New Kawasaki prices, 1979...

[Stylo]

Found a newspaper clipping from October 1 1979 today in an old suitcase and here's what you'd pay back then for a new Kawasaki ;

Laurie Summers, 83 Mt Eden Rd ...Ph 774-329

Z1300 $6799

Z1R TC $6899

Z1R $5399

Z1000 $4979

Z750 $3599

Z650C $4299

KX400 de lux $2399

KZ400 Special $2099

KH250 Triple $1899

No GST back then ...

And , for the record a used '79 Z1000 at the same shop was priced at $4795 , '76 Z1000 $4095, two GS1000's both '78 and $4795 and $4595 .....

Would'nt it be nice to turn back the clock !

[Bonez]

Considering wages back then and now bang for buck modern bikes are cheaper.

[onearmedbandit]

Yup, and petrol was going up to 38c per litre from 31.

[superman]

Found a newspaper clipping from October 1 1979 today in an old suitcase and here's what you'd pay back then for a new Kawasaki ;
Would'nt it be nice to turn back the clock !

Let's see $1 NZD 1979 would cost $5.02 to buy with 2011 NZD's.

So that means:-

Z1300 $34130
Z1R TC $34632
Z1R $27102
Z1000 $24994
Z750 $18066
Z650C $21580
KX400 de lux $12042
KZ400 Special $10536
KH250 Triple $9533

Goodness me!

I'm quite glad of todays prices if that's the case.

[Stylo]

Let's see $1 NZD 1979 would cost $5.02 to buy with 2011 NZD's.

So that means:-

Z1300 $34130
Z1R TC $34632
Z1R $27102
Z1000 $24994
Z750 $18066
Z650C $21580
KX400 de lux $12042
KZ400 Special $10536
KH250 Triple $9533

Goodness me!

I'm quite glad of todays prices if that's the case.

True , but there were still people buying those bikes back then, guess the cost of living may have been a little different , you'd get a nice house in Auck for around 90K

[superman]

True , but there were still people buying those bikes back then, guess the cost of living may have been a little different , you'd get a nice house in Auck for around 90K

Ooo housing is terrible when you look at inflation. So that's very true, housing inflation from then till now is 12.61 compared to 5.02 for the average inflation. IE that 90k house to buy today would cost $1.13 million.

So with housing definitely 1979 would have been much easier to obtain a nice place. But mass production vehicles were definitely more expensive than today.

And yes if less money is put into a house, you have more money for other areas such as motorcycles, so very complicated with whether it was cheaper in the general cost of living or not. 60c per litre for fuel then, which would be $3 per litre in todays money, so really it's all relative.

[Stylo]

Ooo housing is terrible when you look at inflation. So that's very true, housing inflation from then till now is 12.61 compared to 5.02 for the average inflation. IE that 90k house to buy today would cost $1.13 million.

So with housing definitely 1979 would have been much easier to obtain a nice place. But mass production vehicles were definitely more expensive than today.

And yes if less money is put into a house, you have more money for other areas such as motorcycles, so very complicated with whether it was cheaper in the general cost of living or not. 60c per litre for fuel then, which would be $3 per litre in todays money, so really it's all relative.

True, yet there were 3 times the amount of new Bikes on the road back then than there is now, go figure .

[Motig]

1973 Yamaha TX650 $1735 brand new. Wish I still had it.

[Motig]

And for you Triumph lovers from my 1969 Velvin & Cresswell Triumph brochure (they were in Chch).
250cc Trophy TR25W $815
500cc Daytona T100T $1195
650cc Trophy TR6 $1195
650cc Bonneville T120 $1295
All from 1/3 deposit balance over 15 months.

Dont know why the Daytona and Trophy were the same price, must have been the extra carb

[jellywrestler]

and I recall a GSXR1100K in 1989 @ $19995, even when the GSXR1000 came out it took a while for them to reach $20K

[Voltaire]

I bought a 1981 Z1000J in 1984 for $4000. when $200 was a weeks wages you shopped around.... a few months later I got a 79 Darmah in Sydney for $2700......the Z was put in storage and sold in 1995 for 3K.....the darmah I still have.

[davebullet]

Let's see $1 NZD 1979 would cost $5.02 to buy with 2011 NZD's.

I think your inflation rate it way too high. For the last 8 years it averaged about 3.3%

If you extend that over 34 years (1979 to 2011)
= 1.033 ^ 34 = todays NZD$ = 3.01 vs NZD $1 in 1979.

[JimO]

True, yet there were 3 times the amount of new Bikes on the road back then than there is now, go figure .

jap import cars killed the motorcycle everybody i knew started out with a motorbike cos they were cheap, i paid $650 for a road legal ts185 suzuki in 75, worn out old 50s hillmans were double the price

[Mom]

jap import cars killed the motorcycle everybody i knew started out with a motorbike cos they were cheap, i paid $650 for a road legal ts185 suzuki in 75, worn out old 50s hillmans were double the price

My first bike cost me $65. I went halves in it with my boyfriend. It was a little Yamaha 125 two smoker, dont recall the model. Went like stink if I remember correctly It was a bit banged up in places, had bondifilled side covers, but was perfectly road legal. Great first transport.

[superman]

I think your inflation rate it way too high. For the last 8 years it averaged about 3.3%

If you extend that over 34 years (1979 to 2011)
= 1.033 ^ 34 = todays NZD$ = 3.01 vs NZD $1 in 1979.

Through the 80s the inflation rate went up to 17.5% at some points.

http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/statistics/0135595.html This is what I used.