something that is capable of carrying you 600 miles in one day without leaving you feeling as if you've been through a mangle, but is also  capable of acquitting itself well on fast, twisting A-roads against the likes of GPZ, VF, and GSX sportsters. I've always regarded the term sports-tourer as a misnomer when applied to bikes like the FJ1100, K100RS and XJ900. They are all able to fulfill both functions but compromise either comfort or handling, excelling neither as sportster nor tourer. I thought there was no such thing as a real sports-tourer - until I rode the Kawasaki 1000GTR. Here, finally, we have what I would term a real sports-tourer; a motorcycle that combines all the qualities of a superb tourer with all the qualities of a big sportster.

The 1000GTR caused quite a stir when it first appeared at last year's Paris Show, not least because it was claimed to be the result of a lot of European input and its striking resemblance to a BMW. Indeed, the provisional spec was so impressive (soft-tuned GPZ1000 motor, shaft drive, GPZ900-type frame and full touring extras) that there was a lot of bitching going on in the office as to who would be the lucky one to go out to Italy to ride it. It was only rumours, that turned out to be totally without substance, of a Honda VFR750 launch in Australia that kept most editors at home while us minions went on the GTR launch.

What a great idea it was to launch the bike in Sicily. While the rest of Europe suffered sub-zero temperatures and inches of snow we basked in bright sunshine and notched up over 600 miles over lovely roads on the GTR. The plan was to put in a day's riding in Sicily, spend another day riding up to Salerno (a 350 mile autostrada dash), and then spend two days riding around the hills of Campania. An excellent itinerary that took in all the road conditions anyone is likely to encounter, either in Britain or on the continent.

The first thing you notice about the 1000GTR (apart from its likeness to a BMW) is the size of the thing: the fairing is big, the tank is big, the seat is big, the panniers are BIG, even the silencers are big. As I rolled it off the centre stand I knew this was a big bike; the seat height is just over 32 inches and fuelled up it weighs in at just under 6501b. If I'd been less substantial than my 6ft lin and 12and a 1/2 stone, the whole' lot would've crashed to the ground there and then as it lurched sideways and my right foot scrabbled for grip on the loose surface. The moment you start moving all the weightiness disappears and the GTR suddenly becomes agile; even at low speeds the steering was light and precise - something I hadn't expected from a bike that size and with an 18-inch front wheel.

Once you're rolling, the next surprise (this bike was a constant source of surprises) is the tractability of the motor. This is basically a GPZ1000RX powerplant with a few top-end mods to give the GTR a claimed 12 per cent increase in power and torque over the GPZ up to 7000rpm. These changes include smaller airbox and carbs (32mm versions of the CVKs used on all the GPZ range), different cams giving reduced duration and lift, and smaller diameter exhaust header pipes. So the engine has been tuned to produce more horsepower and torque than the RX at lower revs. Kawasaki claim 72.3ftlb (l0kgm) at 6500rpm (2000rpm lower than the RX) and 108.5hp at 9500rpm (the same peak revs as the RX). The rest of the motor remains the same as the GPZ1000 with identical bore and stroke, pistons and compression ratio.

These top-end changes make the GTR much smoother and willing than its GPZ brother at low revs. The 1000RX was decidedly glitchy below 4000rpm, whereas the GTR will bimble along in sixth at 800rpm and pull strongly from around two-and-a-half grand. That's the difference between an out-and-out sportster and a sports-tourer. The willingness of the GTR's motor to pull from any revs was illustrated beautifully on the coast road from Salerno to Sorrento. This is a breath-taking road that winds its way along the sides of the mountains which plunge vertically into the Mediterranean. The road is about 30 miles of mostly blind hairpin bends connected by the occasional 50-yard straight, so speeds in excess of 40mph were definitely not recommended. Swooping along on the GTR was a real revelation it was so effortless. All I had to do was stick it in third gear and let the motor pull round the corners and up the straights. I think the bike stayed in third for the full distance, with only the occasional downchange for a particularly tight hairpin.

Although the Kawasaki has a six-speed box, top gear is really an overdrive. The GTR will go up to an indicated 140mph much quicker in fifth gear than it will in top, and once you get to the desired speed you just snick it into sixth and slot into cruising mode. In fact the GTR won't pull anywhere near the red line in top, the most I had out of it was just over 140mph at a tad over 8000rpm. Even down-changing to fifth and giving it some severe grief wouldn't nudge the tacho or top speed any higher.

Indulging in these high speeds highlighted the only two criticisms I can level at the Kawasaki - high-speed stability and vibration. The GTR was rock steady up to 110mph, but above that would oscillate slightly and took a while to settle down after it had been set snaking. Taking the panniers off or putting a pillion on improved matters somewhat, and I suspect that fine-tuning the suspension setting (something we weren't encouraged to do) would iron out this particular gripe.

The suspension is handled at the back by Kawasaki's now familiar Uni-Trak system, although this is the first time it's been used on a shaftie. As per GPZ600,900 and 1000s, the Uni-Trak has air-assisted preload and four-position rebound damping, but unlike the system on the 1000RX the shock is only compressed from the bottom, not from both ends. Up front all the work is done by a pair of linked, air-assisted, 41mm forks. Unlike the GPZ range, the GTR doesn't feature Kawasaki's Advanced Variable Damping System, but it doesn't suffer for that.

My other moan about the GTR is the vibration that's felt at high speeds. The bike feels smooth up to around 120mph, but above that, when the revs get up to 7000, tingling vibrations can be felt through the bars despite the bar-end balancers. This slight buzz can be attributed to the fact that unlike the 1000RX, which has a rubber-mounted engine in a cradle frame, the GTR's engine is slung in a diamond-type frame similar to that of the GPZ900 and uses the engine as a stressed member. The result of this is that the engine can't be rubber-mounted and consequently buzzes like the GPZ900 at higher revs (all of which is academic, because few people are going to keep up speeds of over 120mph for any length of time, however easy it might be on the GTR).

Despite being basically bits of GPZ1000 and 900 cobbled together with a shaft drive adapted from a GT750 and the US-spec Eliminator, the GTR feels remarkably together in the handling department. It coped superbly with everything I threw at it, which ranged from 120mph autostrada sweepers to 20mph hairpins. The first day's riding was for the cameras, so it was decided to set up a couple of cornering shots on tight righthanders to illustrate the GTR's cornering abilities. Unlike any tourer I've ridden, the Kawa could be stuffed into tight, bumpy bends very easily, and very quickly. I found I could indulge in serious scratching antics normally reserved for balls-out sportsters, and although the ground clearance is excellent, after a few passes the GTR was going round the bends with the footrests or centre stand on the deck. Try that on a BMW RT and you'll find yourself in big-time trouble.

Much of the GTR's cornering capability must be down to the super-smooth shaft drive. Because the shaft and swingarm are very long, the effect of the shaft loading and unloading the rear shock is minimized to the degree that it's noticeable only under very heavy acceleration or braking.

Sweeping round a slow hairpin on a trailing throttle and then blasting out of it and on to the next won't have the back end pogoing all over the place, there's just an almost imperceptible lift at the back. No other shaft-driven bike, except maybe the old Suzuki GS850, has such smooth transmission, and it makes BMW and Moto Guzzi shafts seem prehistoric.

It's not just slow corners that the GTR is good on, either. Anyone who has ridden on Italian autostradas will know that they are more like two-lane A-roads than motorways, with lots of tight bends (none of which are constant radius) and a wide variety of surfaces. On one occasion, I went into a very fast sweeper only to find it tightened up in an horrendous fashion and disappeared off to the left. To avoid going in through the driver's door of a Fiat Uno tootling along in the slow lane required a rapid, and none too subtle tightening up of line, something the GTR accomplished without so much as a twitch or complaint. It was a fairly close call, but illustrated just how well the Kawasaki can be made to change course, even at 120mph.

Of course it's on the autostradas that the fairing really comes into its own. Fortunately, for the purposes of road testing at least, the last day's riding was done mostly in pouring rain, with the odd shower of sleet and snow thrown in for good measure. So we had ample opportunity to assess the fairing's protective capabilities - and capable it certainly is. Bearing more than a passing likeness to that of the K100RT, the fairing offers almost total weather protection without being overly wide and bulky. The screen is high enough to deflect air over any rider under six feet and creates a large pocket of still air. As I'm over six feet tall, I found that my helmet took a bit of a battering, but Kawasaki UK say that they may be offering a slightly higher screen as an extra at a later date.

After four hours' riding in the rain and snow I would expect to be fairly comprehensively drenched, however good a fairing might be. But not on this Kawasaki. Unlike the K100RT, the GTR protects your feet, and if you keep the balls of your feet up on the pegs they'll keep dry during short showers. It takes a couple of hours before the rain gets through your boots. The only other part of me to get wet was the underneath of my wrists and forearms when the rain eddies round the fairing. The pieces of trim down either side of the fairing that deflect the elements still further away from the rider are a particularly nice touch. In hot weather these are detachable and different pieces can be fitted which deflect cooling air onto the rider. A brilliant piece of design that other manufacturers would do well to emulate.

The rest of the fairing is similarly well thought out, with a small grille below the screen to aim cooling air at the rider's neck, flush headlight and indicators and superlative mirrors. These mirrors are quite simply the best on any bike I've ridden. They are adjustable in every direction, and even concertina in and out. And they give a massive field of vision behind you.

The rest of the bodywork pays the same attention to detail and rider comfort. The saddle, which is easily big enough to accommodate two large persons, is as comfortable as that of the Moto Guzzi Spada (which, as everyone knows, is the world's most wonderful motorcycle perch). The top of the left-hand side-panel features a lifting handle for heaving the bike onto its centre stand - not an easy task, but easier than a Goldwing - and the same side-panel also has a little window in it for displaying your business card or a personalized nameplate (yes, I know, I laughed too).

Further back are the Krauser look-a-like panniers, which as near as makes no difference are Krausers - the attachment and locking systems are exactly the same.

Where the Kawasaki's score over the BMW ones is what happens once you've taken them off. Kawasaki supply natty panels that fit over the mounting points and give the bike a sleek, sporty look without said panniers on. Kawasaki say they will also be bringing out pannier inner bags at a later date.

Above the panniers are two pillion grab rails with bungey hooks. Again, Kawasaki's designers have got it spot on, because the top of the tailpiece unbolts to reveal a small carrier rack. Two bungey hooks either side of the tail light can be used with the bungey hooks on the grab rails to attach a tent, tote bag, or whatever. Once you've filled up the panniers and luggage rack, there is even more room for smaller items in the fairing's two pockets and the huge, slab-topped tank is large enough to accommodate a tankbag of gargantuan proportions. To make the long-distance tourer's life complete, the GTR also has two accessory terminals so you can plug in your Teasmaid, cassette player or hairdryer.

Kawasaki have decided to go with radial tyres on the GTR because of their longer life expectancy and their claimed greater stability under heavy loads and at high speeds. During our four days' riding the tyres were used under every condition you could care to imagine - high-speed cruising, spirited cornering and heavy braking. The Dunlop radials behaved in a thoroughly predictable manner and the only nasty moment occurred going into a sharp, downhill lefthander too fast. It was sleeting quite hard and the road surface was horrendous, so an indelicate handful of the front brake had the front end sliding a few inches sideways before it gripped again.

For the rest of the test the tyres behaved well despite the amount of weight on the skinny 110 front radial. I wouldn't like to hazard a guess as to how long a set of these Dunlops will last, but they should last up to 30 per cent longer than normal tyres.

One of the most impressive aspects of the GTR as a tourer is its fuel consumption and range. During the 350-mile autostrada blast from Sicily to Salerno the GTR returned 41mpg, which gives it a realistic range of around 250 miles before you have to stop for petrol. And with the bike being so comfortable and effortless to ride it's no problem to do those 250 miles without stopping. Even when pushing the GTR along with indecent haste, the fuel consumption never dipped below 35mpg, although I dare say if you really went for it you might get it down to around 30mpg. Compare that with a K100, which is lucky if it can go more than 170 miles on a full tank, and you begin to see just how good the GTR is.

Good isn't quite the right word to describe the 1000GTR. It is really the most complete motorcycle IVe ever ridden - its minor vices pale into insignificance against its all-round abilities as a sports-tourer. BMW must be seriously worried by the GTR, because when it comes into this country in May it will sell at just under £4500 (&400 less than a K100RT). They will have to make a lot more Vorsprung durch Technik before they better the GTR.