A new beginning for KZ1300.com
Did you know that KZ1300.com is under new management? In September of this year the owner of KZ1300.com announced that he was quitting and would sell the domain at auction. Long time moderator of KZr, Bill (KZQ) purchased the domain and its content and announced that he would restore the site's former luster and then some. There aren't many KZ1300 online communities around, and it will be very interesting to see how this site evolves in the coming months.
When Bill purchased his KZ1300 in 2005 and then a ZN1300 in 2006, the best source for technical information was the KZ1300 Club USA (KZ1300.com). There was no discussion forum, but the owner would answer emails and had compiled an extensive frequently asked questions sort of resource. Over all the the site was static, and the two yahoo groups linked to the site were poorly managed and filthy with spam and porn posts.
In 2007, Bill started another yahoo group and eventually convinced 275 members of the old groups to migrate over. The owner of KZ1300.com put a link to Bill's yahoo group on his site. Posts were infrequent and the features of the yahoo group were meager to say the least. All in all it was a weak community at best. Bill made several attempts to get folks to register at KZR all of which went nowhere. -These bikes were never very popular members of the KZ Clan, Bill states. He makes a good point. Out of 5,400 pictures in the KZrider gallery, we have less than 50 six cylinder pictures.
The purpose of the new and improved KZ1300.com is to share knowledge and build a community of enthusiasts. -Almost all of the active posters at the two yahoo groups registered on the new site, Bill explains. The site now has more than 1100 members from all over the world, notably Switzerland, the UK, Germany, Guatemala, Australia, Norway, the USA and South Africa. Under the motto "We Speak Six Tech", the community is re-energized and enthusiastic.
Check out the new site at http://kz1300.com
Kawasaki Z stuff on Youtube
When browsing through Youtube for Kawasaki (K)Z related videos, I occacionally come across some real treasures of the past. I usually forget to bookmark or download them, but today I thought I'd share a few of the ones I've actually remembered to save.
Let's kick off with a video I'm sure many of you have seen before. This is the complete 1973 Z1 900 Daytona records video "SO FAR SO FAST."
Another gem is this promotional video on the KZ650 from 1976. "At Kawasaki, we know what the good times of riding are all about... We don't just build motorcycles, we live them."
Here are a few training videos from Kawasaki, teaching mechanics to perform various maintenance tasks:
If you're still with me check out Arto Nyquist one wheeling a 1300.
This was just a little teaser of what's out there. I encourage all of you to search Youtube, Vimeo, and other video sharing providers for great little pieces of the amazing Kawasaki Z history.
About KZr
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KZr relies on content being provided by the members. That means that in addition to sharing knowledge in the forums; the members are able to upload pictures and documents into a designated gallery and filebase, submit articles, buy & sell bikes and parts, and suggest links to kz related websites and part suppliers/mechanics/etc. There is also an event calendar where members can post gatherings and such.
kzrider, or Stein Arild Sandnes which is his real name, is a Kawasaki KZ enthusiast from Norway. Born in the late seventies, he quickly became very interested in football (or soccer as they call it in the States), and at the age of 2 he had already developed a notorious left-foot strike. Sadly, that was prety much all he ever brought to this fantastic sport, and the football career had to yield to other interests. One of these being motorcycles. He got his first KZ while studying (in lack of a better word) in the United States of America, and the rest is history...
In 2016 Stein turned the reigns for KZRider over to me, KZQ. I’ve been part of Stein’s moderation team since 2003, so I pretty much know the players here. My purpose has always been to foster this community by providing a place where we can all share and build our knowledge, experience and friendships.
A few years ago my good friend and long time fellow KZR moderator, Tony, passed away in an aviation accident. I still miss him and his sage advice. If you dig back far enough you can easily find his postings. You may notice that his status is “KZR Legend”, a better description, I couldn’t imagine.
I have been a long time KZ enthusiast having purchased my first Kawasaki, an H1 in 1973. In 1976 I traded the H1 in for a KZ900-A4, which I still have, though I don’t ride it very often as my attention seems fixed on my KZ1300. The 1300 is tall and not as well mannered as the 900 but I like it just the same.
Of Course, I couldn't run this place without the help of the rest of the Admin Team, all of whom are volunteers. In no particular order I'd like to acknowledge KZJoe900, StreetFighter LTD, Patton and SWest. Each of these folks bring different skills and styles to KZRider every day as they work to better our community.
I hope you find KZRider to be as helpful and fulfilling as it has been for me.
Thank You
KZQ aka Bill Rodgers.
Sponsors
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10,000 members!
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Today, we passed 10,000 worldwide members! I still remember celebrating our first 50 back in late 2002, and found this thread in the archives 
. It's also encouraging to see so many of the early KZr members still around. As I said 5 years ago: "Keep coming back guys!"
