Kawasaki Z1-R TC

In 1978, in association with the American Turbo Cycle Company, Kawasaki also introduced a turbo charged version of the Z1-R known as the Z1-R TC using a turbo charger developed by the Turbo-Pak Company. This machine could produce between 105 to 145 bhp depending on how much boost pressure was applied.

Around two hundred Z1-R TCs were produced in the standard Z1-R colour scheme.

A further two hundred or so Z1-R TCs were produced in Black with Yellow, Orange and Red stripes on the fairing, fuel tank and tail piece.
These were known as the “Molly” Z1-R TCs after Rollin “Molly” Sanders, the hot rod and custom designer who, until his death in 2010, ran a custom paint shop in California.

It was “Molly” who was responsible for the Lime Green Kawasaki race team colours after Kawasaki executives approached him in the early 1970s asking him to come up with a colour scheme that would set them apart from the rest of the crowd.
He also designed the Yellow, Black and White graphics for the Yamaha race team made famous by Kenny Roberts in the late 1970s.

Thanks to Scott Harvey for the photos of his 1978 Molly Z1-R TC.

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February 2022
The following information was provided by Johan Meyer from the USA.
To save repetition, when time permits, I may merge Johan’s information with the information above.
Johan has also provided information for the Z1-R page.

The Z1R’s didn’t sell very well as the CBX 1000-6 and the XS1100 were already launched two months earlier. Alan Masek (used to be the Marketing manager for Kawasaki USA and later Vice President) teamed up with John Gleason of ATP and started Turbo Cycle Corporation (TCC) in California, USA.

They started to build the turbo versions of the Z1R (still Stardust Metallic in colour) with the “log header”, a Rajay 310 turbo with a round air filter on a 38mm Bendix carburetor fed by an Autolec 210 series fuel pump. The bikes didn’t last and very few of the about 250 original TC1’s remain.

Following this production run, Alan teamed up with Rollin “Molly” (who had a paint shop) to create a colour scheme for the TC’s and the “Molly” was born. They had the “spider” header with a 370 Rajay turbo, same Bendix carburetor but with a triangular air cleaner fed by a newer fuel pump. This black and yellow/orange lined colour scheme was well-known and dragstrips saw them on a regular basis. This bike is called the TC2.

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More information and photographs to follow soon.