This Kawasaki nameplate first appeared in 1981 as a large-displacement air-cooled four-cylinder sport motorcycle that carried the GPz performance branding into the early 1980s. It was part of Kawasaki’s push to keep pace in the superbike era, evolving through the early part of the decade with updated styling and chassis revisions before that first production run ended in the mid-1980s.
The nameplate returned in 1995 on a very different machine: a modern sport-touring model built around a water-cooled inline-four and aimed at riders who wanted strong highway performance with more everyday practicality. That revival kept the familiar GPZ identity but shifted the concept toward comfort and long-distance versatility rather than the earlier all-out superbike focus. Some versions were offered with ABS, highlighting the bike’s mid-1990s positioning as a more advanced, road-oriented flagship.
Because the badge was used in two separate production eras, this is not a single continuous model run. Enthusiasts often associate the first version with Kawasaki’s early superbike image and the later version with the brand’s sport-touring lineup of the 1990s.