Introduced in 1100cc form in 1992, the Zephyr (“A gentle breeze”) came 20 years since the first sightings of the legendary 903cc Z1. In those two decades, big bikes had taken quantum leaps in horsepower via cylinder heads with four and even five valves, fuel injection, electronic engine management, more efficient exhaust system and so on; a classic example of technology keeping up with or even exceeding stricter emission laws. Then there are the advances in chassis technology, with ever more sophisticated suspension with upside down forks and single shock rears, alloy box section frames, massive brakes, lighter wheels, and especially, far superior tyres.
This relentless progress also had the reverse effect of spawning a wave of nostalgia; a yearning for the simplicity of old, and that’s where the Zephyr breezed in, if you’ll excuse the pun. The Zephyr was not a single model, but a whole family of traditional looking models – a 400 (which began the series in Japan in 1989), a 550, a 750 and the top of the range 1100. Actually, in some markets it wasn’t a Zephyr at all, but a ZR1100; a decision that is popularly
