1977 kz900a5

is there anywhere i can get info on my kz900a5? i have seen z1enterprises info and it is great. in there info it states that sometimes the engine number is lower than the frame number but this is fairly rare. well, i wanna know how many were made that way and i wanna know if im restoring it correctly. i cant get a straight answer if it should have the four into four exhaust or four into two. HELP!!!

thats her in the picture taking home the shootout trophy at the drag strip

I don't know for sure.
But I had a brown painted 1977 KZ1000 , first 1/2 year.
It had a drum brake rear. Second half of the year, it was disc on the rear.
Maybe a Lincoln, NE. thing.
Good luck. Nice to see another drag racer, getting back to the roots of the 1/4 mile.

Who remembers Pee Wee Gleason?

i do! i race with a guy that still has and runs a twin engine 750 triple 2 stroke set up that was built at kawasaki. it has two denco motors in it, he has pictures of him and gleason in california together both racing the same bike. its really crazy that they are both the same size!

Here is what i found. Roy


zedder.com/Info/77%20KZ900-A5.htm

according to that all of them would have a lower engine serial number. cool, now i know, thanks.

wildwilly30 wrote:

is there anywhere i can get info on my kz900a5? i have seen z1enterprises info and it is great. in there info it states that sometimes the engine number is lower than the frame number but this is fairly rare. well, i wanna know how many were made that way and i wanna know if im restoring it correctly. i cant get a straight answer if it should have the four into four exhaust or four into two. HELP!!!

thats her in the picture taking home the shootout trophy at the drag strip

wildwilly30 wrote:

well, i wanna know how many were made that way and i wanna know if im restoring it correctly. i cant get a straight answer if it should have the four into four exhaust or four into two. HELP!!!

By definition, your A5 came with 4into4 exhausts, just like the A4. The KZ900B1 came with 4into2 exhausts (Jardines) while the A5 contemporary (KZ1000A1) came with 4into2 exhaust. Check your tripletree for the VIN...that will clear everything up. :huh:

There are a few books that have some good info such as "Original Kawasaki Z1 by I believe Martsen" or "Z1 to Ninja by Beacon" (don't quote me on those authors). Also a lot of period magazine pieces were done. I know the books have dramatically gone up in price recently and some to the ridiculous extremes. A search of e-bay or Amazon should bring results but they may not be pretty. Hope that helps...

Probably already known, but the 1977 KZ900A5 was the exact same as the 1976 A4, same colors, exact same parts. Later serial number is all that determines whether it an A4 or A5.

i must have been very confused,i thought the a5 was constructed of left over parts from all the z1 and kzs. they must have been built with left overs from the a4?