When Honda released the CB750, a lot changed. The entire motorcycling world, and industry had to take a deep breath and adjust. Some manufacturers took longer to do so than others. Some downplayed the tectonic shift that the new Honda was, and those who did either barely, or didn’t survive. Adapt or die.
One company that did adapted quickly was Kawasaki. Unlike some that needed to reassess build quality, reliability, and lackluster performance, Kawasaki had to react in a different way. They had a 750 inline four almost ready for market, so they got their bores out and upped the engine size to 900cc. Kawasaki released the Z1 for the 1973 model year, and it was the most powerful street bike you could buy off the showroom floors with 81 horsepower. It was also the first mass market motorcycle engine with a double overhead camshaft set up. Between these two companies, and these two bikes, the motorcycle world was forever changed.
This 1976 Kawasaki Z900 has 336 miles on the clock, which is a bit staggering. The seller states that it’s in perfect working order, and that it “runs fantastic”. If I were able to entertain purchasing this bike I would do a close inspection of the rubber parts of the bike: intake boots, vacuum lines, fuel lines, etc. These are the parts that do not age well and may need to be replaced.
Find this 1976 Kawasaki Z900 in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, for $11,000 here on Craigslist.