The Kawasaki

Kawasaki Heavy Industries

is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....

 police motorcycle

Police motorcycle

A police motorcycle is a motorcycle used by various police forces and departments. They may be custom designed to meet the requirements unique of a particular use. A police motorcycle is often called a "motor" by police officers in the United States...

s have been produced in four series:

• Z1-P - A 1975 Kawasaki Z1 900 cc motorcycle, modified through the addition of a shop-installed kit, then in 1976 available factory-built as a police motorcycle
• KZ900 Police Special - The 1977 KZ900 motorcycle, upgraded for use as a police motorcycle
• KZ1000C Police - The first built-for-law-enforcement model, intended to compete with the Harley Davidson, 1978 - 1981
• KZ1000P Police - The most common model, 1982 - 2005, commonly known as the KZP

All series have been equipped with windshields, saddleboxes, pursuit lights, and folding floorboards rather than footpegs. All are a single-rider version of the Universal Japanese Motorcycle design popular until the advent of specialized motorcycle designs divided the market into cruisers, sport bikes, touring bikes and other specialized applications. All series are also designed to carry radio communications equipment and are wired for electronic sirens.

All have inline, 4-cylinder, normally aspirated four-stroke, double overhead-cam engines and chain drives, and larger generating systems than similar civilian models. C- and P-series Police Specials were also equipped with tires designed to stay on the rim in case of deflation. These "run-flat" tires, supplied by Dunlop, were able to increase safety significantly by enabling the rider to safely slow to a stop if the tires are damaged in a high-speed pursuit. However, the very thick sidewalls on run-flat tires transmit a much greater level of road shock to the handlebars, increasing rider fatigue; and also generated excess friction/heat which resulted in above average tire wear, prompting operating agencies to migrate to standard high-performance tires. As a result, Dunlop discontinued production of the run-flats. The most popular replacement tires are provided by Metzeler.

Model differences

The most obvious difference between the KZP and the earlier series was the addition of a fiberglass fairing, to which the front pursuit lights and windshield were mounted. The fairing also has two covered pockets for storage of small items. Due to the unique shape of the fairing, this has become the most identifiable police-service motorcycle design in the world. Earlier Kawasaki police motorcycles had a windshield with a shape similar to that found on the older Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...

 Electra Glide motorcycle then popular with law enforcement.

The C-series borrowed features from the American police motorcycles with which it was designed to compete. These included a spring-cushioned saddle, and a speedometer equipped with a solenoid to trap the indicator needle against the glass when the pursuit lights were activated, to mark the speed at which a lawbreaker was traveling at the time. Both of these features were eliminated in the KZP, which was equipped with a standard speedometer and tachometer.

Mechanically, there were few changes within the series. The KZP has over 95% parts compatibility across the entire production run, and in fact the throttle twist assembly, which holds the switches for the pursuit lights and siren, kept the "M" position used by the C-series to lock the speedometer needle. A major change was in 2002, when the chain size was changed from 630 to 530, saving weight and increasing acceleration.

The most obvious change in the P-series was the introduction of LED

Light-emitting diode

A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...

 lighting in 2003.

Production run

Kawasaki produced Police Specials for the North American market in a plant in Lincoln, Nebraska, with the last one rolling off the assembly line in September, 2005. They are still in use with many major law enforcement agencies, and are the motorcycle of choice for private companies providing funeral and VIP motor-escort services.

Technical specifications (KZP)

• Engine type: 4-stroke, DOHC in-line four, 2 valves per cylinder
• Displacement: 998 cc
• Starting: Electric
• Bore x Stroke: 69.4 millimetre
• Cooling: Air/Oil
• Power: 88 hp @ 9,000 rpm
• Torque: 112 ft.lbf @ 8,000 rpm
• Carburetion: Mikuni Bs34 x 4
• Ignition: Transistor Controlled Breaker less Ignition ( TCBI )
• Transmission: 5-speed
• Frame : Double cradle, heavy-duty steel
• Rake / trail: 27.0 degrees / 4.5 inches (11.4 cm)
• Suspension: front 38 mm telescopic hydraulic fork
• Suspension: rear Swing arm with twin adjustable shocks
• Tire: front bead retention type MN 90-18 4PR
• Tire: rear bead retention type MR 90-18 4PR
• Brakes front, rear: Dual hydraulic discs / Single disc
• Overall length: 90.2 inches (229.1 cm)
• Overall width: 35.2 inches (89.4 cm)
• Overall height: 61.4 inches (156 cm)
• Ground clearance: 6.3 inches (16 cm)
• Seat height: 30.7 inches (78 cm)
• Curb weight, as from factory with fuel: 596 lb (270.3 kg)

Kawasaki Concours 14

In some countries the Concours 14

Kawasaki 1400GTR

The Kawasaki 1400GTR, also known as the Concours 14 or ZG1400 in some markets, is a motorcycle produced by Kawasaki. The 1400GTR was introduced in September 2007 and is based on the ZX-14 platform....

(also known as the 1400GTR) is used by the police, although this is not factory-built by Kawasaki as an authorities machine, rather it is a local conversion.
In the United States, starting in 2009, the Concours 14P and the Police 1400 Enforcer have been adopted by a number of law enforcement agencies.