The MAM Journals - A very special Kawasaki Z1
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 มี.ค. 2024
- The Kawasaki Z1 is the bike that , as a young boy , triggered my lifelong passion for motorbikes. When Mark Bryan , from Iconic Auctioneers called me and asked if I would like to come and see one of the initial press bikes from 1972, I was delighted to do so.
In this video I go through the general specifications of the Z1 as well as the story behind this very special bike. The bike is scheduled to go to auction at the prestigious Shuttleworth Spring sale , an event we will be covering.
Definitely one for those that love their Japanese Classics!
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Very nice! I got Z1E-00015, matching frame and engine number, currently working on getting her in shape. ❤
An icon in motorcycling. I was lucky enough to own a 76 model. Riding one is an unforgettable experience and even if you grew up on a stable of post 2000 high capacity bikes don't pass on the chance to ride one if the chance ever comes your way.
It was this bike that got me into motorycles 50 yrs ago although was never in the financial to own one then or now had to make do with the z650.
Kawasaki were onto something with those ducktails swooping lines and classy paint jobs carried over from the two stroke triples as if there was a touch of influence from an italian design house they just looked stunning.
I had a Z900 back in the late 1970's. Even though I had it for only 2 years, before heading off overseas, the memory of riding that bike has stayed with me. It was as big and powerful as one could ever wish for, and deserved respect.
I never hooned on it, but toured, sometimes with a passenger. I'd prefer that bike now over ANY bike they are making these days.
I eventually ended up with a new Z750E, that turned out to be a fairly perfect motorbike.
Hi Russell , I love the older Japanese bikes but really like the new bikes as well . Technology has moved on so much . First to respect “each to their own” though ! Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment 👍
@@michaelmam What I like about older bikes was that they were all-rounders, rather than being targeted to sports or touring. Of course, that specialization became necessary for sales, competition, etc, but the simplicity of the Z900 range as do-everything bikes was appealling. These days, if I was thinking about a bike (I'm not), I'd go for a Royal Enfield or Triumph Bonneville.
Cheers!
Fabulous video Michael have to say your channel is by far my favourite because of your vast knowledge and your enthusiasm for all things motorbikes. Obviously i have never met you yet you come across as a person i would love to meet, not that my knowledge of bikes is anywhere near yours that's for sure.
Glad you enjoyed it Ian and thank you for your kind words . I am certainly enthusiastic about bikes but a long way from an expert . I am often “out and about” at various motorcycle related venues in the Oxfordshire , Warwickshire and Gloucestershire area . Our paths might cross at some point ?
very well made content - good on you
Thank you . I don’t claim to be an expert on these bikes but tried to include enough footage so that the real experts could have a proper look at it . Be interesting to see how it does at Auction , early next month. Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment .
Absolutely fascinating thanks Mike
Thank you Rob . Glad you enjoyed it 👍
I was fortunate to have owned a 76 900 LTD back in 1978. I road that bike every where.
The oval 'hole' above the ignition key is to put the black plastic 'loop' which came with the key to stop it flapping about, or at least that's what I used it for 😆 The price is extortionate for a non British one, whoever pays that 🤦🏻♂........ well, supply and demand I suppose 🤷🏻♂ Thanks for the vid Michael and I look forwrd to your review of the auction 👍🏼
😂 I think that is what the hole is actually for .. makes far more sense than putting a key in it !
The Iconic auction actually attracts buyers from across the world and not just the UK . I suspect the price will be determined by whether 2 of the global collectors decide they want one of the press bikes for their collection ? With the exchange rate against the dollar , a few bikes go there ..
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment 👍
My Z900 is in the garage until the Highways Agency fix the roads properly - Great show Mike
UK roads are in a bad way . Very sad . Glad you enjoyed the video . Thank you for taking the time to comment . 👍
Wow , that was quick Dave ! Thank you 👍
My kind of bike, I guess Dave Marsden of Z Power restored it Michael 🙂I do like the green slab side Suzuki GSXR behind it too and the Yamaha TDM 850, not seen one of those for years
@@m0ogy ahh , the bike is from Norway and was restored there…
The Skoal bike is interesting . I will cover it at the auction.
I think the TDM was one of the first with two balancer shafts but I am going out on a limb with that one 🤔😂
OK, so restored abroad , look forward to Skoal bandit, I have some awesome original photos from when Roger Marshall raced "The Beast" in the British Superbikes .The TDM was a bit of a game changer in 1991 when it was launched @@michaelmam
That room contained almost as many bikes as you own. Almost 😂 Had considered getting a mid 70's CB750, only issue was the availability of spare parts outside of the serviceable items. Went to the main Honda dealer, and they recommended online sellers and mentioned that they only repair bikes 15yrs old and newer. Watched some TH-cam vids and repairing these old bikes can be a money pit. So now, considering a RE EFI Classic 500. Really enjoyed another great educational upload
@@paulsire 😂.. such a great comment! I agree , I love 70’s “Superbikes” but keeping them up together can be both a money pit and a labour of love . Great to see them still about though . Part of our collective history .. 👍
In my opinion the greatest and most beautiful bike ever made
Yes , very special !
Couldn't agree more you nailed it
What an excellent video of an iconic machine, thoroughly researched and very informative. "Lucas", the princes of darkness had me in stitches. Well done Mike. 😀😀
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you Taff !
Great video Michael. Fascinating the bike is from Norway. They didn't have oil wealth in 1972 so I guess they did well to shift the 50 you mentioned. It would be nice to know how it was discovered. Certainly today a press bike is nothing special most are filtered to the market thru dealers without buyers knowing.
Thank you Richard . Great to hear from you . I think the oil crisis actually forced the distributor out of business and another took its place .
Like ypu , I would normally need some convincing that having a press bike was a good thing but I suspect the engine and frame numbers is what will potentially attract collectors . These early number bikes are well documented and mentioned by several of the real experts . We will see !
Look forward to catching up soon 👍
Great detail Michael, very interesting as ever!!
Thank you Nick . Glad you enjoyed it . 👍
Superb bike and video🙂
Thank you Michael for a great review. When I saw it, I thought you had taken it home! For people with real money, 50k is nothing, but those collectors of bikes and cars really are pushing the rest of us out of the hobby. I have owned 50 cars in my life, many of which may now be in a warehouse somewhere, out of the reach of regular gearheads. I no longer applaud big collections.
Fascinating and well-informed commentary. The Z1 emerged a year or so after I bought my shiny new blue 750 triple. Oh, btw @ 15:29 the hole in the dash is for the key fob, when the bike's on the move, not for the key when parked! Even affluent Z1 owners were not that keen to share their bike with strangers.
That explains why I couldn’t understand it 😂 Thank you .. 👍
@@michaelmam You're welcome. Isn't it irritating how on so many rider-perspective video reviews of modern bikes one is distracted by the key fob/luggage label/ bit of iridescent string flapping crazily around in the gale. Like so many useful features on bikes of yore, the idea was consigned to the bin. Ride safely.
great review
Thank you . 👍
Many thanks for taking the time to share this video of this wonderful iconic gem. I can tell you now that I definitely won’t be putting in a bid for it Michael due to the speedo reading in Kms rather than miles, yes I know it’s because it’s a Norwegian press bike. What a beautiful bike she is though and in the best possible iconic colour scheme. 🟫🟧 😊
Thank you Gary . Always great to hear from you . 👍
@@michaelmam
Looking forward to watching your video from the auction. Oh yeah! I forgot to say I won’t be bidding on the Z1 🟫🟧 because I can’t afford to. 😄
@@TheChrysler56 😂
Beauty bike. One has to love the old Kawasaki in line fours. I owned a 1986 Voyager 1200. I believe it had 97 HP and did 0-60 in 4.7 seconds, which was decent for a heavy, shaft drive cruiser.
Never ridden a Voyager . Sounds fun though !
Well done, Mike. See you at Shuttleworth. H
Look forward to catching up H . 👍
Beautiful bike. I have 2 of these early bikes frame nos 01345 and 01467 both being October 72. Both have all correct parts through out. One fully restored and one un restored but both Mint. Wonder what they might be worth???
@@mikekilbride need to ask the experts for that one .. I am sure a few of them have watched this video and may comment .
Greta Content.
Lovely bike, but lots of replica parts. I could list them but I hope the buyer takes someone with them who can point out all the non original parts. A totally, unrestored bike is always a better option than a restored bike like this one. You are just buyinmg the low numbers.
Thank you . I am not an expert but spotted a few as well. It is a very nice bike and restored sympathetically but felt it was important to point out that to buy bikes like these you need to be , or take the advice of an expert . Thanks for watching and commenting .
Unrestored yes I agree if you can get it I have two Z1s unrestored original both came from the US low mileage one near mint condition the bike in the video has a fake engine number 5 digit
Like your passion and the video but that engine number is fake it's 900009 stamped on it not 9009 and that's not real early 9009 would be March 73 the gauges have very early needles and it has early 72 carbs it's all over the place would have liked to see the frame number
Sorry Paul . I missed your comment .
I am enthusiastic about Z’s but careful not to suggest I am an expert . If in doubt , there were a couple of things I wasn’t entirely sure about , I defer to those that really know 👍
Its a nice bike. I guess hes just repeating what they told him........................all OME? You'd really need an expert and time to pull parts off and check all the numbers.
I agree . Bikes like this need an expert to check it over . I did notice a few parts that I thought were not OE but felt I should leave that to others rather than suggest I was giving an expert opinion . 👍
where is the Auction please.
Shuttleworth in Bedfordshire 👍
@@michaelmam Thank you.
Silly prices. I've been riding 51 years and had a CB750(sohc). The Z900(dohc) was a better engine. I did buy 1981 Z1000J, great in its day but these 4 cylinder air cooled bikes (UJM's) are overrated.
The “special” ones continue to rise but I do think the “riding” bike prices are beginning to drop after their covid peak and demographics .
Personally whilst I do really enjoy the classic Japanese bikes , I do accept that time is rarely kind on them . Performance , handling, brakes and tyres , have all moved on enormously . They were great in their day , and part of our collective biking heritage . Thanks for commenting . Always good to hear from you 👍
The big jump in engine performance and handling was the Kawasaki GPz 900R. Watercooled it was advertised alongside the aircooled GPZ1100 and GPZ 750 turbo at the same price. The 900 made them look like dinosaurs.😂
I love the z1 - the old 900 - it's the very reason I ride road bikes too (as Michael Mam states). But I admit you are correct. I had my (second to the z1) dream bike z1000r 1983 as my first road bike. It was quite disappointing.
I was used to dirtbikes ripping my arms out of their sockets, and I rode my brothers 1983 Katana 1100 - and was grinning from ear to ear. I'd perhaps get another z1000J, or 70s z1000A - but they would be quite modified $$$ to be worth riding. Now I ride a bandit 1200 mk1 and a ZRX1200S and I'm quite content (except the brakes on the bandit).
@@impalaSS65I love my ZRX too . In this video I , light heartedly , compare my ZRX and my Z900RS SE .. th-cam.com/video/AkQynl2UcNg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=ZpNXmbJWSb04LyQ3
@@michaelmam Thanks, I've actually seen that video =). I agree with you on most points about the ZRX1200. I think it's revving quick and plenty though. The brakes always performed better than I expected. The suspension keeps the bike in the direction I point it, even when I'm in a hurry - but my "hurry" is most likely a pedestrian pace, since I haven't noticed the weaknesses... =)
Anyhow, it's unlikely I will need more of anything.
I really enjoy the ZRX - it feels modern in performance and ergonomics - and it feels "Eddie Lawson" where I want it to!
I might go the way to turn it inot an R (from an S, even though the half fairing is extremely useful - extending the bike season with a few weeks), but if so - definitely with the green color scheme. As you say, it is much faster in green.
50k lol SOLD. Its a bike. Its just a bike. When people buy bikes for that money all they do is inflate the prices for everybody. That wants to buy a vintage bike
I know what you mean . I saw a Brough Superior go through the last auction at 250K !
The good news is that whilst the very rare or special ones are continuing to rise , I think the “riding” bikes are actually settling back down after the covid peak . 🤞
@michaelmam to me that z in the vid is no more than 20k. Especially if it's all been restored. Un-restored....origional condition in that shape or close to it I could se someone at 30k maybe. That's dollars and at some high roller auction tho in the USA. The provenance doesnt really mean much. It's not attached to a movie or anyone famous. But then the guy that buys this at auction 50k to him is probably like the average guys 5k. 😆 idk old bikes are cool but I couldn't imagine spending big money on one ever. (Thats just me tho)
We will know on the 7th of April 🤔 . Most of us are not buyers of bikes at these sort of prices but a minority are . They will set the price . Thanks again for watching and commenting . Always interesting to hear others views 👍
One could also say the Ford Mustang from the movie Bullitt, that sold for $3.7 Million in 2020, is (just a Mustang)...Just a car. Electric guitars, motorcycles, old cars, and other collectibles have all gone the way of which you're complaining about.
@worldrc51 they wouldn't if people didn't pay stupid money....trust me I have several vintage guitars. All of them are worth more than I paid for them by quite a lot now apparently. But those are just numbers in price guides. Guys with big money drive the prices...because the money doesn't matter to them. It's the thrill of winning that thing you always wanted as a broke youngster. And yea that 3.7 for mil for a mustang is crazy. More money than sense. You can do alot of good with 3.7 mill. Guy buys a mustang instead. Smh