I own a 1976 Kawasaki Z2 750 that was imported into the US by my great uncle who was stationed in Asia the 70s/80s. It’s been in the family ever since. We had no idea the Z2s were so rare!
Wow, what a rare beauty .My late cousin Cindy Smith was married to author and motorcycle restorer Stephen Wright who worked for actor Steve McQueen's company. Solar Productions. Stephen met McQueen at a sidecar race in California and ended up working for him .Stephen told me numerous stories about the importance of documenting the motorcycles history, parts ,etc.. I remember him showing me one side of the shipping crate for a rare Yamaha road racer he was restoring and telling me he would buy anything and everything that authenticated the history of the MC he was restoring ,etc... RIP Cindy ,Stephen and Steve. We miss you all.
I too bought a 1973 model. Found a shop in southern Ontario that actually let people take the 900 for a test ride. I was 16, maybe 17 and took a test ride. 15 minutes after the test ride I bought the bike. No regrets other than the fact I no longer own the beast. On positive note, I am still riding 15-20 000km/year. 😊
Years ago I had a 77 GS 750 Susuki, the airbox was removed and it had a 4into 1 exhaust, I wonder which bike was faster stock, this or the GS 750 considering the bikes were very similar DOHC, ect.
Old timer here from this era. While you may be impressed by the look, feel or sound. These bikes sucked for handling and predictability under performance. ALL brands did. Just as the Pony cars of 1963/1966 with the massive engines crammed into bodies that didnt have the brakes , suspension, or rigidity to handle them. Again, great at the time. but if you ride anything newer then 1994-95 the ZX7's were a whole decimal point better. Again, nice retro bike, but NEVER expect it to feel like a newer one. It wont. They wallow in rough uneven turns, slide out unpredictably and generally require a muscular riding style to force the bike were you want to go when street racing, or in the mountains twisties. I worked at an auto scrap yard and sadly nowadays i vividly remember disassembling and scrapping EVERY single baddazz musclecar and motorcycle ever made... Seriously, if i told you the stuff i remember you would cry inside.
The Z1 and Z2 are 2 of the most beautiful bikes ever made. Over engineered to the enth degree, you can put 100,000 miles on one of those bikes, and she'll be just about run-in! Glorious! 🥰😍😘
You can't talk about the Honda/Kawasaki UJM rivalry without mentioning the GS line which is just as good and you just did. Your biases are showing. The CB line was first and improved steadily as the 70s went along. It was not inferior to the Z1. The Z1 was the first UJM to reach 900cc. That's the ONLY thing that's special about it. Anything else is a lie. UJMs from year to year and brand to brand were more or less the same.
I disagree, the CB750 was SOHC, the Z1 was DOHC and that's what made it more significant. It wasn't just about the engine size. Fair point about the GS, they are an excellent range of machines.
@kevinclayton4491 the only thing we disagree about is the importance of DOHC. You can do 120 MPH + without it. How fast do you want to die? Motorcycles in America have been too fast for 50 years and I have dead friends to prove it. 16k RPM belongs at the TRACK!
@@wsbill14224 DOHC is not just about power but efficiency. I realise that in the early days it was who had the fastest/most powerful/best but the DOHC engine design has more scope to improve - easier to get more valves per cylinder etc. That meant development of better engines in the long run.
@kevinclayton4491 agreed but they're not needed. The GS series was all a bike ever needed to be and it's 2 valves per cyl. The GPZ 550 and 750 were great bikes too. Street bikes crossed into overdesigned territory a long time ago in my opinion. Motorcycles were never meant to be complicated. That's part of their overall beauty and greatness and identity. After transistorized ignition and anti dive forks the new stuff is best left on the track I like to keep it simple. 5 figures for a dirt bike is insane!
I own a 1976 Kawasaki Z2 750 that was imported into the US by my great uncle who was stationed in Asia the 70s/80s. It’s been in the family ever since. We had no idea the Z2s were so rare!
Wow, what a rare beauty .My late cousin Cindy Smith was married to author and motorcycle restorer Stephen Wright who worked for actor Steve McQueen's company. Solar Productions. Stephen met McQueen at a sidecar race in California and ended up working for him .Stephen told me numerous stories about the importance of documenting the motorcycles history, parts ,etc.. I remember him showing me one side of the shipping crate for a rare Yamaha road racer he was restoring and telling me he would buy anything and everything that authenticated the history of the MC he was restoring ,etc... RIP Cindy ,Stephen and Steve. We miss you all.
My uncle bought a brand new Z1 900 in 73 . He died and the family wouldn't sell it to nobody. Sadly the Z1 died from rust and greed....
I too bought a 1973 model. Found a shop in southern Ontario that actually let people take the 900 for a test ride. I was 16, maybe 17 and took a test ride. 15 minutes after the test ride I bought the bike. No regrets other than the fact I no longer own the beast. On positive note, I am still riding 15-20 000km/year. 😊
Jonny's vintage motorcycle. Specialist in Kawasaki.
Such a beautiful amazing bike!! Thank you for sharing!
My grandfather owned a (1974) Z1-900 it was the only one is Nepal at that time .❤
I had a Z1 900 in a KZ 650 frame , she was a RUNNER!
I had a Z2. Was brought here by a US servicemen from Japan
Had no clue what it was worth. Bought that not running and a KZ900 running for$1800. 😢
It's a shame you didn't have any close up walkaround shots of the bike 🤔
Admire your passion and love your channel.
Nice 👍
Years ago I had a 77 GS 750 Susuki, the airbox was removed and it had a 4into 1 exhaust, I wonder which bike was faster stock, this or the GS 750 considering the bikes were very similar DOHC, ect.
Stock Z1 was faster.
Whatever happened with the mecum bike?
MEKUM learnt something I always thought it was MEcum TA!!
Old timer here from this era. While you may be impressed by the look, feel or sound. These bikes sucked for handling and predictability under performance. ALL brands did. Just as the Pony cars of 1963/1966 with the massive engines crammed into bodies that didnt have the brakes , suspension, or rigidity to handle them. Again, great at the time. but if you ride anything newer then 1994-95 the ZX7's were a whole decimal point better. Again, nice retro bike, but NEVER expect it to feel like a newer one. It wont. They wallow in rough uneven turns, slide out unpredictably and generally require a muscular riding style to force the bike were you want to go when street racing, or in the mountains twisties. I worked at an auto scrap yard and sadly nowadays i vividly remember disassembling and scrapping EVERY single baddazz musclecar and motorcycle ever made... Seriously, if i told you the stuff i remember you would cry inside.
I owned a 1978 KZ 1000LTD paid $650 for it from my snap on tool dealer
Where’s the Kawasaki expert from Japan. I would only have Kawasaki factory to verify authenticity
They might not even be alive. There are many people that probably know as much about them as a Kawasaki guy from Japan
Put a bit of timber on there dude. Been pumping iron?
badass Bike should of been 2 stroke lol
4 stroke is better than 2 stroke.
Kawi sure had the top tier 2 strokes, 550 and 750 triples. Without question, legendary, just like big KZs.
The Z1 and Z2 are 2 of the most beautiful bikes ever made.
Over engineered to the enth degree, you can put 100,000 miles on one of those bikes, and she'll be just about run-in!
Glorious! 🥰😍😘
"Over engineered"?
Except frame, suspension and brakes...
@@kwakithailand 🤣
Over engineered yes, but for its time 50 plus years ago. You obviously can’t look at it any other way.
You can't talk about the Honda/Kawasaki UJM rivalry without mentioning the GS line which is just as good and you just did. Your biases are showing. The CB line was first and improved steadily as the 70s went along. It was not inferior to the Z1. The Z1 was the first UJM to reach 900cc. That's the ONLY thing that's special about it. Anything else is a lie. UJMs from year to year and brand to brand were more or less the same.
I disagree, the CB750 was SOHC, the Z1 was DOHC and that's what made it more significant. It wasn't just about the engine size. Fair point about the GS, they are an excellent range of machines.
@kevinclayton4491 the only thing we disagree about is the importance of DOHC. You can do 120 MPH + without it. How fast do you want to die? Motorcycles in America have been too fast for 50 years and I have dead friends to prove it. 16k RPM belongs at the TRACK!
@@wsbill14224 DOHC is not just about power but efficiency. I realise that in the early days it was who had the fastest/most powerful/best but the DOHC engine design has more scope to improve - easier to get more valves per cylinder etc. That meant development of better engines in the long run.
@kevinclayton4491 agreed but they're not needed. The GS series was all a bike ever needed to be and it's 2 valves per cyl. The GPZ 550 and 750 were great bikes too. Street bikes crossed into overdesigned territory a long time ago in my opinion. Motorcycles were never meant to be complicated. That's part of their overall beauty and greatness and identity. After transistorized ignition and anti dive forks the new stuff is best left on the track I like to keep it simple. 5 figures for a dirt bike is insane!