Kawasaki-Z-Classik.com

Great to see you found us RobK, I generally believe that a gentle clean on anything that is being offered for sale is necessary to give buyers a look at the real condition, but as Jeff mentioned do not try to polish...make things shiny, except for polish on the tank to bring out the real state of the paint.
Rob.

Thanks for the suggestion - looks like it is the right place to be for this project. I'm keeping the '75 so will likely stick around here for a spell ;)

Unfortunately that machine was used for drag racing (one of the passenger peg triangles has been hacked off to make way for a "club-foot" swing-arm, and there's been some bracing and other assorted mods). Still have matching cases on that one too, but little else original. My plan for that one is to do a "minimally invasive" custom, which is to say, upgrade the front end, (I have a ZX7 unit that bolts right up), upgrade the carbs perhaps, but leave the frame as intact as it is, and generally move forward only with bolt-on mods, so if a future owner got the restoration bug, it could be brought back to original.

Welcome Rob, thats a great collection you found. The 73 especially. I would definitely keep that one and go through the process of restoring it, finding as many original parts as you can if you can afford to and have the time and patience. The members on here may have bits and pieces that they'll part with to help you along if they aren't restoring one for themselves. Over the years I have acquired a lot of pieces by buying mixed parts lots on paybay. There is a seller on there named money99kz his name is Brian and he must have many torn down bikes that he has parted out and a lot they he may not have ever listed on paybay. Jeff also carries a lot of genuine Kawasaki parts and I don't believe you'll find anyone more knowledgeable of these bikes than him.

The right side "triangle" was hacked off because the Kerker race 4 into one pipe needed that space to fit properly. There is a standard Kerker 4 into one which has right side collector. {fits without modification} ...and a "race" Kerker 4 in to one that has the collector directly centered under the motor {requires right side triangle removal}.

Back in the day we were kinda dumb and hacked off both triangles. :angry-banghead:

Thanks for the suggestion - looks like it is the right place to be for this project. I'm keeping the '75 so will likely stick around here for a spell ;)

Unfortunately that machine was used for drag racing (one of the passenger peg triangles has been hacked off to make way for a "club-foot" swing-arm, and there's been some bracing and other assorted mods). Still have matching cases on that one too, but little else original. My plan for that one is to do a "minimally invasive" custom, which is to say, upgrade the front end, (I have a ZX7 unit that bolts right up), upgrade the carbs perhaps, but leave the frame as intact as it is, and generally move forward only with bolt-on mods, so if a future owner got the restoration bug, it could be brought back to original.

Might have been a good idea to post that pic to start with. I was looking at the first pic you posted. I never in my life saw a frame with a hole drilled to mount a swingarm. That's about as ghetto as they can get.

Are there any current bikes that this is happening to? Will early GSX-Rs someday be coveted?