Newbie originally from the North East

[Throckley Lad]

Hello all,
Originally from Throckley and purchased 6 bikes from the old "Kawasaki Newcastle"dealer in the 70's and early 80's. OTN 911R Z400, WNL 377T Z1000A2, AFT 420V Z1R, AFT 421V KE100, KE125 and GPZ 600 (first model). For some reason I can't remember the reg numbers of the 125 or the 600, but must have them written down or in pictures somewhere. I don't want to put everyone to sleep with old stories, I will share a couple initially here.

The Z400 was fun for a couple of weeks, but then regretted not getting the KH400. The Z was slower than the 2 stroke 250's of the day, and to add insult to injury my mates old YR5 Yamaha could put accelerate the Z even though he had no 2nd gear!! (Worn dogs and selector forks in the gearbox).

I wish I had never ridden the 600, but my friend Pete who worked at Kawasaki Newcastle had one out on demo and let me ride it. I remember the power and fantastic handling compared to the Z1R I had at the time and due to the lack of a crystal ball I traded the Z1R in on a GPZ600R. Don't get me wrong, the 600 was a fantastic bike at the time, but I wish I still had AFT 420V.

If any one knows of or owns any of my old bikes it would be great to hear from you.

Hope I didn't put you all to sleep. I could go on with the old stories, like the time one of them got stolen, or some of the minor woes and service issues with the Z1R.

Bye for now

[Jay1969]

Hiya...
Good story there, hope you get a result with the Z1R search.
Welcome aboard

[Throckley Lad]

Thanks very much

[chrisNI]

Welcome along. your Z400's reg number is probably now on a Porsche somewhere...

[G]

Welcome along
I got myZ1R from Bob Fortunes in Darlington.Had a test ride on one at Kawasaki World South Shields and used to visit the Newcastle showroom .Think they had a big fire at one point then moved off the hill down near to Metro Arena.Not there at all now

[freddyz1r]

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your search
cheers freddy

[Throckley Lad]

Thanks chrisNI. The 911 thing never crossed my mind, but you could be right. Sorry for the delayed reply, but where I live now in Canada is 5 hours behind.

[Throckley Lad]

Hi G,

Yes the 2 dealerships at the time had the same owners, Dave Winfield and Ron Aitcheson. Do you remember the MV 750 America they had in the Newcastle showroom when they first opened? First and last suede seat I had ever seen. Some lucky bugger must still have that.

[Throckley Lad]

Thanks to all for the welcome - much appreciated. I currently have an original unrestored A2 that i hope to get back on the road. As soon as I figure out how to add pictures I will post some.

[Gonzo]

That's some nice Kawasaki history you have there. You can check online to see if the vehicles are at least taxed & tested... looks like your Z1R is SORN with no tax details - https://vehicleenquiry.service.gov.uk/ViewVehicle

Welcome aboard.

[Jay1969]

As soon as I figure out how to add pictures I will post some.

Here is a guide for posting pics...

viewtopic.php?p=341270#p341270

[Throckley Lad]

Thank you to you both. AFT 420V was stock except for some Koni shocks and a rear rack. I replaced the front mudguard due to rust starting to show on the rivets. You could tell because the replacement from Kawasaki was for a bigger wheel. Not sure if I correct, because that was probably to standardise on manufacturing for the later US model, which I think had the bigger from wheel.

WNL 377T was stolen in Newcastle and the police found it somewhere near Durham. They had taken some of the bodywork and electrical parts but the bike had suffered no damage. My thoughts at the time were that they took just enough off the bike to make it uneconomical for the insurance to repair, and then some used dealet grabbed it up. I did see the bike some years later in the Isle of Man parked on Douglas sea front. They had painted the frame red, and in my opinion it looked terrible and I remember being very angry that they had messed up "my" bike ha ha.

[Garry.L]

Sorry for the delayed reply, but where I live now in Canada is 5 hours behind.

.... don't worry, the rest of us are 40 'years' behind!.

[Throckley Lad]

I should fit right in then

[chrisNI]

Is there much of a Zed scene in Canada? I appreciate it may be hard to tell as if there is it could be a bit spread out... just interested to know.