1976 Kawasaki KZ900

The original muscle bike – sort of.

This is my KZ900A that I owned for a short while. Kawasaki came out with the 900cc KZ900 in 1973 known as the Z1. Today the Z1 is a highly coveted bike and fetches great prices on the vintage market compared to all (most) other Japanese bikes of the period. In 1976 the Z1 became the KZ900A and is slightly less desirable, but they are going up.

This particular bike had a great condition tank and side covers. The seat, and shocks were in poor condition, but replacements were purchased from Korean re-manufacturers. The Korean reproductions are not nearly as highly regarded as the NOS or original Japanese parts, but they can be purchased cheaply and only people who know what they’re talking about will be any the wiser. The differences are very small.

While parked on the street I had it locked to the telephone pole. I went out one morning to find the lock cut halfway through. The crooks must have gotten spooked while cutting through it and didn’t finish the job. Thankfully!