Newbie from Houston TX

Hi everybody, my name is Josh. I live in Houston, TX. I do not own a bike right now, but I may be purchasing a 1973 Z1 900 from my friend's dad. I just wanted to get in here a do a little research before making my purchase. Any helpful comments would be greatly appreciated. I am 28 years old and my last bike was a 1990 Kawasaki KE100. I was about 12 years old when I got that bike for Christmas straight off the showroom floor. :woohoo: I do not have it anymore though. Anyway, the bike that I am interested in buying has been stored under a carport for about 10 years. The owner says it needs new carbs. I am sure that it will need alot more freshening up besides that though. New tires for starters. What is the first thing I should do to it once I get it home?

Post edited by: futurekzboy, at: 2007/12/30 13:52

Just wanted to welcome you, Josh. This is a great site and I know you will find answers to any questions you might have. There's a lot of knowledge and experience here. I'll let others advise you on what to do first since I'm still just hanging around soaking up what I can.

welcome Josh!!! If its a '73 its likley a z1-900, pretty much the same bike as a kz900.

Nick

first ting you should check always on something that has been stored for a while is all the rubber things (i.e. rubber hoes) they tend to crack over time if they are not used and 10 years is a good amount of time for this to happen. The carbs might not have to be replaced. you might want to try and rebuild them first. Also a good fresh battery always helps. Do a compression check once you get it running, do both a cold and hot compression check. This is just basic stuff you should normally do. If you have ever worked on an engine befor you should feel right at home. well anywho, good luck, welcome and hope you find this place to be your new home from home.

Welcome Josh...good advice about the rubber pieces and bits...they are probably toast on a bike that is (1) that old, and (2) been sitting outside (even covered in Houston) for 10 years. It may not need new carbs, but certainly rebuilt carbs. There are many many factors that will influence the ease or difficulty of a resurrection. These will become apparent to you after you see the bike (up close and personal)...post pictures and KZR will greatly aid you in your endeavour. I also live in the greater Houston area and have much of the literature you might need to access. PM me if you need more info.

Mcdroid wrote:

These will become apparent to you after you see the bike (up close and personal)...post pictures and KZR will greatly aid you in your endeavour. I also live in the greater Houston area and have much of the literature you might need to access. PM me if you need more info.

Thanks guys, I will go take some pictures of the bike before I buy it and post them up on here. Yall can let me know what you think... It was one of those bikes that wasn't for sell, but since he hasn't ridden it in so long I asked him to sell it to me. He said to make him an offer. I offered the guy $500 for it last night. I am still waiting on an answer from him.

Are there any problems the 73' Z1 900 are notorious for having? I would like to know what I am getting into before I buy...

'Highly desirable' would be the descriptor that comes to mind when I think about the Z1. A 35 yr old bike might be troublesome on many levels and much of that trouble depends on the history of the bike...bikes that were well maintained tended to be survivors. Fundamentally, the design of the bike is remarkable...and the legend persists today:)

I went just now to take some pics of the 73' Z 900. It is a bit in worse condition than i thought but it only has 3,300 miles and it was last registered in 1986.