Nice little bike. Great for commuting, but entirely capable of a cross-country trip. Kawasaki had been looking at the success of Honda’s little four-stroke twin, the CB350, which had modest performance but all the amenities Americans seemed to like, including an electric starter. Kawasaki’s R&D backroom boys put their heads together, drew up plans and came forth with a very efficient, if rather uninspired, 398cc vertical twin, with a 360-degree crankshaft, an overhead camshaft and an electric leg.

The frame was a simple double cradle having dual downtubes, with a big, fat backbone tube meeting up with the cradle at the swingarm pivot, a very solid affair that avoided any notion of flexiness. Front fork was by Kawasaki, very much like a Ceriani, and on the inexpensive, non-adjustable side. Five inches of travel was good, with a 27-degree rake and trail of approximately four inches offering a very middle-of-the-road stance. The swingarm ran out 20 inches, bouncing along on a cheap pair of Kawasaki shock absorbers having preload adjustability and three inches of travel. Too soft, reviewers said.

Spoked wheels were both 18 inchers, the front carrying a 3.25 tire, the rear, 3.50. Braking was done by a single 226mm (10.91-inch) disc on the front, a 180mm (7.09-inch) drum on the back. As a polite reviewer might say, adequate. But this was not intended for sporting riding like the Z-1, and the brakes worked fine for commuter use. The wet-sump engine was straightforward, being slightly oversquare with a 64mm bore, 62mm stroke. Of minor note was the chain-driven counter-rotating balancer system down in the crankcase, called “harmonic” by one reviewer. It did not smooth out all vibrations, but for anyone happy to ride at two-thirds of redline (9,000 rpm) it was entirely adequate. The four valves, two per cylinder, were pushed down by a single overhead camshaft, and 36mm Keihin CV carbs fed high-test gas (preferred) and air into the combustion chambers, where it was compressed 9:1. The engine was rated by the factory at 35 ponies, which was usually measured at the crankshaft, not the rear wheel; on a dyno it was closer to 29. Respectable; good for an honest 90 mph. 

Our Kawasaki KZ400 is it great shape. She is a pleasure to ride and very reliable. Call John for details 770 447 6945 x 20