Near-Perfect Kawasaki KZ1000R Eddie Lawson Replica Is a Showstopper
Motorcycles & ATVs
Motorcycles
Great motorcycles can be divided into two categories: those whose greatness was established at launch—and slow-burners.
There can be little argument that Kawasaki’s KZ1000R Eddie Lawson Replica (ELR), like the one recently listed on eBay, has firmly secured its place as a tremendous modern-era machine. But that was not at all clear in its early days.
Steady Eddie Lawson
Eddie Ray Lawson is one of the finest motorcycle racers ever and a genuine steel-belted American hero. The Californian earned his “Steady” moniker—not just a convenient rhyme—for rarely crashing and often finishing in the points. The man pulled down an astonishing four 500-cc Grand Prix World Championships between 1984 and 1989 and was competitive at the very top level for almost a decade. He rightly holds an esteemed place in the MotoGP Legends Hall of Fame.
But it’s the two years before Lawson’s meteoric impact on the world of Grand Prix that we’re interested in here. At that time, he competed in the AMA Superbike Championship - opens in new window or tab. on Kawasaki’s KZ1000 and won the 1981 and 1982 titles.
US columnist and all-round bike guy Mike Vaughan was associated with Kawasaki then and suggested at a sales meeting after the first of those triumphs that Kawasaki might add some excitement to the KZ1000 by making a limited run of 750 factory-made Eddie Lawson Replica editions.
The KZ1000R ELR
The idea soon gained momentum. Lawson’s bike was sent to Japan for study, and R&D created a production KZ1000 - opens in new window or tab. Racer, of which just 30 were produced.
The ELR showroom version carried over little of the racer. The 998-cc motor was retained, as was the frame of the KZ. Aesthetically, it was spot on, thanks to parts borrowed from the then-new GPZ 1100.
The bucketed seat, rear sets, instrumentation, brakes, and wheels were used on the ELR, along with the beautifully styled tail panel, elongated “coffin” fuel tank, and sporty fairing. The distinctive “Kerker” 4-into-1 exhaust - opens in new window or tab. was legally required to be fitted by dealers only. It's all very cool.
Despite all this—and not forgetting that any Kawasaki with the fabled bombproof 998-cc motor was and always will be desirable—the ELR was a sales flop.
So Why Didn’t It Sell?
The problem was twofold. First, buyers would have been acutely aware that the limited run of just 750 ELRs was a hot prospect, but the 1980s saw a ferocious pace of motorcycle technology development. By the time the ELR was in dealerships, keen bikers would have known that, despite the ELR’s mighty reputation, it was actually the last hurrah for technology like twin rear dampers, air-cooled motors, and tube frames.
Problem two was that dealers were left to price the ELRs themselves, and their estimates seemed too high. The bikes simply didn’t sell, and many of the 750 units were said to have sat in their crates, unopened and unwanted for quite some time.
Today is a very different story, and ELRs will always be in high demand—as much to celebrate an American hero as to recognize a key link in the motorcycle chain of evolution.
And This Is the One to Have
In 1983, while Lawson was getting to grips with the World Grand Prix stage on a works Yamaha, Kawasaki continued with the ELR, now renamed the Superbike Replica. It ladled on the goodies: upgraded cams that sat in an upgraded cylinder head, adjustable damping, revised graphics, and a slightly longer rear swing arm. Power and handling were a further enhancement over the ‘81 and ‘82 models.
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It’s clear from the listing and its photos that this example would most accurately be described as a near-perfect, museum-standard motorcycle featuring many new-old stock NOS parts. The seller has owned many ELRs, shipped them around the world, and purports to hold a considerable number of parts. It’s already won a raft of awards and is probably as safe a place to invest in motorcycles as you will find. Remember, while the name says replica, this is indeed a limited-edition motorcycle.
Eddie Lawson was given the ELR with chassis number 21 (his race number). According to the man himself, a Japanese investor offered him a cool million dollars “several years ago.” He said no.
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