“New” Old Cylinder Heads
The legendary Kawasaki Z1, KZ900, and KZ1000 motorcycles remain loved and admired by many riders. The bikes are now reaching their 50, year anniversary. Finding parts for these bikes has proved difficult in some cases. So, Kawasaki decided to reproduce cylinder heads for the Z1, KZ900, and KZ1000.
The original part design plans and specifications will be used, but modern manufacturing processes will also be used. This should yield correct parts that are actually better than the originals. The parts will be manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. in Japan. Kawasaki will offer cylinder heads in sliver and black.
You can now place pre-orders with your local Kawasaki dealership. If you place an order before June 30, you will get your parts in Fall 2020. The cylinder head will include camshaft brackets, tappers, valves, and peripheral parts. It will not include camshafts, cylinder head covers, gaskets, etc.
It’s important to note that the cylinder heads will not fit on KZ1000 MKII and other “square head” models, according to the press release from Kawasaki. These models feature a second-generation square cylinder-head cover that’s thicker. For more information, head over to Kawasaki’s site or talk with your local dealer.
Very cool. I’m disappointed that they won’t come from the Lincoln, Nebraska plant, but glad that Kawasaki is interested in preserving these vintage rockets. Lincoln produced a large number of the original bikes.