In 1996, Team Green was one of the first to come out with a retro-styled, standard liter-class motorcycle reminiscent of the '70s superbikes, and they did it with style. Available in a racing legend Eddie Lawson replica green motif, the ZRX1100 featured classic styling with a modern engine and chassis. Although not a huge seller for Kawasaki in the beginning, it spawned a new age of "naked madness." The early version featured an engine pulled straight out of the sport-touring titan ZX-11 with a pair of coil spring rear shocks and a sturdy double-cradle frame. More than enough for back-road roosting and front-wheel aerobatics.

In 2001, not satisfied to leave well enough alone, they gave the ZRX a larger engine and a sturdier frame and swingarm, breathing new life into an already beautiful package. Make no mistake, this is a huge bike, and approaching the ZRX can be intimidating. It has a muscular look with its large five-gallon fuel tank and wide "king and queen" style seat mounted above its beefy twin shocks and enormous exhaust muffler. You can almost hear your heartbeats racing as you throw a leg over the saddle.

The former 1052cc power plant has been bored and stroked to a respectable 1164. Kawasaki claims a 13 percent increase in power over the ZRX1100 and horsepower numbers have been reported to be in the 100+ range. The engine has a sweet, deep, throaty burble when you thumb the starter and that burble builds to a howl as you twist the throttle open.

Power is excellent on the ZRX. Pulling away from a stop is a practice in moderation. Anything more than conservative wrist turns easily lofts the front wheel. Torque is delivered by the bucketful, pulling hard from about 3000rpm all the way up to 9000. Power delivery is very smooth and drive-line lash is ameliorated by a urethane rear-wheel damper plucked from Kawi's Ninja bike line.

A five-speed transmission transfers power from the engine to the rear wheel. Shifting was fairly effortless and almost unnecessary given the torque of this beast. On a curvy road, you can almost forget about shifting and opt instead to let the engine do the braking and driving.