An introduction...

A belated introduction.I’m just the wrong side of 60 and thankfully retired. I signed up to this site a little while ago with the intention of using the accumulated knowledge on here to help me decide whether to iron out the issues with my Z1300 and stay with it, or perhaps let it go to someone who has more time and skill to give it the attention it really deserves.
The bike is a 1983 registered A5 model, the last with carburettors, sometimes this does not come up on parts searches but I believe it is basically an A4 that was given chromed engine casings as Kawasaki tried to shift the last of them with the DFI model incoming. I brought it brand new from Kawasaki City in West Bromwich and at the time it was the flagship bike in the range. My wife said “You may as well have it because it will be the last bike you’ll ever have” and for 20 years she was right.
At first it covered a decent mileage each year and did take me on one trip through Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany in 1985, but shortly after a bigger mortgage and children came along and it was consigned to odd short runs when a baby-sitter became available. At times it was taken “off the road” as there was no money for tax or insurance, but somehow I managed to hold on to it. In my experience bikes do not like to be left idle and the less it was used the more temperamental it got resulting in further reluctance to trust it on longer rides.
In 2003 with children now of an age to be legally abandoned I started to use it a little more but wanting the reliability of a newer bike I purchased a Suzuki GSX1400 to sit in the garage with it. A new Z1000 was added to the roster in 2009 as most of the guys I was riding with were on sports bikes and I wanted something more nimble to keep up with them and as I was now doing an annual two week tour abroad I managed to cram in a GTR1400 in 2017 so that I had the luxury of a shaft drive and hard luggage.One of the first things to decay during the 13’s period of neglect was the exhaust system. Originally I fitted a Jama 6-2 set which was all I could afford but as the silencers on that system later started to tarnish I bought some Marving Master silencers to fit to the Jama downpipes. I really like how these look and much prefer them to the originals, but with exhausts it is very much a case of “each to their own”.A few years ago in an effort to get it up and running properly I paid for an ultrasonic carb clean and a general going over and it ran well for a while but from paying £300 to get it going the following year I had to shell out £300 to get it to stop – brake lines replaced, callipers overhauled etc. The next problem as it had been laid up over a winter was that I noticed some bubbling at the bottom of the tank and the slightest finger pressure resulted in petrol seeping out. I was told lining the tank may work so gave it a go, but no luck. The tank was then sent to a local sprayer / fairing repair specialist who soldered it up for me and resprayed the tank, I also got the other body plastics done by them so that the back paint finish was consistent.Another job that has been attended to is the fitting of Progressive Suspension air shock absorbers to the rear. I imported them from the USA so they were not cheap, but were the closest thing to the original fitment I could find.Being at the back of the garage its running began to deteriorate again so during the last year it has had another service and carb clean and is useable. I still enjoy being out on it when it runs well, none of the other bikes “sing” to me like the six cylinders of the Z1300 and none of the other bikes are as likely to attract admiration down at the local café.It still needs work though and here I am at the point of deciding whether to persevere with it or sell it on so that someone with the talent and enthusiasm can sort it out. I’m not happy with the clutch operation, I think it is probably just an adjustment issue, but having renewed the cable this week I notice that the return spring on the actuator arm seems to have lost some of its “boing” and that’s probably why I seem to have slack at the end of the lever. On the last ride out with it I noticed a new oil leak – I haven’t pinned it down yet but I suspect from the engine top cover, probably just a gasket but outside what I would want to tackle. There again there is the possibility that I slightly over-filled the oil at the last top-up so for the moment I’ll just monitor it. In terms of appearance it looks quite good. The biggest let-down are the chrome engine casings. They have been re-done once but I have been told that as the chrome and casing alloy are different metals they will always be inclined to expand and contract at different rates as the engine heats and will be prone to separate. It’s not an impossible task to remove the casings have the re-chromed and refit them, but again I’m not sure I have the motivation for it. There’s bit of surface rust on the swinging arm / shaft case, I did rub it down once before and apply some black “Smoothrite” which tidied it up, I could do the same again but ideally a full strip-down and a powder-coating of the frame etc. is wanted for a proper restoration.So that’s where I am at the moment – do I see it through or sell the Z1300, Z1000 and GTR and put the money on an H2 tourer?I’ve yet to get to grips with including photos on this site, but here is a link to some photos of my bikes on my Flickr account:

www.flickr.com/photos/rynglieder/albums/...15/with/52151330226/

Welcome, Peter.
That is a very impressive collection of motorcycles!   I’d be proud to own any one of them, let alone all!  The Suzuki GSX1400 has long been a favourite of mine, it looks superb, and what an engine!
I get the impression that your heart isn’t really in the restoration of your Z1300.  You’ve clearly had lots of enjoyment from owning it, but if I was you, and in the happy position of being able to buy a Kawasaki H2 tourer, I would let the 1300 go to somebody who’ll give it a new life. That H2 is awesome! 
Please keep us informed.

Welcome to the site and I do hope you keep the Z13 and bring it back to life, But to summarize your intro, it would appear that motorcycling for you is putting on the gear and touring with your buddies going fast and through the twisties as fast as you dare. If I got it right you're not the leader of the group and probably at the back end of the group and don't want to be accused of holding the group up.
Things like
" .I’m just the wrong side of 60 "
" I purchased a Suzuki GSX1400 to sit in the garage with it. A new Z1000 was added to the roster in 2009 as most of the guys I was riding with were on sports bikes and I wanted something more nimble to keep up with them and as I was now doing an annual two week tour abroad I managed to cram in a GTR1400 in 2017 so that I had the luxury of a shaft drive and hard luggage."
pretty much anchors the fact the the ride is motorcycling to you.

You talk about the Z1300 and only praise the sound of a 6 cylinder humming away and then you mention all the things about your Z13 that need attention to bring it up to your standards, plus the fact that you don't trust it's reliability. That tells me that you're not in love with what the Z13 offers you in your motorcycling experience but at the same time, you hang on to it through thick and thin and just can't seem to part with it. Something tells me that you've sold things in the past and regretted it and if you sell the Z13, you may regret it too.
At some point in the near future, ripping through the twisties will create anxiety and you'll decide to back off and just enjoy the ride, so that being said, I think what you may want to consider is thinning the herd down to one sport tourer to ride with the boys and bring the Z13 back to life for when you want to go play by yourself and have a nice ride. Nothing like pulling in to your favorite coffee shop and having a bunch of motorcyclists leave their coffee and donuts on the table to come out and see what just rolled in. Happened to me all the time when I rolled in on a Kawasaki 750 triple. You don't see that when a Harley rolls in because it's just another Harley. Who cares. Roll in on a CBX or a triple 2 stroke and they come out of the woodwork. Roll in with a Z13 with a pipe on it and they come out to see what it is and most of the time, will say "I've never seen one of those. I didn't know they made them"
At 60+ I think you need to consider what type of riding you see doing in the future. An H2 is fast and nimble but I wouldn't consider riding on an all day run. Just not a comfortable position in my mind. A Z13 with a quarter faring to break the wind a bit, is more my style. I don't care for full faring triple baggers. Too much like riding a convertible with 2 wheels.
I would keep the GSX14 and the Z13 and clear out the rest. work on the Z13 and get intimate with it to the point that you can trust it. Enjoy your touring with the boys on the GSX until you're not enjoying it, then switch to the Z13 and just enjoy the day out.
That's my 2 cents.
KB 

welcome, what a fantastic collection of bikes.  I think you should hang on to all of them and get the 13 fixed up.  If you can't do that then perhaps you should let it go to someone that will. I think I would regret that but then I don't have such a collection to chose from.

I'm 61, I bought a Z1300 A1 after leaving the RAF and sold it to buy a Z1300-B2 a few years later.  When my wife and I decided to have a child I decided to buy a ZZ-R1100-C1 (ZX11) as a sacrificial bike for when they day came that we were hard up fro cash and the wife would insist that the bike has to go.  Glad to say that I still have both and my daughter just turned 15 a couple of days ago.

Over the first few years of owning the B2 I managed to source all of the parts needed to dress it as A2 with a couple of simple brackets welded on to the frame rails. I do prefer the A2 look but it's currently B2.

I agree with you about the zorsts, they do look great. If my originals ever get to the point where they need replacing I will try to find a set of those. I always have my eye out for a set at the right price to go in the garage loft space