If anyone needed proof of the rising values of 1970s Japanese motorcycles then here it is. A beautifully restored 1975 Kawasaki Z1-B sold on a public Car and Classic internet auction for £19,000 in May.
To put that in some kind of context, the Z1-B was priced at $1895 in the US in 1975 and if you multiply that by the compound inflation since (approx. 465%), then the new price would be $10,712, roughly £8400. So the restored Z1-B sold for more than twice its new value.
That’s impressive but looking at the motorcycle in question and the online documented story of its restoration, you can understand why.
This Z1-B is a US import, first registered in the UK in 2017. Since then it’s been subject to a comprehensive restoration by Dave Marsden and his Z-Power team at a cost of £11k+, they admitted. The team even had the original stamped wheel rims cleaned, rechromed and rebuilt.
However, Dave admits the team had choices to make when carrying out the restoration. “We were torn between using our Z-Power replacement parts and sticking to the original bits. Things like the wiring loom and rear shocks just aren’t worth the risk of using 40 years old bits.
“Other parts, like the grab rail, mud guards, rear brake pedal, headlight brackets, [where] the replica parts are so close to the original it is not worth the cost of re-chroming. Forty year old rubbers are usually rather perished and replacing them is the best option – one of the joys of restoring a Z1 is that nearly all of the parts are still available.”
The original toolkit and rider’s manual are also included.
“The restoration was exceptionally thorough and included the likes of a full strip down, frame refurbishment, engine rebuild, and plenty more,” said the auction blurb.
“As the bike was in excellent condition for its age prior to the rebuild, plenty of original components were retained, ensuring noteworthy originality today.”
