Will these thing really do over 150mph

Everyone i talk to says these are efast bike KZ1000 nd 900.So is it true what have you heard on topend runs.Personally i chickened out at 130 to much wobble.And also how accurate are these old speedos.One guy said they are of by 19%.I said explain he said if your doin 140 khm your actually probably closer to to 155or 160.Any thoughts on that?

Measured top speed in the magazine tests for a 1975 Z1 and 1977 KZ1000 had a measured top speed of 122mph, so no they won't do 150mph. I don't know how much horsepower you would need to add to get to 150, but it would be quite a bit.
On a unrelated sidenote, if you live near Denver, there's probably "the fastest" KZ1000LTD in the entire world for sale on craigslist. Ran 8.74 at 136mph at 5800' elevation. That's one good running bike and I believe every word of it true.
Can't believe how many liars try to sell their crap.
denver.craigslist.org/mcy/381154752.html

Hmmm

I had my bike with stock 15/33 gearing once to
155 on the speedo,10,500 on the tach.Probably
140-145 real mph.I had long duration RC cams
in it back then,it did not pull well down low,
but when the RRRs came up,it was V-maxs for snacks!

Yeah..well mine will do 160 mph.

If you don't believe me I'll send you a
picture of my speedo...tops out at 160.

Bob:evil:

200, no problem...............200kph that is :laugh:

My KZ1000E1 will go 205 mph... really.

I was looking for a way to get more speed out of my W3 without spending too much so I used a junkyard marker and changed speedo markings from KPH to MPH. Man, What a Difference!

KZCSI

Then you should check this out 1973.And dont say factory special because the tech know for these is far more then then.

Check This Out!

Post edited by: KZCSI, at: 2007/07/28 12:44

I have a book of articles from when the Z1 first came out. They ran 168mph @ daytona with stock, but blueprinted, engines. The production bikes were geared for 130ish @ redline 9000 rpm, so the factory claimed 130 top. Some magazines tested top speed sitting bolt-upright in the saddle @ 115-125mph, with different bikes and riders. Some got 125-130 laying down like someone who understood aerodynamics somewhat. Cycle dynoed one 1000 rpm past redline, and the power peaked there (10,000 rpm) with 82 hp @ the wheel; identical to claimed hp @ the CRANK, 1500 rpm higher than rated peak hp rpm and 1000 rpm higher than the redline, and the graph stopped there. Maybe it would have kept building power past ten? They didn't even comment on this oddity in the article, just printed the graph and the numbers, which both said the same thing. Many of these bikes never seated the rings, because people followed the stupidly-conservative factory break-in procedure. Points ignitions are a bastard to keep set right. Valve clearances will vary, even on new bikes. Blah, blah, blah. When not right, they still feel strong and make most riders happy. When really right-on, they're way better than most would believe, and the redlines, I think, used to be set low because they didn't have rev-limiters. Fool people into going easy on them. Rice-burners always had inaccurate speedos and tachs, and the old mechanical jobs were really bad & inconsistant, too. I rev the old 650 til it quits pulling, which reads anywhere from 10000-12000+ on the tach. The speedo is a good ways off on a hot day and a joke when cooler. Once got pulled-over for doing 75 in a 65. Speedo was reading about 95 on a 70-degree day.

wiredgeorge wrote:

My KZ1000E1 will go 205 mph... really.

Maybe the carbs need looking at :woohoo:

ricerocket wrote:

Everyone i talk to says these are efast bike KZ1000 nd 900.So is it true what have you heard on topend runs.Personally i chickened out at 130 to much wobble.And also how accurate are these old speedos.One guy said they are of by 19%.I said explain he said if your doin 140 khm your actually probably closer to to 155or 160.Any thoughts on that?

That is the optimistic side. Like was said in last post, most will read much higher than posted when you get above -- oh -- lets say 120, for a random number.

And that depends on tire diameter also. And I hope that you are checking out the bike fully before you do this: I have done 100MPH runs and was pulling hard, but won't go above it without some more safety parts replaced, like those steering stem bearings.

Best way to check, do like Lorcan does: with a radar gun on a top speed test track. That is the calibrated gear that you can trust. Or your local law enforcement officer will do it for a fee, and usually your driving rights.

I'd use the track.