1979 Z1000 - Worth fixing up?

[Lobo]

Hi there!

I myself have been riding for about 8 months now on a lowly ZZR250. However the topic of this post is an old Z1000 mk 2 that dad has sitting in his garage.

Dad hasn't ridden for many years and it used to belong to a now deceased friend of his. While I am up visiting him I have started to become interested in the bike.

It is in poor condition, of that there is no doubt. I managed to actually start the thing for the first time in about 5 years. It ran suprisingly well.

My question is thus:
Is the bike worth fixing up? Dad seems to think it is worth little, however I think that perhaps with some TLC and care it could be worth something. The bike is pretty much all original except for the exhaust, but that aparently is lying around somewhere. The fact that the bike started was encouraging. It can't be ridden at the moment but, the back brake is stiff as a rock and the front brake seems to have a snapped cable. Not to mention it would need an oil and filter change and probably needs rust flushed out of the fuel tank.

Ontop of that there is quite a bit of surface rust all over the bike. I think the bike wouldn't take TOO much work to have looking respectable. What sort of value would it have? Its done 38,000km by the way.

Despite the possible value of the bike I am semi interested in riding it myself. It would be a fun upgrade when I am on my full licence

Anyway, any suggestions or advice would be great.

EDIT: Sorry title changed to 1979. According to the interwebs the Mk2 was 1979, and the manual is dated 1978 so it can't be 1975

[Strika]

I'd be grabbing hold of it and keeping it regardless of if you restore it or not. Bikes of this age are becoming harder and harder to find. It's going to be worth something in a few years...maybe even something substantial!

[robracer]

I owned one & they are not a bad bike, to restore it properly you would spend a small fortune, & a half arsed restoration would be the same but with a worse result, these bikes are not as valuable as the 900 so go in with your eyes open. I know where you can get the engine rebuilt, Scott Gittoes on the Central coast is a wizz with these motors, We were using one in the FE sidecar we were racing & he has some spares as well as contacts for parts, let me know if you want his details.

Edit: where is Gos .....Calling Gos...... he can give you the low down on value

Oh & welcome to KSRC

[Lobo]

Not as valuable as the 900's eh, being a higher number (1000 vs 900) I assumed they would be worth more. Thats a shame. But even if its worth very little I would be tempted to have it as a bike to own. I hadn't reaaaaly planned on doing a full engine rebuild. Sure one would be needed if I was doing a full restore but if I end up having it as a bike to ride, I think as long as the engine works I woouldn't want to rebuild it. And currently, for now anyway, the engine does work.
What are these bikes like to ride? For one, its a heavy bastard, and somewhat depressing that a modern day 600 supersport is actually more powerfull. (Not to mention half the weight)

[robracer]

Mate you will get arm pump they are heavy & don't steer too well but you get used to that ..... its an old bike after all

[Lobo]

One thing it does have is character, ill give it that.

[Strika]

Mate you will get arm pump they are heavy & don't steer too well but you get used to that ..... its an old bike after all

I actually found them to be quite alright on the road. Maybe on the track they could become a handful. They have skinny tyres, so steering them is a doddle, they actually turn OK and hold a line once cranked over. I'd still back a well ridden one against most average dicks on modern sports bikes!! I have sampled one of Gos' unique creations....."The Black Pearl" is certainly not standard, but it ain't high end either and it goes, stops and steers well enough! I think Sawbs has taken a pic or two of me mid turn on the Pearl!! At the time. I think Gos was a little concerned....seeing someone else ride it like he does!!!

[Whickle]

Id keep it and just fix it up enough to ride.

I have a 1980 Z250A and a 1980 Z750 in the shed. The 250 needs a lot of work, but it is my first bike project. The 750 is near on complete and runs well. Needs a new clutch lever, cable and a few new bolts to hold the clutch/chain cover on.

Like you, i have a liking for the old school bikes and would be happy to invest time and "some" money into it for the joy of owning and riding them.

If your hearts in it, take it home with you and see what she needs done to get it on the road. Otherwise, you will make some money selling it whole or for parts.

[robracer]

I actually found them to be quite alright on the road. Maybe on the track they could become a handful.

I bought my Z1R including DJP sidecar then after fixing a starter sprag problem & turning it back into a solo, it was a shocker.... the front forks were shot
& she was a bit run down....... cost me $500 & sold it for $2000 so I was happy.

[z900/zx9]

Bikes of that vintage are pretty tough,personally i would drain the tank, Kreem it to eliminate rust.If it started pretty easy i wouldnt worry too much,the main thing that would be affected would be the valve stem seals.But just replace all the fluids and tyres take it for a couple of runs then assess what needs doing.These things will run & run & run.When i pulled my z900 down once the sleeves in the barrels just dropped out They had been moving up and down and had just about bashed there way through the head gasket.It was still running ok just really smokey.As for riding that style of bike they are a lot of fun and it will take you a while to master it but when you do wooo hooo.

[Lurch]

Grab it with both hands and dont let go.
Even if just move it from one shed to another.
It's an old kwaka. You say you got it running? Aight, well it hasnt gone bang yet. so no need to do too much there then.

[paul w]

I have a 1977 version in the shed at my parent's place. It's all there. I was thinking of selling the thing, sent in a post here to see what I could get, and the more I think about it, the more I want to stay with the bloody thing.

I mean, why not? It's 22 years old now, and like me, not getting any younger, so, like me, it should improve with age (!).
Yes, it's heavy (235kg) and power is only 85 horses, but still....it was enough then and it'll probably be enough now. In fact, it will be. I used it mostly for touring and it's got great torque and was wonderful on fuel...about 50mpg as an average. Good enough, I guess.

It's an old piece of shit compared to what you can get now, though...again, a bit like me, really. However, I still reckon it looks great (then again, I think I still look great), as I really like the curved tank (like a Z900's but wider), that you can see the engine, the four header pipes, the little ducktail...

The only issue I can see is replacing the rubber seals on the brakes, etc. Stuff that could...will deteriorate with time.

If it's going...why not keep it going?

[Gosling1]

......I mean, why not? It's 22 years old now, and like me, not getting any younger, so, like me, it should improve with age (!)......

clearly your maths is not improving with age !!

its 32 years old now. Not 22......although the last 10 years certainly seems to have flown past.......

Keep the Zed. What it probably is, is a Z1000A1. These were the models used in the first Mad Max movie. They are a great bike - first model with the rear disc brake. Parts are still available from a lot of suppliers. If the bodywork is all there, you have all the important bits already......

[paul w]

Yes, okay...maths was never my subject!

Wow, 32 years...it only seems like yesterday I was handing over the cash. And I binned the standard shocks on the way home...the best mod I ever did was fit roller bearings to the steering head. Made a fantastic difference.

Yeah, they are a classic-looking thing. I'd love to see one in the same design but with modern gear.

[Gosling1]

...... I'd love to see one in the same design but with modern gear.......

You may like these ones then ................ Old style Zeds with all modern running gear, but not too over-the-top. Tasty as buggery I reckon....