1973 Kawasaki Z1 restoration.

[toycollector10]

Not really a restoration, more of a freshen up and preservation. I'm adding to the post I put up in September 2007.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/sh...rs-fee-payable

So here's the finished bike in the link below. Image heay for dial-up.

http://z1ownersclub.co.uk/forum/view...ghlight=cheapo

[neels]

That.....is......nice......

Something for me to aspire to for my next effort.

[Paul in NZ]

Nice job man... Like the presevation thing.. very cool..

[JimO]

you should have kept that seat.....very Austin Powers

[shafty]

Awesome job TC, - ain't that original colour just b e a u t i f u l ?

[Kiwi Graham:Me]

Awesome job TC, did the exact same thing, same colour and everything about 14 yrs ago. Got really pedantic about sourcing parts made in the right year etc. The only thing not orignal were stainless spokes. Trouble was after it was all done I road it arund for a few months and felt a bit of an anti climax. Sold it and did the same thing to a CB750 4, same thing happend. Realised it was the doing them up rather than the owning and riding that I got my kicks from.

looks like you did a great job.

[Bender]

The Z1 really is one of the nicest looking bikes ever. Nice job.

[KAWA Z]

Hi there, just had a look at Your Z1 and started drooling ! I own and ride a Z1000 myself and people in the know occasionally recognize her lineage and do the same over my bike.
Had a Honda 750 Four and 3 Kawa Z's in the 70's and 80's and there is still nothing that even comes near the old concept of a big inline 4 with plenty of torque through all gears.
To say it with a few words: "There ain't no bike that comes anywhere near this bike so this is and will allways be the bike !"
Only people who have owned and really ridden a big Z would know what it's all about !
There are only very few legendary bikes in this world and this is one of them.

[cs363]

Great job TC , and good on you for persevering after the initial disappointment. That story makes me really glad I went to the US to view my CBX prior to purchase and crated it and shipped it home myself, I was lucky to have an extremely honest and likable previous owner who couldn't do enough to help.
The 750/4 never really did it for me to be honest, even though I do recognise it's place in the history books. But the Z1 and CBX were certainly two bikes (along with the Kwaka triples) that made a permanent impression on my psyche. To me the Z1 was really the first superbike, a combination of engine size, presence and performance. Even now it doesn't look that old, maybe it's the tail piece design that the Z1 and CBX share that make them look a little more modern than the old 750.

[JimO]

The Z1 really is one of the nicest looking bikes ever. Nice job.

my Z1R was nicer..this isnt mine but its pretty much identical...

[Scotty595]

Very nice

[Bikemad]

sweet bike mate

[toycollector10]

I entered the bike in the line-up at Biketoberfest last year and won in Best Japanese category.

Because the bike had been sitting for 20 years before I bought it, it had stuck piston rings in two cylinders. When I left the show the bike wouldn't start straight off so I opened the choke. This caused cylinder wall washing when it caught and oil was forced up past the stuck rings and the bike and myself literally disappeared in a cloud of blue smoke.

Thankfully my helmet hid my embarrassment and I got out of there as quickly as I could. I probably left a number of people thinking "what the hell has he done to that bike? the engine's absolutely fukced"

The rings are now free after some long runs and the bike is smoke-free, thank goodness. I was looking at a complete tear down to fix the problem if they hadn't freed up themselves.

[vifferman]

my Z1R was nicer..

I guess that's a matter of taste. I remember quite clearly when the Z1 was first released, and it was pretty remarkable, with all that chrome and that gorgeous paintjob. Maybe the Z1R was better ( I don't personally know), but the Z1 made more of an impact.

[toycollector10]