Classic Motorcycle Mechanics

T-REX!

When Eddie Lawson won the AMA championship on that gorgeous KZ1000S1, which led to the birth of the Z1000R replica, that was ‘my period’. It was 1981 and I was 19. I wanted one so badly back then, but it was out of my reach on apprentice wages, then life got in the way. It’s a common story.

Fortunately, Kawasaki knew there was a bunch of die-hard tragics like myself that missed the opportunity in their youth and so released the ZRX in 1997. Undoubtedly, a better bike in every way to the Z1000R of 1982, or even (dare I say), the exotic, rare, and highly valuable Superbike Championship winning KZ1000S1 it replicated, a fact that even a tragic like myself can’t argue. Anyway, circumstances had me waiting for the upgraded ZRX1200R and this particular bike is my 2001 model (with a twist), which I bought new in 2002.

You see, in Australia, we had a different livery

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