Is this a good bike? 1984 1100 LTD (ZN1100?)

Hi everyone,

I might buy this bike and was wondering what are your thoughts about it. I'm not even sure what model it is. The guy says its a 1100 ltd, thats it.

I would remove the ugly on this bike and change the handlebars to give him a more cafe look.

Does this bike share the mechanic with another bike more popular? Looks hard to find infos about this one.

Thanks

That is a very good bike as far as cruisers go. The engine is one of the best 8 valve engines ever made.

well since that is an 84 zn1100 in my avatar i thought i would chime in on this one.

mine is a great bike. plenty of power since it is the gpz motor. 102 factory hp. ride is ok. they are air shocks fromt and rear.
since it is shaft driven it launches a little different if you goose it. the read end lifts instead of squating. but the plus is no chain to adjust or clean oil off the bike.
i'm not really a fan of the 34's on it though.
they work great and respond real well but i don't like when your cruising on the expressway or something similar that you can't just crack the throttle and have an instant response.
it's kind of a pig in the twisties because of the handlebars but you said you wanted to change that.

all in all it is my daily driver.
starts even on the coldest winter day.
i only knock down about 30-35 mpg but i do ride a little agressivly so that is to be expected.

great brakes, fair suspension, gobs of power.


so there is a little review for you.

do me a favor and sell me the windshield will ya?
i can't find any i like for mine but i like the looks of yours.
and if you are going to paint it will you consider swapping right sidecovers with me?
yours has my colors as well.
i have a perfect one in primer for you.

feel free to ask me anything about this model as i am so famalier with it.

i think you will be happy with it.

and here is a picture for you in factory trim.

The only thing that I disagree with that Kawasaki man said is the part about the Carbs. I have them on my GPZ1100 and I have a highway gear on it. Mine is not a pig at all. Mine responds very crisply. I love the BS34 carbs. I would not trade them for any other carb. Fuel injection maybe.

Hey thanks for the comments guyz!

I meet the guy at lunch and will see if i do buy the bike or not.

As for selling the windshield and side covers, it might be possible, I'll think about it.

Is there any modification that could make this bike feel a little more sporty? I know its a cruiser, but....

Olivier

There are a few. Low handle bars, rearset footpegs, KZ1000J forks. What makes the bike feel like a pig in the turns are the forks. The bike is made for straight cruising and not for handling. On my CSR which has the same front forks as yours I installed a set of forks from a kz1000J and it made a world of difference. I bought those on eBay for about $50

you could also get some progressive rear shocks for it.
i didn't do any of that because it is my daily rider and that's a lot of expressway riding. it's set up pretty good for that. straight line cruising like otakar said.
i really do have to change the handlebars though. my elbows are in my sides on some turns. not really designed for carving up back country roads.
forks will be a good idea. mine have bottomed out once of twice over a big bump.
you need to remember this is a big heavy bike with a lower center of gravity than the z1,kz,gpz series bikes.
they only made this bike for two years and finding body parts will be a bitch. i waited two years for a factory front turn signal to come up on ebay. a member here gave me some rear signals.
engine parts are no problem what so ever. you can get anything you can afford.
you really want to give it a little more zip then find a set of drop in cams. it already has the header on it.

matter of fact i think i might ride to z1enterprises today and buy a different set of handlebars.
if i do i'll post up before and after pictures and write if i like the difference or not.
here is before.

Ok its done. I just bought the bike for 750$.

Firts step: Order lower handlebars. Suggestions?
And do I have to double check the bars diamater or it should be standard?

And I agree that the shocks are a bit soft, this might be the next thing.

you got a good deal for $750.

That's what I thinkg too. The bike has 40 000 KM on it and is clean overall.

The guy started it at 1200$ last month, then dropped to 1000$ and I got it for 750$ (canadian dollars of course...)when I met him. He had already bought another bike, so he was ready to get rid of this one.

Sounds like a fair deal to me.

Maltraxxx wrote:

Ok its done. I just bought the bike for 750$.

Firts step: Order lower handlebars. Suggestions?
And do I have to double check the bars diamater or it should be standard?

And I agree that the shocks are a bit soft, this might be the next thing.

You lucky devil. That is a steel. That bike is worth 3x that easy in the condition it's in.

Not sure its worth 3x what i paid for, but at least the risk is minimal.

I'll see in a couple of days if that was a steal or not...