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Naked Motorcycles

1981Kawasaki Z 1100 A

29 fields on record

The 1981 Kawasaki Z 1100 A is a Japanese roadster. It uses a 1089cc air-cooled inline four making 108 hp and 95.1 Nm, driving through a 5-speed gearbox. It weighs 237.3 kg dry and has a 21.4-litre tank.

Capacity: 1089.0 ccm
Engine: In-line four, four-stroke
Gearbox: 5-speed
Dry weight: 237.3 kg
Seat height: 790 mm
Power: 108.0 HP (81.0 kW) @ 8000 RPM

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How it rides

Editorial estimate from the spec sheet - not lab tested

Off-road & trail10%

Cornering65%

City riding55%

Daily riding55%

Touring30%

Two-up35%

Track45%

Best for: Naked bike built for its class - everyday, practical use.
Built for: A naked bike from Kawasaki, built around a 1089cc engine - a real production model, but this profile is formula-generated from its class and spec sheet rather than individually reviewed.
Not ideal for: Not for serious performance or off-road use.

Scores are derived from the spec sheet using the same model across every bike, so they compare like for like.

Will it fit you?

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Your height

Inseam (optional)

Units

At 790mm, a rider of 68.9" with a 31" (estimated) inseam will reach the ground with both feet flat on the 1981 Kawasaki Z 1100 A, with a moderate knee angle of around 110 degrees and a forward-leaning riding position.

Assumes about 30mm of suspension sag once seated. This is an approximation from category-typical geometry, not a measurement of this bike or of you - sit on one before you buy.

More bikes at 751-820 mm — Middle Ground →

Find bikes that fit your height →

Reliability & safety

Bike Reliability score, safety recalls and owner complaints

Bike Reliability

How the score works →

out of 100Average

The Kawasaki Z 1100 A passed its annual roadworthiness test first time 83.9% of the time, 0.2 points below expected for bikes of the same age and mileage. That beats 47% of models.

This covers every year of the model.

Test records don't say which version a bike is, so this covers Kawasaki Z 1100 A / Kawasaki Z 1100 ST together.

83.9%Passed first time

9.3%Failed outright

6.8%Fixed during test

32,000Typical miles

826Tests

Pass rate by miles ridden

0-10k

83.2%

10-20k

77.4%

20-30k

86.3%

30-40k

86.1%

40-50k

83%

50k+

84.8%

All years of this model.

Against its rivals · ranks 3 of 6

#	Model (all years)	Score	Tests
1	Honda CBX	65 Good	5,050
2	Laverda 1200 TS	58 Average	346
3	Kawasaki Z 1100 A	47 Average	826
4	Kawasaki Z 1000 ST	38 Below average	386
5	Suzuki GSX 1100 ES	37 Below average	464
6	Yamaha XS 1100	32 Below average	2,068

Rivals are the most-viewed bikes on MotorcycleDB in the same category and engine size, from within three years of this model.

From British annual roadworthiness tests, 2005-2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (DVSA MOT test data, Great Britain). How Bike Reliability works.