Offroad
Road warrior
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.
I haven't regretted it for a second.
Am I crazy -- can you talk me out of this?
- Thread starter postoak_imp
- Start date
SCCBrider_imp
Running like a top
Have you seen the 2018, Z900 by Kawi? Wow, really nice looking retro.postoak_imp said:
postoak_imp
Been there
Thread starter
Have you seen the 2018, Z900 by Kawi? Wow, really nice looking retro.SCCBrider_imp said:
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
Been there
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?The ferret_imp said: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
postoak_imp
Been there
Thread starter
LOL, I wish it was possible to roll 40 years off of US like it is on a motorcycle.
the Ferret
Road warrior
Isn't that the truth
nhawk7504_imp
Been there
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.
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 !!!!
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
Road warrior
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.
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
First service completed
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.
Pretty Super Hawk -suhawk305
I find the carbs to be so simple to remove and rebuild when needed and the engine being a stressed unit can be dropped out so easy . my clutch also slipped because the springs got old but i just changed out the springs with those Italian racing springs from Ebay .
there is a CB160 racing circuit that i enjoy watching at Barber when i go and those little things scream around the track
My old Honda's cause me so little worry and while i need a little choke to fire them , after that they start with just a bump of the button the rest of the day. I also enjoy just looking at them as you do
I find the carbs to be so simple to remove and rebuild when needed and the engine being a stressed unit can be dropped out so easy . my clutch also slipped because the springs got old but i just changed out the springs with those Italian racing springs from Ebay .
there is a CB160 racing circuit that i enjoy watching at Barber when i go and those little things scream around the track
My old Honda's cause me so little worry and while i need a little choke to fire them , after that they start with just a bump of the button the rest of the day. I also enjoy just looking at them as you do
cooldrum_imp
Running like a top
You are not crazy. Like Suhawk I ride my first bike a '67 305 scrambler. I also ride a '74 CB750 sunrise flake orange sohc four. Both bikes are unrestored and the "fun factor" when riding them is just amazing. For each bike there are great forum groups, just like we have here for our beloved Cb1100! The "older" bikes provide an experience for me in that I'm riding something quite unique now than what you see on the road and everyone appreciates seeing them ridden. Oh, I have a '13 CB1100 standard too. Quite the fun factor and I truly appreciate Honda's engineering. Good luck and keep us posted!
suhawk305
Road warrior
Thanks guys! You know you shouldn't underestimate the might of a CB160 use2b. I used to ride with a high school friend who road a CB160. He would always leave me in the dust when I was riding my Honda CA95 (154cc)! :rofl: The good old days, what fun!
suhawk305
Road warrior
cool vintage bike!use2b_imp said:
the Ferret
Road warrior
Hey you lucky dog, you have a Fla curve right by your house lol
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