Started on a Sears Allstate at 16. At 18 I got a Honda CL 350 and rode it everywhere. On fire roads in the Malibu hills, the Rock Store, to the desert house on weekends, everywhere.
Always wanted a CB 750 but then My boss bought a 73 Z1, my best friend got a 74 Z1 and they would leave me behind.
I told my friend at Handy Cycle I was going to buy one but he tried to sell me a H2 murdercycle for $900 telling me it was faster and I'd blow them away with it. I took it on a test drive got on the FWY onramp, grabbed a handful, the front tire came up, I kept switching gears and the tire finally came down in third so I went back to the shop and told him to keep it.
I bought my Z1b the next day for $2300. It was a demo model with 84 miles on it. That day a headline in the paper told about a guy on a Z1 T boned A Jag at 80 MPH in LA going through one door out the other killing two in the car and the rider. I rode it to my favorite places like my 350 and it was just as tame unless I got on it hard.
Riding "The fastest motorcycle in the world" made it hard not to push it to the redline until I reached 1000 miles. It was 2 AM on the 405 coming from the SF valley when it rolled to the 1k mark so I downshifted to first grabbed a handful tucked in, banged it through the gears and was at WOT until I saw 155 on the Speedo. The street lights are 1/8 mile apart and they looked like a picked fence. That was the only time I saw that number on this bike in 40+ years. 130 sure but after that it would feel too light to push it any further.
It was a blast going to the Rock Store and all the attention the bike would get plus there were lots of customized Z1;s up there to look at but I liked my Z1 as it was. Larry had his bored out to 1015 with cams to beat the new 1000's that were coming out at the time and that bike was QUICK.
I broke a cam chain in 78 so I wound up doing the same thing. By that time I was living out here and was the only Z1 in 60 miles. Bossie was Queen of the road for a decade.
Only got beat by a sleeper Dodge Charger I came up to at a light at 1 AM. The thing sounded terrible like it was missing on a few cylinders. The driver said "You think you got it?" I said yup, he left me like I was back on my 350. That wasn't missing that was "loping" lesson learned.
By that time there were faster bikes coming out but even then it was rider against rider. I wrenched in two shops, rode plenty of bikes but still preferred my old Z1. Was able to get Lester mags and a few goodies I always wanted but then the wreck happened.
A year later I started putting it back together little by little, 33mm carbs, Andrews cams, V/H exhaust until she needed a overhaul. Got my kids so there was no money for the bike.
She sat 15 years until I could get to her again. Probably better this way so now it's our turn. Salvage title so anything goes. Getting all the things I want not caring if it's stock or not. Each time she gets better and better.
More stable, more powerful and it's the only one like it in the valley. Sure there's a few KZ's but this one's the sleeper. There's faster bikes out there but if I get the drop on them they have to catch me.
I never thought it would be this way 40 years ago and I wouldn't have it any other way.
BTW these machines were built so anything can be replaced without replacing the head, barrels etc. If there are not many.
Steve