TOPIC:

I wish to thank all who responded to my question : Did You Buy a !300 Brand New?
All comments are very interesting.

Scotch: That is a beautifully composed photo - and what a bike! A rolling showcase for your amazing engineering talent.

tx4726: Please can you let us see some photos of your 'B' model?


BigSix: Your bike looks better than new, and all standard factory specification.

Kawboy: After contributing so much to this forum, I'm sure we are all eager to see the results when you make some progress on your own 1300.

I agree with the sentiment that bikes of the 1300's era were so much more interesting visually than they are now. You could tell if it was a Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, or Yamaha just from the style of the engine, which was always the focal point of the bike. And the big air cooled Kawasakis made such a distinctive 'whistling' sound.

Here is a pic of my 'B' model that I bought new. It had been setting in a barn since 1999 and I had just cleaned it up. I had to overhaul the brakes, carbs, new coils, new tires and replace the cam chain tensioner, and over haul the carbs.
I rode to Colorado and New Mexico in July and it ran perfectly. No problems. I came close to selling it for salvage last year but decided to try to get it running. I'm sure glad I didn't junk it. It has about 23,000 miles on it.

tx4726 wrote: Here is a pic of my 'B' model that I bought new.

Uhh, that looks still very very good- respect.

Holger

tx4726

Thank you for the photo. The bike looks amazing. Great originality. I recall the Kawasaki two-page adverts in the American motor cycling magazines for this model . I believe the fairing / luggage was Kawasaki's own, where as the optional touring accessories for the '79 KZ1300 were Vetter items.

Did you take any location photos of the bike on your recent trip?

I've only got a few pictures from our trip to New Mexico and Colorado. We covered 822 miles of mountain roads in 2.5 days so we didn't spend much time taking photos. I rode the KZ1300 and my cousin rode my Concours 1400. They travelled well together.

Thanks very much. These are superb photos. Wonderful scenery, and the bikes look very handsome in that setting. Hope you have many more voyages to come.