TOPIC:

i just bought a 77 kz1000.
the last 6 digits of the vin are 000676. i suspect that this bike may been one of the early ones off the line. does anyone know how to decipher vins?
was this the 676th kz 1000 made?

THANKS!!
tw

Generally speaking, yes.

The final digits portion of the pre-1981 VINs were a sequential production number by all accounts. The factory service manuals have the frame number by production year on the outside back cover.

Hello TW:

NONB is correct...and I would add that there is no congruence between frame and engine VINs (there is, however, in the Z1 series). Another thing that your frame VIN can tell you is if your bike was assembled in Nebraska or Japan (if there is a leading '5' in the number series, then it was assembled in Nebraska). I also have an early production KZ1000A with a frame number of 00095

Post edited by: Mcdroid, at: 2007/05/19 05:23

thanks guys!
thats pretty cool to know.
Mr Mcdriod. as you may understand, im now quite jealous of your "00095"!
i guess if you said "000675" i would be too. you guys are either very well informed, or really good at making this stuff up.kzrider.com/components/com_joomlaboard/emoticons/blink.png
any chance you know how many were made that year?
THANKS, MAN!

ribbit...

For my part, I've been here a bit over four years and in that time I've learned from others and we've discussed VINs many times. Prior to 1981, before the mandate of ISO formatted VINs, the KZ VINs were straightforward and easy to understand.

The one mystery that remains is how the Lincoln, NE built bikes fit into the Japan sequences, if they do at all. The parts manuals are mum about the "5" sequences as is the service manual. I have a Lincoln, NE built KZ650 and I'm not sure about some of the parts on it. For example, the carb rack is correct for a 1978 650, but this one is a '79. It's quite possible that some things had been switched around long ago by prior owner(s). So far I haven't seen any production numbers from Lincoln so we really don't have an accurate picture of the total number of KZs produced.

Here's a little info about the Nebraska plant
from Chapter 6 (KZ900) and Chapter 7 (900LTD)--

THE KZ900-A4, PRODUCED FOR THE AMERICAN MARKET WAS UNIQUE IN THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY MADE, OR RATHER ASSEMBLED, ON THE PRODUCTION LINE OF THE LINCOLN PLANT IN NEBRASKA. THIS PLANT HAD PREVIOUSLY PRODUCED THE Z400 TWIN MODEL IN EARLY 1975. THIS WAS A FIRST FOR A JAPANESE COMPANY AND GOT THE BIKES RIGHT WHERE KAWASAKI WANTED THEM, IN THE WORLDS BIGGEST MARKET PLACE FOR MOTORCYCLES.
ENGINE UNITS WERE IMPORTED FROM JAPAN AND FITTED INTO FRAMES ON THE PRODUCTION LINE. EVENTUALLY MORE PARTS WERE TO BE SOURCED IN THE STATES LEADING TO A "MADE IN THE USA" MOTORCYCLE. KAWASAKI WERE SO CONFIDENT OF THE 900 RANGE THAT THEY INVESTED OVER $20 MILLION IN THE LINCOLN PLANT.
PRODUCTION OF THE KZ900 AT LINCOLN STARTED IN JUNE 1975 IN READINESS FOR THE 1976 SEASON. 9200 UNITS WERE PRODUCED IN 1975 WITH ANOTHER 12144 PRODUCED IN 1976. THIS WAS ABOUT 60% OF THE TOTAL Z900-A4 PRODUCTION, PROVING JUST EXACTLY WHERE KAWASAKI THOUGHT THEIR LARGEST MARKET WAS.

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE KZ900-BI LTD: STARTING FRAME NO: KZ900B-500011 ONWARDS

IT HAD BECOME INCREASINGLY OBVIOUS TO KAWASAKI IN AMERICA THAT MOST OWNERS WERE NOT QUITE HAPPY WITH THEIR STANDARD Z1 AND A WHOLE NEW BUSINESS HAD BEGUN SUPPLYING CUSTOM AFTER MARKET PARTS FOR THE Z-RANGE.
KAWASAKI AMERICA, NOT TO BE OUTDONE, DECIDED TO PRODUCE A LIMITED EDITION 900 TO SATISFY THERE CUSTOMERS NEEDS.
KAWASAKI AMERICA EXECUTIVE WAYNE MOULTON THOUGHT THAT THEY COULD PERHAPS PERSUADE SOME OF THE DIE HARD HARLEY RIDERS AWAY FROM THEIR "CHOPPERS" ON TO A "RICE BURNER" WITHOUT LOSING THEIR STREET CRED.! THE RESULTING KZ900-B1 LTD WAS THE FIRST FOR A JAPANESE COMPANY AND STARTED THE BALL ROLLING FOR ALL THE MAJOR MANUFACTURERS TO PRODUCE A CUSTOM TYPE BIKE.
THE IDEA WAS SIMPLE. A STANDARD BIKE WAS STRIPPED ON THE PRODUCTION LINE AND FITTED WITH ALL THE BOLT ON TRICK BITS THAT OWNERS WOULD NORMALLY FIT AFTERWARDS. A LIMITED RUN OF JUST 2000 BIKES WERE BUILT AND THE DEMAND FOR THEM PROVED OVER WHELMING. KAWASAKI WERE ONCE AGAIN ON TO A WINNER.

N0NB wrote:

...The factory service manuals have the frame number by production year on the outside back cover.

And here they are ---

Beginning frame nos:

1977 KZ1000-A1 ---- KZT00A-000001

1978 KZ1000-A2 ---- KZT00A-027501

1978 KZ1000-D1 ---- KZT00D-000001 (Z1R Cafe Racer)

1979 KZ1000-A3 ---- KZT00A-038427

1979 KZ1000-D2 ---- KZT00D-017501 (Z1R Cafe Racer)

Post edited by: Patton, at: 2007/05/19 09:50

Post edited by: Patton, at: 2007/05/19 09:51

toad warrior wrote:

thanks guys!
thats pretty cool to know.
Mr Mcdriod. as you may understand, im now quite jealous of your "00095"!
i guess if you said "000675" i would be too. you guys are either very well informed, or really good at making this stuff up.
any chance you know how many were made that year?
THANKS, MAN!

ribbit...

Well, I think it is a bit of both (well informed and making stuff up) ...I have been bumping around this site for about 4 years but have also been putzing with Kawasaki's since 1975. There are folks on this site who really, really know the motorcycles (I'm not in their league). As for how many were made...there is some conflict of data. The Kawasaki Heavy Industries shop manual indicates that 27500 were made. In contrast, www.zedder.com (a good source of info, usually) shows that 26522 were manufactured in Japan and 7025 were assembled in Nebraska (= 33527). I don't know who to believe.

Anyone know if any of the Nebraska Kawis were shipped into Canada, or just USA models? I've never seen a Nebraskan Kawi being sold new in Canada.

Anyone know of total 650 production numbers? Lists show the starting frame numbers, but not the ending numbers for the last years.

Thanks for the info, Patton. Is there any information about the 650 production runs, both in Japan and Lincoln?

BTW, when you fly out of the Lincoln airport, as you taxi away from the gate, and look out the right side of the plane to the north,there's the Kawasaki plant.

N0NB wrote:

...any information about the 650 production runs, both in Japan and Lincoln?

BTW, when you fly out of the Lincoln airport, as you taxi away from the gate, and look out the right side of the plane to the north,there's the Kawasaki plant.

Sorry, have no info on 650 production runs.

Wonder if the Kaw plant has guided tours. Always wanted to do that.

Several years ago, thoroughly enjoyed excellent guided tours at the H-D engine mfg plant in Milwakee and the H-D bike assembly plant in York, PA. Very professional, classy and clean. About an hour for each tour. Noticed other bike brands besides H-D in employee parking. The PBR plant tour was also very nice (included free beer).

you guys are either very well informed, or really good at making this stuff

Just please don't ask what CSR stands for