1982 KZ1000R (ELR)
Eddie Lawson won the AMA Super Bike Championship in '81, so Kawasaki made an out-of-the-box racer (the
S1) to commemorate the victory. They also made the ELR Replica which is based on the Z1000J2, but has a
KR Kerker 4-1 pipe, rear shocks with separate reservoirs, an oil cooler (from the GPZ1100), a different head
angle (from 27.5 to 29.0 degrees, adding 0.6 inched of trail), 34mm CV Mikunis, rear wheel width up from 2.15
to 2.50 inches, and modified brakes and head.
The sticker on tank commemorates its '81 AMA victory and has Eddie Lawson's signature. Unique to the ELR
is the tank filler cap, which on some bikes has a black colored tumbler in the black cap. Black aluminum
footrest mounts and a black grab bar for surprisingly good passenger comfort. A white Kerker sticker was
included and dealers or owners typically put it on the tank or fork bottoms. The racing version has twin-plug
heads, an aluminum fuel tank, better brakes, triangulated braced swingarm, and a few engine modifications
(no AMA Champion stickers).
Performance
Standing quarter mile: 11.72 @ 114.06mph
RPM @ 60mph, top gear: 3820
Engine
Air-cooled 4 cylinder DOHC, 2 valves per cylinder
998cc (69.4 bore x 60mm stroke)
9.2:1 compression ratio
100 HP @ 8500 rpm (102PS) View Hp figures
54.06 ft/lbs @ 7000 rpm
Fuel
(4) Mikuni 34mm CV carbs
Gas Mileage 36.6 mpg (dependent on driver disposition)
Fuel capacity 4.3 gallons (1.4 gallons additional on reserve)
Transmission
Five speed, constant mesh, wet clutch
Primary drive: spur gear, 97/56, 1.73:1
Final drive: 630 chain, 41/15 sprockets, 2.73:1
Gear ratios 1--2.64; 2--1.83; 3--1.43; 4--1.17; 5--1.04
Overall gear ratios 1--12.50; 2--8.67; 3--6.76; 4--5.55; 5--4.92
Chassis
Dual downtubes, cradled (non-stressed) engine, tubular steel swingarm
Fork: 38 mm air assisted with 145mm of travel
Rear: gas charged piggyback shock absorbers (2) with adjustable preload; 100mm travel
Wheelbase: 1525mm (60 in)
Rake/Trail: 29.5/115mm (4.53 in)
Front tire/wheel: 100/90-19 Dunlop K300M, Cast gold colored 1.85 x 19
Rear tire/wheel: 120/90-18 Dunlop K300, Cast gold colored 2.50 x 18
Seat height: 775mm (30.5 in)
Ground clearance: 120mm (4.7 in)
543.5 lbs. (488 according to Kawasaki literature)
Miscellaneous
Speedometer, tachometer, tripmeter, fuel gauge, high beam, headlight bad, neutral, oil indicators
Ignition: battery powered, inductive, magnetically triggered
Headlight: 60W high, 55W low
Battery: 12V18AH
30 mph indicated, 29.99 actual
60 mph indicated, 61.01 actual
Eddie Lawson won the AMA Super Bike Championship in '81, so Kawasaki made an out-of-the-box racer (the
S1) to commemorate the victory. They also made the ELR Replica which is based on the Z1000J2, but has a
KR Kerker 4-1 pipe, rear shocks with separate reservoirs, an oil cooler (from the GPZ1100), a different head
angle (from 27.5 to 29.0 degrees, adding 0.6 inched of trail), 34mm CV Mikunis, rear wheel width up from 2.15
to 2.50 inches, and modified brakes and head.
The sticker on tank commemorates its '81 AMA victory and has Eddie Lawson's signature. Unique to the ELR
is the tank filler cap, which on some bikes has a black colored tumbler in the black cap. Black aluminum
footrest mounts and a black grab bar for surprisingly good passenger comfort. A white Kerker sticker was
included and dealers or owners typically put it on the tank or fork bottoms. The racing version has twin-plug
heads, an aluminum fuel tank, better brakes, triangulated braced swingarm, and a few engine modifications
(no AMA Champion stickers).
Performance
Standing quarter mile: 11.72 @ 114.06mph
RPM @ 60mph, top gear: 3820
Engine
Air-cooled 4 cylinder DOHC, 2 valves per cylinder
998cc (69.4 bore x 60mm stroke)
9.2:1 compression ratio
100 HP @ 8500 rpm (102PS) View Hp figures
54.06 ft/lbs @ 7000 rpm
Fuel
(4) Mikuni 34mm CV carbs
Gas Mileage 36.6 mpg (dependent on driver disposition)
Fuel capacity 4.3 gallons (1.4 gallons additional on reserve)
Transmission
Five speed, constant mesh, wet clutch
Primary drive: spur gear, 97/56, 1.73:1
Final drive: 630 chain, 41/15 sprockets, 2.73:1
Gear ratios 1--2.64; 2--1.83; 3--1.43; 4--1.17; 5--1.04
Overall gear ratios 1--12.50; 2--8.67; 3--6.76; 4--5.55; 5--4.92
Chassis
Dual downtubes, cradled (non-stressed) engine, tubular steel swingarm
Fork: 38 mm air assisted with 145mm of travel
Rear: gas charged piggyback shock absorbers (2) with adjustable preload; 100mm travel
Wheelbase: 1525mm (60 in)
Rake/Trail: 29.5/115mm (4.53 in)
Front tire/wheel: 100/90-19 Dunlop K300M, Cast gold colored 1.85 x 19
Rear tire/wheel: 120/90-18 Dunlop K300, Cast gold colored 2.50 x 18
Seat height: 775mm (30.5 in)
Ground clearance: 120mm (4.7 in)
543.5 lbs. (488 according to Kawasaki literature)
Miscellaneous
Speedometer, tachometer, tripmeter, fuel gauge, high beam, headlight bad, neutral, oil indicators
Ignition: battery powered, inductive, magnetically triggered
Headlight: 60W high, 55W low
Battery: 12V18AH
30 mph indicated, 29.99 actual
60 mph indicated, 61.01 actual
1983
Look at the tank for differences. Lawson signed
with Yamaha in 1983, so his signature isn't on
the '83 tank sticker. The round speedometer
and tachometer gauges are merged into a single
unit. Cams revised and the swingarm is
lengthened 10mm. Outside the United States, it
had a 4-into-2 exhaust and a white model was
available.
Look at the tank for differences. Lawson signed
with Yamaha in 1983, so his signature isn't on
the '83 tank sticker. The round speedometer
and tachometer gauges are merged into a single
unit. Cams revised and the swingarm is
lengthened 10mm. Outside the United States, it
had a 4-into-2 exhaust and a white model was
available.
1984
Same graphics as the ELR but it has 1089cc
producing 114PS. Sounds fishy to me; a bike
exhaustively designed to be exactly 998cc for
production racing shouldn't make 15% more
power when its size is increased less than
10%. This is the goofy European coloring and
the dopey 4-2 pipes. The lime green was not
popular in many markets and the ELRs were
sales dogs and many dealers had them on
their showroom floors for several years. I
guess lime green is an acquired taste, only
revealing itself to those who know it stands
for Kawasaki racing dominance. Thank
goodness the North American market got Lime
Same graphics as the ELR but it has 1089cc
producing 114PS. Sounds fishy to me; a bike
exhaustively designed to be exactly 998cc for
production racing shouldn't make 15% more
power when its size is increased less than
10%. This is the goofy European coloring and
the dopey 4-2 pipes. The lime green was not
popular in many markets and the ELRs were
sales dogs and many dealers had them on
their showroom floors for several years. I
guess lime green is an acquired taste, only
revealing itself to those who know it stands
for Kawasaki racing dominance. Thank
goodness the North American market got Lime
Green and KR 4-1 pipe which makes Thor quiver and shake. These are less rare than the real ELRs, but
not by much. In Finland there were a few sold in Lime Green without any stripes.
not by much. In Finland there were a few sold in Lime Green without any stripes.
1985
Evidently the 1000R was available in the European market in '84 and '85. Don't know much about them
except that they had 4-2 exhausts that caused a reviewer to talk about how boring the engine sounds. If
only he knew what this bike is capable of...
Evidently the 1000R was available in the European market in '84 and '85. Don't know much about them
except that they had 4-2 exhausts that caused a reviewer to talk about how boring the engine sounds. If
only he knew what this bike is capable of...
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