My Z1

Absolutely gorgeous. Truly one of the best looking bikes of all time. You have got yourself a real classic there. Enjoy
 
wow..very very nice!

Yea sometimes in our memories things are better than they actually were. At least compared to what we have now.
 
Lovely restoration of an all time favorite. Those of us old enough remember the sensation created when Kawasaki introduced this bike. Back then there were some who thought it far too powerful for a street legal bike. My, how things change.
 
Stunning...just stunning. Any before or during resto pics? How long? Worse parts to source? Beautiful job and attention to detail.
 
Wow what a fantastic job!
We all have mostly positive, fond memories of our older rides, and when we get the chance to revisit them nowadays, it brings us back to the new reality that the modern rides are better.

Redbirds, When I had the CB360 and 550Four in the 70s, I remember that if a new rider came into a Honda dealer asking about the CB750s, the dealer would actually talk a newbie out of considering one, and steer them to something smaller. "Too large and powerful" and " You need some experience first to ride something like that." they would say.
Business ethics are a thing of the past. I bet not one word of caution would be said if a skinny 17 yr old walked into a dealer today and said " I want that Goldwing."
 
Ethics are rapidly decreasing in all facets of our society and will continue to get worse as the U.S. economy declines.


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Wow, what a beauty! That brings back memories. My late brother, Doug bought a 1973 Z1 identical to yours. He made a label and stuck it on top of the tail light - it said "Un Honda". It had an automatic drive chain oiler that could make a mess out of the rear wheel if not kept clean. These bikes created quite a stir in the motorcycling community when they came on the market. It was by far the fastest bike you could buy then. Claims of 83 hp and speeds of 130mph were considered staggering. I never saw him get a wheelie out of it, but burning rubber was easy. Guys on their Honda CB750's didn't have chance. I remember a ride with him in Molalla (Oregon) and stopping to talk with a local cop. We were talking about how fast the Z1's were and someone asked him what he would do if Doug just opened her up and left the cop in the dust. He "dutifully" replied that he would have to shoot him, as there was no way his patrol car could catch up! He was kidding us of course. It's hard to believe that bike is 41 years old. Enjoy it for what it is - a modern classic!

~ The Bee
 
Thread starter
I should have taken some pics before I started tearing it down. Since I have owned the bike since new it was basically all there with the exception of the exhaust.(we all pulled the original pipes and installed 4 into 1). Paint and gauge faces had faded, lots of surface rust on the chrome and all the rubber bits had perished. Webike in Japan and Z1 parts supplied all the bits for the restoration but the paint and the pipes were the most expensive at $3k total. I think the whole restoration owes me about $6.5k.If I can keep it looking pristine it probably isn't a bad investment. Sad that I left it sitting in the shed for 20 odd years but now it will get ridden regularly on club runs. the CB1100 will still be my regular ride in between the Honda Benly, Suzuki t500 and the DS6 yammie. Maybe one day I might put that 73 XLCH Harley together.
 
Just fantastic, Tezza. I've never forgotten the release of the Z1 and the amazement it inspired.
 
Nice bike. I like the K-81 (or K-81 looking) tires. True to period !

I have an XS650 in my garage that I bought new in 1984.
Maybe in a decade or so it'll get the treatment that you have lavished on your zed !
 
ClassicVW_imp said:
Wow what a fantastic job!
We all have mostly positive, fond memories of our older rides, and when we get the chance to revisit them nowadays, it brings us back to the new reality that the modern rides are better.

Redbirds, When I had the CB360 and 550Four in the 70s, I remember that if a new rider came into a Honda dealer asking about the CB750s, the dealer would actually talk a newbie out of considering one, and steer them to something smaller. "Too large and powerful" and " You need some experience first to ride something like that." they would say.
Business ethics are a thing of the past. I bet not one word of caution would be said if a skinny 17 yr old walked into a dealer today and said " I want that Goldwing."
Click to expand...
I would rather see this 17 year old ride off on a Goldwing before a 600 super sport. When I sold motorcycles a few years back, I had a lot of late teens/early 20s kids come in trying to buy motorcycles. Most couldn't get financing an walked out with nothing. A lot thought that buying a 600 super sport was sensible since they thought the 1000 was probably more bike than they needed to learn with. I tried to steer them to the Ninja 250 or at most a Suzuki SV650. I had an 18 year old come in, applied for financing on a new CBR1000, and actually had enough credit to take home the bike. When his insurance quote came back at $12000 per year, he decided not to buy.
 
Just wow that thing is gorgeous! I love those old Z1s as much as I do the HOnda 750s of the era. What a fantastic restore job you did there. I am impressed.

Out of curiousity how many miles does it have on it and did you have to rebuild the engine?
 
I recall lusting after one of these but compulsory insurance in the UK at the time made it impossible for me to afford as a young fella. Still after all these years you have a stunning machine and invokes a lot of memories of that era....................:beerchug:
 
Thread starter
The Z1 has 63000 miles on it. It had a rebore with .5mm o/size pistons before I retired it to the shed 20 years ago. I dropped the cylinders in for a light hone and reused the pistons and rings. all the inlet valves had to be replaced due to stem wear and all the guides and seals were replaced. Had 2 valve seats replaced, new cam chain and idlers, and a new neutral switch. Everything else inside the engine was ok but it may need some new clutch plates down the track. All the carbs were stripped cleaned and adjusted. I had some issues when I first assembled the motor which made no sense. No2 carb was puffing back from the engine and when the engine was revved it would stay at about 3000 rpm and not return to idle. Turned out the timing chain was one tooth out on the cams. Now it starts and runs perfectly just like new...no engine noises at all. I would have liked to put the K87 gold seal Dunlops back on it but they are no longer available here in Oz so I had to go with the K81/TT100 tyres.
 
Kawasaki should consider doing a retro KZ to be matched with the CB. They would make great bookends. I'd say Suzuki too, but they may be too small to pull it off. Yamaha just didn't have anything I wanted back then.
 
Rboe_imp said:
Kawasaki should consider doing a retro KZ to be matched with the CB. They would make great bookends. I'd say Suzuki too, but they may be too small to pull it off. Yamaha just didn't have anything I wanted back then.
Click to expand...
I'd consider the ZRX as their retro bike, despite being water cooled.

Yamaha has a retro bike they sell elsewhere. It's the XJR1300.
 
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