1973 Z1 900

I'm new to the forum, I mainly tinker with old Honda SOHC bikes. I found this one on craigslist and couldn't pass it up. It's a 1973 Z1 900 I bought to restore. It runs and rides great, albeit it has a 1000 motor in it right now. I bought with the bike, a complete lower end from a 1974 Z1, and also bare cases from a 73 Z1. I hope to build the 73 motor back up to put in the bike. I'm posting here to mainly show progress over the winter, and also to ask questions about what parts I'll need to make it original.

I don't have the VIN in front of me but it's in the 13090 range. The bare 73 case is also a "13" starting digits for the motor. I'll post the numbers up when I can get to them.

Good score 73 Z1's demand a lot of money nowdays.

Looks like a good bike to start with. The engine and frame number is usually 100-200 numbers off. If the cases do not "match" the frame, you'd be wasting time doing a proper restoration IMO. You could build a nice rider for alot less money and time and still not go over the bikes value.

Very nice! Would love to find a 73 in good shape like that. And if you got it for under a $1000.00 you are way ahead of the game. Looks like most everything is there. Strange looking exhaust on there. Is that a 4-1 or 4-2 system? Getting an original 4 to 4 exhaust is one the most expensive parts. But a era proper Kerker would work nicely. Good luck on the restoration. Looking forward to it.

The VIN for the frame is Z1F 13095 and the number on the 73 case is Z1E 13181. Would I be correct in saying that these are "matching" since they are only about 80 off?

Can you find Z1 or KZ1000's that run awesome and are in decent shape for under $1,000? I think that would be a killer deal if you could. I paid $2,000 for this one as a reference for others. It has 29mm smoothbores on it as well.

You need to visit this site and join if you want a correct resto or just to meet some nice guys. A lot of these riders are on this site as well. 80 is a good match.

www.kawasaki-z-classik.com/forum/index.php

Engine is correct for the frame. The difference in numbers is well within the typical difference. Good score.

Before you do too much on it, you need to think out what you plan for the bike after it is completed.

Do you plan on riding it? restoring as a museum piece? selling to make money?

Also... keep any parts you remove from the bike. Some of the 73 parts are very unique and if you sell the bike in the future, having those parts will enhance the value. For example - some of the purists will rechrome pitted rims as they are date coded.

I think that's kind of why I am here to ask some people who know more about it than I do. I can do 90% of the labor for the restoration myself, so i'm going to save quite a bit of money there. I think the main thing I need to figure out is, what parts am I missing to make it all original, and how much are those parts going to cost me, as well as how hard to find. If it's going to cost me 12k to restore it and it only ends up being worth 12k, then to me that's not smart. If I can restore it for say 6k, and it's worth 12k when done, then that makes sense.

I'll probably end up riding it myself sparingly when it is done, and then sell it.

Good thing you have those cases.

Read as much as you can on the site Roy provided. One thing I try to always do is use Kawasaki parts, either NOS or refurb'd parts. Aftermarket stuff can stick out, and be easily noticed. If you want top dollar when you sell, don't load it up with aftermarket stuff. Even the smallest detail like a logo on the head of a bolt will stand out.

adsVA83 wrote: The VIN for the frame is Z1F 13095 and the number on the 73 case is Z1E 13181. Would I be correct in saying that these are "matching" since they are only about 80 off?

Can you find Z1 or KZ1000's that run awesome and are in decent shape for under $1,000? I think that would be a killer deal if you could. I paid $2,000 for this one as a reference for others. It has 29mm smoothbores on it as well.

No, $1000.00 for an early Z1 even if it doesn't run is unlikely but not unheard of if the seller has no clue what they have. That is all I meant. $2,000 for a running bike in that shape IMHO is an excellent price. Very good score!

At glance, I can tell what is not original as follows:
original paint ($500 up), seat, spark plug wires (obvious I know), chain guard, engine color, rear shocks, exhaust (approx. $1400.00 plus shipping for replicas), and hand grips. Also the air box is missing and replaced with pods, missing, the grab bar and can't tell if the center stand is there or not. Front disk was modified. If both side covers are there, you have saved yourself a hassle. I would make sure to to change the frame grommets that these covers attach to. Or, like many, drill a small hole in the plastic pins and use small itch pins on the inside to keep them mounted. Anyhow, I would say the $2000.00 you paid plus a budget of $4,000 ($6,000 total) is very realistic. Even with refreshing the engine. But something tells me after riding it, I have my doubts that you would be willing to sell it, .

If you plan making the bike perfect, then not only will you need to spend lots of time on restoring existing parts, but you'll be searching for NOS parts that are becoming scarce and incredibly expensive - and in some cases just don't exist anymore. An example: genuine NOS brake lever blade on eBay for $200 - just the blade... The last NOS Z1 speedo I saw on eBay sold for $800 - and that was 5-6 years ago.

If you plan on a very nice representation of a Z1 (a 9 out of 10 bike), then you can source some used parts, and use a mix of genuine and aftermarket parts.

The issue with a perfect restoration, the parts are too valuable for you to ride the bike. You can't afford to get dings or scratches on NOS bodywork or pipes - they are now irreplaceable parts.

As Kidkawie mentioned, some aftermarket parts are very noticeably different - but often are the only economical way to get parts.

Sometimes you have to utilize aftermarket parts as a stopgap and just keep searching for genuine parts - but it can entail a lot of searching - more than just browsing eBay.