Kawasaki's KR1000 Was A Dominant Endurance Motorcycle

In a traditional motorsport race, the goal is to complete either a full circuit or multiple laps of a circuit before anyone else does. However, that's not the only kind of motorsport race out there. For example, in an endurance race, the goal is not to beat the other racers to the finish line but to race as far as possible in a set time. It may sound like a small distinction, but that little tweak necessitates a completely different kind of vehicle, one that can strike a perfect balance between engine output and fuel consumption to push the limit.

Endurance racing has seen its fair share of major championships over the decades for drivers of both cars and motorcycles. In the latter category, there was one particular bike that dominated the podium for a remarkable three years in a row: the Kawasaki KR1000. From 1981 through 1983, if you were a championship endurance biker, you were cruising on a Lime Green Kawasaki.

In the 1981 Endurance World Championship, Kawasaki provided the first KR1000 endurance racing bike to its French endurance racing team, Kawasaki France Performance. With the help of this bike, the team scored all four slots on the podium, securing the manufacturer's world championship title for Kawasaki with gusto.

Following this first victory, Kawasaki continued to iterate upon the KR1000 framework. It already brought home the gold once, so it was their best bet to do it again, though a few tweaks certainly didn't hurt. For the 1982 Endurance World Championship, Kawasaki sent France Performance to the starting line once again, equipped with upgraded KR1000s for the whole team. These improved models included lightweight aluminum components, a Uni-tank rear suspension, a magnesium swingarm, and more. With the power of this upgraded bike, not only did France Performance win the race again, but it swept all four podium stands again.

Kawasaki had a lightning bolt on its hands, so it decided to let it roar one more time, this time at the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans race in Le Mans, France. Against all odds (or perhaps completely in line with the odds), Kawasaki swept the podium once again, securing a final, happy ending for the KR1000.

Kawasaki took a break from the endurance racing scene for a few years after this landmark victory, returning in 1988 with the ZXR-7. The KR1000 only had three years to its name, but what years they were.