1976 KZ900 New project

I finished my 1978 Z1R this year and have been looking for a 900 to work on. Of course an early version would be the best, but I just won this 1976 KZ900 in Ohio. I wanted to be at 5K range, but ended up going to $6200. My basic goal is try and get it running first, and then maybe just a clean up, but maybe a full resto in the future. Any feed back or thoughts on the purchase?

Here is the description provided:

THIS A 1976 KAWASAKI KZ 900 Z1, BEEN SITTING FOR SOME TIME AND NOT RUNNING, WILL NEED SOME WORK. ENGINE KICKS OVER AND SHIFTS GEARS. WAS A RUNNING BIKE AT TIME IT WAS PARKED YEARS BACK. HAS CLEAR TITLE, MISSING KEYS, BIKE ALL ORIGINAL. HAS RUST ON THE BIKE. CAME WITH FACTORY TAKE OFF SEAT, AS GOOD AS NEW.  SHOULD MAKE A NICE BIKE.

 

Nice find, looking forward to follow your work.
/A

We were faced with the same choice on the last Z1 we did.  Resto (self explanatory) or resurrection.  We chose resurrection, leaving the patina of age on the original finishes while making the bike stop & go safely.  Your KZ900 looks to be a very good candidate for resurrection.

There's an evolving subset of vintage bike enthusiasts, especially in Japan, that value clean, unrestored patina more than restored bling.  It's only original once...

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE

Looks to be a fairly complete bike. Good candidate to get on the road. It's nice to see a survivor that has not been molested very much.

wrote:

Looks to be a fairly complete bike. Good candidate to get on the road. It's nice to see a survivor that has not been molested very much.

And another Hawaii bike too!!
 

Sadly, I am "Orlando Z1R" now LOL. I had to leave Oahu, just got too expensive, and not enough places to ride!

You all raise some good points, the bike does look complete and while grungy, I think it might clean up OK. I tried to just get my My Hawaii Z1R running, but it was just too rusted and corroded. I do lean towards the getting it riding approach and see what happens from there. Although the top of that tank looks like it might be fairly rusted. Did you all clear over the patina or just leave it? My other thought of course was there was no way I was going resto mod with my Z1R, but since this is not a Z1 or even a Z1A, it might be a candidate to go that way...

Slimjim and Z1Bebe made a comment earlier that rang a bell with me, but after thinking about it I will offer my thoughts.  I bought my '77 KZ-1000A-1 from a guy in California.  It looked like a great bike in the pics, but when I got it into my garage it wasn't as good as I initially thought.  Long story short after an inspection and initial ride I know I had to do SOMETHING with the bike just to make it roadworthy.  I actually gave thought to telling him I didn't want it and trying to get my money back, but I would have been out 2 grand for shipping costs.  I owned a brand new Z1-B back in 1975 and I really liked that bike and would love another one, but the KZ-1000 just seemed a bit better to me for riding, not so much for collecting.  I thought at the time I could go through the KZ-1000 for a lot less money than an early Z, but that wasn't really true in the end.  I also knew looking at the bike that it was in pretty decent condition appearance wise, but the engine needed some help let's say.  I also knew from watching and attending a lot of MV auctions a new wave was approaching.  That new wave was to leave the patina alone on older vehicles, if at all possible and Slimjim+Z1Bebe alluded to this earlier.  So when I started on my bike I had the thought in mind of just cleaning up what I could and replacing things of importance like all suspension bearings, all seals, installing tapered neck bearings, tires, brake work etc., etc,etc.  I did do a top end overhaul including going with a 1045 cc "kit".  I had APE do the head work for me.  Like a dummy I had a so-called vintage motorcycle shop OH the carbs which was a huge mistake on my part and very costly.  I ended up redoing what they did myself.  In the end I have doubled my purchase investment re-building it, but it looks for all intents and purposes like what a '77 Kawasaki KZ-1000A1 should look like after 44 years with reasonably good care.  I had the gauges restored by Z-Resto and they turned out great, but I didn't go crazy with trying to do a nut and bolt restoration.  I did try to use OEM parts whenever I could.  This required a lot more effort than I thought it would and I became quite familiar with worldwide parts availability, ordering and shipping.  My bike doesn't look brand new, but I never wanted it to.  I like patina!  My only regrets are not listening to some advise here on the forum.  I should have pulled the engine case out and given it a better cleaning than I did and I should have installed a new wire harness when I had the bike all stripped down.  I fought going to electronic ignition which was a mistake and recently upgraded to an SH775 regulator.

So Hawaii_Z1R you have some decisions ahead, but just from my side of the house I would not "mod" it as they say.  Far too many of those old vintage bikes go down that road and never return.  Your new bike looks pretty straight and should be a fun project to go "nut and bolt" or "resurrection".  I no doubt would go resurrection and keep the patina.  It may not be a Z1 or a Z1A, but it is still an early KZ-900 and more than worthy of remaining in stock form.  All these stock early Kawasaki 4's including the KZ-1000's are going up in value, not down.  Good luck and nice find!
Rick H.

I have followed the same path with my Z1B's as Rick, with the exception of paint.  Both bikes have been repainted.  

I think the most important improvement one can make is to keep every part as clean as possible.  I've had a lot of comments about how good they look, and most of the reason is because they are clean.

From the pictures I see of your bike, it’s a very solid original. I see same changes, ie. Throttle grip, Mirrors, and exhaust. I don’t see an air box silencer or the turn signal alarm. All that is minor and easy to correct. That said, bikes this original are far and few between. If you mod it, you toss the value in the trash. At that point the value is in the eyes of the beholder. Recently there was a number matching 75-Z1B turned into a trail bike, rear chopped, front fender hacked, fork gaters added and chunky knobby tires. It was for sale for months at just around $4,500. It finally sold to a breaker that though hmmm it’s a Z1B I can make a quick flip. He started an evilbay auction at $11,000 he continued to drop the price all the way down to around $5,900. It just disappeared off evilbay, I can’t find it in completed or sold listing. That bike Z1B in an original condition similar to yours would sell in minutes for north of $14,000. I know you have an A4 and they have not gotten to the Z1 range yet but it’s just a real world example of what happens to “modded”, if like RickH says they ever get back on the road. I’m a restoration guy, I like the patina but more I like them clean and shiny, and back to OEM as possible. Resurrect or restore needs to be based on the condition your working with, if the systems are functioning but just a little grungy, then resurrection is possible. If things are rusted out non functional and have to be replaced, then restoration might be better. Finding a replacement in good working order with patina to match yours seams like a very high bar to achieve. Either are far better to the value then “mod”. Just my $.02

All excellent comments gentlemen, thank you all!

I purchased my Z1R in 2009 for just $400, at the time they were about a $5000 bike. It is insane to me what the values are doing. At the time, an engine builder I was working with had built a few, and he really wanted me to swap the swing arm for a wider tire and modernize the suspension, being a Z1R, I just knew I couldn't with that bike. I do like the style though and viewed a KZ900 as a better candidate, but it is true these are rising as well. I'll get the bike home, see what I've got, and work to get it riding and clean first of all. Most likely path is get it riding as a patina bike, I do like the concept. It'd be great to have a good intage bike to just ride around on with no concerns over dinging the paint or something. I ride it, but I hate to park my Z1R any where

If you looking to get your mod on just pick something in the early 80’s. Although people are asking higher prices, it’s not because the long term value is there. They are just trying to cash in on a wave. For instance there is a 1999 Kz1000P listed on marketplace. I admit it’s a clean nice bike but they are asking $12,000.00. Come on Man!

This is the reason I decided to mod my '81 KZ750.  It was too far gone for a factory restore, and not worth the investment.  It was a prime candidate for a mod job, imho.