Owning a classic bike

[marksx]

Hi all,

I've been off two wheels for about 9 months now and itching to get another bike.

I've developed a want for something from the late 70s. Ideally a Kawasaki z1000.

Goods ones are strong money now so I'd be looking at a project.

What are they like for parts availability? Reliability? Difficult to answer that one as a lot can happen in 40+ years.

Do bikes suffer the usual car issues? Rust, electrical gremlins and so on?

Finally where is good to look for something like this, other than eBay, autotrader?

Thanks

[podman]

Cant advise on specifics issues to the bike but a much better place to start looking for one will be a forum/facebook page that focuses on the model, much better chance of picking up something better suited to your needs at keener pricing once your part of the community.

Id also recommend joining a club such as the vintage japapanese mc' club , many bikes get sold to club members via word of mouth or the club magazine, many of these would never have been advertised on the net..

You can probably imagine that many people that own classic bikes are of a certain age or older and dont trust or use this new fangled technology, for that reason, don't discount the private ads in the back of the classic bike magazines...and even MCN...

[3200gt]

2 650s a 900 and a 1000 in the stable. They were reliable then and still are now. Parts are easy to get hold of if you dont mind pattern from cybike or z power. Healthy clubs and forums, especially the mighty z900.
Anything you need to know just ask.

[spoodler]

I've had about a dozen old Zeds over the years from near standard 650s through to a drag race spec' 1200(ish). Parts were never a problem as they are so well liked, but some of the pattern stuff is truly dire. It's well worth joining a forum/Facebook group if only to learn which suppliers can be trusted etc. Some of the model specific parts can be really expensive, so do a bit of research before buying a cheap bike that, e.g., "just needs an exhaust" - although a stainless four into one can be had for a few hundred quid if you're not concerned about originality.
Any rust should be easily spotted, but check around the swing arm mounts and the swing arm itself.
Electrics are likely to have most impact on reliability, but these are simple bikes and easy enough to rewire.
Other than that, just look out for forty years of abuse taking its toll...
They are among the best traditional type bikes out there.

[marksx]

Thank you for the responses!

I need to do a little research into the models. I don't want an efi bike, and I'm not worried about originality.

Any recommendations for groups/forums? I had a look for Facebook groups and they all seem to be 'owners only' or have joining q's like 'what Kawasaki do you own'.

Something like this is probably in my price range:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2...

[springsteen]

I restored a 1976 z900a4 a couple of years ago and found the Z1 Owners Club invaluable .Dont be put off by the title there are lots of z1000,Z1R,1000R etc too.More importantly there is a who’s who of people who help restore or keep them on the road.
Mine came from U.S. as lots of them have and I was after originality first and foremost.They quickly turn into a labour of love but word of warning everything has moved on so much that I have to recalibrate my brain when riding it.
I would recommend you do it they are a fabulous thing to own and if you buy wisely you should at the very least keep your outlay
Good luck with the search.This is mine on completion.

[3200gt]

Z1OC.co.uk is easily the best and most knowledgable UK, KZRider.com for global coverage.
I doubt that 'll stay at £3.7k for long and would expect it to make £5k or £6k at least.
If that is more than you would want to spend then don't discount 650's. Theres more of them about so parts are still easy to get and you can still pick up a good one under £3k. Unless you expect to mostly motorway riding you wouldn't notice the difference performance wise.

[spoodler]

Just to echo what 3200GT said above, don't discount the 650s as they are a cracking bike. Certainly a good Z650 will be far nicer to ride than a doggy Z1000. They lack the overall grunt of the bigger bikes, but can be just as quick point to point and far more rewarding to ride.

[marksx]

I'll have a look at the 650s thanks! Being honest, a big part of the attraction of the 1000 is the noise, but a quick look and YouTube and 650 also sounds good!

[3200gt]

Not with a stock zorst they don't.

[marksx]

Does anything?

[blade7]

3200gt said:

Not with a stock zorst they don't.

I bought a used Z1B from a Kawasaki dealer in 1979, they'd fitted a brand new original 4 silencer exhaust, I could hardly hear it. The S&S 4-1 I put on sounded more like it .

[3200gt]

Hope you kept hold of the stock one. Stamped stock 4 into 4 zorst are worth a mint now. Repop ones are £1400 and restrict flow and poke.
4 into 1 Delkevic is the way to go. Stainless, great quality, sound great and cheap.
Motad, quiet as quiet thing.
Harris, fall to bits in 5 mins.
Kerker silly money.

[blade7]

Pretty sure I refitted them when I chopped the Z1B back in at the same dealer for a Z1R about a year later. I fitted a Moto Martin 4-1 and some gold bell mouths on that.

[marksx]

What are the differences with the z1000LTD?

Is it just cosmetic? Seats, bars, wheels etc. Or does it have geometry changes and such?

[crofty1984]

I think the ltd series had a different rear subframe to accommodate the lower custom seat. Could be wrong.

[3200gt]

Yes it does. Forks are about 2 inch longer and there are some frame differences also. It is quite easy to make a ltd look like an A1/2 but not ride quite the same.

[Mr Tidy]

Wow - photos of a couple of stunning Zeds!

Back in 1981 I bought a 1980 Z650 C2 - mainly because a mate I used to blat around with on RD Yamahas had just bought a new Z650F2!

But that was back then when newest was best - if I bought a Z650 now I'd definitely want spoked wheels.

Many years later I had a KH500 with Allspeeds that was much more exciting (in a good/edgy way) than my Z650!

Deep down I've always loved strokers!

[blade7]

Mr Tidy said:

I had a KH500 with Allspeeds that was much more exciting (in a good/edgy way) than my Z650!

Deep down I've always loved strokers!

The KH500 was neutered compared to an H1, if you liked edgy the H was the one to have .

[marksx]

3200gt said:

Yes it does. Forks are about 2 inch longer and there are some frame differences also. It is quite easy to make a ltd look like an A1/2 but not ride quite the same.

Thank you (and crofty)

Think I'll stick with the A1/A2 then.

The eBay link I posted earlier is still without bids. Tempting with a day to go. But too far to check it out before ending. I asked the seller if it could be ridden straight away. He says 'probably'.