From World Endurance glory to a meticulous garage-built tribute, this Kawasaki KR1000 replica channels early-’80s superbike bravado. Photos: Stu Woodbury
Back in 1981–83, Kawasaki answered Honda’s challenge by unleashing the handmade KR1000, sweeping titles through its Japan, Europe and France works squads, capped by a legendary clean-out at the 24 Hours of Le Mans that still stuns today around riders…
Garry Briggs’ hand-built KR1000 replica captures the look of Kawasaki France’s World Endurance racers.
Remember back in the early eighties when Kawasaki dominated the Endurance World Championship for three years – 1981–1983. Well, if you don’t, the mighty KR1000 – a handmade custom racing machine – was campaigned by three Kawasaki Works teams: Kawasaki Japan, Kawasaki Europe and Kawasaki France with tobacco sponsorship from menthol cigarette brand Kool.
Kawasaki won the manufacturers’ title in the World Endurance Championship for three consecutive years.
Because when Honda won the world endurance title in 1980, Kawasaki Works reacted. It roped in top-level riders and produced the beastly KR1000. The French endurance team earned the manufacturer’s title for three years running. In ’81 and ’82, Kawasaki riders took all the top positions before 1983 became the year of the famous Kawasaki sweep at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Quite a feat…
The replica you see here within these photos is based on the Kawasaki France KR1000 Kool machine and builder, Garry Briggs, has done an amazing job at creating what is simply a work of art. In fact, it’s probably too good to ride on the road and should be pride of place in a museum or a loungeroom! It really is that stunning.
The bare bones of this bike started life as a 2001 Kawasaki ZR750. An old design given some modern touches for year 2001, and what you see in the Kawasaki France Kool colours only has the main frame and engine as any resemblance to the basis, ZR750. Everything else is custom to make it as close to the Kawasaki France world endurance KR1000 as possible.
If you’ve ever seen photos or been lucky enough to see the Kawasaki France bike in the flesh, the two things not present on this bike that you can see are the rear air shock and front calipers. While Garry did try an air rear shock, it pogoed him like a yoyo, so an Aprilia RSV1000 shock with custom valving took its place.
“Only the main frame and engine has any resemblance to the base ZR750. Everything else is custom to make it as close to the Kawasaki France world endurance KR1000 as possible”
How did this bike become a reality? Garry loved the KR1000 world endurance bike from a young age and built the Tamiya 1/18 scale model you could buy. After many years and much thought, he scale built the sub-frame, tank, swingarm and many other details from the Tamiya model. He sourced the headlight fairing and seat unit. The forks are from a GSX-R750 with custom valving to marry in with the geometry and rear shock. The swingarm is from a ZZR1100, which has been shortened 15mm and braced.
Tamiya’s 1/18 scale KR1000 endurance racer model.
Tokico Kawasaki calipers stop the bike on a dime and the 18inch Campagnolo magnesium wheels (as used at the time) are rare as hens’ teeth. Garry made billet wheel bearing carriers to fit the forks and swingarm. The forks are housed in custom billet triple clamps with offset Garry found to make the KR1000 replica handle divine. He had tried the standard ZR750 triples, but he said it just didn’t handle as sweet as he’d liked.
One standout feature on this replica bike is the fuel tank. Garry scaled it from the Tamiya model and made it from carbon fibre and fibreglass. Twin fuel fillers replicate the race bike but only the rear one is for filling.
Standard ZR750 exhaust headers remain, but the mid pipe and muffler exit out the left-hand side as per the race bike. The engine itself is standard, but a set of 29mm CR smoothbore carbs up the power a touch and really do make this feel like a race bike to ride. If you’ve not ridden with a set of race carbs like these, they love to have positive throttle and a steady throttle makes it sound angry.
The donor ZR750 engine remains visually understated, allowing the replica’s endurance styling to take centre stage.
As this replica is road registered a modern electronic dash was sort from Koso so kilometres can be recorded and you can see what speed you’re doing (quite important in this day and age), along with fuel tank level and tachometer. Simply having a tacho like the race bike wouldn’t cut it with Service NSW! You might also note the unique registration plate – ‘4KOOL’. How cool is that.
Since Garry finished building this KR1000 replica he rarely took it out and decided to sell it to me. I have always loved ’80s world endurance bikes and my time with this stunning machine has been simply delightful. However while racing my FZR1000 at The Festival of Speed, a guy came up to me and was more starry eyed than I was upon first seeing the bike and he wanted it so bad that in the end I have sold it to him.
“I have always loved ’80s world endurance bikes and my time with this stunning machine has been simply delightful”
Ben Neve is his name and I’m sure he’ll be showing this bike at all sorts of events when he can. Oh! And while the KR1000 replica was at The Festival of Speed, I entered it into the Show ’n’ Shine and came away with two trophies for Best Modified and Best Custom Bike. I know it could have come away with Best Kawasaki and Best Race Bike, but you can’t hog all the trophies!
Kawasaki KR1000 world endurance specifications
ENGINE: 998cc (69 × 66mm) air-cooled inline four-cylinder four-stroke engine, twin overhead camshafts driven by chain, electronic dual ignition, carburettor fuel system.
CHASSIS: Kawasaki KR1000 World Endurance specification, telescopic front forks, rear single shock suspension, 5-speed transmission, chain final drive, Campagnolo magnesium wheels measuring 3.50 × 18 front and 3.75 × 18 rear, disc brakes front and rear.
BODYWORK: Kawasaki KR1000 World Endurance bodywork.
PERFORMANCE: 135hp at 9500rpm, claimed top speed of approximately 261km/h, dry weight of approximately 175kg.
