Kawasaki GPZ305

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Kawasaki GPZ305 was a 306cc twin cylinder air cooled SOHC four-stroke motorcycle produced from the early 1980s until the late 1990s by Kawasaki in Japan. Despite the GPZ name which was normally associated with the sporting versions at the time, it was essentially a commuter bike.

During its long production the bike had many changes, starting with a chain and finishing with a belt, single to twin front disks, 33 to 36BHP.

It had a 17 litre tank and redlined at 11 500 rpm, most exhausts and tanks were of rapidly rusting quality metal, but in the bikes favour, it could happily exceed 100 mph and normally gave over 70 mpg if not pushed. The tank capacity, speed and fuel economy made it popular with couriers.

The GPZ305 is a highly reliable motorcycle in most cases, but has one problematic feature: the oil pump is driven by a flimsy nylon cog that is prone to failure. When this cog fails, the cylinder head becomes starved of oil, leading to seizure. Owners are advised to replace this cog regularly.

It should also be noted that the belt-drive is not indestructible, wear will eventually lead to complete failure !

It was available with a 250cc engine as the Kawasaki Scorpion, but came in a different colour scheme.