bystanders parking lot comments about your kawi

I was riding down to Galveston Bay near Seabrook, Texas on Hwy. 146 a while back. There are about 4 stop lights, spaced several blocks apart. Some guy in a Harley pulls up beside me at he first light. "That's an old bike" he says. I reply, "Yes, 26 years old. Then he says "I like the way it looks". I say "Thanks, I really like your Harley too. Looks new".
At the next light he says " I wouldn't mind having a bike like that, but it would be too under-powered for me". I tell him it isn't so bad. He torques away fairly fast and I just mind my business, letting him go ahead and then he is heavy on his brakes for the next light.
Next light: How's the gas mileage? His eyes got big when I said mid fifties. Then he goes back to the under-powered comment again. Again I ease away.
The next light is the last before a good stretch of road with no intersections. We both leave the light at a reasonable rate, but then I see his right wrist crank downward to full throttle. I could resist no longer and follow suit. The first few seconds his torque was high and mine low, and we stay even, but after the old KZ spools up a little, he was toast. By the time I was ready to shift to second, I was about 6 car lengths ahead. As I see him in the rear view mirror I go ahead in second and more than double the lead.
Now I have only had the bike about 1 1/2 years and never done that before. Also, I changed the gearing to a higher ratio, which slows acceleration for any particular gear. I had no idea what the outcome would be, but it was just good clean fun.

WABBMW wrote:

I was riding down to Galveston Bay near Seabrook, Texas on Hwy. 146 a while back. There are about 4 stop lights, spaced several blocks apart. Some guy in a Harley pulls up beside me at he first light. "That's an old bike" he says. I reply, "Yes, 26 years old. Then he says "I like the way it looks". I say "Thanks, I really like your Harley too. Looks new".
At the next light he says " I wouldn't mind having a bike like that, but it would be too under-powered for me". I tell him it isn't so bad. He torques away fairly fast and I just mind my business, letting him go ahead and then he is heavy on his brakes for the next light.
Next light: How's the gas mileage? His eyes got big when I said mid fifties. Then he goes back to the under-powered comment again. Again I ease away.
The next light is the last before a good stretch of road with no intersections. We both leave the light at a reasonable rate, but then I see his right wrist crank downward to full throttle. I could resist no longer and follow suit. The first few seconds his torque was high and mine low, and we stay even, but after the old KZ spools up a little, he was toast. By the time I was ready to shift to second, I was about 6 car lengths ahead. As I see him in the rear view mirror I go ahead in second and more than double the lead.
Now I have only had the bike about 1 1/2 years and never done that before. Also, I changed the gearing to a higher ratio, which slows acceleration for any particular gear. I had no idea what the outcome would be, but it was just good clean fun.

That was a cool story Bill made my day

route66paul wrote:

I do have a problem with lookalike HDs, though. if the company is proud of what it makes, why would they try to be something they are not?

I agree 100%, Paul. I saw the writing on the wall back in '82 or so when I saw the first Yamaha Virago V-twin in Cycle World. I knew where the Big Four were headed at that point and didn't like it then and still don't like it. Perhaps the lackluster sales of their cruiser lines will cause them to rethink their future model lineups.

As for comments, I've gotten quite a few at work from the picture posted on the wall above my desk. It has led to some good conversations and in a couple of cases got someone back into the motorcycle game.

Good story Bill. Too bad you never met up with him at another light to see what he would say about power then. A lot of riders equate noise to power.

so i was sitting at starbucks saturday morning and these two guys pull up in a truck and b-line right for our bikes....walk right past my freinds 2008 fz1 and start telling kawi stories....you know the stories...."i knew this guy one time who had a 78 z-1 ,,oh wait 78 was the z1r,,,wait which one was the one where they had a 400 a 600 and the 1000...."yeah that one and they all had the same paint jobs"those bikes were sooo cool...man this ones nice""ect...ect...we talked about 5 minutes,nice guys....

which brings me to my point ...i just listened as they walked around the kz to get every angle and told the facts as they knew em...it is the history,,,the different models,,,the styling and the common thread of folks growing up with them that makes it fun for guys/some gals too,,,to re-live and tell "their" kawi stories....on their way to leave they noticed the yamaha and said oh hey be careful to my freind...he is used to the kz getting conversations started.......

going to take amy on a all day ride and tour the coast......life is a good deal today...peace guys pictures tonight for sure......enjoy yuor sunday....craig

There's a couple of old die-hards around here that drool over my '78 KZ1000.

However, around these parts (Upper Michigan) I guess being a motorhead is just par for the course. I was pulling out of a gas station (4:1 barely restricted exhaust, K&N filters)and a bunch of teenagers ran out and started cheering me on as I pulled out on to the main road.

A couple of nights ago I was heading home and needed to stop at the store for some last minute items. The part of town I was in would be called very "seedy" the bigger cities all have the rough areas.
Being in that part of town means the police are very abundant and everywhere, as they should be.
So as I am crizin to the store I was trying to be QUIET, I was not looking for any trouble about a noise ordinance,
As I pull into the parking lot I noticed a Coca Cola delivery truck driver unloading his product, he did an about face and just stood there with the deer in the headlight look.
He immediately made a bee line for me. He said he had a 74 Z1 and heard me coming from a mile away. I told him I saw him staring me down when I pulled in and that I was trying hard to be quiet. He just started laughing about the being quiet part. We exchanged phone numbers so we can get together and go for a ride sometime.

Talked to a kid yesterday at the gas pump for about 10 min about bikes. He's in high school and likes working on bikes and paid a complement. We talked about what it took to restore and how it started and I could see he was getting the "someday I am going to build a bike" look. I don't think he was so worried about what bike, or where he was going to get it, so much as he was setting a goal to build himself a bike.

The most comments I ever got though was the first day I rode it to work as it seems all the old"er" guys in the office at one time or another rode back in the 60's and 70's. Lots of questions about year, make, model, etc. Also some comments about "is it safe to ride around straddling that much gas". It amazes me how many of them know its an old Kawasaki even when its hidden under the XS1100 tank.

one of the most amazing places to get the thumbs up or the nice bike comment is in sturgis or at the local hell's angel clubhouse i parked inside the full throttle ar [you can park your bike inside there.]and the comments and all the people stopping to take pictures was really neat, then i finally excepted my freinds invite to the angel's clubhouse and i parked right in the middle of the whole bunch of there bikes and wouldn't you know it nobody said anything bad infact a few of the guy's admitted to owning a z1 or kz in the years before. i went expecting the worst and was plesently suprised at the response the bike got.

got the same reaction riding with some old harley riders on a run a couple of weeks ago,like man I use to ride one of those lol
its the new harley riders that don't know or don't care it seems like anyway.
I ride with em all don't matter to me.

with the newbie h-d riders they have watched to much t.v the standard if you have to ask you wouldn't understand b.s line always comes up. it makes me laugh most of those tools have bought into the whole myth thing hook line and sinker.i don't waste my time with that crowd. i have absolutly nothing against h-d's i have made a decent living off them over the years and truth be told i give my eye teeth to have a mid to late 80's fxrs i just love those bikes also i'd do the same for an xr750 but really that is about it .