Am I crazy -- can you talk me out of this?

[Offroad]

I went through the same dilemma in 2014.... I decided I'd rather ride one than work on one so now I own the 2014 :-) I haven't regretted it for a second.

[SCCBrider_imp]

I'm getting rid of the Valk in about a month and am very seriously considering acquiring an old Kawasaki KZ900 or KZ1000. These bikes (along with the early CB750s) touch some sort of aesthetic sweet spot for me and I like the way these old bikes rev more than today's modern bikes. That said, I'm just going by what people say -- I've never even sat on one of them.

These bikes aren't cheap -- especially if fully restored -- and I like to ride my bikes not have them down for extended periods for repairs. Also, I'd have to buy and have shipped to me. Those are the downsides.

KZ1000 being ridden:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0G9SkFaoy4

Have you seen the 2018, Z900 by Kawi? Wow, really nice looking retro.

[postoak_imp]

I'm getting rid of the Valk in about a month and am very seriously considering acquiring an old Kawasaki KZ900 or KZ1000. These bikes (along with the early CB750s) touch some sort of aesthetic sweet spot for me and I like the way these old bikes rev more than today's modern bikes. That said, I'm just going by what people say -- I've never even sat on one of them.

These bikes aren't cheap -- especially if fully restored -- and I like to ride my bikes not have them down for extended periods for repairs. Also, I'd have to buy and have shipped to me. Those are the downsides.

KZ1000 being ridden:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0G9SkFaoy4

Have you seen the 2018, Z900 by Kawi? Wow, really nice looking retro.

Have you seen the 2018, Z900 by Kawi? Wow, really nice looking retro.
I think you must mean the Z900RS but it will probably take 3 months to get in dealer showrooms and then the dealers will want full retail plus all their fees.

I can buy a KZ900 and if I don't like it it will be easy to get rid of -- the market seems pretty active for these --more so than the CB1100 and the Valkyrie.

I thank everyone for the counsel. I am proceeding and have contacted someone about a partial restore. If I don't acquire one of these then I will always wonder "what if".

[rotor]

Well I'll try (this being a former owner of a 77 KZ 1000)

You will spend nearly as much for an old bike restored as a new bike

for that unless it was totally gone thru by a caring professional, you get 40 year old technology, carbs (4) that tend to plug up, you get spindly forks with springs that have borne weight for 4 decades and worn out shocks, everything will be 40 year old rubber..fork seals, bearing seals, carb boots, wheel dampers, all the wiring will be 40 years old, as will all the electrical switches, a weak alternator, you get a small acid battery to fire everything, skinny tires of unknown age with tubes of unknown age, spokes that have flexed a billion times, weak lighting, especially the headlight, weak brakes, spindly frames, instrument faces that have stared at the sun for 4 decades, cables that may have not been changed in 40 years, faded paint, old crumbly seat foam, gaskets that may or may not be up to the job of keeping oil inside, pipes rusting from the inside out, brake cylinders in need of rebuild...want me to go on? lol and this is coming from a guy that has a subscription to and a complete collection of Motorcycle Classics Magazine. I love looking at beautiful examples of classic motorcycles.

I have had 1/2 dozen classics, all great to look at, all a pain to own and hardly a joy to actually ride, or keep running. As a classic owner I used to figure 2 hours work for every 1 hour of riding. Got rid of all my classics. Almost fell prey again about 2 years ago when I found a barn find 76 GL1000 with 14 thou miles for $2800. Thought about it awhile and remembering how much work they were vs how much pleasure I actually got from owning/riding a 40 year old motorcycle around I decided to pass. Some guys don't mind/actually like tinkering on old stuff to keep them running. Not me, I'd rather be out riding. If it were me and I wanted a Kaw 900, I'd run, not walk down to the nearest Kaw dealer for a brown and orange 900RS

My wife and I in 1977

Are you really saying there is a caring professional that will make the motorcycle, my wife and me to look and operate like the three items depicted? I'm impressed! Where do I find him?

[postoak_imp]

LOL, I wish it was possible to roll 40 years off of US like it is on a motorcycle.

[the Ferret]

Isn't that the truth

[nhawk7504_imp]

Z900RS. Old is old. I like old bikes. But the technology, meh. Wooden brakes. Vibration thru the rev range. Carbs that need rubber parts which ethanol kills. Old school control cables that sometimes worked and sometimes didn't the way they were supposed to. Leaky tanks and petcocks. I'm talking original here. My Dad was an aeronautical engineer. I like old anything but my 96 VFR 750 showed me how new technology really could work amazingly well. I sat on the new CB11 yesterday. What a beautiful machine in person.

[use2b_imp]

guess i have been lucky with my old bikes. did have the starter go out on the 750 and could have had it rebuilt locally but got one for $20 including shipping off Ebay . I run non ethanol fuel which is plentiful here because of all the boats and water so I get a full 10+ years on carb rebuilds .
I do think all parts for the Honda will be easier to find and cheaper than other old bikes. JMO I do like new technology but life before fuel pumps was not all that bad. all my rubber parts are still fine on both old Hondas including the seats , most cables are original but i have ridden a bike home before with broken clutch cable , not that bad with rpm control and push off before 1st gear. When I see someone on an old I wish it was mine unlike most people because i enjoy tinkering . always the Odd man out .... but enjoy life more that way.

really good pic from the old days Ferret , i was once that thin ................ notice how much that Kaw engine looks like a CB1100 !!!!

[suhawk305]

Until I purchased my CB1100, my motorcycle ownership and riding experience consisted of small Hondas since 1966. Like my friend cooldrum, we have keep our beloved 305cc Hondas (my a CB77 and cooldrum a CL77) for decades. I believe I can say the same for use2b with his CB160.

That said, keeping up with an vintage motorcycle does demand time and money. My CB77 has never been out of commission for all of these years. She had over 36k miles on its original speedometer/tachometer unit odometer when it broke. The replacement unit reads 2.5k miles. The CB77 engine has never been apart. Other parts have been replaced or need to be replaced. Each year, I attempt to do a project on the CB77. My recent attempts to work on the CB77 are waning. It is easier to jump on the CB1100 and go on a ride versus working on, or even riding the CB77. This winter, I will commit to a new clutch and new fork seals so it is not so painful to ride!

My experience is if you want a vintage motorcycle included in your stable, go for it. Just consider all the advise offed in this thread when dealing with old technology. And heed to use2b's advice using non-ethanol fuel (aka E0, pure gas) in old motorcycles. I learned the hard way when I discovered ethanol destroyed my carburetor seals! (Carbs were cleaned and rebuild last winter.)

I still love to look at, talk about, and show off my "unrestored" 1967 CB77. We have a lot of history together.

[Doc1961_imp]

Memories and reality tend to run different directions. There are some bikes I would like to have back but not sure if I could live with them now. My only exception would be my CT70K4. That I would take back. But since you don't have the memories of previous experience, not sure there would be disappointment or at least as much as there would be for someone who has owned it before and their memory faded with time. And it would be much easier to own a classic if you had another more modern bike to ride also.