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[jimp]

The dealer called after a two month wait and said that my ZX-14 was ready for pick up, off I went.
Anyway for all the guys out there that have had Rice rockets over the years including me a couple dozen before my Harley's. Let me tell you this bike should not be allowed on the streets, the shear power and acceleration is mind boggling to the point of why would you want one.

 


The Evolution of big bore Ricerockets

[RedFXR2]

The ZX-14 would intimidate me, but I do love seeing that (1973?) Z1 900.  A friend had a 1974 model and I still remember how effortlessly that thing would accelerate past 100 and keep on going way past my comfort zone.  Just roll on the gas and off it went.  One-touch starting, smoothe and quiet, docile at low speeds, yet capable of hauling a$$ any way you wanted to, drag race or top end.  True Superbike.  Do you still have it?

Thanks for the memories.

[Panhead_Jimmy]

In the late '70's, maybe 1980, a bunch of fellow Harley owners and I and one lone 1975 Z1 900 Kaw guy went to the Half-Mile Nationals in Louisville, KY.  After parking the bikes beside the motel swimming pool around noon, off we went to the local peep shows for some cheap entertainment.  We came back to the motel 1 1/2 hours later to find the Harleys moved and the Z1 missing.  Some people at the pool said they saw a van pull up and park between them and the bikes, but didn't think anything about it.  

Bet that Z1 was at the strip before nightfall.  They were rockets back in the day.

[Ironhorse]

I used to ride a ZX-11, and that thing was FAST ENOUGH for me. Although it bragged of having a 175mph top speed, the fastest I ever got it up to was 155mph. It was a VERY Uncomfortable ride for me in the long run. Made my left wrist hurt, neck and shoulders too. And when the fan kicked on in slow traffic, my right leg would get cooked. But the brakes were incredible and the power and acceleration unbelievable.

As for the old Z1s, here is a picture of mine. It was a 1978 KZ1000 LTD. I bought it used, and being a "kid" back in the 80s, I modified it to look like the Z1R, the bike I really wanted. It was fast enough for me back then. Sometimes I find myself surfing e-bay and looking at the Z1s for sale.



After having both of those bikes in my younger years, I am so thankful to God that I am still alive today.