Z1000 vs GS1000

[R6_kid]

1982 Z1000 vs 1980 GS1000

Which would you have and why?

I have gost sold my GSXR1000 and i'm looking at an old school 'superbike' and these two take my fancy but i'm stuck as to which one to go for. Both have similar km's and seem to be in good condition.

Which was the better one to have back in the day?

[Crazy Steve]

The Z1000 was faster...

220kph if I remember right...

Crazy Steve..

[JimO]

i would have the Z only because i used to have a 79 Z1R

[Voltaire]

Back in '84....I wanted a blue and white GS 1000 ( or even a red and white one)....I had a ride on one and liked it....wasn't hard when you owned a 500/4.
I ended up with an Aussie Z1000J that was 4 years old. Very fast.
I was a red one, bit different to the silver ones that were here.

My mate is selling a genuine Z1000 r on TM at the moment and its been sitting since 1993, he has had a bit of interest but its a non runner.....or should I say was until this morning.
$ 5500.00 for a rare jap superbike.....bargain.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Motorbikes/Classic-vintage/auction-200571596.htm
Might be sold by now.

[Scouse]

The Suzuki was the better bike at the time as much as it pains me to say so the engin and frame were way better than the Kawasaki

[R6_kid]

So if one was to go adding a modern swingarm (modified for twin shock) and front end then the GS1000 would probably be the better bet to go with?

[Scouse]

Yep I was always hanging around the race track when both these bikes were new the suzi usualy always won the GS100S is the best one to go for it comes with a bikini faring

[R6_kid]

Going for naked but cheers for the info :)

[Voltaire]

So if one was to go adding a modern swingarm (modified for twin shock) and front end then the GS1000 would probably be the better bet to go with?

Probably not worth the bother as once you stiffen up one part of the chassis it may impact on another.
Best thing would be new tyres,shocks and firm up the spongy front end.
Braided hoses and better pads would improve braking.

Best just to ride it as it is and accept thats its a 30 year old Japanese bike.

As for which one....either but get the best one you can afford, as do-ups can end up costing more and take longer to get right ( been there....)
thats my 2 cents worth.

[T.W.R]

Here's a test article from Two Wheels January 1980 comparing the GS1000s, CB900fz, & Z1000mkII. It's a worthwhile read but even then the testers were split over which bike they preferred :niceone:

Each has it's own virtues so it really depends on what your preferences are :rolleyes:


This GSX1100 on TM isn't too bad either.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=201322207

[HDTboy]

I've got an 85 gixxer if you want a real bike

[Katman]

So if one was to go adding a modern swingarm (modified for twin shock) and front end

*fingers in ears*

LAH, LAH, LAH, LAH.................



Here's the bike for you.

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=200571596

[kiwifruit]

I've got an 85 gixxer if you want a real bike

how much?

[riffer]

Go the GS1000 and make a Yoshimura replica mate:

<img src=http://oldskoolsuzuki.info/patrick/projects/knarf_gs1000/clink_zandvoort/SF07%20OSS%20GS1000/right/images/NP7L4830.JPG>

[BMWST?]

when the z 1000 j came out no body could catch Glenn on his.....

[TLDV8]

when the z 1000 j came out no body could catch Glenn on his.....

It went even better after Alex Saunders (sp) did the head.

<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c345/manurewa/38Small.jpg>

It might be hard to find a good one these days,but in saying that i wouldn't say no to a wire wheel GS1000 (1978?)

[R6_kid]

Probably not worth the bother as once you stiffen up one part of the chassis it may impact on another.
Best thing would be new tyres,shocks and firm up the spongy front end.
Braided hoses and better pads would improve braking.

Best just to ride it as it is and accept thats its a 30 year old Japanese bike.

As for which one....either but get the best one you can afford, as do-ups can end up costing more and take longer to get right ( been there....)
thats my 2 cents worth.

http://www.wrenchmonkees.com/monkee01.html
http://www.wrenchmonkees.com/monkee02.html
http://www.wrenchmonkees.com/monkee03.html
http://www.wrenchmonkees.com/monkee08.html

Thats where i'm getting inspiration from. These guys have toured around Denmark on them. It's more for around town and open road cruising than going hell for leather.

I understand that changing the forks, swingarm, rims and brakes is not going to turn it into anything like a modern superbike - that's not my goal. But I would like to be able to get modern tyres and brakes mainly to make life easier, not too mention that a 190 rear looks pretty sick on those oldschool bikes.

[BMWST?]

i test rode one from norjos....it was a lot faster than the one i bought from them!

[R6_kid]

i test rode one from norjos....it was a lot faster than the one i bought from them!

Which one? I'm already dreaming about wiseco kits, custom pipes and juicy carbs.

[T.W.R]

Which one? I'm already dreaming about wiseco kits, custom pipes and juicy carbs.

:lol: Moriwaki, Ivan Tighe and Keihin CR are the juicy bits to go for with old school Zeds

[BMWST?]

Which one? I'm already dreaming about wiseco kits, custom pipes and juicy carbs.
i test rode a z1000j and i bought one the same day....the brand new one i bought was no where as nice or as quick as the demo model...i wanted THAT one but he would not budge.

[elevenhundred]

The blue and white GS1000S
Wes Cooley was the man on his GS1000!
Or if you want to build a bike go for a Yoshimura replica :)

[Paulo]

my 2c , speed and all that aside, I always thought the GS had nicer proportions and design, but thats just me.

[Morcs]

The GS all the way.

the yoshimura version is an awesome handling bike on the ps2...

[The Pastor]

1986 gpz1000R

you know you want to!

[fatzx10r]

there both cool old beast's, get em both :2thumbsup

[xwhatsit]

The GS went around corners, didn't it?

@R6: I see you're quite into the Wrenchmonkees stuff. Most of it looks like an emulation of the Japanese custom scene. I suppose that's where the Monkee epithet comes from. Heiwa MC (http://www.heiwa-mc.jp) have got some cool stuff but it's mostly small capacity (the CD250U and the CB250RS look particularly tasty). 750s (Nanhan) are popular too. Have a look around on Yahoo Japan and you'll see some cool stuff.

[classic zed]

no question about it, it has to be the Z1000. Kawasaki's are way better looking:2thumbsup and if you need it there is a huge supply of parts just waiting for you on eBay.

As you can see Im very biased in my opinion, I used to own a Z1000 A1 back in 1978, I bought it brand new and loved it. The only bike I have enjoyed more is my current Z1300 :cool:

[AllanB]

Buy the Kawa, get a lotto ticket. Win, then go crazy here:

http://www.klasmo-bikes.de (click on the world icon at the top for English).

[roadracingoldfart]

when the z 1000 j came out no body could catch Glenn on his.....

And if some asshole hadnt rolled bowled and assholed that bike on a test ride , it would have been in my garage. Man i was pissed at that dude.

[NZsarge]

:lol: Moriwaki, Ivan Tighe and Keihin CR are the juicy bits to go for with old school Zeds

Man that centre one looks ferkin' mint!

[Road Warrior]

Great thread! My introduction into bikes was the '81 GSX 1100 :headbang:
It was the first bike I had ever sat on much less ridden. I look back on that now and think I was lucky not to have dumped it.
Last couple of weeks I have found a lot of my old muscle car, drag car, and bike pictures :clap: I thought they had been lost for sure.
Dont know how many of these there were in NZ but they were a favorite of mine. I always have my eye out for a real clean one to do a restore on.

Here we are first day, just riding up to my dads shop...ck out that monster rear tire :laugh:
Gary
<img src="http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/8618/1981s.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />
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<img src="http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/7928/1981as.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />

[Bonez]

Great thread! My introduction into bikes was the '81 GSX 1100 :headbang:
It was the first bike I had ever sat on much less ridden. I look back on that now and think I was lucky not to have dumped it.
Last couple of weeks I have found a lot of my old muscle car, drag car, and bike pictures :clap: I thought they had been lost for sure.
Dont know how many of these there were in NZ but they were a favorite of mine. I always have my eye out for a real clean one to do a restore on.

Here we are first day, just riding up to my dads shop...ck out that monster rear tire :laugh:
Gary
<img src="http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/8618/1981s.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />
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<img src="http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/7928/1981as.jpg" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" />Cheers for sharing. I've got it's little brother, a GSX750EX in the shed and had an EZ from new for 3 years. 1100s where very popular here and generally had the larger tank with lower bars. Bloody bullet proof.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=4072&d=1096607998