Z1OwnersClub GB

I was wondering if anyone has a definitive answer on the correct colours for a Z1R.

The reason I ask is I've been looking at Z-Power model history and I'm seeing exceptions. Not sure if these are because people have repainted them that colour because they liked it or the were actually available in those colours.

example - Z1R on ebay at the moment - 1978 - not Mk2 engine but in Black

or - 1980 Z1R - Mk2 engine but in Stardust Silver - er mine. I know mines been repainted - I had just assumed it was incorrect.

any thoughts ?

did kawasaki make the z1r turbo ?????????????

The black ZIR is badged as a KZ model,so could this be a U.S. colour option??

Black was definitely a colour option and I think there may have been a dark blue metallic option as well.

Please correct me if i'm wrong chaps,
The Z1-R came in the original stardust silver (blue) in 78.
The "black one" was the later models(not available in the UK. Hence badged a KZ) dunno if they came in blue but yeah some folk did repaint them
The "turbo option" was a" Yankie" idea to flog a dead horse
And originals are rare as etc,etc,etc.

Heres a list of theZ1,Z900, Z1000 model range if its any help http://www.hleng-it.dk/rep/Kz%20page.htm

My understanding was that the D1 was the only one offered for sale in Britain (and perhaps the rest of Europe) as it was a slow seller, and it took them more than three years to flog all the D1s. They even fitted four pipes to some of them eventually and tried flogging those in Germany in 1980 to clear them out. They were silver also. In America there was a D2 was available in Black and in Red, and a D3 in Black. I don't know if these were also available in silver or not. All D2 and D3s are therefore American.

Can't find out the reference for all this - wherever it was there was a picture of the German four pipe bike.

1600 Z1-R tubos were commissioned by Kawasaki, built in America by Turbo Pak out of standard bikes and mostly sold through official dealers with no warranty for twice the price of a stocker. (Newzletter#58 - Clink's Time Warp Turbo piece)

Chris check the link above it gives you all the details,theres also a pic of the four pipe z1r

The movie Z1 show's the four pipe Z1R
it is also in the Mickey Hesse book

The Z1-R in the movie (z1000s) also had the larger tank but i do believe the filler cap was a flush fit if this is the case then its a rare tank

Ed had a look at the movie and both the Z1Rs have the small tank,although in the link I posted above it says they(z1000s) came with the large tank.

Ed Z1-R wrote:Please correct me if i'm wrong chaps,
The Z1-R came in the original stardust silver (blue) in 78.
The "black one" was the later models(not available in the UK. Hence badged a KZ) dunno if they came in blue but yeah some folk did repaint them
The "turbo option" was a" Yankie" idea to flog a dead horse
And originals are rare as etc,etc,etc.

Ed

Mine is not badged KZ1000-Z1R but is badged Z1R-1000 - maybe only the 78 was badged KZ1000 - Z1R. So I think its (probably) a D2 but the wrong colour (i.e. stardust silver). MPH speedo so maybe it is an american import.

Now do I respray it black/dark red or leave it alone ?

Iain marshall wrote:Heres a list of theZ1,Z900, Z1000 model range if its any help http://www.hleng-it.dk/rep/Kz%20page.htm

interesting but weird

Mine is a Mk2 engine but according to this website engines for a D2 start at KZT00DE-017501 but mine is KZT00DE-017415

just goes to show records aren't all they're cracked up to be.

I think I'll retreat into ignorance................

Is your frame number D1 or D2 range or is the date of manufacture sticker still on it?

Micky Hesse's book doesn't show any D2s but also quotes 17500 as the production run for the D1, and for both the frame engine number ranges. Having said that I don't imagine the engine and frame numbers matched on too many of them. I have a log book for a late 16xxx one here and the engine number is 49 ahead of the frame number - even at that rate 17500 would have had engine number 17549 assuming the numbers on this log book are original and I think they're probably too close not to be.

Having said that I have a picture of a virtually brand new D3 which used to belong to John Oldcorn in NewZletter #43 it's got the Z1-R 1000 type badge.

chris,

thanks for the info. Any chance of posting the picture you mentioned ?

my side badge as follows - crap photo though...........