1973 Kawasaki Z1 hits record $50,000 at Mecum

The recent Shannons Auction here in Australia had a Z1A in the list so I kept an eye on it.
It eventually went for $45,000 AUD plus 5% buyer premium ($47,250 AUD or $32,663 USD or 26,605 GBP) - so a pretty solid outcome, especially for the seller and the auction house !
 

Why does it say 1973?  

blackozvet wrote:

Ian_B wrote:

Remarkable what someone paid for it, considering how much is no longer original; Doremi parts, frame powder coated (a pet hate of mine). Makes you wonder what a genuine original bike would be worth...
Ian

Over the last couple of years (or more) rebuilt bikes have consistently sold for more than original bikes.
I'm guessing it's a generational thing, the Boomers are probably the main buyers, and they have more money than time on their hands.
They don't want a completely original bike that's been sitting for years, they want a bike that's been freshened up, starts and runs and goes without too much drama, because they don't really know how many years of jumping on a motorbike they have left in them.  And they are old enough to know what problems '100% original' can bring.
What they don't want (or don't have the ability to do) is be stuck in the garage for the next 2 years stripping a bike down and rebuilding it.  Gen X'ers are ok with that stuff because they aren't staring down the mortality barrel just yet.
There are 100% original 72/73 bikes that can be started and ridden down the road at any time with complete confidence, but the only time you will see them for sale is when they are pryed out of the owners' cold dead hands.


~~~>>> Blackozvet has made a good point here. In fact I wish he hadn’t. But the truth is sometimes a hard pill to swallow.
The formula is… How many projects vs. Time per each project vs. Time left above ground.
Something like:
  P x T  
  RIP

Wheelhop wrote:

Why does it say 1973?  

Because Shannon’s is just another Kaplan, snake oil salesman. They don’t have a clue what they are selling. I’ve checked out some of Shannon’s listing before, very misleading, same with Kaplan. 

Wheelhop wrote:

Why does it say 1973?  

In Australia we use year of registration, not year model.
So if a Z1A is made between August and December 1973 then it gets registered as a 1973 bike here.
Obviously people who know the designations know its a 1974 model.
the fact that Shannons used 1973 in the description is legally allowed, using 1973 AND the descriptor "Jaffa" in the same sentence starts to get a little bit misleading.

~~~>>> Blackozvet has made a good point here. In fact I wish he hadn’t. But the truth is sometimes a hard pill to swallow.
The formula is… How many projects vs. Time per each project vs. Time left above ground.
Something like:
  P x T  
  RIP

I love that analogy - that is a great formula !
Some people dont care because they will die with a shed full of unfinished projects.

UPDATE
For those that are interested, this bike is still in Texas and has been ridden to several bike shows and has several trophy's won.. Some work had to be done to make run properly, carb floats adjusted, seat now has a custom made one. The bike can cruse at over 120 mph, very smooth. The mirrows are copies that  vibrated real bad and other aftermarket mirrows were used. The bike will start and run. It has not been on any long (150 miles or more) road trips due to medical reasons. The owner is happy with it and that important.
We thank you for all your input, very interesting. TFH903

Mikaw wrote:

Wheelhop wrote:

Why does it say 1973?  

Because Shannon’s is just another Kaplan, snake oil salesman. They don’t have a clue what they are selling. I’ve checked out some of Shannon’s listing before, very misleading, same with Kaplan. 
 

I bought my 78 KZ1000 LTD from Kaplan and it was in as good a shape as I hoped, BUT I knew there was incorrect stuff on it and paid and addressed it, and paid less for the bike accordingly.  I feel condition was honestly communicated, HOWEVER, don't trust their knowledge of what is stock and what is not.

It had a Kerker, I wanted the factory jardines, I tracked a 9/10 set in england and had them shipped to me in Michigan in the USA at a steal of about $600 shipped.  The body set was gorgeous and was a fantastic 1978 correct KZ1000 A2A set which is definitely not a KZ1000B LTD tank or graphics.  I need to get around to photoing and selling it.  I probably have 3.5k in the tail+sides+ltd-tank+graphics+emblems+petcock+fuelcap+paint to put that to gorgeous stock. I also had a center stand mounted because it had the kerker; that's off now since I have the jardines.  It also had a black rear fender and i replaced with the correct chrome.  It does have correct drivetrain, finishes on it, carbs, brakes, wheels, shocks, etc.  It just looked great but had some style and personal choices I didn't want and reverted to stock.  It's a 9.5/10 condition bike and even only riding it 2500 miles last year, I got multiple offers to buy while out and about, and the LTD definitely ain't getting Z1 love, I love it, but Z1 goes for a lot more money and gets more attention.  It's very clear they didn't necessarily know all the details a restoration shop specific to vintage Kawis or a learned enthusiast would know.  It's highly original and correct now, but I expect over time I'll find more little bits here and there and give the bike the love it deserves.

So I'd say Shannons and Kaplans kind of run into the same thing.  They are motorcycle dealerships owned by less specialized enthusiasts, they somewhat won't know the nuances of a platform, BUT also may omit the deviations from stock.  I am very happy with my bike and wanted a gorgeous example and was willing to do a little work since honestly LTDs don't get as much love and restored outstanding examples are less common.  I wanted specifically a 1978 KZ1000 LTD in stock shape with the exact paint scheme mine has (family reasons); so I had to do a little work. 

If I were looking at a Z1, there are more correctly and completely restored examples out there, so I would buy from a specialist AND get it fact checked via reference materials, experts and enthusiasts on here before trading money.

A few years ago, Kaplan was selling a Yamaha YCS1 as all-original with original paint.

I sent them several polite paragraphs explaining how their example had in fact been repainted with an incorrect color and not particularly well (e.g. a piece of trim that was supposed to be polished had been painted over).

They did not acknowledge the message nor did they pull or modify the eBay listing, so... screw them, basically.