30 minute gas station stop.....

Took the bike for a ride today. Stopped at the gas station near my house and noticed a guy eying me hard as I was pulling in. Sure enough, before I even got the kick stand down he was standing in front of me.

"Man I haven't seen one of those in a LONG time!!!" he said with a huge grin as I was taking my helmet off.

Guy was very excited to see one out running around. We talked for probably a half hour about bikes. Turns out he had a few KZ's back in his high school days and still has a 1976 KZ900! He said the 900 has been sitting for years but he really wants to get it going again. He already knew about Z1E and Redline so that's good. I got his address and am looking forward to going to see that 900 soon.

I'm hoping that seeing me riding mine will get him inspired to get his out and get it going again. I bet it will.

I've been stopped many times at gas stations.....just thought I would share the most recent one.....bet most of you guys have identical stories.

I post this now and then, seems to generate some good memories:

The Old 4 Cylinder Dinosaur

Many of you, who are owners of older bigger 4 cylinder Kawasaki’s, may have noticed when out for a ride for a snack or a “Cold One” how a crowd will gather next to your bike.

Statements will be made about how they had one, or their Fathers, Brothers or Uncles owned one and how fast it was, and how for the most part, the newer, faster, sports bikes on the street tend to be ignored when you drive up on your “Dinosaur”.

Sure, the older bikes cannot compete with today’s motorcycles in handling and acceleration, but they can sure turn heads when they rumble down the streets exhausting through a nice 4 into 1 collector.

If the owner of a new sport bike wonders why the interest in your bike, ask him/her in 20-30 years will his/her bike attract as much notice as your’s does today? Our older bikes are like the “Muscle Cars” of the 70’s.

Mtbspeedfreak wrote:
I cannot believe the number of compliments I get on my bike! Random guys (mostly ) who roll down a window at a stoplight, guys at the muffler shop, hanging out at the motorcycle shops around town. Heard quite a few stories- "I wanted one but my GF said no, glad I listened because I married her" and the occasional "a friend of mine was killed on one..." Pull up to bike night and the Harley guys will come over, the occasional crotch rocket riding squid will mumble a compliment under his breath, and sure I get a lot of "why do you ride THAT old bike?!?" Truth is, I quite honestly wouldn't trade it for nearly anything!

Sheldon bourgeoi wrote:
I must admit, it is a pretty good feeling when you park your bike at the local stop, and people come up to it to have a look. It's even better when your getting gas, and some middle aged guy comes up to you "reminiscing" about how he had the same bike back in high school. Then, as he walks away to leave, he hands you his name and phone number on a piece of paper, then tells you to call him if you ever decide to sell it. That's happened to me more than once!

Steel Panther wrote:
The old inline fours are cool. They are my favorite bikes. The ol' Z1R with a good exhaust, made music, not noise. The vertical twins are pretty cool too. Every once in a while I'll stumble across a gem someone has preserved or restored. They always draw my attention. Cool thread, brings back memories.

roy-b-boy-b wrote:
Amen Brother. It happens to me all the time. A guy was checking out my bike real good yesterday. He had owned the Kawasaki dealership in town when the Mach II tripples came out.

Househunter wrote:
I bought my '78 KZ1000 in 1983 "BC" (Before Children) Had not been licensed since '94 until last summer. Since July '10, I put over 10K miles on her. I too have been amazed at the number of people commenting or passing on the highway and giving a "thumbs up" as they go buy. The wife wanted me to sell it many times but I just had to keep her (and the wife too). So glad I did!!!!

Z1Ron Wrote:
Soon after I had restored my Z1 in 1986 ...... I was in an auto parts store and a young kid, with a helmet under his arm, came up to me and asked if that was my Kawasaki outside. I replied yes. He said that he had one just like it. Since I hadn't seen too many in stock form, I was skeptical. However, to my surprise, there was an identical Z1 parked beside mine. Couldn't believe it. As it worked out, I had run into the fella a few months later and he asked if I wanted to buy what was left of his Z1 (there was a fire involved, but that's another story). Since now it was a basket case and missing a few things, I built a modified "Z1000R" using a GPz750 donor. It's the one in my avatar.


MDZ1Rider Wrote:
I took just the gas tank from my 73 to local body shop for a paint estimate. It took about 10 minutes before every employee (10+) was gathered round. The younger guys didn't know what they were looking at, but the older guys were schooling them..."when I was your age, if you saw that tank next to you at a red light, you didn't even try" I don't get the dangerous comments as often on the Z1. However, I heard "widow maker" more than once when I had my H2. Compared to an H2, I consider the Z1 a rather well mannered beast.


griffer Wrote:
I ride my z1a to breakfast every morning and almost every time someone comes in to find the person riding the "KZ" I used to correct them with a short education on the history of the kawasaki 4. Now I just say thanks man , I'm very proud to have owned her since new.

Jacksdad wrote:
I gotta chime in here, last winter(10-2011) money was tight, and the wife says to me we should figure out a way to cut back because of the gas prices, next day, at Home Depot,(job) I casually ask an older guy if he has any bikes for sale (he has about and he says "yeah, matter of fact I do, 79 Kawasaki KZ750 that I'd been tinkering with for a few months, but could never get to run, I'll let you take a look at it and tell me what you think" so a week goes by and I ask him if he can bring it to work with him one day, he says, sure, I tow it home, CHANGE THE PLUGS, fires right up, I quickly call him to ask what he wants for it, he says well I got 350 in it, but for you, I'll take 325, I immediately drive to his place with cash, then I tell him what I did, and he has since offered me 500 I keep saying no.. sorry to ramble on, but this is the single BEST investment I have ever made, and a lot of you guys helped me get her running as good as she does, so THANK YOU ALL. even though mine is only a two cylinder.

Tfh903 wrote:
AMEN...... Sometimes the younger ones ask me if it is a new bike, I tell them it will be 39 years old in September 2011 (4 digit serial). How many other bikes can be worth more than 5 times their original showroom sell price when they are 39 years old, and can still kick A## over a Harley twice it's size?

Mtbspeedfreak wrote:
Haha yeah I hear ya! Someone came up to me and honestly said "I didn't know they made a reproduction model of those old Kawasakis." I said,"Nope, no reproduction, this one is 35 years old!" PS- this was halfway down the Baja Mexico Peninsula, just outside Guerrero Negro.


Linsk wrote:
I had my 80 kz 1000 for 31 years I remember when it was invisible. This past year my cousin and I decided to take his 12 year old son up to americade with us. Every were we stopped people will come up and check out my bike. everybody has a story and I like hearing them. On the fourth day my godson came up to me and asked me why nobody talks about my dads bike. So iI explained to him what a classic was. I said to him I will leave my bike to him when I go.He just smiled and said I think your bike is cool. Made me smile we have to get the younger kids interested in these bikes.

Medina wrote:
Yup, 81KZ1100 and I've owned a few bikes, this is the only one I've had strangers (four so far) say something when I was out. I'm talking total strangers, out of the blue saying something.

All my pals, neighbors, you lugs like it granted. But I'm talking the sort of thing where I'm turning left in the middle lane, a guy at the + intersection who is also turning left- hits his horn, rolls down the window and yells "HEY", then when I make eye contact trying to figure out wtf is going on, I get a thumbs up? THATS never ever happened. I'm just enough of a narcissist to really get off on that (over 50+ crowd here too) .
Interestingly enough, there is a 79 or 80 KZP still in the white I've seen, and an 82? (that red color twin to mine) that pulled up behind me tooling around town. I didn't notice the 82 till I'd made a left turn and looked back at traffic. I'm wondering if he's an inmate here?

Bugout wrote:
I have to agree, there is always a random guy popping up somewhere with a KZ900 story. On the past Saturday I took a 120 mile round trip ride to check on a friend who had been in an accident. The first guy was stopped beside me, rolled down the passenger window and started asking about the year and displacement. Later in my ride I pulled into a biker leather place by the road side. New HD's and Victory out front, I parked beside them. As I'm walking in a guy says "I really like your bike", and it continues on from there. His first ride as a kid was on the back of one.

I was told I could never sneak up on anyone on my bike.
Nothing can quite compare to the sound of a big, 4 cylinder Kawasaki, getting it’s act together and moving on down the road…

Thanks for posting that...enjoyed it!

These bikes really do get tons of attention. I'm one of these that is younger then his bike so I don't remember them from "back then" but I still love 'em!

This is my first bike too. When I bought it I didn't know anything at all about it, just thought it looked right.

The guy at the gas station had spotted me by the time I was pulling into the station because I saw him already looking at me. Because of the angle of the road he had only seen a straight on view of the bike at that point. Seems to me that most bikes look the same from the front from a distance so I guess it must have been the sound that got his attention?

I need to let someone else ride it so I can listen to what it sounds like coming, passing and going.

That's a really nice bike you have there. Be careful about letting someone else ride it - you may hear them riding away but never hear them ride back. :woohoo: Ed

Always nice to see someone in the world care about older bikes. I see a nice old bike on the road here amd there, but few and far between. I was riding a couple months ago and two bikes were on the road, one your basic pile as I call them (Harley, loud, ugly, stupid ect, ect), the other was a brand new looking XS750 Yamaha triple which I hadn't seen the likes of for 30 years. Thumbs up there, then last night i was following a nice bike, my wife said that looks like a Honda Rebel, to which I said, that is not a rebel, it's an old Suzuki shaft drive GS. Ended up being a nice GS850G. Few are out there, but they get me going when I see one of them.

The last time I rode my KZ into town I pulled into a gas station parking lot that was a staging area for a rally. 99% Harleys. As soon as the engine was cut here they come. One lady asked how old the bike was and I told her it was probably older than her. She was impressed.

Way home from work Friday stop for gas and beer so coming
out of the store there's an older (mid 60's) black couple
checkin out my bike as I walk by I hear the dude tell the wife

" remember my old 900 I miss that bike the wife say's me too"

They stood outside the store in 100 + degree's reliving a past
time in their live's till I rode off. with a big smile on my face.