A pic of my 1974 Kawasaki Z1, rebuild in progress.

[inline4]

I'm rebuilding (not restoring) a 1974 Kawasaki Z1A (KZ900/1000).
I'll post a pic of how it sits right now, then later today I'll post all the details.

[drgibson]

Looks clean, good start.

[palanon]

Delicious. Nothing like race winning old school bikes. I would love to own a nice Z1. They were all that and a bag o nuts!!!

Welcome, and post more pics as you go.

[inline4]

I'll try to remember all that I've done to her so far.
First off, the bike was given to me by a friend. The bike had been totally and completely thrashed, then left outside unprotected from the elements for more than 10 years. A real rust bucket.
I completely dis-assembled every item on her. I took the frame and had it sandblasted and powdercoated a smokey chrome color. The front end is a complete unit from a ZX11C. Adapting it to the Z1 frame was a lot easier than I thought it would be.
The rear end consists of a boxed aluminum swingarm from a Suzuki GS1100E. I chose that arm because it is 2" longer, allows the use of a 160 or 180 tire and is much sturdier than the oem Kaw arm, plus it looks cool as hell! The rear wheel is from a 1988 GSXR1100 along with Katana brakes.
The piggyback shocks were custom made by Wilbers USA. You will notice though, that the decal on the shocks says YSS Racing. A former engineer from Wilbers started his own company so that he could offer quality shocks at a good price. (They are manufactured in Thailand). Fwiw, they cost me $500 for the pair) As far as the engine goes, it is a very streetable 1015cc (originally 903cc), with 10.25:1 Wiseco pistons. The cams are D-grind units by Kenny Harmon.
I found a "Kerker For Kawasaki" 4-into-1 unit for a great price, then sent it to BCD Coatings in east Tennessee to have it ceramic coated. For those of you that haven't seen a ceramic coated exhaust, let me tell you...................It is worth EVERY cent!
I also have a complete Dyna S ignition system complete with coils and wires for her. I have pretty much replaced all the electrics as well, like both handlebar switches, main wiring harness, relays, rectifier/regulator, etc.
I plan on painting it a silvery pewter color (the same color as the 2000-2003 Nissan Maximas you see often) with bright red KAWASAKI decals on it.
There are some things that I have left out, I'm sure. BUT....................Once this baby is finished I think I'll have a very nice, one-of-a-kind scooter. No it won't outrun all the repli-racers out there today, but I bet it will get a lot more attention at bike night!
Sorry, I don't mean to come off as arrogant or snobbish, but this project has been 4 years in the making and I have spent a helluva lot of money on her. A rebuild like this is something I've always wanted to do.
Hopefully I haven't bored any of you. Perhaps I might have even inspired some of you to build yourself a vintage Japanese motorcycle.

[650Doug]

Looks very cool so far. Can't wait to watch the progression and completion.

[Kodatech]

VERY clean. It will look awesome with the modern wheels and tires. Keep the pictures updated!!!!

[kay]

Oh that is so cool!
Can't wait to see the completed Z1!

In those days, there was an engine size restriction here in Japan and the largest you could go was 750cc. So Kawi introduced a 750cc version of the Z1 and it was called Z2. There's still quite a big number of people who like this bike and in fact, my current Kawi is a 2002 replica of Z2 back in the 1970's.

I'd love to own a real Z1 or Z2 but they're just way over me regarding maintenance and price.