The main problem with the Kawa GPz500S is quite simply that it's too expensive. In the US of A they shove them out for less than $3000 (£1875), in the. poor old UK it'll fetch anywhere from £2400 to £2800, depending on which dealer you talk to, although Kawasaki UK dislike dealers who offer discounts. If Kawasaki had managed to price it just under two grand, my guess is that they would have shifted them by the boat load, but as it stands there are a number of fours that can be picked up for a few hundred extra quid that'll leave the GPz500 gasping in their wake.
That's not to say that this water-cooled vertical twin is a bad bike. Touted variously as half a GPz1000RX or a grown up 450LTD, it pumps out 60hp at 9800rpm and weighs in at 370lbs dry. Little of the GPz technology is original, throw away the water-cooling and the engine is similar in concept to the GSX400 and not that dissimiliar to the even earlier Yam XS500. Primary vibes are taken care of by having the pistons out of phase, whilst a small gear driven balance shaft smooths out, rather successfully, any torque reaction resulting from the 180° crankshaft. Gear primary to a fairly slick six speed gearbox transfers this power to the back wheel by a nasty old chain drive (in the context of Kawa's rather excellent belt drive). The water-cooling takes care of any overheating problems that might have occurred in a DOHC, 4 valve/cylinder design.
The important thing to note with this Kawa, as with many similar sized vertical twins, is that it's immense fun to ride. Kawasaki have carefully developed the power delivery so that it'll slog along below seven grand and then turn the bike into a nice little hotshot racer if you rev the balls off the motor. Top speed comes out around 125mph and the bike seems happy cruising at 100mph. The latter kind of treatment gets fuel down to 35mpg, although it's easy to average 50mpg and not that difficult to get 70mpg (just keep it below 5000rpm). These characteristics make it ideal for economically travelling to work and then playing at silly buggers over the weekend.
The suspension components are in line with the Yank price tag. The front forks have no anti-dive and no suspension adjustment. The forks are a little on the weak side, but it's not until the bike is pushed really hard (like braking fiercely in a very bumpy corner) that their slight lack of strength leads to twisting. The rear shock in the UniTrak system isn't quite A1 either - the bike will wallow very slightly in long fast bends. But it never becomes at all frightening because Kawasaki have sorted out the weight distribution and steering geometry to match the 16" wheels. With a change of tyres or rear shock it'll probably clear up.
At sane speeds the bike feels very secure and stable. Finish on the exhausts was deplorable. With just three grand up there was rust showing through the black chrome under the engine. The rear mudguard/number plate bracket was an eyesore and ruined the otherwise excellent styling (although it does look very much like a FJ1200 from the side). Natch, the half fairing provided hardly any hand protection and shoved the airstream straight into my eyes.
The single disc front brake has different sized pads for reasons that are not altogether clear (well, I don't believe the PR handout, so I'm not going to repeat it), but very powerful and works in the wet but could do with a touch more feedback. It has a sensible SLS rear drum that's a little too powerful until you're used to it.
I've only seen two of these bikes on the road so far, so I don't think they are selling in large numbers. It's a real nice bike to ride, either fast and furious or just hustling around town. For 1987 it's simple and straightforward, easy to work on and should be quite cheap to run. Kawasaki have a good reputation for reliability and nothing indicates that the GPz500 will spoil this reputation. That just brings us back to the price. Unless you're a vertical twin freak it's just bad value for money, but then it's probably the best vertical twin in the world.
Johnny Malone