2 Questions VIN Numbers and Engine Color

I have what the title says is a 1973 Kawasaki Z1. However, everything I've seen says the engine should be black. Were all the '73s black on the engine? Also, how would I know if my engine number went with my frame number? Thanks.

Yes all the motors were black. As for the engine number I think you might be able to look up the number to find out what year it was made but there is no way to tell if it is the original motor in the bike.

Maybe this is of interest
www.z1enterprises.com/catalog.aspx?pid=RI-KAWAS

You don't say where you are located but I've seen a lot of "mis titled" bikes in USA. Seems some bikes get registered by the vin plate/date of manufacture on steering head rather than actual model year.In Ontario the bike is registered by the mfr. model year ,not the date of manufacture.

So, you may have a 74 Z1 with an unpainted silver engine titled as a 73 based on the steering head sticker.

You may be right about that. I am in Virginia. The frame number is powder coated over, so you can't read it all unless you have the right light angle. I haven't even tried to read it really. There were a few other things that didn't quite go with it being a 73. I don't really know what the deal with it is, but that sounds like a logical reason for it to say 1973 on the title and have a silver engine.

I read that thing on Z1Enterprises.com and someone can correct me if I'm wrong but my engine number is Z1E10830, which follows with it being a 73, but my engine is silver, maybe someone removed the black coating? I have no idea, I will have to get in and look at the frame to see if I can find the number on it.

Jack wrote:

...Seems some bikes get registered by the vin plate/date of manufacture on steering head rather than actual model year...

Prior to the standardization of the VIN in 1981, there tended to be a lot of confusion about dates - manufactured, model year, registration. I know of vehicles that have a model year based on the date of first sale - sometimes two years after the actual model year!

Cashmore1985...if your 1973 Z1 is truely a Z1 (not a Z1a or Z1b) then your frame number will be less than 20000...to have some degree of assurance that your engine VIN will be also of Z1 pedigree, then it will be within 300 or so of your frame VIN...phrased differently, if your frame VIN is Z1F010830, your engine VIN will be +/- 300 of 10830. If you get any wild variances from that relationship, then it is likely that at least the engine cases have been replaced. It becomes less of a pure Z1 at that point.

If the engine was originally a black Z1 unit from KHI it will have black paint inside the engine as well. ie. check under your rocker or clutch cover.