I am 66 years old, and started riding at 17. Only 2 Kawasaki Z1 900 ever made it to our country............by individual importers. Later, the Kawasaki dealer brought in a handful of the KZ 1000s. At that time, two-stroke machines were still ruling the roost, and the Honda CB 125, 175 & 350 were no match for them. I can never forget the sound of the starter-motor tumbling the Z1 engine, and its coming to life was unique, unlike any other bike at the time...............in the days of kick-starts ! In my Third-World country, by and large, the public do not like motorcycles. There is only a Yamaha dealer (Indian models) , and a tiny Suzuki (Colombian models) dealer. Most of the bikes on the road are individually imported, the owners buying replacement parts online. Looking at restored and unrestored Z1s on TH-cam still fills me with awe. No other bike had an impact on the motorcycle world as the Z1. Trinidad & Tobago, West Indies.
Even the people at Kawasaki had no idea how iconic this motorcycle would become. Forty-five years later bike builders are creating modernized versions of this bike. Amazing engineering for the slide rule era.
I remember hearing my first Z1 rumbling from outside a MC shop in Detroit about 35 yr ago. I was inside the building and this thing sounded super SIKK but i could not see what it was. I asked the mechanic what it was coming in that sounded so badass; he said, that's a Z1. Had an old Kerker 4 into 1 out the RH side. It wasn't the fastest thing 35 yr ago compared to some of the Hondas, Yamaha's, Kawasaki's and Suzukis of the mid 1980's, but it wasn't far behind either.... It's a timeless legend. Thx for sharing this vid
I purchased my first Z1 in 1974 while in college for four years I never lost a street race. Ended up putting a windjammer fairing on it so I could do long cross countries without fatigue. Best motorcycle I’ve ever owned. Have gone through a dozen motorcycles since then, but nothing gives me the thrill of the z1900. at 70 years of age now those are some of my fondest memories
Dad bought his Rootbeer / Orange '73 new and still has it to this day with 1,700 original miles sitting on its factory Dunlops. I was 3 when he brought it home for the first time and went from riding on the back to riding it myself. When you hammer the throttle, you tuck in your knees and hold on!
I used to drag race. My old Z1 set quarter mile records that were retired to the record books. My dad put a turbo charger on it that was the size of what you might put on a V8 small block chevy. It ran low eight second quarters at a little over a hundred and sixty miles per hour. Shows you how tough those motors were made.
My dad bought me a 1976 kz 900 w 3000 miles on it when i was 14 . It took me a year and a half to get warmed up. For the next four years i rode that bike wide open where ever i went. And it was undefeated. I raced the ninja when it came out and smoked that too. Nobody believed me But the guy on the ninja never forgot.
"Nothing will ever be attempted if all objections must first be overcome." - Samuel Johnson A reasonable man might imagine all the things that could go wrong, and never risk failure or humiliation. But great feats, like this one, belong to unreasonable men. Most excellent history, Kawasaki!
Pops Yoshimura and his guys played an important role in this effort, and they originally raced Z-1s in AMA Superbike. If Kawasaki ever returns to MotoAmerica I'd love to see them again working with Yoshimura R&D. 💚 🏁 🏆
Yes, i think so. Listen to the high idling, the high rev while ideling at 9:10 an then you have an idea what kind of camshaft was rotating in the head to reach 163 milens/hour.
Had my Z1R since 86... Moriwaki parts give 124 bhp ...and it sings down the road like the Engineering Masterpiece that it is. Watched this on VHS many times. Wish I could have been there 😊
My two favorite motorcycles I owned were a 1974 Z1-B, and a 1985 Ninja 900. The Ninja would blow the doors off the Z-1, and out-handle it 3 to 1 on a curvy road. I put over 60,000 miles on each one while I owned them. If I could have either one of them again, I'd take the Z-1 in a second. I started with a 4-into 1 Hooker header, then changed it to a 4-into-1 Kerker with a race baffle. There is still not a motorcycle made than sounded as good as that Z-1. Like the video said, it sounded like a F1 car when you had it wound up.
I had a1976 z nine not as iconic as the z1b but I still loved it. I had a kerker on mine what a sound. The down pipes rusted pretty quick so I took it off before I sold the bike (l think I put on a crappy alpha) anyway I bought a new gpz 1100b2 painted the kerker matt black and lobbed it on the gpz, great sound.
1975 Z1 winning performance 4-1 headers , electronic ignition, Koni suspension , hi ignition coils , rejetted calibrated carbs. 12 sec @ 117 MPH . Missed second once and watched the tach needle bounce off the stop. I thought I blew the engine. It never missed a beat . That is a testimony to good manufacturing and quality control. The Japanese blew USA away .
Yep i owned one, rode it all the time, painted it dark blue, drag raced it, then sold it to somebody i didn’t even know, should of keep it, because you can’t find one affordable anymore, Kawasaki could sell brand new air cooled ones. The 1970’s were a blast!
I have a a 74 z1 with a kz 1000 j motor with 38 mm carbs kerker header straight bar with only a speedometer moved key switch down on left side of frame did a custom hotrod look no emblems Bike runs awesome No bike has the sound of a Kawasaki z1 / kz bikes with a kerker header they sound bad ass
I did a ground up rebuild on my 75 z1 a year ago "tuesday" is now a 1075 with smoothbore carbs on it , kerker , rebuilt speedo & tack from the best doing it, Bob's ,all he rebuilds is z1's & kz instruments / tank lined from fuel tank services in Florida / to be a 75 dam its fast / had this bike since 89 , alot of parts from z1enterpize, redline kawasaki parts , bucannans did a 16 inch rear rim & laced it with button spoke out, new front rim as well , just gonna cruise
Back in the day when a crash helmet was a bucket with a slot... Mine was a Kangol back in 1976.. The Z1 900 for me is one of the best looking bikes ever..
Very reliable, but very early ones would spit a shim if you missed a shift at RPM because it had a recess at the top of the over-the bucket large shim which they corrected and they got rid of chain oiler system on a huge 630 endless chain-,NO MASTER LINK like the record bike- you had to remove swing arm to replace it- EX KAWASAKI TECH
Great bikes the first 4 models , Z1 , Z1A , Z1B & Z900 .. then someone at KHI decided to cut out the great paint-jobs starting with the 1976 Z900 then the same Mook decided the worlds best exhaust system had to go on the Z1000 , this was beginning of the end , lots us went onto GS1000’s & then GSX1100’s which won everything in production racing while Kawasaki wallowed in what could have been.
No power tools?? Damn boy . But those bikes where so insane they scared me. I had a 650 that was pretty fsst. But a 1000 was insane. I never got to the end of its power
55 now, still own my 74 Z1A that I bought when I was 17, Still rides as good as she ever did. Other Bikes come and go but I would never let my Z1 go !
let the good times roll...😎
I am 66 years old, and started riding at 17. Only 2 Kawasaki Z1 900 ever made it to our country............by individual importers. Later, the Kawasaki dealer brought in a handful of the KZ 1000s.
At that time, two-stroke machines were still ruling the roost, and the Honda CB 125, 175 & 350 were no match for them.
I can never forget the sound of the starter-motor tumbling the Z1 engine, and its coming to life was unique, unlike any other bike at the time...............in the days of kick-starts !
In my Third-World country, by and large, the public do not like motorcycles. There is only a Yamaha dealer (Indian models) , and a tiny Suzuki (Colombian models) dealer. Most of the bikes on the road are individually imported, the owners buying replacement parts online.
Looking at restored and unrestored Z1s on TH-cam still fills me with awe. No other bike had an impact on the motorcycle world as the Z1.
Trinidad & Tobago, West Indies.
I am restoring a 76 kz900....totally awesome bike...ageless and timeless....KAWASAKI is #1!
Completely agree! two of my ublcles had Z1 or KZs, I am still in love with the sound of them using a Yoshimura pipe!
Where can I find parts?
I love this film and Kawasaki bikes! So many amazing people involved. What a time.
Even the people at Kawasaki had no idea how iconic this motorcycle would become. Forty-five years later bike builders are creating modernized versions of this bike. Amazing engineering for the slide rule era.
State of Art from the 70's
I remember hearing my first Z1 rumbling from outside a MC shop in Detroit about 35 yr ago. I was inside the building and this thing sounded super SIKK but i could not see what it was. I asked the mechanic what it was coming in that sounded so badass; he said, that's a Z1. Had an old Kerker 4 into 1 out the RH side. It wasn't the fastest thing 35 yr ago compared to some of the Hondas, Yamaha's, Kawasaki's and Suzukis of the mid 1980's, but it wasn't far behind either.... It's a timeless legend. Thx for sharing this vid
Thnx for sharing !
As of today, nothing inspires me more than the singing valve train plus throaty exhaust notes of those mighty Kawasaki engines. Really. Nothing.
I'll tip my hat to you , sir .....
I purchased my first Z1 in 1974 while in college for four years I never lost a street race. Ended up putting a windjammer fairing on it so I could do long cross countries without fatigue. Best motorcycle I’ve ever owned. Have gone through a dozen motorcycles since then, but nothing gives me the thrill of the z1900. at 70 years of age now those are some of my fondest memories
I had an 80 GPZ 550, an 82 KZ 750, and now 24 Z900 rs se.
Kawasaki motorcycles 🏍️ let the good times roll 🏁
Amazing video, awesome job. Even after all those years Kawasaki can make me dream. Kawasaki : I love you. As simple as that.👍👍
Dad bought his Rootbeer / Orange '73 new and still has it to this day with 1,700 original miles sitting on its factory Dunlops. I was 3 when he brought it home for the first time and went from riding on the back to riding it myself. When you hammer the throttle, you tuck in your knees and hold on!
I used to drag race. My old Z1 set quarter mile records that were retired to the record books. My dad put a turbo charger on it that was the size of what you might put on a V8 small block chevy. It ran low eight second quarters at a little over a hundred and sixty miles per hour. Shows you how tough those motors were made.
@@wadejacoby8411 did That happen to be a Rajay Turbo?
My uncle still has his green 1975 KZ900 that he bought new in 75. I was 5yrs and still remember the day he came over to our house with it.
Beautiful film. Thanks for posting x
My dad bought me a 1976 kz 900 w 3000 miles on it when i was 14 .
It took me a year and a half to get warmed up. For the next four years i rode that bike wide open where ever i went. And it was undefeated. I raced the ninja when it came out and smoked that too.
Nobody believed me
But the guy on the ninja never forgot.
"Nothing will ever be attempted if all objections must first be overcome."
- Samuel Johnson
A reasonable man might imagine all the things that could go wrong, and never risk failure or humiliation. But great feats, like this one, belong to unreasonable men. Most excellent history, Kawasaki!
Pops Yoshimura and his guys played an important role in this effort, and they originally raced Z-1s in AMA Superbike. If Kawasaki ever returns to MotoAmerica I'd love to see them again working with Yoshimura R&D.
💚 🏁 🏆
Yes, i think so. Listen to the high idling, the high rev while ideling at 9:10 an then you have an idea what kind of camshaft was rotating in the head to reach 163 milens/hour.
Legends! 🙏
Had my Z1R since 86... Moriwaki parts give 124 bhp ...and it sings down the road like the Engineering Masterpiece that it is.
Watched this on VHS many times.
Wish I could have been there 😊
Bad ass engine sound with the header and the Kaw performance and looks, is the hook 4 me!
My two favorite motorcycles I owned were a 1974 Z1-B, and a 1985 Ninja 900. The Ninja would blow the doors off the Z-1, and out-handle it 3 to 1 on a curvy road. I put over 60,000 miles on each one while I owned them. If I could have either one of them again, I'd take the Z-1 in a second. I started with a 4-into 1 Hooker header, then changed it to a 4-into-1 Kerker with a race baffle. There is still not a motorcycle made than sounded as good as that Z-1. Like the video said, it sounded like a F1 car when you had it wound up.
Yep..
@john thonig Mine was burgundy with red trim
I had a1976 z nine not as iconic as the z1b but I still loved it. I had a kerker on mine what a sound. The down pipes rusted pretty quick so I took it off before I sold the bike (l think I put on a crappy alpha) anyway I bought a new gpz 1100b2 painted the kerker matt black and lobbed it on the gpz, great sound.
1975 Z1 winning performance 4-1 headers , electronic ignition, Koni suspension , hi ignition coils , rejetted calibrated carbs. 12 sec @ 117 MPH . Missed second once and watched the tach needle bounce off the stop. I thought I blew the engine. It never missed a beat . That is a testimony to good manufacturing and quality control. The Japanese blew USA away .
Most fun and best bike i ever owned.
Yep i owned one, rode it all the time, painted it dark blue, drag raced it, then sold it to somebody i didn’t even know, should of keep it, because you can’t find one affordable anymore, Kawasaki could sell brand new air cooled ones. The 1970’s were a blast!
The 70s were great years. I had a 1978 Z1000. I really regret selling it.
I remember when one of the big kids on my block bought a z1, we couldn't believe how tall the engine was compared to all the 2 strokes running around!
Fascinating video to watch I wonder where them three Z1 are now ??? 🤔 💚
I have a a 74 z1 with a kz 1000 j motor with 38 mm carbs kerker header straight bar with only a speedometer moved key switch down on left side of frame did a custom hotrod look no emblems
Bike runs awesome
No bike has the sound of a Kawasaki z1 / kz bikes with a kerker header they sound bad ass
Z1 Legend and 750 h 2 triple
I had a 1975...a beast at the time. I bought it in 1978...added a Russ Collins header...stacks and it degreed.
The n 1 in all time
How I survived that bike I’ll never know.
Sure was fun!
They was the days. When Men was Men and the women were glad of it x
RIP Yvon Duhamel.
That bikell run wide open till the end of time
I did a ground up rebuild on my 75 z1 a year ago "tuesday" is now a 1075 with smoothbore carbs on it , kerker , rebuilt speedo & tack from the best doing it, Bob's ,all he rebuilds is z1's & kz instruments / tank lined from fuel tank services in Florida / to be a 75 dam its fast / had this bike since 89 , alot of parts from z1enterpize, redline kawasaki parts , bucannans did a 16 inch rear rim & laced it with button spoke out, new front rim as well , just gonna cruise
Back in the day when a crash helmet was a bucket with a slot...
Mine was a Kangol back in 1976..
The Z1 900 for me is one of the best looking bikes ever..
Me too...Kangol Kestrel...looked like the Bell Star I couldn't afford.😊
Very reliable, but very early ones would spit a shim if you missed a shift at RPM because it had a recess at the top of the over-the bucket large shim which they corrected and they got rid of chain oiler system on a huge 630 endless chain-,NO MASTER LINK like the record bike- you had to remove swing arm to replace it- EX KAWASAKI TECH
Just bought a Z900rs cafe!
Great bikes the first 4 models , Z1 , Z1A , Z1B & Z900 .. then someone at KHI decided to cut out the great paint-jobs starting with the 1976 Z900 then the same Mook decided the worlds best exhaust system had to go on the Z1000 , this was beginning of the end , lots us went onto GS1000’s & then GSX1100’s which won everything in production racing while Kawasaki wallowed in what could have been.
New York Steak.
I have a Kawasaki Z2 750. Made in Japan only. Imported to the US by my great uncle (military).
Dang. To have the first version of this bike that Honda beat them to is amazing! Congratulations on your find!
Ah the 70s when making films in colour was still new, now people can fly in powersuits.
Are those bikes in a museum somewhere?
King Kong of superbikes !
06:28
How come this Z1 900 van do 170 mph and the one 's sold to the public can only do 135 ? Was this motorcycle modified ?
I have a 74 z1, never rode one. Tomorrow afternoon I'll put a plate on it, see what the fuss is about 😁
BE SAFE
Where do you get parts
fk -thats fkin fast
Quarto...
That rider is fn pissed i would be.
H2 with denco upgrade was faster.
Second
First
No power tools?? Damn boy . But those bikes where so insane they scared me. I had a 650 that was pretty fsst. But a 1000 was insane. I never got to the end of its power
ooohhhhhyes