TOPIC:

Welcome to the KZ Madness !!
Great story too .
My Kaw will be going to my Son when my time comes. He has proved himself worthy and I know he will carry on the family tradition. Course I did tell him I would Haunt Him if he didn't keep up his end.
Enjoy Dads bike as you should
Dave

That's what makes it special.
Steve

swest wrote: That's what makes it special.
Steve

Thanks Steve -
Definitely. Haven't bolted up the open pipes yet, but a trip down memory lane is coming up soon.

Good story about the bike! I think I just saw a thread on here with someone looking for their dads old bike. I hope it works out like yours did, but wow that was lucky! A lot of these went back to Japan apparently.

Looking forward to seeing it someday! You do plan to ride it don't you?

This might fit in this topic.,,,

That's my coworker's 1980 KZ1000 LTD B4. All stock, minus the speedo. That speedo is off a KZ Police bike. And also the centerstand was added. He's had it since brand new. It's been sitting in his garage for about 25 years I believe. I'm trying to convince him to roll it out and get it back on the road. Besides the dust, it is in beautiful shape. We're also in Texas.

Welcome to the forum. And how great is this Texas weather?!

Luc

LuckyLucOnBass wrote: This might fit in this topic.,,,

Attachment Ds1000.jpg not found

That's my coworker's 1980 KZ1000 LTD B4. All stock, minus the speedo. That speedo is off a KZ Police bike. And also the centerstand was added. He's had it since brand new. It's been sitting in his garage for about 25 years I believe. I'm trying to convince him to roll it out and get it back on the road. Besides the dust, it is in beautiful shape. We're also in Texas.

Welcome to the forum. And how great is this Texas weather?!

Luc

Yep...the weather is grand...and that LTD belongs on the road...or in my garage

It's the time for it to shine. Yeah they were scooped up back in the 90's. I didn't know that and wouldn't have sold anyway. I did put up a ad on CL just to see what kind of offers I'd get. I was insulted only to find the "slime" as I call them are still buying just to canniblize them and sell on eBay. I was offered next to nothing. One A/H pestered me so much, I put up a ad time to time just to piss him off. It does.



You know how when you get a car you notice them all over the road but not before? Not so with these bikes.




It was different 40 years ago and different now.




I've always taken my own path. Always will.





Steve

NASA_Tuner wrote:

swest wrote:
I was planning on leaving Bossie to my son. That has changed. He would only sell it. It and everything else will go to my daughter and grandchildren. A thief gets an empty sack.
I love when one of these bikes gets handed down to someone that will apreciate it. There are a couple here. The memories and adventure of the days could fill a book. Good luck with yours.
Steve

Thanks Steve. I would like you to know that I understand your frustration. I have 3 kids, and kids will definitely be kids. I will clarify he story about the bike in a later post, but let's just say it wasn't handed down to anybody!

Love the bikes. Both are just about my "speed".

As a parent one must overlook mistakes made by kids growing up. God knows I bumped my head quite a few times. It's when one child tries to destroy the other due to resentment and jealousy is where to draw the line. I'm ashamed of my boy and hope he learns how to be a man before I go. There's still time.
Steve

This photo was taken in 1991. Alongside the KZ is my dad's other hot rod, a 1977 Harley Davidson Sportster 1000. The Sportster was a lot lighter, a lot slower, and would really shake at idle. It made me feel "cool" every time I rode it, which wasn't much. But if you started them both at the same time, the Harley noise was imperceptible. The only indication it was running was the vibration and the smoke. AMF-era Harleys have a terrible reputation, but even those could be enjoyed with enough knowledge, time, and money. Both cool, both memorable, both beautiful (to me).

Dad loved those bikes and maintained them meticulously. I, for better or for worse, picked up those habits from him. Can't wait until this thing is at a good baseline for safety and reliability and I can just keep it nice.

Street Fighter LTD wrote: Welcome to the KZ Madness !!
Great story too .
My Kaw will be going to my Son when my time comes. He has proved himself worthy and I know he will carry on the family tradition. Course I did tell him I would Haunt Him if he didn't keep up his end.
Enjoy Dads bike as you should
Dave

Thanks Dave. I gave some thought to a "resto-mod" theme for this thing but eventually I decided that it would not fulfill the purpose of the bike as a gift back to me. Luckily, I am working from my own memories of the Kawasaki, and not some unreasonable expectation of perfection. For that, I could just as well own a new bike. Probably something from the same brand with lime green wheels.

Glad to hear you have the same idea for your beast. Love the look of that thing and I'm sure it is crazy good fun to ride. Yeah, my dad never really asked me about the Kawasaki - he always just did his own thing. Plus, he was very well known for selling one toy to buy another - which he did do when he sold the KZ. No faulting him at all.

Cheers,
NASA

LuckyLucOnBass wrote: This might fit in this topic.,,,

Attachment Ds1000.jpg not found

That's my coworker's 1980 KZ1000 LTD B4. All stock, minus the speedo. That speedo is off a KZ Police bike. And also the centerstand was added. He's had it since brand new. It's been sitting in his garage for about 25 years I believe. I'm trying to convince him to roll it out and get it back on the road. Besides the dust, it is in beautiful shape. We're also in Texas.

Welcome to the forum. And how great is this Texas weather?!

Luc

The weather is truly excellent, at least when I see my family snowed in and the temperature with a minus in front of it.

Yeah, looks like that 1980 needs very little. I bet if he started it, he wouldn't be able to stop himself from making it ready to ride.

NASA_Tuner wrote:

Attachment 1977flashback___.jpg not found

This photo was taken in 1991. Alongside the KZ is my dad's other hot rod, a 1977 Harley Davidson Sportster 1000. The Sportster was a lot lighter, a lot slower, and would really shake at idle. It made me feel "cool" every time I rode it, which wasn't much. But if you started them both at the same time, the Harley noise was imperceptible. The only indication it was running was the vibration and the smoke. AMF-era Harleys have a terrible reputation, but even those could be enjoyed with enough knowledge, time, and money. Both cool, both memorable, both beautiful (to me).

Dad loved those bikes and maintained them meticulously. I, for better or for worse, picked up those habits from him. Can't wait until this thing is at a good baseline for safety and reliability and I can just keep it nice.

I had a friend with a Hog. He always looked down on my "Rice Burner". One day he was working on his front end and had the fender off. I said, "Hey Art, Made in Japan" pointing to the embossed markings where the fender fitted. All he said was HMPH, ASS HOLE. I rode away laughing. I was glad to hear the employees bought HD but I never wanted one or do now.
Steve