1973 Kawasaki Z1 hits record $50,000 at Mecum

The recent Shannons Auction here in Australia had a Z1A in the list so I kept an eye on it.
It eventually went for $45,000 AUD plus 5% buyer premium ($47,250 AUD or $32,663 USD or 26,605 GBP) - so a pretty solid outcome, especially for the seller and the auction house !
 

Why does it say 1973?  

blackozvet wrote:

Ian_B wrote:

Remarkable what someone paid for it, considering how much is no longer original; Doremi parts, frame powder coated (a pet hate of mine). Makes you wonder what a genuine original bike would be worth...
Ian

Over the last couple of years (or more) rebuilt bikes have consistently sold for more than original bikes.
I'm guessing it's a generational thing, the Boomers are probably the main buyers, and they have more money than time on their hands.
They don't want a completely original bike that's been sitting for years, they want a bike that's been freshened up, starts and runs and goes without too much drama, because they don't really know how many years of jumping on a motorbike they have left in them.  And they are old enough to know what problems '100% original' can bring.
What they don't want (or don't have the ability to do) is be stuck in the garage for the next 2 years stripping a bike down and rebuilding it.  Gen X'ers are ok with that stuff because they aren't staring down the mortality barrel just yet.
There are 100% original 72/73 bikes that can be started and ridden down the road at any time with complete confidence, but the only time you will see them for sale is when they are pryed out of the owners' cold dead hands.


~~~>>> Blackozvet has made a good point here. In fact I wish he hadn’t. But the truth is sometimes a hard pill to swallow.
The formula is… How many projects vs. Time per each project vs. Time left above ground.
Something like:
  P x T  
  RIP

Wheelhop wrote:

Why does it say 1973?  

Because Shannon’s is just another Kaplan, snake oil salesman. They don’t have a clue what they are selling. I’ve checked out some of Shannon’s listing before, very misleading, same with Kaplan. 

Wheelhop wrote:

Why does it say 1973?  

In Australia we use year of registration, not year model.
So if a Z1A is made between August and December 1973 then it gets registered as a 1973 bike here.
Obviously people who know the designations know its a 1974 model.
the fact that Shannons used 1973 in the description is legally allowed, using 1973 AND the descriptor "Jaffa" in the same sentence starts to get a little bit misleading.

~~~>>> Blackozvet has made a good point here. In fact I wish he hadn’t. But the truth is sometimes a hard pill to swallow.
The formula is… How many projects vs. Time per each project vs. Time left above ground.
Something like:
  P x T  
  RIP

I love that analogy - that is a great formula !
Some people dont care because they will die with a shed full of unfinished projects.