Alex here from Los Angeles. I am looking for a new bike for my daily freeway drive (30 miles round trip) to work and I have always liked Z1s but have never had the opportunity to buy one. How are Z1s suited for commuting?
There's a 2003 (I really like this model year) on Ebay right now about 400 miles north from me.
What do I need to know about these early models before buying one? I did a Google search to see if there had been any recalls or service advisories and the only thing I found was about possible steering bearing problems?
I don't know much about the 2003 bikes, but I've been commuting on my 2012 for 5 years now. Depending on the speed, you may want to add a taller windscreen, but the ergonomics are comfortable for commuting and the upright position gives you good sight lines over cars.
The bikes are rather reliable. Mine and @BriansZ1000 are both over 40k miles (his is 60k) with no noticeable issues.
Yep. About 95% of the miles on my bike is from commuting reaching speeds from 0mph to 80mph. Wind screen may help, but I just got used to it. Never left me stranded and has never had an issue other than a fork seal leak a few thousand miles ago. No idea about the 1st gen bikes as mine is a 2010.
He’s in LA so he will be reaching a lot more of that 0mph lol.
They allow lane splitting there right?
ah, anyway welcome to the forum I loves the looks of the first gen Z back then, and now.
Thanks guys. I couldn't find much through Google on problems with the 1st gens. Is it perhaps not a good idea to buy a 1st gen if I am looking for a reliable daily commuter?
I had mine for 3 years now. got it with about 8000 miles and now its around 13000. I used to ride it mostly on weekends and to work every now and then, but this year I take it on the daily round trip of about 50 miles. I really love this bike, and it really serves good as a commuter, I fill up about every 3 days.
I've got an 03, picked it last year and it had less than 4k miles, pretty much in new condition. I've put another 4k on it now and it is rock solid dependable.
I have an 03 with 8k miles and I'm having trouble with it. I think its a fuel pump issue, and my research says that this is a pretty common problem. Other than that I haven't heard anything bad/troublesome about them.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Kawasaki Z1000 Forum
127K posts
13K members
Since 2010
A forum community dedicated to Kawasaki Z1000 motorcycle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, parts, troubleshooting, maintenance, modifications, classifieds, and more! Open to the Z800 and Z900 models too!