Z1OwnersClub GB

Hi,

I'm new here. My name is Steve. I am in the process of restoring an early 72 Z1 that I purchased about 4 weeks ago.

I bought the bike from a gentleman whose father recently passed. His dad bought the bike new in November 1972 in Sacramento, California USA. He rode the bike until 1979 and then parked it in his garage. It has sat there since. It has not run since 1979.

All original with the exception of the exhaust and seat. Both of these items he had replaced with aftermarket items. He had also painted over the original root beer brown/orange paint.

I have included several pics of my resto progress (including the original Craigslist ad picture). I also included a picture of the tank and tail section after sanding off the repaint.

I am really committed to doing an "original" restore and intend on sourcing original parts that are needed. I am also going to do my best to use just "elbow grease" in bringing all the parts back to snuff.

More pics.

all for now!

Nice early bike you've got there, Steve, congratulations. Are they ribless carbs?

Gonzo wrote:Nice early bike you've got there, Steve, congratulations. Are they ribless carbs?

Yes. They are ribless. I have a vintage carb guy in Texas rebuilding them right now.

Hi Steve
great bike! Congratulations! All correct '72 parts on it, get it restored and enjoy it.
GrtZ
Philippe

nice, built just before mine, shcoks are date coded too, i had mine rechromed and sent the top plastic shrouds to Oz to be rechromed. bag and tag all the original fasteners too

Nice! Could you upload a pic?

Hi Steve
I've been looking a bit closer to the pictures.
Your bike has real nice period details: the straight "7" of the rev counter, the offset "20" on the speedometer, the rear brake light switch, the panhead screws for the oil pressure switch holder, the slim camchain tensioner, the '72 fork legs, the ribless carbs,...
I couldn't see the horn, these '72 horns are different from the younger ones. Do you have the chain oiler tank? Or was it taken off sometime in the past? Is the chain oiler pump stil in place? Take a look at the drive sprocket /chain casing, it should be flush and there's no gear shifting notice(1N2345) on a Z1's.
I can see that the cylinderhead has bulges near the intake. Up to engine number 2200 these were hollow and the intake for the vacuum gauges were there. Are these still present or are the holes obstructed by bolts?
These and many others are all details that are different compared to later Z1's.
I noticed that you're going to use a lot of elbow grease to restore it.
I've done quite a lot of restorations in the past and I can assure you that rust doesn't belong on a frame when restoring it. If you plan to repaint it: DON'T use powdercoating, use 2K epoxy paint for all the parts, glossy for the frame and many major parts, satin for the head lamp bowl, the rear light support and the switches. Try to use as much of the original bolts, nuts and screws as you can and get them rechromed or replated with zinc. Mind there are bolts that are very hard to find (the hollow bolts of the main stand). There are bolts with a "4" on them or upset bolts (those of the tool container, behind the battery box). Take a lot of pictures and describe which bolt is placed where.
If you need advice, don't hesitate to ask!
I hope you post a lot of pictures so we can follow the restoration.
Good luck
Philippe

Welcome to the club Steve , you should change the title of this thread to 72 Z1 Resto , lovely find & happy hunting .

Steve,
Good luck with the resto, you have a great bike that deserves to be bought back to life.Don't hesitate to ask for parts that you may need.
Regards
Steve

I will be following your progress, good luck.

Great looking bike good luck and enjoy, is it WG carbs inTexas doin your carbs , if so they'll be spot
on ive had a few sets for different Z projects of George

Bill P wrote:Great looking bike good luck and enjoy, is it WG carbs inTexas doin your carbs , if so they'll be spot
on ive had a few sets for different Z projects of George

Yes. Wired George in Texas is doing the carb work

Philippe wrote:Hi Steve
I've been looking a bit closer to the pictures.
Your bike has real nice period details: the straight "7" of the rev counter, the offset "20" on the speedometer, the rear brake light switch, the panhead screws for the oil pressure switch holder, the slim camchain tensioner, the '72 fork legs, the ribless carbs,...
I couldn't see the horn, these '72 horns are different from the younger ones. Do you have the chain oiler tank? Or was it taken off sometime in the past? Is the chain oiler pump stil in place? Take a look at the drive sprocket /chain casing, it should be flush and there's no gear shifting notice(1N2345) on a Z1's.
I can see that the cylinderhead has bulges near the intake. Up to engine number 2200 these were hollow and the intake for the vacuum gauges were there. Are these still present or are the holes obstructed by bolts?
These and many others are all details that are different compared to later Z1's.
I noticed that you're going to use a lot of elbow grease to restore it.
I've done quite a lot of restorations in the past and I can assure you that rust doesn't belong on a frame when restoring it. If you plan to repaint it: DON'T use powdercoating, use 2K epoxy paint for all the parts, glossy for the frame and many major parts, satin for the head lamp bowl, the rear light support and the switches. Try to use as much of the original bolts, nuts and screws as you can and get them rechromed or replated with zinc. Mind there are bolts that are very hard to find (the hollow bolts of the main stand). There are bolts with a "4" on them or upset bolts (those of the tool container, behind the battery box). Take a lot of pictures and describe which bolt is placed where.
If you need advice, don't hesitate to ask!
I hope you post a lot of pictures so we can follow the restoration.
Good luck
Philippe

Thanks for the items to check. I will take a look and post the results