1975 Kawasaki Police Special - 2-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article

Description

1975 Kawasaki Police Special - 2-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article
Original, Vintage Magazine article
Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm) each page
Condition: Good
What’s black and white, has red
lights and is taster than a speeding
bullet? You guessed it, Kawasaki’s
new "Police Special."
In past years, Harley and Indian
have been synonymous with police
work. Things have changed some
since then with Moto Guzzi entering
the field in 1968 and Honda in 1970.
Now, some five years later, Kawa-
saki has introduced the ultimate
weapon for the crime-fighter. With its
mind-blowing acceleration, superior
handling and a set of brakes that’ll
stop a train, it's a policeman’s dream.
Police bikes have been nothing
more than stock-production models
with all the police accessories hung
on the sides. This isn't the case with
the Police Special. The engine,
frame, brakes and wheels are the
only parts that are common to both
the stock Z1 and the Special. Each
bracket on the Special is especially
designed to secure all the police
equipment required on these bikes.
An extra-heavy-duty front safety bar
is standard, along with folding floor-
boards and a double-padded seat for
maximum comfort. The fancy
four-into-two exhaust system boosts
performance along with increasing
ground clearance.
The police version comes with a
special wiring system which enables
it to handle all the police extras. The
engine can be started with a dead
battery and the lights can be left on
for 1 '/a hours.
As a safety feature the Special has
two rim locks that keep the rear tire
on the rim at all times. During police
evaluation tests the bike was run at
70 mph with absolutely no air in the
tire and it failed to separate from the
rim. That fancy-looking windshield is
made of "Lexan” which is shatter-
proof and bullet-resistant. And to
prevent breakdowns, the Special
comes with the largest self-lubricat-
ing chain in the industry.
A police bike must have outstand-
ing acceleration to be successful and
with the Special weighing only 610
pounds wet, and producing 82 hp at
8500 rpm, it proves to be absolutely
incredible. It has the ability to accel-
erate up to 60 mph in first gear and
90 mph in second, with a top speed
of over 120 mph With that kind of
gearing you probably think it can't
mosey around town at 25 mph.
Wrong The Special is capable of
cruising at less than 20 mph in fifth
gear without lugging or stalling. That
monster of an engine will also run on
unleaded, regular or ethyl gasoline
Kawasaki has taken considerable
time and effort to eliminate problems
that have hindered police depart-
ments in the past Unlike police bikes
that were sold through dealers; the
Kawasaki Special is sold directly to
the department, leaving out the mid-
dleman. Delivery is guaranteed within
30 days from time of purchase and
each bike sold comes with a
six-mo nth/ unlimited-mileage warranty
which covers all parts and labor.
Parts and service won't be a problem
as Kawasaki has built a special po-
lice bike warehouse in Santa Ana,
California to ensure availability of
parts. Upon purchase by a depart-
ment, Kawasaki will assign a desig-
nated dealer that will handle all parts
and service in the purchasing depart-
ment’s area. Large departments, with
their own mechanics, may send them
to one of Kawasaki's police service
schools for specialized training.
With the Z1's reputation, chances
are they won't need too much work.
Service is required every 4000 miles
and the average trend for mileage is
two years or about 40,000 miles-
To date Kawasaki has sold 300
bikes to state, city and county de-
partments. L.A. City has already
bought 15 with the California High-
way Patrol purchasing 137 of the
new Police Specials. Three of the
first ten departments that bought the
bike have re-ordered and speculation
has it that Kawasaki will sell some-
where around 1300 police bikes by
the end of this year.
Most bike cops used to be left at
the light, especially if they were try-
ing to catch a Kawasaki triple. How-
ever. with the introduction of the Z1
Police Special, it looks like you ain't
the only one who'll be havin' fun. •
13904-AL-7509-02