Topic: This year a good reason to drain the wallet! 50 years and Z1-900 look good

[PeWe]

New Kawasaki Z900 RS 50th Anniversary Edition cost less than the real old thing in mint condition!

This video is very tempting! Will this model become a collectors bike?

[MauiK3]

Maybe in 50 years!
I'm not sure how I feel about the fuel tank looking a bit bulbous right behind the steering neck, it seems a little disconnected (visually). The original tank blends in a bit better. Otherwise, of course it's a "better motorcycle" when looked at from a modern features angle. You do get more for your money in a modern motorcycle, just like HiFi equipment and TVs.

[Stev-o]

Still a great looking bike!  But I"ll keep my "original" one...

Per - you should buy it, you know you want one!!

[PeWe]

The original look better, but this bike look good for a modern bike!

The Honda CB1100 did not have any old look in it as this Z1-900 has.

Yes, I want one!
But my small garage is full and I need to sell a CB750 or 2 before.
I do not want to make that swap right now even if the video really make me to want one right now!!

[MauiK3]

I kind of like the CB1100, again, the tank shape could be better on that one too.

[PeWe]

The modified CB1100 look really nice. Tank and sidecover in CB750 SOHC style with 4-4.
I'm sure I should like it as stock too.

[RAFster122s]

Well, if you bought it before you sold the bike then maybe if you were allowed to and had room to put a small storage shed in the back yard...
Easy and fast way to do it is 20 ft highbay (9.5 feet tall) connex container, then add foam insulation to outside and attach exterior sheathing to make it look like a built up building. Put a sloped roof or leave it flat, whichever you prefer but insulate it a bit more than your walls. If you slope it then you could install an attic storage are and use heavy plastic to stop any insulation falling issues or thin hardboard on underside of insulation.  Expanding foam insulation can be used if you get a good company that knows what they are doing if the R-value is high enough.
The 9.5 foot connex allows you to put a mezzanine style storage shelving around perimeter for parts storage, Christmas decorations, things you need infrequently. Mount your LED strip lights near the edge of the underside of those perimeter shelving and you have great lighting on benches or tools along outside of connex and good lighting for work area for lift in center.
IR heat lamps will warm your tools and you and they are efficient. Insulate the floor too...to minimize cold getting sucked out of you and lower heating costs. Anti-fatigue rubber mats is a nice way to do this as well...
Amazing the difference you feel if you take a 1" piece of blue or pink foam insulation board throw a layer of cardboard over it and the concrete floor of a garage or unheated space no longer sucks the heat out of your body. If you need to work on the floor beneath a vehicle, bigger sheet can do the same thing.
If you want to make it more durable/long lasting then glue a layer of 3mm/ 1/8" hardboard to both sides of the foam board and it becomes nearly indestructible for standing or working on, just much heavier...

[PeWe]

Use a 20 foot container as a shed/garage has been an idea if moving  to another place. Bikes with parts and tools in the container that will be rebuilt with insulation and vent after arrival.
There are companies around here that rebuild 20 or 40 foot containers to sheds, homes and more.

Not space for a container here

[Terry in Australia]

Why bother? I've seen this bike on various other sites and the FB Z1 pages, but to me it's just a cynical marketing ploy from Kawasaki's advertising executives to extract money from gullible folks by building a modern bike and painting it to look just a tad like a Z1.

They do this every 20 years or so, remember the "Zephyr"? They were a lot closer to the original design brief as they had a similar air cooled DOHC engine with carbs, but once again, they weren't Z1's, and nowadays they're mostly forgotten. Then there were the Z900's of only a few years ago where Kawasaki made a 4 pipe example of the predecessor of this thing, and painted it in "Kawasaki Green" colours.

This bike is probably a great bike in it's own right, let down by an embarrassingly kitschy marketing campaign. I'm sure that Kawasaki is hoping for a buying frenzy to match the excitement of the release of the original Z1, but that aint gonna happen until Kawasaki comes out with a world beater, like the original Z1 was. Pretty hard to do when all of the "Big 4" have pretty much exploited the limits of the infernal combustion engine, and electric bikes appear to be our future, sadly.

[PeWe]

A perfect replica of the real Z1-900 would be better!
The worst handling issues improved.
New parts fits the old and vice versa

[Terry in Australia]

That would be fantastic Per. Seriously, a new Z1 using the old block and internals which were good for at least double the Z1's original BHP and torque. EFI and electronic ignition, the swingarm off the Kenny Roberts replica bikes, better conventional forks (not upside down forks thanks...) with better brakes, alloy wheels like the Z1R's, or modern spoked wheels, but with slightly wider tubeless 18/19 inch tyres, but the original tank, seat, sidecovers, fenders, and of course that iconic, oft copied but never bettered, sexy ducktail.

That would be close enough to the real deal, and I would buy one, and it would be special. Just painting a modern bike a bit like a Z1 doesn't do it for me.......

[PeWe]

Fully agree with you Terry!

[MauiK3]

Yes, modern bikes, for the most part, look like movie props.

[Stev-o]

Why bother?

Terry - this bike is not for guys like us.   

It's for guys that just want to turn the key and go, not have to worry about if it will start or what maint it will need, everything will be under warranty.
A marketing ploy? Yes, of course it's marketing.  Nothing new about "retro vehicles", Honda did it with the CB1100, Indian, BMW and Triumph are also doing it! Why not Kawasaki?

https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/classic-cars/g34086613/retro-motorcycles/

[ekpent]

Why bother?

Terry - this bike is not for guys like us.   

It's for guys that just want to turn the key and go, not have to worry about if it will start or what maint it will need, everything will be under warranty.
A marketing ploy? Yes, of course it's marketing.  Nothing new about "retro vehicles", Honda did it with the CB1100, Indian, BMW and Triumph are also doing it! Why not Kawasaki?

https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/classic-cars/g34086613/retro-motorcycles/

Sounds good to me Steve !

[Terry in Australia]

Why bother?

Terry - this bike is not for guys like us.   

It's for guys that just want to turn the key and go, not have to worry about if it will start or what maint it will need, everything will be under warranty.
A marketing ploy? Yes, of course it's marketing.  Nothing new about "retro vehicles", Honda did it with the CB1100, Indian, BMW and Triumph are also doing it! Why not Kawasaki?

https://www.autoweek.com/car-life/classic-cars/g34086613/retro-motorcycles/

Definitely not for me Steve, looks like a good bike, but like the previous Honda's that you've listed (I disagree about Indian, BMW and Triumph) the marketing is tacky, and appeals to a certain demographic, you know, like the guys who ride "Yama-Harleys" and dress up like One Percenters.....

[RAFster122s]

PeWe, I say you find one and sit on it and spend some time going over it. It might scratch an itch, read reviews of it after it comes out, RevZilla, Motorcyclist, etc., etc. and if you like it  after all that, then discuss it with the wife and get her take on it. Have her see it in person with you after you have spent the time to go over it and check it out in detail. Think about what it will mean long term in your retirement nest egg. It is a 900cc bike so it should have healthy hp and torque. See if you can talk the dealers into a test ride...bring your insurance policy to show them your coverage. Not enough to just have a license. Ride your 750 or your billet block 750 to give them something to drool over and show them you take care of and have nice bikes in good shape, not beaten up dented up beaters. That would give me a better feeling about risking a bike with you. Here most won't give test rides because that can turn a new bike into a demo used bike. Talk with Kawasaki in your country to ask for a demo ride, they may have bikes you could ride.
Be persistent.
If you like it, buy one, it's your money and your bike to enjoy.

I bought a new street oriented adventure bike, VStrom 650 XT Touring as it was what I wanted and it gave me enough off-road performance for my limited riding of dirt and sand. Off-road riding and I wasn't part of my history. My parents even if they could afford it wouldn't have let me on a street bike. Honda 50 Trail 50 was my introduction to riding through a neighbor who had one and we rode it in his large yard.
I didn't ride while my kids were growing up and I started riding again when in Tucson from 05-08 and bought a Honda Passport for commuting to and from work and exploring on weekends. It gave me the bug again, picked up my 11/69 build (CS-90) S90 (former servicemen's order from Honda Japan to use while stationed there and bike ended up in Washington state before spending a couple years in TX as a CL90 like substitute riding in western Texas by the lady in El Paso I bought it from... Bought a rough project bike '65 CA95 Benly Touring 150 for $350 and then in Sierra Vista from 09-13 I bought a '78 CX500 and then another project '74 CB550. Tore down the CX motor to do quad bypass & some other reliability maintenance items before moving back to Tucson and didn't get it finished before the move in '19. I haven't hardly touched it since, it needs a respray of motor and I have everything to do the work now, just have to overcome my depression to get it restarted and done. Bought my VStrom in June '19 after the dealer got it in... Rode that summer & fall and since moving back to Tucson in late Oct '19.
So, don't let Terry and SteveO dictate your purchase.
She could be closer to the original sure but it is a retro-mod modern take with styling cues from the original. It has enough modern naked/street fighter to appeal to younger riders and hopefully the older riders might like it too and buy them too.

Very few true retro modern Std bikes like from the 70s...count them on one hand...

Honda has been creating uninspiring bikes like the CB1100 and the CB500(F/X/R) variants. Good motors but in case of the 1100 it was massively detuned from what most wanted when buying an 1100 or L bike and the styling didn't appeal to old 750 owners like many here unless you spent $3-4k more for the fenders, tank, side covers and whatever else made them more retro to Garner the live of 70s CB750 owners , past and present.
I liked the styling and wouldn't mind having one, but the CBR1000 is another or the CB900F...
There is a nice black CB1000 on BaT that is up to 4k already with 5 or 6 days left on auction. Probably a 9k or 10k final price, just swag on final price.


 

[PeWe]

I have soon 3 CB750 and I really want to ride them all.

My K2 stocker is nice to cruise around on like a scooter.
K6 now with 970cc runs better than ever and my last project will get 890cc, case bored to accept the 1005cc Billet block.
It will be interesting if I have got compression right on those pistons with the dedicated head.
Decide which cam and probably use VM29 carbs.  So, some nice rides to dial it in. Plan B is to give it TMR32 as my K6 has.

My wife like Indian since we visited a shop a couple if times. Last time looking at the Scouts.
 
If I should have been in order mode when photo was taken no problems!

[RAFster122s]

Your wife is a natural redhead. Most true redheads I know are far better than most all the bottled redheads (dyed). I like redheads a lot.
Hey, if you like the Indian and can afford it, then go for it.
Just need to install a hydraulic lift in the garage that will lift one of your 750s with enough room below it to park one of the other bikes in and out safely. Similar to 4 post lift for cars for high ceil garages to park a car beneath one lifted to maximize space.
In Tokyo it was common for condos to have parking spaces that had one car beneath the other in a pit for residents. It was pretty interesting I thought. The platform they parked one car on and I believe the other as well was made of steel with circular holes punched all over it in a grid...like many ramps I have seen.
The holes add strength and are raised and have a curved radians to the raised open part of the hole...

If you wanted to, and owned your house, you could put a pit style lift in a garage if you could find one. It would be like the ones that raise to elevate a vehicle but it would have a strong platform to park the second bike above it. The second bike couldn't be on the lift for 2.5 meter ceilings.
Putting the pit in wouldn't be a fun task to dig it out and pour the concrete walls and floor but doable with a small excavator bucket similar to a backhoe without the front part of the tractor with the front bucket.

[PeWe]

My garage is very narrow with not much floor space. Before installing shelves for parts and things, a car and not much more except open driver door.

Anyway, not often I like a new bike.  Most of them not for me. The newer Z1-900 and some Indians are exceptions.

[MauiK3]

My garage is pretty big but is used for many tasks.
1100 square feet
Two vehicles park in the front half.
Washing machine and some cabinets in the middle
Wood working and motorcycle work in the back half.
Floor space is used by bikes, large table saw, miter saw, drill press, dust collector, various tool shelves and a bunch of other stuff.
I am about to do some space saving changes so the Z1 will fit better when it’s done.

[Terry in Australia]

You should have bought that Indian Per, if not for you, for her!

[PeWe]

You should have bought that Indian Per, if not for you, for her!

Maybe, the color matched her toe nail color, typical summer!
I liked a Scout in matte black green color. Or maybe same but bluish. Different colors this year.
I could not resist to build one. I do not know how comfortable this bike is.
I test sat one Chieftain 2018 that felt nice.

[69cb750]

Kawasaki selling nostalgia -

[PeWe]

Nice video!