Restore this KZ, or leave it alone?

Hello all, I'm trying to decide if I want to restore my ELR, or just leave it as is. I haven't touched it since I got it in May. I personally, would like to have it look like she just left the crate.

If I was to restore it, who are the names in the Kawasaki restoration biz that I should know?

restore it bro!
fix up the paintwork,
give it some love,
keep it stock,
and your never loose your money.
number 8 is very special!

nice ride!!!! unmolested bikes are always worth more...that bike is low miles and in pretty good shape all in all.....get out the wd40 and the mothers and some micro fiber cleaning rags and go to town......a lot of that will come clean with some elbow grease.....

The main persons name to know if you restore it is your own If you want to just drop it off somewhere and pick it up when your done, you may want to try Redline as their bikes always seem to turn out nice. redlinecycle.com/

Awesome bike by the way!

Keep it stock,You can allways get another toy thats not in as good shape and make it the way you thought about. That means your "gut" feeling all ready gave you the answer.If you have to ask then you know, what it is now, and has been sence it was made,thats the way it should be.

good for you!!!! i saw that sale and watched it with envy....no funds here for "my" elr ...someday i'm getting one.......good for you..

take your time it is a project you can tackle and you can know you did the work too.....guys here can answer anything...anything , as far as the next right step..and what materials.chems,paints,parts ect...

looks fine to me -and may actualy be worth more to some of the crowd,the way it is... but if you boughtthe thing to have it,to keep it,to love and to honor it,,,,i get carried away....then do whatever you think ......either way you got "the" bike.....i don't know these things......awesome bike dude....best bike ever made...you the man!!!!

kano wrote:

restore it bro!
fix up the paintwork,
give it some love,
keep it stock,
and your never loose your money.
number 8 is very special!

It'll always stay stock, unsure if it will ever be restored.

keith1 wrote:

nice ride!!!! unmolested bikes are always worth more...that bike is low miles and in pretty good shape all in all.....get out the wd40 and the mothers and some micro fiber cleaning rags and go to town......a lot of that will come clean with some elbow grease.....

Thanks, Bro!

I'll definitely give her some elbow grease, first. Some parts do need refinishing, especially the engine cases.

austin3119 wrote:

The main persons name to know if you restore it is your own If you want to just drop it off somewhere and pick it up when your done, you may want to try Redline as their bikes always seem to turn out nice. redlinecycle.com/

Awesome bike by the way!

I agree with your fist sentence! Redline looks like they do some nice work, appreciate the link.

I've seen a shop in the NW, I think it's in Seattle, that does nice work on Kawasakis. Hoping someone knows the name.

Thank you for the complement!

mzandmz wrote:

Keep it stock,You can allways get another toy thats not in as good shape and make it the way you thought about. That means your "gut" feeling all ready gave you the answer.If you have to ask then you know, what it is now, and has been sence it was made,thats the way it should be.

I like that post!

What do you think of using NOS,(If you can find any.) or nice used parts as replacements?

trianglelaguna wrote:

good for you!!!! i saw that sale and watched it with envy....no funds here for "my" elr ...someday i'm getting one.......good for you..

take your time it is a project you can tackle and you can know you did the work too.....guys here can answer anything...anything , as far as the next right step..and what materials.chems,paints,parts ect...

looks fine to me -and may actualy be worth more to some of the crowd,the way it is... but if you boughtthe thing to have it,to keep it,to love and to honor it,,,,i get carried away....then do whatever you think ......either way you got "the" bike.....i don't know these things......awesome bike dude....best bike ever made...you the man!!!!

You may possibly have my bike mistaken with #13. It sold on eBay a few months ago. I found mine on a Craigslist add. I was the lucky first caller ready to hook up the enclosed trailer and drive 800 miles. Thank you for the kind words!

I knew this was the place, that's why I'm here.

I know it's worth more the way it is. You are also correct that I purchased it to love, honer...:laugh: I feel the same way. I also feel as a "caretaker" to her. It's a historic bike and I'd like for her to be here long after I'm gone. Thank you again. I do understand how lucky I am to have this bike, and it's significance.

For me it would depend on what i was going to do with it,

If i was going use it as a show piece i would restore it and probably never drive it. That would be hard for me to do but would be the best way to preserve it.

If i planned on riding it some i would clean it fix it and touch it some and drive it once in a while.

Anyway that's the way i would look at it...

VERY cool bike by the way!

Being a proud Z1 owner for a few decades I could love that bike with equal affection. Great Score and welcome to the madness.

Nice bike! You may want to try contacting the VJMC (Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club) to see if they can provide a list of shops that do restorations. Your bike definitely deserves the best, so no matter who you have do the work be sure to check their previous customers to see how their bikes turned out. Ed

I see in your pictures above its found a new home.:laugh: Dont worry, there potty trained.:laugh: :laugh: And it looks like it took over you dining room. Best place for it.:woohoo:

I would clean it up and ride for a few years, save up the cash or collect parts that might need replaced and then have it restored. At least that way you would get some ride time in before it finds a permenant spot in the living room. :laugh: I know what shop your talking about in Seattle but can't think of the name. I'll check in with pnwriders.com tonight, someone there will know who it is.