Blast from the Past

I came across a couple photos from the late 70s to share. The Bronze bike is my buddy Walt's, which he purchased new while working at the Kawasaki Factory. The bike actually contributed to the end of his Kawasaki career when his boss saw him riding it while he was out on Medical Leave for a back injury. He ended up going to Japan for training when he got a job at Tokyo Seat, and became friends with another "round eye" who was working at the Yoshimura shop. He spent all his spare time and money hanging out at the shop and buying parts to bring home for his bike. His bike got a overbore high comp. piston kit, Yoshimura ported cylinder head, cams, smoothbore carbs (the first set I had ever seen) and a really cool Moriwaki points cover. I don't remember what brand the pipe is, doesn't look like a Yoshimura. I'm on the other bike, a 76 I purchased from another buddy. It had been previously painted silver at the Plant (we could do that back then), but I traded for the 73 body parts. The only mods to it were Andrews 2X cams, a Kerker pipe and rejetted carbs with velocity stacks. Yes Walt's was faster, waaaay faster. I remember him beating a twin turbo smallblock Camaro with a fiberglass flip front end, that was a terror on Lincoln's streets at the time.

Those were the days my friends! Mike

Sorry, double pictures! I hit "insert all", and then" in message".

Mike

You guys didn't like mirrors?

This was me with my mother on the back. That Chevy Van on the right was my 1976 shaggin waggin, so the photo was either that year or maybe 1977.

@krazee1 - Great pics!

What's up with the front wheel on the second bike?

Drag strip staging at the tree.
I covered an old rusty, ugly 16" Hog wheel on the back of a Z1 once. Nice 74 Z1A, all blue, metal fenders headlight bucket and gauges.

No mirrors must have been Dragstrip trim! Very cool giving Mom a ride. z1kzonly has it right about the front wheel disc. When you stage, you break a beam, when the green light comes on and the beam reconnects the timer starts. The disc gave you a wee bit of a rolling start. Must have been for style points on the rear wheel! I did hear of the discs causing some handling issues at speed with a heavy crosswind.

Mike

Nice pics from the past, my daughter in 1990 on the kaw. Sebring pipe, 1015cc, 29 mikuni's, wheels and front from a Z1000J, already on the bike when i bought it

Nice pictures guys! I don't have any to post as I was born in 1970.....If it would be in the 80's I would have some, but then, it would be a Honda.:whistle:

JL

Here is one of my all blacked out KZ's Check the front wheel out! I put a cardboard staging disc spray painted black in to take it to the drags this day. I was selling it! No better place to advertise than a local drag strip when we used to get 30 - 50 bikes on a good Friday night!
This was 90-91? I sold this to a friend for $1,000! Unknown header? And an ABE breadbox air cleaner on it! This street bike ran 7.90's in the 1/8 with a street tire, geared down a little bit 14 / 37.

Here’s what I found in a box of old pictures. My first, 1976 900 LTD with spoke wheels, big bore, Z1 28mm carbs, Kerker and Dyna S.
Picture taken early 80’s in front moms house. I might have still been in High School at time of picture. I rode this to school.

I'm pretty jealous that y'all still have pictures from that era. All mine have been lost over time, never to be replaced.

1979 Pre Turbo
29 smoothbores,
1075 Wiseco pistons 10.5 to 1 , Later a 1200cc 12 to 1 ( short lived )
Yoshi Pipe ,
welded crank,
backcut trans
ported head
More I cant remember