Hello !

I’m a retired Infantry NCO. When I joined the Army I had to sacrifice (amongst a few other things) my Jeep Comanche truck as I was only authorized to move one vehicle to my new duty station. My wife’s car was brand new so the truck had to go. For years during high school I had driven by this used car lot that had a dirty old motorcycle parked back in a corner that was being eaten by those west Texas tumble weeds. I had use of my fathers 76' CB750 which was a blast to ride and could tell that it was similar. When I found out that I could ship a motorcycle as well as the wife’s car I traded pink slips for that old bike that I had been lusting after. So my 1975 900Z1B was cleaned up and shipped to Hawaii. In between deployments I ran the devil out of it all over Oahu (Schofield Barracks) then I brought it with me to Ft. Hood where it was stored for 4 years. Deployments and injuries have kept me from riding but now that I have some time on my hands...... Its being worked over by my military given anal retentiveness. In the quest for knowledge and parts I landed on this forum and I’ve been lurking for the past week. A glimpse of the new Street Fighter style Z1's has lit a fire under my ass. A modern-ish front and rear end with the heart of an old warrior! So now I’m elbow-deep in disassembled Z1 parts cleaning...painting...plotting for a street fighter. The first pic is my palate; the second is a representation of my goal.

Welcome to the madhouse,Sergeant.Lots of military types hang out here,including yours truly.
U will no doubt hear the pros and cons of molesting these old bikes to do something else with them,but hey,your bike-your dream so have at it.Nice scooter by the way.bj

Welcome in Alwaysbroke! Are you still in Ft. Hood?

I say you got a good deal. I'd trade a Comanche for a Z1B any day.

That black bike you pictured has some very expensive parts on it.

Yes, I'm still in the Central Texas area. And yes (big sigh) expensive parts indeed. I’m on a "Bootlace budget" so it's not the high end parts but rather the styling that I'm after. It will be interesting to see what I can dig out of the local salvage yards craigslist, eBay, Z1 Enterprises etc.

Welcome, know Ft Hood well. Love the look your going for. Keep us updated on your progress.

alwaysbroke wrote: Yes, I'm still in the Central Texas area. And yes (big sigh) expensive parts indeed. I’m on a "Bootlace budget" so it's not the high end parts but rather the styling that I'm after. It will be interesting to see what I can dig out of the local salvage yards craigslist, eBay, Z1 Enterprises etc.

Cool, I grew up in Central Texas, and still have family there. (Kerrville and Hondo) I'm near Houston now, but I love getting back home when I have time.

If you are patient you can find deals on everything you need. It doesn't work very well if you have a time schedule, but budget constraints are hard to overcome. Just don't expect to find a hand bent titanium header like that in Craigslist any time soon. I found a donor bike that got me most of my suspension bits. Just keep your eyes peeled on Craigslist. Somebody trying to sell a 90's GSXR with no title will be your best friend.

I like the hills, curves, and trees down here. It beats the flatlands around my hometown (Amarillo) bar none. There’s a good supply of donor parts/bikes from the Killeen / Ft. Hood area alone, not to mention the big cities within a few hours drive.

I guess that the guys on base keep an inordinately high amount of bikes in that area.

I won't say that you couldn't pay me to live in Amarillo, but you would have to pay me a lot to live there. I much prefer CenTex to the panhandle.

Welcome 'alwaysbroke'. I grew up in the US Army...but never had the pleasure of Ft. Hood as a duty station...I suspect I now have one of those Ft. Hood bikes from a returning serviceman...a Z2A...it ended up in a barn in the Plano area. Good luck attaining that 'look'...very high end Japanese styling...spectacular.