1978 Kawasaki Z1R
10,259 miles
Rebuilt motor
$17,995 OBO
Grand Mound, IO
Seller
Relisted… Truely a good piece. Been in the business for 41yr and one of the nicest redo around. Not sure what’s wrong with selling on eBay… this would bring well into the 20s at Mecum etc..Restored from ground up. Motor from top to bottom has been rebuilt. Tank set has been repainted. All parts used were Oem and not repop. Bike has been started and gone through a few heat cycles. Been in a Kawasaki museum for the last 6yrs since the restoration. Only thing aftermarket is the muffler. Motor has been turned over on the first of the month since. Sat in museum with no fluids. Very very nicely done. Unique history… two owner… this bike was imported into Puerto Rico in 1978 and was the only z1r sold there. Imported into the states where the owner we bought it from has owned it since. Again this is very good restoration. Bike is welcome to sit as long as needed after the sale. Feel free to call or text with questions.
We have covered 8 of these ice blue Z1R’s over the past 15 years and they are always nice to see. Mike shared with RSBFS in 2021 that, “The 1977-1978 model Z1R was the last of the era before new hardware released in the 1980s. As such, these are the most evolved of the line, and represent the best of this fantastic model. The engine remained the stalwart inline four, air-cooled of course, and breathed through carbs and 2-valve heads. The stock exhaust was a 4-into-1 design, which bordered on hooliganism. Electric push-button starting was the new order of the day, but early Z1s included a vestige of the past in the form of a removable kick start pedal located under the seat (yes, we really have come that far). On the chassis side, the Z1R included additional bracing around the steering head, and introduced triple disks that were drilled for performance and lighter weight. The finishing touch was the bikini fairing, hinting at a key design element for the next decade.”
A commenter on BaT sums up the spirit of collecting these rare beauties when he says, “You can never pay too much, just too soon.” The art of getting that last bid before the auction closes… Seeing these bids years after the auction still got my blood pumping. The last minutes of “refresh” must have been intense for the two collectors. Final sale was $30,500. Of course though the make/model/year is the same, the bikes are different.
It’s a fairly nice example, but by no means worth anywhere near its current asking price. As a previous long term owner of one of these fine bikes (and other vintage Japanese mfg’d bikes), I obviously have a few critiques. The 2 most glaring problems are the absence of an original airbox and that god awful delkevic exhaust. If your going to go as far as the seller states they have in bringing this incredible period bike back to its original glory, how you leave off a more period correct aftermarket pipe or even and original oem is well, inexcusable. Putting on aftermarket individual intake pods is again, another example of not understanding where the real value of buying a vintage Japanese mfg’d bike lies. There just weren’t many mods you could make to this particular model and think you were improving its ability to perform or improving its aesthetics, it was what it was and still is.
I’ve not even mentioned the (again) poor choice of rear dampers (theres plenty of affordable period correct original and aftermarket ones available) and a seat cover that is no where even close to its original counterpart. These are the types of errors (omissions) that many people miss in buying and thus over paying for vintage bikes versus original correct vintage bikes, which in turn drives up already high prices…
Its a nice example, just not nearly that nice.
@Mark – Thanks for the thorough critique. If you are ever up for being a contributor, it seems you have much to offer. Feel free to email us!
@Mark A………In your opinion, what would be a good price range for this bike? I bought the exact same model and color in 1979. It was a year old and had 1500 miles on it…..I put a 4 into 1 period correct Kerker exhaust on, with K&N pod filters and rejetted carbs. I am looking for another 1978 Z1R, but at a reasonable price…..Thx
One of the realities that owners/restorers/rebuilders have to acknowledge is, ‘What do I really have.’ Sometimes a bike is just a bike. Lets just assume that everything that was done to it was necessary. Regardless of what it costs to do, doesn’t mean it’ll return the investment in kind. If your going to do a restoration/rebuild of this nature, its all or nothing. Then realize you’ll have to hold until an opportunity/individual avails itself. If you’re lucky you’ll spend your money and time and possibly see a return greater than your expenditure, because if you think of it as an investment looking for a return, there’s better ways to invest and earn money, than selling 1970’s mass produced motorcycles. Its a great bike even now, but its not even close to original and there’s no reason to believe that it’s previous history does anything to contribute to its value.
In another post I used the word ‘provenance’ when trying to help determine the value of a bike (in this instance). A documented history of the purchase and maintenance and ownership can in many instances improve its value, ‘you know its story’. Possibly it was in a historically significant event or lets say someone of renown/celebrity owned it, lets say Steve McQueen, oooof!!!! The bike has inherent value but the fact that a historically significant event or figure owned it means even more, TO SOME. Unfortunately this bike hasn’t any of that, and given that there weren’t a great many sold (a relative term), there’s still more than a few out there, So rare doesn’t apply either.
So now you’re down to just the facts (I call it jack webb’in it to death, “just the facts ma’am”), ‘what do you really have and how bad do you really want it’. A non original, reconditioned, bike with more than a few less than desirable aftermarket parts.
As a parade or garage special, something your only going to ride once in a while, stare and admire, $8k.
As a starting point for a quality restoration of a classic one of a kind, late 70’s Kawasaki that you want to ride, show and admire for a few years and then I’d go maybe $10k. It’ll take another $2k (minimum) with you doing the on hands work to get it to the point where it’ll have the potential to return what you’ve spent.
But then again someone on “E-land” may just plop down $15k on it, god help us….
Complete original unrestored, 7k on the clock. And theres still room to wiggle.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/840717700857112/?ref=search&referral_code=null&referral_story_type=post
Yeah, this is not original, in OK condition, missing parts. Maybe 10500.00, it’s going to take $7000.00 to completely refurb to like new. I’m sure a Japanese buyer would pay crazy money for it, as it’s the most popular bike in Japan to resto-mod, they go crazy for them I’d trade my barn find basked case 1972 H2 triple with two complete engines for it. Seeing that the new world record for a 72 H2 is now $51K, that’s a deal for this dude.