Looking at this 73 Z1 for sale

You got a very desirable bike at a decent price, but now comes the decision making process.  Re-hab it as a rider, or restore it for historic value.  If I had it I would restore it for the historic value knowing full well it will be a long and sometimes frustrating project.  Besides the out of pocket expenses a lot of frustration can come from just trying to obtain correct OEM parts for these bikes.  Trying to maintain any sort of budget is almost impossible at times and it will become a money pit.  Sourcing people to do things for you that you can't do is also an issue.  I am not trying to cast a dark shadow on what you have or what you intend to do with that bike, but I watched a lot of guys lose interest with well intentioned car and bike projects only to sell them later on losing a bunch of money in the process.  Depending on what skill you have, what parts you may already have on hand and what tools you have at your disposal a good rule of thumb is a 100% markup on your purchase price or more to do the job right.  And you really won't know what you have to work with until it is completely stripped down and you can do an assessment of what you have to work with.  As I have said to myself more than a few times, "Well I got it!  Now what do I do with it?"  Good luck whichever way you go.

Rick H.

Well, the carrier just called and he's on the way.  Bike should arrive here around 3 to 4 PM Central US.  First thing I'm going to do is get it in some good light and take a bunch of pictures. Then let's dissect this thing and see what we've got.

We'd be absolutely delighted to find that '73 for $7K.  You did good.

Frame & motor #'s seem correct and are among the most important details. 

There are date codes scattered all over the bike on various OEM assemblies;
switchgear
front disk
torque link
both rims
swing arm
rear shocks
and a few others we probably forgot about at the moment.

Other codes and subtle differences in design and execution of varying items include: 
lower triple tree
front brake junction
carbs
finning & machine work on the head
stamps in ink internal on the valve cover, rear brake panel and a few others.

John Brooke's most excellent restoration handbook would be of great help to you to read date codes & identify details if you're interested.  They turn up on fleaBay sometimes.

You have the opportunity to do anything with that Z1, from a cafe custom or survivor resurrection all the way to a concours-level 100 point restoration.  Just please don't do anything relatively permanent, like hacksaw the frame.  Matching #'s Z1's are becoming a rarity.

Good Ridin'
slmjim & Z1BEBE 

Awesome find. Keep the originals!!! Restore them if possible. To me there would be only one destination, full restoration. No time frame, that will spread out the budget. Seeing how it’s not rideable now you might as well start to break it down. Look for date codes on items Slmjim posted. HardRockMiner and I both have John Brookes books, I actually bought mine form HRM. I’m more then willing to help you with details. Like Slmjim mentioned lots of things are subtle manufacturing changes that will indicate correctness. 
 

I'm trying to track down the most obvious item that's missing... hard to find because I don't know what it's even called.  It's the panel that the rectifier and canon plugs attach to under the right side cover mounted on the battery box.  Control board?  Also, anyone who might have one they're willing to part with please message me. 

This, parts number 33?

 

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationKinda rough but sometimes I buy things so I know what I’m looking for. Then I start looking at parts lots. You can find hidden expensive items that way. Sometimes people miss identify items, or just don’t know what they have. For example I just picked up a set of 29 Smoothbore for $250.00 the seller thought there were just stock OEM cabs of a Kz. I bought my 76 900 NOS exhaust for $1250.00, the seller had them listed as Kx exhaust and nobody was looking at them. 




 

Johnny’s Vintage 

www.johnnysvintagemotorcycle.com/product...ctrical-box-bracket/
 

No eBay APP ID and/or Cert ID defined in Kunena configurationAnd the rectifier


 

73Z1, do I still need that?  Looks like PO switched over to later regulator/rectifier...

Depends on if it's a restore or a daily rider.
Steve

I don’t think they made those in 1973!