Kawasaki GPZ 750 Turbo

PyroboyUK · 20 May 2007 at 19:43

Hey there,

I currently own a 2007 Yamaha Fz6 and i really like this bike, however i have this urge that one day to own a Motorbike with a turbo charger fitted to it. Today i seen a bike called the GPZ 750 and it was fitted with a turbo. I have done some research to find out that the bikes come standard with a turbo fitted. It seems to have around the 100hp mark which would be more than enough power for me, i would really just like the noise of the turbo. I have already had some insurance quotes and at the moment i am paying £1050 for the Fz6 but would only have to pay £500 for the GPZ 750 turbo.

If there are any owners or people who just know anything about this bike it would be much appreciated for any feedback on it.

Thanks

penski · 20 May 2007 at 20:22

not an absolute killer of a bike by all accounts but well worth it for the curiousity factor alone.

get a turbo bolted to your current bike.

...and a bottle of passing gas too...

*n

atpbx · 20 May 2007 at 20:52

They were awfull when they were new and nearly 25 years later are even more awfull.

Sportsbikes in the early 80's were toilet, utter utter garbage, kawasaki came along with the GPz 750 and basically had the best bike on the market but it was still rubbish.
They bolted a turbo on it, it was now slightly more powerfull rubbish.
Then they released the Gpz900 which relegated the turbo to the dustbin AFAIK as it was just as powerfull but more reliable.

Both were consigned to the great 80's motorbike skip in the sky with the arrival of the FZR, GSXR and kawasaki themselves with the ZXR.

quad · 20 May 2007 at 21:00

hmmm bike with turbo eh?

this would be an obvious choice :eek:

mrgubby · 20 May 2007 at 21:07

My mate had one in the late 80s , it suffered from bad Turbo lag & by the time the power kicked in it was time to change gear.

divuk83 · 20 May 2007 at 21:10

Guy who posts on 200mph.org called Lorcan is probably a good person to ask about them.

His site (Complete with forum):

http://www.750turbo.com/

His 750 (810) Turbo

Dave

Ev0 · 20 May 2007 at 21:38

I'm not a bike person, but that looks sooooo cool.

helpimcrap · 20 May 2007 at 21:43

ghostrider one is good but this vid is better...

the noise is awesome...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kge-SZdDfWg&mode=related&search=

Dogbreath · 20 May 2007 at 22:06

The GPZ750 was an absolute corker in comparison to Hondas efforts.

May I present the CX500 Turbo.

A fairly awful bit of machinery in normally aspirated form that didn't get any better with the addition of a whirly snail bolted onto it.

Avalon · 21 May 2007 at 01:17

Putting a turbo on a bike that's under 1ltr is pretty pointless according to people who know a hell of a lot more than me. I was lucky enough to spend a good while talking turbo bussa's with several co's a year or so back for a project never got the backing i'd hoped for.

As stated 80's sports bikes were pretty poor by any modern standard, they were down on power and when you got going the brakes left a hell of a lot to be desired, parts can be an utter pita and the handling will be sloppy by comparison. Also if you aren't mechanically minded then you'll either need to learn sharpish or have the money to pay someone who is. You are talking about a 25 year old bike, you'll find it will more than likley be begging for a full tear down and rebuild sooner rather than later and that's going to take time and a mechanic's time isn't cheap. If you've got an R6 and want a project then perhaps but go in with your eyes open, what you save on insurance will only buy you a spanner monkey for 10 hours.

Tomsk · 21 May 2007 at 07:01

If you want a turbo bike with a difference, I suggest getting a Honda Valkyrie (F6C) and bolting a turbo or supercharger on that.

One example - http://motorsport.bdg.com.au/vsupercharger.html

PyroboyUK · 21 May 2007 at 09:38

penski said:
not an absolute killer of a bike by all accounts but well worth it for the curiousity factor alone.

get a turbo bolted to your current bike.

...and a bottle of passing gas too...

*n

Thanks for the feedback guys....

Penski...I have thought about putting a turbo on my bike, all i would really want is just a small one, not looking for huge power increase like the 400+ Bhp Hayabusa's. I really just want that noise of the turbo, everytime i hear a car with a Dump valve fitted i just love the noise it makes!
Only problem is though while i can maintain my own bike etc i have no knowledge what so ever of fitting a turbo to a bike.....

Dave L · 21 May 2007 at 09:45

PyroboyUK said:
I really just want that noise of the turbo, everytime i hear a car with a Dump valve fitted i just love the noise it makes!

You can get electronic gizmo's that mimic the sound of a turbo & dump valve but they are rather chavtastic!!! :eek:

mrgubby · 21 May 2007 at 11:28

PyroboyUK said:
I really just want that noise of the turbo, everytime i hear a car with a Dump valve fitted i just love the noise it makes! ..

I've go memory at all of my mates bike making any dump noise :confused:

, could be because I was wearing earplugs / crash helmet and had a straight through exhaust on my bike

Hawk Tuah · 21 May 2007 at 11:32

Putting a turbo on a bike just because you like the noise turbo'd cars make is ridiculous.

PyroboyUK · 21 May 2007 at 11:33

mrgubby said:
I've go memory at all of my mates bike making any dump noise , could be because I was wearing earplugs / crash helmet and had a straight through exhaust on my bike

the earplugs will have drowned most of the noise out.

I am not really clued in on turbos but as i understand just the turbo on its own the only noise i will get is like a high pitched whistle as it spins at the high Rpm's. I have heard a few Imprezas that have either a Dump valve or wastegate :confused:

fitted and it makes a kind of Hissing noise and you change gear. Thats the noise i would like from my bike.

I have looked for a turbo kit for my Yamaha FZ6 but doesnt look like anyone makes a kit for it, the only kits i have found is for the GSXR 1300 Hayabusa and the Bandit 600 and 1200. So im guessing that if i want a turbo for my bike i would have to custom make all the parts for it :confused:

PyroboyUK · 21 May 2007 at 11:34

Bug One said:
Putting a turbo on a bike just because you like the noise turbo'd cars make is ridiculous.

tbh i cant see why...

I would get a very nice power increase along with a fantastic soundtrack.

Doesnt look like its going to happen if there are no turbo kits for my bike though

penski · 21 May 2007 at 11:47

Bug One said:
Putting a turbo on a bike just because you like the noise turbo'd cars make is ridiculous.

it sounds like a perfectly fine excuse to me...

right, a very basic list for a turbo conversion is...

turbo
intercooler
exhaust manifold
exhaust
inlet plenum
hoses
oil pick up
oil return

If I were in your position, I'd certainly look at a project bike instead of your daily.

pick up an old gsxr or similar and get into the straightliners scene...

*n

Dogbreath · 21 May 2007 at 12:53

PyroboyUK said:
tbh i cant see why...

For the same reasons that turbos never took off on road going bikes. For those that like to live their life a 1/4 mile at a time, these issues don't apply.

Turbo lag in a car is annoying, and can induce pant filling on more powerfull cars, on a bike it's just dangerous. To drive a bike quickly you need smooth, controllable power delivery and a turbo, unless small and low pressure, doen't realy provide that.

Physicaly fitting a turbo onto a bike is also problematic, there isn't much space for a big lump of red hot glowing iron to sit without it cooking various parts.

Performance bike engines tend to run a fairly high CR is standard form to be able to achieve tehir high specific output, e.g. your FZ6 is 12.1:1 Adding forced induction would be a recipe for detonation and melted pistons. Lowering the CR correctly means taking the engine to bits, machining pistons/head, and this immediately reduces off-boost performance and economy.

Penskis list did not include the cost of an aftermarket ECU and the mapping costs (assuming that the stock ECU isn't not suitable for remapping for FI).

If you desperately want a turbocharged bike it can obvioulsy be done, but it could cost a significant amount and the results might be dissapointing for fast road use. Easy solution, sell bike, buy a faster one and forget about silly dump valve noises being cool.

penski · 21 May 2007 at 13:22

Dogbreath said:
Penskis list did not include the cost of an aftermarket ECU and the mapping costs (assuming that the stock ECU isn't not suitable for remapping for FI).

this was the reason for me uggesting an old gixxer project or similar; carbs that can take 1bar comfortably, cheap parts and mechanically simple enough to cut your teeth on.

no efi/mfi means you only really have ignition to worry about.

as an aside, whilst you're around, what are your thoughts on a carb-fed bike lump being used with a positive-displacement blower at around 7psi? the high static CR shouldn't really be a hinderance and a chargecooler should keep inlet length and charge temps down...

*n