On the way back from my eastern states trip I dropped in to Lake Perkollili.
Perkolilli is an historic car and motorcycle race site based on the dried surface of the lake that has a fine compact structure.
The road in is quite sandy and easily cut up by 4WDs.
It had dried out from the flooding at the time of the Centenary and I was able to do a cautious lap. It got a bit wet when I went to the edge of the lake to check out wrecked cars.
As a Kalgoorlie kid in the early seventies, I was lucky enough to be out there to watch a pre-production Kawasaki Z900 do an afternoon of speed tests. Top secret stuff. My old man (OIC local cop shop) got the heads up from the local Kawasaki dealer. Just a handful of official-type people out there watching. The old man reckoned my eyes were as big as dinner plates. I'd never seen or heard a bike like it - lightning fast and the sweetest 4-stroke 4cyl howl.
The baddest road bike I can remember at the time was a water bottle - Suzuki GT750... a water cooled two-stroke triple (I got to ride a GT750 later when I was 18. Not that fast and a pig of a thing to ride - handling wise).
Thinking about it - Perkolilli seems an odd choice for testing. OK for ET's but I'm guessing not that long for top speed testing. Just looking at Google Earth the longest possible run - allowing for acceleration & braking is not much over 1km. I suppose it not being actively used allowed for the secrecy Kawasaki were chasing.
I remember the old man taking me to Lake Lefroy (huge dry - in summer- salt lake near Kambalda) a few times to watch top speed runs & ET's organised by a local petrol head group. Properly run too. The V8 Kingswood patrol car got an official run once much to everyone's amusement. And at another organised event at Lake Lefroy an emu wandered onto the lake. The old man told a newly transferred junior PC to get the patrol car and chase it away from the 'run'. The young copper went too far, broke thru the salt crust and bogged the police car. Going so fast chasing the bloody emu, he got a long way into the soft area before bogging. Took a big crew of blokes & vehicles hours to get the car out. In the end, it took a daisy chain of bogged/semi bogged 4WD's & utes all connected by long tow ropes to tow this one police car out. Punishment for the junior copper was to wash off all the salty mud underneath the car.
I understand that they were looking for reliability at high speed.
The test was to run it flat out for a tank full of fuel.
The two mile circuit with wide bends allowed it to go flat out for a long distance. It is a similar circuit size to Talladega in Alabama where the bike was also tested (Talladega is 2.66 miles).
In America, T103 became “Project New York Steak”. Lead by Kawasaki America’s senior test rider, Bryon Farnsworth, and assisted by Kawasaki’s race team of Gary Nixon, Hurley Wilvert and Paul Smart, the new Kawasaki was subjected to repeated attempts to break it.
The secret to the Kawasaki’s success went beyond it’s four-cylinder motor – this Kwakker was a looker with all the right lines.
One item on the test program was undertaken at the Talladega speed bowl. The idea was to run the big Kwack flat out for the capacity of the gas tank: quite literally nailed hard against the stop. Test riders reported weaving but, even when running at a genuine 130-mph plus, the bike was unbreakable.
Bozo wrote:I understand that they were looking for reliability at high speed.
The test was to run it flat out for a tank full of fuel.
The two mile circuit with wide bends allowed it to go flat out for a long distance. It is a similar circuit size to Talladega in Alabama where the bike was also tested (Talladega is 2.66 miles).
Bozo
Nup. Memory is crystal clear. Lake Perkolilli was all straight line testing.
Bozo wrote:Your mention of ETs reminded me of an interesting comparison of 0 to 60 mph for BMW motorcycles at
That was my thoughts after test riding the wet head. Although since then, I've added a Wunderlich performance controller. I reckon my Akropovic exhaust adds nearly 50bhp. The ears never lie...
Ah the reminiscing CB750's with the 1000cc kit, smoking baby... my favs are still the Kawasaki Triples! Hand grenades waiting to explode Wheel stands in all gears on the 500 two-up. I was always the guy on the back, even when doing same on the TY 250 Ah the days...
And love that website Boz!
Very interesting 0-60mph times across the range of BMs. There really isn't a lot of difference.
Yeah, yeah, I know how difficult it is to make half a second difference. In the real world, a shoddy rider on an XR1000 would probably be beaten to 100kph by a good rider on a LC GS.
Himalayas Royal Enfield Tour 2017; Camp Cook-Off Winner 2017; Kennedy Ranges; Three Oceans Tour Australia; Hyden-Norseman Breakaways; R1200 series final drive repair; Mt Augustus; Bimbijy Station; Around Oz
Hey, Nev, I have to momentarily hijack this thread, paraphrasing the great Jack the Riepe of K75 fame. Before Jack became a dedicated K75 rider, he was an aficionado of Kawa triples. he writes as follows: It's New Year's eve in Brooklyn, New York and I have to buy my squeeze a last minute Christmas present. I kicked my H2 into life. the engine exploded into a prison riot that passed for an idle on that three cyclinder demon. The cylinders fired randomly, like they had just been introduced at a bad party. I had no time for this and edged out into the traffic, when I thought I had the co-operation of two. The third kicked in halfway across the Brooklyn bridge and became the notorious low flying projectile that earned it the name "widow-maker"
The Kawka 2 stroke range bikes in the early 70s were only good for very fast of the line standing starts as nothing could get near them especially the Mac 4 / 750 triple, Around corners they didn't work at all. The first Z1 in Perth I can remember was a guy in South Perth he was an amazing rider used to flog the hell out it, I don't think the cops ever got near him in the end I think he joined the police force
CB750's with the 1000cc kit, smoking baby... my favs are still the Kawasaki Triples! Hand grenades waiting to explode 
Wheel stands in all gears on the 500 two-up. I was always the guy on the back, even when doing same on the TY 250 