Update 10.2.2013: Current bid is over $71k reserve met! With 7 hours to go, where do you think this one will finish? Leave a comment below! -dc
I didn’t think it could get much better than the Yoshimura/Honda CB750 from two weeks ago. Once again I’m proven wrong. Before you is the Holy Grail to Kawasaki collectors, a KZ1000S1. Basically the homologation special of the day with the 30 or so made not being made available to the general public.
1982 Kawasaki KZ1000S1 for sale on eBay
Straight to the engine porn! Here is the story:
If you’re one of the Chosen Few, you can now obtain the unobtainable; from the May 1982 Cycle magazine S1 review article. 29 of these motorcycles were imported for AMA superbike racing in 1982, dealer cost was $10,999.00. No retail price was listed. Several ended up being shipped out of the country. It is also my understanding that some were disassembled by Kawasaki to sell as parts. How many I do not know. So here is your chance to own a very rare motorcycle that is in excellent condition and that has a history, even if it is short. This particular bike was purchased by Grayboy Kawasaki in Peoria Heights, IL. The owner of the dealership at that time had a team running the Grand National circuit in dirt track. This bike was purchased by the owner to go roadracing with national expert rider (33) Dave Hebb of Canton,IL. His roadracing number was 93. This bike has one sprint race and two practices from one weekend of racing at Indianapolis Raceway Park in Clermont, IN. I’m not sure what happened after that, because the bike was put in storage at the dealerships warehouse until I purchased it in October of 1985. The bike was nevered titled until I purchased it from the dealership. So by the title, I’m the original owner. I have had the bike in a climate controlled storage (my house) since 1985. The cylinders were oiled and the engine was rotated over ever so often when in storage. It still has the original Dunlop Racing KR133 slicks mounted on the Dymag magnesium wheels. Also included is the factory spares kit. I also purchased some extra parts back in the mid eighties that are included. When I purchased the bike, my intentions were to license it and ride it on the street. But instead, I kept riding my 1984 900 Ninja because it was such a great bike. So I never got around to making the S1 street legal using Eddie Lawson replica parts. Spares kit includes left and right front brake rotors, rear brake rotor, three sets of front brake pads, two sets of rear brake pads, front axle, two pistons and rings, gearing, chain, staking master links , special tools, two sets of different rate fork springs, sprocket cush drive, assorted jetting, shorter velocity stacks, throttle cables, clutch cable, o’rings, oil seals, fork seals, etc. and two parts catalogs. I tried to show the condition of the vehicle with the photos. I changed oil and filter, put in 3 gallons of fresh Phillips 66 (111 octane) race fuel and started the bike before listing it here. The engine sounds as good as the day I purchased it
KZ1000R.com claims the only documented sale of a KZ1000S1 was back in 1997 for $40,000.
It has the look of just put a number plate on and race but it is far from stock: braced swing arm, extra frame bracing, Mikuni flatsides, Lockheed brakes, magnesium wheels etc, etc. I saw someone on a message board mention they used an ignition or CDI off a KX80; interesting.
Does anyone really pay attention to these stickers? I doubt this one will ever see any pavement or tarmac again.
I would imagine some of those items are as rare as the bike.
Well, the Yosh/Honda CB went for $30,100. Apparently the last known KZ1000S1 went for $40,000 back in 1997. What is the take it price home for this one?
Check the back account before placing a bid here.
Ian
Just seeing these photos makes me happy. Another historical stunner!
me thinks George Barber needs to buy this to put in his collection.
I’m guessing $52,101 as final bid!
Is the blue tarp included?
Do your homework though. I’m no authority on these by any means, but on other forums it has been suggested this is a replica, not a genuine S1. Who knows, but its a cool bike in any case.
Adam, do you have a link to that discussion?
Thanks,
dc
I see Fast Eddie…
Discussed on Moriwaki Man’s “Unobtanium” page (not suggested by he himself). I wouldn’t dismiss this bike prmaturely, just make sure you triple check the VIN/engine numbers before laying out the coin this will command. To my untrained eye, the bike looks legit. The spares alone are impressive.
and both the bike number and engine number are already “registered” on the KZ1000R website I used to run….
KawaWOWAsaki ! Nice piece . Not a Kawi guy but I like the Ediie Lawson Replica . I also like the Vance and Hines one they made about 10-15 years ago with a ZRX as well as the stock XRX (though too dilluted !) . Not up un my Kawaski trivia like Honda but still can admire a great looking bike . I will leave it to the experts to decide if this is the genuine article or not .
I meant ZRX ….it is now my naptime ! 🙂
It’s Fast Freddy, and Steady Eddy. Either way, this is a cool ass bike.
Oh.
My.
God.
Wouldn’t the first step in authenticating this one be to contact the original owner, Grayboy Kawasaki in Peoria Heights, IL? Just checked- they’re still in business, and they should verify or deny the legitimacy immediately. Go or no go- if real, it will be north of $50K for sure- it’s already at $40K.
When these were made available for sale by Kawasaki, they were rare then. You had to pull every favor you had just to get one. I had the opportunity to ride one of these at the now defunct Riverside Raceway here in CA. and they were a fantastic platform for privateers to try and run up front. It wouldn’t take much to verify this is legit (which it appears to be) and break into the retirement fund for one of the best investments you could make. Absolute gold.
Jason,
Are you saying this bike is registered as an r not an S1 ?
it’s on his site as an S1. http://www.kz1000r.com/index.php/new-elr-registry-page
Bidding’s over 53k with reserve not met 9/25 afternoon…seven days left to go! What’s the high-price-record for a bike shown on RSBFS? Could this be a record breaker?
Sorry, bidding is at 50k…not 53k. My mistake. It’s still a lot though!
Beezle,
I honestly don’t know what the most expensive bike sold on RSBFS has been. We can put our crack research crew on the that question. Supermono’s come to mind automatically as more expensive. There are plenty of others including various race bikes we’ve listed.
This bike might be up a top 10’er in the amount of enthusiasm and discussion though by the looks of the comments here and Facebook.
It should easily crack the top ten–not including racebikes with pedigree.
Awesome bike, never thought it could be worth that much.
$65,000 as of 9/26 AM.
Wow- apparantly bidders have done their research and vetted this as being 100% authentic. Clearly now one of the most valuable contemporary sportbikes (racebike) on the market in years. Sure is fun to watch as value climbs.
I saw one on ebay sell in 2005 for $25k. It was not as clean as this one.
My estimate is $95K. And yes…this bike seems to match up to the vin/engine numbers on the kz1000r website. Sure wish I would have picked one of these up for $10k or less when they got obsoleted back in the day. Sure would be a great basis for a street racer/track day bike!
$107,200.00 yikes!!! lol 🙂
Went from 81,000 to 107,200 in the last 15 seconds. Obviously automatic bidding by setting your high bid on ebay. I bet this bike could have reached 125,000 + at a live auction but seller would have had to pay big sellers premium.
this sale might bring a few of the same to market and some fakes too!
Stunning- on many levels!
Wow, I have two of these motors, one in my Moriwaki Monster, makes it tempting to sell. My guess was around $80k, holy cow!
I understand paying that kind of dollar for a true GP bike such as a YZR500 or RGV500, especially if it was raced by Lawson, Rainey, or Schwantz. I think this one isn’t of the same value. Just an opinion.
those are twice the price! here are some for sale
http://rmdmotors.com/1996-marlboro-yamaha-yzr500-ex-kenny-roberts-jr/
you have two the motors from an S1? Or two kZ1000 motors? This bike brought big bucks because it was so original. It still had the same slicks on and the factory spares kit.
That price wouldn’t even come close to a late ’80s gp bike ridden by Lawson or Rainey.
[…] you are not sure what you are looking at, it would be best for you to start here. That post from Ian portrays a museum-quality S1, and is one of the most popular posts and FaceBook […]
I could buy many collectible bikes for 107K, my wife would skin me alive if I paid that much for any bike! Some people have serious money.
For 107K you think it would have that missing side cover!
LoL it’s not missing. They didn’t use a cover.
Shame to see a race operation completely shut down…including spares and rebuild parts for a season! Makes me wonder what the competition did to put this complete race kit into storage. Was it the 4 valve CB750/1000F, Suzuki GS1100, or did AMA put restrictions on the fuels? Because if I’m seeing right, that’s a 2 valve head w/ 2 plugs per cylinder…and we know what that means….
Yes Ducbill I realized that, but still it doesnt look right! Should of made a cheap plastic part to cover it so it looks normal, but maybe thats why someone paid 107K for it, maybe i will remove the side covers from my bikes!
and you’ll need an external starter. It doesn’t exist on an S1 and the left side is open to allow the starter to start the bike.