Kz1000 turbo engine questions

gearheadmm wrote: BUY IT!!!

Turbo kit is worth around $1500 and only getting harder to find.
What's a nice Z-1R worth?
Dealer installed kit came with ATP kit, paint scheme w/TC logo on side cover, and a possibly a boost gauge.
Verifying if it's real my be hard because they were ONLY installed at the dealer with full factory Kaw warranty.
Carb is mounted on turbo inlet. Heat shields are cast aluminum, bolt on.

Thanks, I'm very interested in grabbing this machine, you said "possibly came with a boost gauge" -- if this was an 'official' Z1R turbo where would the boost guage be found -- and did some of the 'official' dealer-sold Z1R turbos *not* have a boost gauge?

check and see if he still has original owners manual.. the z1r-tc's that were sold had a supplemental z1r-tc manual also... when turbo cycle corp modified the z1r-tc's they also put a sticker on the frame neck close to the kawasaki sticker.. and it give the date the bike was modified... 50/50 chance it still on the front neck??? sounds like a steal... nice z1r-tc's seem to be going for 10,000.00 plus when the right buyer see's it... the boost gauge will be boted to handle bar clamps... if the guy try's very hard to sell it'll be gone quik... enclosed a couple pics of my z1r-tc from early 80's... custom paint done before i got it... but it had the supplemental owners manual and tcc frame sticker i mentioned earlier.. the header pipe was the earlier version also....

Ya, What Vernon said.

If you think 130 HP is a lot. Boy Oh Boy wait till you build more than 10 pounds of boost. 200 HP is pretty easy to reach, let alone more :evil:
TCs were sold by dealers WITHOUT a warranty as they needed more motor work to really complete the transformation so that the motors would live under boost conditions. Figure on tearing it down when purchased to make sure all needed pieces of the puzzle are there..
BUY IT
Dave

Don't turn up boost until you spend some money on the motor.
7psi is good for stock head gaskets. At 15psi they land on your leg.
Second inputs don't last long.
If your hard on it 15psi is enough to break a crank eventualy (15 tooth Z-1 crank).
FF40 kits make 250hp at 30psi of boost. Normal stuff with "good air".

69.46.28.106/forum/11-projects/413221-80-kz-1000-st-recycled

gearheadmm wrote: Don't turn up boost until you spend some money on the motor.
7psi is good for stock head gaskets. At 15psi they land on your leg.
Second inputs don't last long.
If your hard on it 15psi is enough to break a crank eventualy (15 tooth Z-1 crank).
FF40 kits make 250hp at 30psi of boost. Normal stuff with "good air".

69.46.28.106/forum/11-projects/413221-80-kz-1000-st-recycled

MEIN GOTT.

250hp.

I had an MR2 Toyota Turbo (2-seater sports car) I bought new in 1993 that had 200 hp max with the turbo kicking in. That car weighed 2500 pounds.

So let's see, 250hp and a 500lb bike -- that's exactly the ratio for a Formula 1 race car, 2 pounds of car weight per hp.


Mein gott. He's making a list and checking it twice
- forged 'turbo style' instead of cast pistons? (based on what I'm reading about turbo motors just now)
- stronger valve springs?
- stronger cylinder studs?
- hold on when it comes on the pipe?

I'm tellin ya, 250hp, on that skinny stock-sized tire.
What I read about this Z1R turbo it sounds like a real tricky deal to keep them on the road, no need to wonder why they sold them with no warranty.

I don't remember seeing a boost gauge on this one I'm looking to buy, and every car I've owned that had a turbo going back to my 1993 Mr2 turbo had a boost gauge, I bet this z1r had a turbo put on by a prior owner, I do not think it is one of the dealer-prepped bikes, still might be worth $5000 though? It does run.

How the heck will I know if the boost is set too high if I don't have a boost gauge though
Danger.

Boost gauge is mounted on the triple trees at the handlebars. If you need one call Terry Kiser at MR Turbo. Parts for the older turbos ( rebuild kits ) are getting harder to find , but don't let that scare you. As I said before. If you buy it to be safe before you beat on it invest a little more time and money and go thru the motor and then you can have many trouble free years of fun.

250 hp...Yawn!

I rode a 450 hp shootout bike. 8.00s @ 179 mph.
Where is shootout at now? 6.90s @ 200 mph?
There is a Busa out there that made 800 HP!

gearheadmm wrote: 250 hp...Yawn!

I rode a 450 hp shootout bike. 8.00s @ 179 mph.
Where is shootout at now? 6.90s @ 200 mph?
There is a Busa out there that made 800 HP!

Those are all wonderful numbers.

But I like my mild 250 HP Bike :evil: which is doing that with 35 year old parts and technology.

I guess Im just a OLD SCHOOL Hotrodder

Dave

The Z1R-TC was built by Turbo Cycle Corp.(TCC)and sold through Kawasaki dealers.... not a dealer installed kit. Someone does have all the TCC VIN records so legit bikes can be verified......not smoke and mirrors, I have seen it. There are no Kawasaki records of the model because Kawasaki did not want to be connected to any lawsuits from the overpowered machine.

531blackbanshee wrote: if,
you could take the serial number and go online and verify it the current owner should have done it.

there has been talk of some mysterious book that had all the serial numbers of the turbo bikes.

one guy says he has it one guy says he has seen it.

all smoke and mirrors in my book.

there was never anything on the title to designate the turbo's because they were dealer installed.

so if you want a turbo z1r and it is nice,$5000.00 is about right.

if you want the holy grail of turbo z1r's with verification you are going to be hard pressed to prove it.

1979 z1r 11's were not imported into the united states.

1978 and 1980 was the only model years of z1r's we got.

hth,

leon

PaintWorkz wrote: The Z1R-TC was built by Turbo Cycle Corp.(TCC)and sold through Kawasaki dealers.... not a dealer installed kit. Someone does have all the TCC VIN records so legit bikes can be verified......not smoke and mirrors, I have seen it. There are no Kawasaki records of the model because Kawasaki did not want to be connected to any lawsuits from the overpowered machine.

531blackbanshee wrote: if,
you could take the serial number and go online and verify it the current owner should have done it.

there has been talk of some mysterious book that had all the serial numbers of the turbo bikes.

one guy says he has it one guy says he has seen it.

all smoke and mirrors in my book.

there was never anything on the title to designate the turbo's because they were dealer installed.

so if you want a turbo z1r and it is nice,$5000.00 is about right.

if you want the holy grail of turbo z1r's with verification you are going to be hard pressed to prove it.

1979 z1r 11's were not imported into the united states.

1978 and 1980 was the only model years of z1r's we got.

hth,

leon

paintworkz,

installed at tcc or the dealer,all after factory so i'm indifferent.
sorry i misspoke,thanks for the clarification.
i still have to wonder if there is some way to verify serial numbers of turbo bikes why in this age of computers is it not online where people can access it :huh: ?

you gotta know the guy that knows the guy sounds like a way to bs people in my opinion.

with the prices these bikes are starting to bring it seems like it would be in everyones interest to have that info available to the public.
nothing for anyone to lose by making it public.
unless,
someone is bs'ing and trying to use it for personal gain.

thats my .02 fwiw.

leon

Leon,

Keeping these TCC sales records private is important in verifying a TC's originality, exclusivity (price), and discouraging fakes.

Ralph

I've got a Feb 2000 article from Sport Rider named "Modulated Violence" about a Hahn Racecraft turbo Blackbird.
Which I worked on, and the two cars.
In the article there is a pic and caption about the Z1-R TC.

The original 1979 Kawasaki Z1-R TC using American TurboPak's engine kit."

in text

Hahn's introduction to turbochargers was in his fathers famous American TurboPak performance shop back in the early '70s.

I know it wasn't an "engine kit", it was a turbo kit.
I am not sure "who" installed them.
I was "told" dealer installed.
I do know that Bill sr. owned ATP.
I do know that Bill jr., snick...um...well...
lets not go there.