Honda CBX750
Serious delinquency is available for around £1500. In many ways Honda's CBX750 represents one of the most compelling mixtures of price, power and performance on offer. Although the engine's very similar to the latest CB750, the mill was highly tuned for the early eighties (around 90 horses) and the bike set up for serious speeding.
This might not be an opinion shared by anyone who tries one with stock, worn suspension, which could become quite vile around 25000 miles. Although the frame is oddly shaped around the swinging arm, it's basically quite tough and has good steering geometry that keep the chassis from turning in vile speed wobbles even when on bald tyres but the weaves, squirming and frightening white-lining won't be to many tastes.
The only proviso on the lack of speed wobbles is if the bike has suffered heavy front end damage, which can twist the steering head. This ain't uncommon because the front tyre will slide away quite readily when the tread's down to less than 1mm. Short rubber life (less than 5000 miles) means they are often run on illegal tyres and hence often come a cropper.
Decent CBX front ends are rare and any example with non-standard forks should have the tank whipped off to check the frame for straightness. An alternative to that, for those who like to ride brave, is merely to run up to 90/100mph to see if any wobbles turn up; and if the frame is slightly out they most certainly will.
There's a large choice of tyres available but I'd avoid both Dunlops and Yoko's in favour of Metzelers or Michelins, although I have ridden on Avons, at the price of taking it very gentle in the wet. I found Metz's gave the best grip overall, letting me get away with murder in the rain when they removed any skittishness. Tyres are a major expense if any long distance touring's contemplated.
One reason for heavy tyre wear's that the nature of the bike, with a cammy engine that encourages throttle abuse, means speeding comes naturally and it's only the brain dead who indulge in less than 90mph on fast roads - the engine can plod along nicely enough at low revs but fuel ain't any better than when it's thrashed - one of the strangest aspects of modern motors.
Run on a Quandrant rear mono-shock and a fork brace on the forks, the chassis can be heeled well over and flicked through the bends with a large muscular input; effort needed but good precision and, as long as all the components are in good shape, superior stability to most big fours of this type. I've had no problems racing things like GSX750s, GPz750's and even the odd replica 600's. Considering the 480lbs mass this ain't bad going.
The engine's almost maintenance free, just carb balances and oil changes. Until something goes wrong. The bottom end's tough but both piston rings and (usually one or more of the eight exhaust) valves can give trouble at as little as 30,000 miles if the mill's been caned and neglected. More likely's top end trouble around 50,000 miles. I've seen one example still running with 83,000 miles on the clock, so there's some hope even for high milers.
The easiest way to check the bore and valves is to watch the exhaust for smoke on the overrun (preferably from the pillion perch). Another sign of engine abuse is clutch rattle. The clutch's tough under normal use but a few wheelies can warp the plates. Not that expensive a repair, and heavy duty clutch kits are available, but any bike with a rattly clutch should have a compression test because of the strong connection between clutch rattle and engine abuse. The camchains are long-lived but the tensioner can stick on occasion, usually fixed with a strip and grease. Blown or leaking head gaskets are obvious - don't take any notice of the owner's or dealer's contention that all it needs is a bit of head bolt tightening.
The integrated styling of the tank and half fairing's still attractive and practical, although both wear from the secondary vibes and/or crash damage can ruin the plastic around its mounting holes. Check for botched repairs. Similarly, collapse of the seat and its surrounding plastic is not unknown after 50,000 miles.
A Micron 4:1 exhaust has the minor benefit of filling up some minor glitches in the midrange power delivery and is good for an extra 5mph on top speed (145mph on the clock, 135mph in real life). It's quite feasible to cruise at 120mph for as long as the fuel holds out (about 35mpg against 45mpg overall) but make sure that thicker handlebar grips are fitted to damp out the secondary vibes (less intrusive than the original Honda four).
The CBX shines both as a long distance tourer and a back road huckster; will even commute through London. This makes them popular with lots of different kind of people. £1500 will buy something with a strong engine but faded cosmetics. Probably better to spend £1750; two grand will buy a really nice one. There are also some American imports, 700/750 Nighthawks but they are substantially slower and handle rather less charismatically. However, they are dirt cheap in America and some good deals can be picked up if you bargain hard - £750 to £1250 for low mileage examples.
Kawasaki GPz750
Like the CBX750, the GPz750 represents lot of different styles of motorcycling to lots of different types of people. Sharing with the Honda the utter orthodoxy of an aircooled DOHC four cylinder engine, it however stuck with a mere two valves per cylinder but evolved the design of its cylinder head to a point where its matched the CBX's power output and bettered its delivery.
If the Honda's cylinder head can become marginal by as little as 30,000 miles, doubtless due to heat dissipation hassles associated with aircooled four valvers, the Kawasaki's was pretty solid up to 45000 miles, and those bikes given a modicum of attention to the valves clearances could last to 70,000 before serious hassle was encountered.
The camchain and tensioner were less trustworthy than the Honda's, although some mild top end rattles are normal fare and not necessarily an indication of impending doom. The GPz, perhaps because of the presence of an oil cooler, was particularly insistent on 1000 mile oil changes - a rough, noisy transmission a sure sign of neglect in this particular area. Clutch slip and blown head gaskets are also signs of hard used bikes.
One of the more disturbing traits was a susceptibility to holing pistons when running non-standard exhausts or when the quick rot stock system had rusted out some of its baffling. Indeed, a quick way to ruin the fluid nature of the power delivery was to run the engine on an unsuitable pipe - a Motad 4-1 does the least damage but be aware that a replacement exhaust may involve a trip to a bike shop with a dynometer to sort out the carburation! Some examples were very finicky.
Of course, the breed's also famous for burning out the ignition units, an expensive business as few decent used ones are available. Their rubber padding hardens with age, letting through the secondary vibes (a greater problem on earlier models because later bikes were appreciably smoother at the top end of the rev range).
This may seem like a lot of hassle but many, a majority, of GPz750s, escaped serious problems and provided many, many miles of high speed kicks. They can be run fiercely hard, used on the edge of their tyres' grip, pushed so far that they can frighten the shite out of replica riders. They do weigh 470lbs and can bite back in a big way, though usually its the ancillary components rather than the frame which suffers (post 100,000 mile examples can suffer from the frame tubes rusting through!).
The GPz750 comes in two types. The early, and rarer, model had twin rear shocks and a squared off petrol tank. This could be something of a speed wobbler even if it was a few horsepower down on the later Uni-track version. The wobbles came from crap suspension. It's unlikely that any have survived on stock shocks and forks; handling's much improved with a decent pair of shocks, uprated forks with a brace and an alloy swinging arm (avoid those with extra bracing that makes them look like something off a mono-tracker as the bracing's in the wrong place and all you end up with is extra unsprung mass).
At least early examples don't have the hassles of the anti-dive system on later bikes. Fine in theory, useful at times, but once some air gets into its hydraulics both the anti-dive and the twin front discs lose their efficiency. Many hours can be wasted getting it all working again. Great fun.
A newish bike can get away with a Uni-track linkage strip once a year, but these days they need it every six months. Greasing's the only way to stop the bearings and spindles seizing up - again, a paucity of decent used stuff makes this an expensive piece of neglect.
Run on Phantoms, handling can be good enough to take on the replica's, although it's a bit slower turning (even than the CBX) and can't be leaned as far over - it's not unknown for the collector box on 4-1's to dig in and lever the back wheel off the ground. Ridden with elan they can be very fast.
The only time when any speed wobbles turn up is when the chassis bearings start to go - the steering head races are the most likely to fail (a taper roller conversion's worth fitting even if they are finicky to initially set up). On the test ride loosen your grip to see if the bars wobble (at 20mph...).
Wheel bearings breaking up aren't unknown; bikes that have been run up pavements or across roundabouts (not unknown as it's a rather disconcerting way of putting down the plastic fantastic brigade) can crack up the cast wheels (the early bikes can also do the same trick from mere old age - they are also a bastard to keep clean).
By now, most of the discs and calipers are in crap condition but a trip to the breakers will find components from more recent models that can be fitted - good brakes on a bike this fast and heavy are absolutely essential, including fresh fluid every year and Goodridge hose.
Some of the pricing's optimistic - as much as £2500 - but £1500 will buy something with neat mods, 35 to 45 thou on the clock and a lot of life left. Cheaper, dodgy bikes will need a lot of work to bring them up to scratch, probably not worth the effort unless you're really keen or desperate.
Suzuki GSX750
Like the GPz, the GSX750 came in two variants. A rather bulky twin shocker with looks that haven't really stood the test of time at all well. And a relatively svelte, 16'' front wheel, mono-shock model that was both much faster turning and 40lbs lighter. The lines of this model emerge much clearer if the bike's painted in a single colour.
Like the early GPz, the pre '83 Suzukis needed better rear shocks and major attention to the front forks. Both ends are too mushy stock, no way to control such a heavy bike. Even with tauter suspension, a lack of ground clearance led to some wild times in the curves - running on longer shocks not a sensible option on an already top heavy, 510lb motorcycle.
However, a surprisingly large number have survived from the early eighties. The only reason for this is the sheer toughness of the 16 valve, DOHC four cylinder motor, which shares most of its bottom end with the older GS series (hence the strength and mass), although roller bearings main's were swapped for shells.
The camchain, for instance, can last for as long as many rival engines - 40 to 60,000 miles. Not that many have gone around the clock, though. Either burnt out valves or a knocking crankshaft take them out around 80/90,000 miles. Regular valve adjustments and oil changes are more or less mandatory (though they can be pushed to around 2000 rather than 1000 miles).
The most likely engine problems come from the alternator, which whilst less dodgy than the old GS series still ain't up to the high mileages the engine can run. Signs of a dying alternator can be found in a wrecked battery, bodged rectifier, burnt out fuse-box, odd wiring and flickering lights. Disconcertingly, some of the wild pulses of untamed electricity can also take out the ignition circuit. The well worn path of rewound alternator with Superdream rectifier/regulator works well enough but time and age can also cause the wiring to shed its insulation and short out - and start the cycle all over again.
Whilst the early GSX can be made to handle at speeds that will match most 550's, the later GSX can match the pace with rival 750 fours. Its front end is the most dubious aspect, that sixteen inch wheel being twitchy on anything other than a decent tyre with more than 3mm of tread. Many are happy to swap some stability for much quicker bend swinging. Again, the mix of anti-dive and twin discs can vary between almost brilliant and a pain in the arse when some wear enters the system. The anti-dive can be disabled without undue force.
The GSX comes with a neat looking half fairing but it lacks the protection of both the GPz and CBX, although the riding position's comfortable enough for both serious speed and town commuting; helped along by the relative lack of secondary vibes compared to the other 750 fours. The general competence of the GSX perhaps hides a little blandness in the context of serious speeding.
Liberating extra power or losing some mass can change the beast out of all recognition. I've ridden one 750ES with a straight through 4-1, K and N's, a reworked head and a set of modern seventeen inch wheels and brakes. The lighter, modern wheels and 4-1 exhaust must have lost about 35lbs, giving a mass of around 435lbs - competitive with the 600 replicas! The harsher engine gave a tremendous kick at 7000 revs that had the bars wobbling in my hands, though the heavyweight tubular frame ensured that the fluttering front end didn't traumatise the whole chassis.
With a well tucked in exhaust, the centrestand dumped and the suspension Ducati hard, even the ground clearance gave enough room to heel her over on to the edges of the tyres. The whole bike squirmed and shuffled but ultimately held its line. But, god, my spine was battered from the road shocks and my heart was running wild from all the wobbling.
The great hustle with this kind of bike's to hit somewhere like France where they have lots of wide, almost empty main roads where something like the GSX750 can stomp along at 110 to 120mph. It's not that comfortable but it's one hell of a buzz and a bit mind warping after the crowded UK which seems to be turning into a second rate police state.
Anyway, the early version's cheaper, although some people reckon they are cult bikes! £1250 to £1750 will buy one with the essential suspension mods but quite high miles (more than fifty thou). £1500 to £2000 buys a relatively stock ES version with 35k plus on the clock, which given its competence and toughness seems like a better buy.
Yamaha XJ900
Big isn't always better. Something that could be said about Yamaha's heavyweight, shaft drive XJ900. It eventually evolved into a reliable, tough, relatively stable tourer but £1500 buys one of the earlier models which were a bit infamous for their speed wobbles. This doesn't just apply to the 1983/5 models, which had an handlebar fairing that caught the wind and led to many a death-wish scenario. Removal of the fairing was the easiest way of taming the beast - to a certain extent...
Even the later bike with the frame mounted half fairing had its fair share of handling problems, especially when some wear got to the forks. A heavy shunt tended to break the legs off! The XJ could happily cruise at 100 to 120mph and top out at 135mph...with the combination of shaft and 500lbs, the suspension was hard pressed to keep the bike from weaving all over the road. Even with a later set of forks and newish set of Koni's, the wobbles that came in harshly when speed and bumps were mixed were not entirely eradicated; at best they were damped down to a merely frightening level.
Nevertheless, some riders have got a grip with the demons within the chassis. One guy I know regularly rides with a pack of hot 600's, manages to weave and wobble through the bends on the pace. It may be that the other riders are just too frightened by all the handling antics to try to get past.
Many owners, who merely use the XJ as a fast cruiser (up to 90mph), never have much cause for complaint because within certain limits the Yam gives off a feel of excellence. This is much more evident in recent examples than old ones, especially once they have more than 35000 miles on the clock, when the motor can become really rough.
The distinct similarities between the XJ650 and XJ900 suggests that the motor was originally designed for the smaller model, perhaps explaining why few have gone around the clock. The most I've seen is 76000 miles, but, hell, the motor rattled away like some old British wreck and the guy had trouble burning off 250 twins!
Things to look for in the engine are noise and vibration. Unless they'd been really thrashed and neglected they should be tough to at least 30,000 miles. Thereafter, expect the top end to give the most problems - camchains, camshafts, valves and, rarely, warped cylinder heads. The latter usually when the gasket begins to leak and some desperate pressure's applied to the head bolts to stop the flow.
Another possible area of nastiness is the transmission. More a case of it becoming noisy and intransigent rather than actually failing. The shaft drive can become loose after fifty thou, churning away in a rather reactive manner (it doesn't usually intrude when in good fettle, which will amaze Boxer owners). Clutch failure, usually in the form of slipping, comes from excessive town riding when it's abused as an alternative to clanging up and down the box.
It's quite possible to buy a bike with 30 thou on the clock, run in it neglect mode for another 25000 miles and then sell on without spending out any money on the engine. It's almost impossible to avoid spending on the disc brakes - amateur hour stuff that will drive you mad with the way the calipers seize up and the discs warp or crack. Again, later brakes are superior and readily available from your friendly local breaker.
Two grand will buy a much more recent example than £1500, and a rather more superior one. The older XJ's weren't the most brilliant motorcycle in the world when brand new and time or mileage ain't exactly kind to them. That said, there are some nicely sorted bikes out there for reasonable money.
Honda CB900
If the XJ900 verged on the civilized, at its best, the CB900 preferred to bring out the brutality and beastliness of the big across the frame four. If its ubiquitous Euro-styling verged on the bland such thoughts were soon blown away by the gurgle of the exhaust and the willingness of the engine to rev hard.
The CB900 shared its basic engine layout with the CB750, shared some fairly heavy engineering problems at high miles - to the extent that I've seen one fitted with the CBX750 mill, another similar DOHC four engine but one in which all the engineering was fully sorted. The CB900 had a less reliable engine than the XJ but a chassis that could be more successfully modified for fast riding.
There are an awful lot of these ageing stars left on the road, both in 750 and 900 forms. It is an engine that responds well to a 4-1 and K and N filters, and one that always communicates the state of play - both from its raw power and secondary vibes; shades of those old British twins without, of course, the trail of parts falling off.
One of the neatest aspects of the CB900, shared with the XJ, is that many a mature owner has used them as a mere tourer, found the fierceness of the top end not to their liking, relied instead on the immediate torque below 6500rpm.
A slight stutter around those revs is quite normal, emphasized by 4-1's like Motads, but in a way it makes the sudden onslaught of ninety horses all the more emphatic. Unhappily, the ignition circuit breaking down ain't uncommon, usually manifesting as poor running in the wet - madness on damp roads taking the form of 90 horses hitting the back tyre when all the cylinders suddenly chime in. This can usually be fixed with newish coils and HT leads, though from 60k onwards the ignition unit itself can succumb to the secondary vibes.
Nastier still, is the camchain tensioner, which was redesigned twice but never really made it into the modern world - 25000 miles at best, as little as 15 thou on a thrashed engine. A bike's that been run on a shagged camchain can be in a sad state because the chain attacks the cylinder, sending lots of bits of alloy around the engine. This may well be why high mileage bikes have a reputation for taking out the main bearings! Pretty obvious by the knocking noise and total disinclination to rev hard.
Clutch, bore and valves can need attention around 30,000 miles but a bike used a tourer that had the proper maintenance (and tensioner/camchain swaps) would do twice that before needing a top end rebuild. Quite a few have, nevertheless, gone around the clock but at the price of a couple of engine rebuilds. Spares are still available in breakers but it's a good idea to buy a non-runner as a cheap source of bits.
People make the effort to keep them on the road because they are friendly old beasts. Throw the Fade-Very-Quickly shocks at the nearest MZ owner, upgrade the mushy forks and use Goodridge hose and EBC pads for the brakes - the frame's quite adequate and the big 19 inch front wheel instils stability - and most of the handling weaves will do a disappearing act. However, the CB doesn't like too much weight out back. Carrying sacks of cement brings out the sheer nastiness of the 550lb monster. Speed wobbles also come up on worn out suspension, naff tyres or bent frame (though the tubular trellis was quite tough) - at speeds above the ton.
Top speed's 130 to 140mph, depending on the exhaust and state of the motor (try to avoid any radical tuning as it ain't the toughest mill in the whole, wide world). Cruising above 90mph's a bit limited by the secondary vibration; a few hours at 130mph will leave the rider with trembling hands and blurred vision. The riding position's good for up to the ton but thereafter strain from the wind scars muscles.
Go for later engines, if you can, they were built better and something with under 50,000 miles on the clock (higher mileage starts the chassis and electrical rot) but expect it to have been rebuilt at least once. £1500's a fair price for a bike with 20,000 miles life left in it. Don't pay serious money for anything on stock suspension and avoid the hand painted rats as that far gone they are too wrecked to be much use.
Suzuki GS1000
Strength and durability are the big Suzuki's strong points, though not quite to the same degree as the almost indestructible GS550. Its weak points are excessive mass, width and somewhat soggy suspension in stock, worn condition. As big a brawny muscle bike as you're likely to come across. Even with modern suspension the old, hinged in the middle feeling's still around when the going gets tough.
There are many ways of extracting more than the standard 90 horses. The most extreme's a turbo kit, which is a pretty fast way of busting the motor. 4-1's vary from an engine full of flat spots to equalling the stock bike's enviable mix of torque and power. Both the most successful mod, and the easiest, is to put some new silencers on the stock headers. Just about anything of the right length's an adequate replacement for the quick rust originals.
K and N's work okay on the induction side but problems are more likely to arise from carb rot (after 50,000 miles) - look for difficult starting, poor midrange and sudden stalling. Stripping down the carbs and cleaning out only works to a small extent as they tend to end up with a coating of gunge - maybe from additives in petrol, maybe from the petrol tank rusting through. The final model had CV carbs which are generally much less troublesome.
Quite a few bikes were raced and wrecked, which means a dodgy crankshaft. Though the roller bearing crank's tougher than most when subjected to racing speeds and a 100/120hp they could start knocking. Wired in bolts are the most obvious sign of an ex-racer (though it's not impossible to remove them).
Of the race kit, Yoshi cams were the most useful bit of tackle. Big bore kits do nothing for this engine, other than make it short-lived. Avoid - a sure sign of such kit's an excess of piston slap, though the engine's something of a rattler, especially with high miles. Clutch, gearbox output shaft's bearing and valves are other potential trouble spots.
Many engines have done over 100,000 miles and many bikes are still out there on the road. Most of the chassis will have been replaced or upgraded, stock stuff on such a powerful machine's ain't worth entertaining - in its day it was supposed to be better than most! Oh dear!
For really wacky speed riding there's the 600lb, shaft drive GS1000G. Both chassis and engine are pretty dire but for touring use they are just about passable. Most engine parts aren't interchangeable so don't let breakers palm you off with the wrong stuff.
Electrical problems are more likely to come from rotten wiring shorting out rather than weakness in any particular component, though in the end the effect is exactly the same. Try to avoid overloading the electrical system with excessive horns or lights.
Suzuki made an attempt at a more sporting version in the GS1000S. The best that can be said for this is that it removed the incredible bland appearance of the stock model. In reality, with both bikes on modded suspension and reasonable tyres, the S was actually inferior in the curves, though both machines could be killed dead by, say, a CBR600. Back then, the Jap's did some pretty weird things.
Current offerings are a mixed bag of ex-tourers that probably haven't gone over 8000 revs, ex-racers that could explode at any moment, and street-blades with good suspension mods but not without the tell-tale scars of high speed crashes. The engine also had a passing popularity with the custom brigade, though some of these abortions ended up with snapped frames! They are a source of good engines.
From a speed point of view they ain't worth much more than £1500 but the really nice ones go for closer to £2000. Rats are so far gone that they aren't really salvageable; okay for hacking but a suicide trip for speeding.
Kawasaki Z1000
Like the GS1000, the Z had a wonderful engine in a mediocre chassis. Even a dangerous chassis. Like the Suzuki, it didn't like rapid changes of direction in curves but unlike the GS it could throw some wild speed wobbles. One bike that definitely needs decent tyres, taut suspension and a newish set of chassis bearings. Kawasaki had learnt some of the art of chassis design, the evolution from the Z1 was positive but not entirely perfect.
All kinds of magical incantations were performed over the Z's chassis. From alloy swinging arms to extra bracing around the steering head. All of which helped but couldn't remove the effects of poor weight distribution and odd steering geometry, nor of the effects of 550 to 600lbs of mass. When the Z went out of line it did so in a seriously mad way.
That's not to say it couldn't be ridden fast. Indeed, there was a certain perverse delight in fighting through the weaves and wobbles, coming out the other side with an excess of speed and mad grin. The Z1000's heritage stretched back beyond the Z1 to the fearsome H1 triple, both machines that could hustle when ridden by people with suppressed survival instincts.
To make matters more interesting, Kawasaki took the basic concoction of the Z1000, itself pretty much just a Z900 with a few detail improvements, to knock out many variants on the same theme. Mostly, these had more power, the same excessive mass and some frame and suspensions mods.
Of these, the Eddie Lawson replica Z1000R stands out as the craziest of the bunch. A 110hp, 140mph, 540lb beast. There's a great art to riding these fast at speeds. Below the ton it ain't too bad, in the same way that a mildly ridden Z1 ain't too frightening when used like a tourer. As long as the steering head and swinging arm bearings have been replaced with taper and needle roller bearings.
Oddly, the steel tubular frame's actually very resistant to bending or breaking up, it just has poor steering geometry. On the Z1000R that manifests itself as crossed up steering in bends during hard charging, speed wobbles above 125mph and a disturbing tendency to sit up if the twin front discs were hit in a hurry when entering a corner. Slamming the throttle shut was slightly less dangerous but not without some of the back end hiatus experienced in the original H1.
An awful lot of people spent an awful lot of money trying to sort out the big Z's handling. For sure, forks, shocks and swinging arm upgrades all help, but if the power and glory of the engine's going to be used to the full then it's necessary to develop a strident adherence to the technique of point and squirt. The resultant series of lines through corners has the useful side effect of causing rival riders to back off in horror and scare the stuffing out of innocent bystanders.
It's the extra power from the Z1000R's mill that really stresses the chassis, which in the stock Z1000 was merely edgy, merely what you'd expect from an overweight, top heavy and wide old dinosaur of a four...amusingly, the latest retro's like the 1100 Zephyr have some handling finesse but none of the blood and guts of the earlier motors.
Z1000 transmuted itself into the Mk.2, which was more of the same with squared off looks that were not to some tastes as they lacked the sheer class of the Z900/1000 but kept the ultra tough DOHC motor.
Only the fact than many bikes were raced, and that legions have now done over 100,000 miles, pose any limit on the amount of praise that can be heaped on the engine for its toughness. The bottom end has an excess of roller bearings and lack of primary chain; even the gearbox selectors don't wear rapidly. The camchain's long lived and pretty obvious from the noise it makes when on the way out. The valves are most likely to give trouble but only at really high mileages or on racing examples that are thrashed so mercilessly that the crank's just as likely to break. Valve demise's most likely to turn up as smoke on the overrun. Often, new guides and a valve regrind is all that's necessary.
I know someone who's still running an early Z1000 with 184000 miles on the clock - the engine's basically stock! Enough said! Of the rest of the bike, the most likely areas of nastiness are the ease with which the exhaust rotted, the way the calipers gummed up in winter, and short-lived chassis bearings and consumables. On the Z1000i, the fuel injectors and their controllers can be troublesome; to the extent that I know someone who replaced the whole gubbins with a set of carbs.
Very few Z1000's ended up scrapped; even write-offs could be straightened out and put back on the road. A small minority ended up as rat bikes, which given that they maintained most of their power's an exceedingly dangerous trip. Around £750 to £800, if the frame's straight and the motor's okay, they aren't a bad project to renovate with used cycle parts. £1500 will turn up something with a reasonable motor and suspension but tatty cosmetics.
That's for a basic Z1000 or Mk.2; the Lawson replica costs £2000 plus. As much as three grand's demanded for a really nice example but it's not worth paying that; much over £2000 is getting too close to the prices of used modern replicas. Yes, I know the old Kawa's look great but they will disappoint on the road if you have any experience of the modern stuff.
Ducati Pantah
There are parallels between the way old Kawasakis and Ducatis are revered. So disparate are their on the road experiences, the owner of one would probably have nothing to do with the other. Nevertheless, a large degree of fanaticism exists in each camp. Ducati eschewed the excesses of heavyweight Japanese engineering in favour of getting the most out of the least.
The 90 degree vee-twin equals the straight fours in smoothness and beats it dead in the production of torque though not power. The 600 Pantah's substantially superior to the 500, which suffered from some nasty gearbox hassles in early incarnations and the 600 has even more thudding torque from 3500 revs up (which means less use of the gearbox, though the 600's box and clutch will only turn up hassles after 30,000 miles).
One advantage of vee-twins is their narrowness and subsequent low centre of gravity, though the Pantahs were heavy at around 435lbs for a 50hp twin. Throw in Ducati's famed ability to get the most out of their minimal tubular frames and the majority of the Japanese horrors in the bends were removed - you could change direction, back off the throttle (though you had to go easy on the front discs), without even a hint of a wobble. Nice.
Both the front wheel and forks can suffer terminal damage in relatively mild shunts. The metal doesn't take well to back street repairs so it pays to check carefully. The most obvious sign of a crash will be found in the plastic fairing or seat surround/tailpiece, which when subjected to an argument with the tarmac cracks around the mountings. Beware, then, of non-standard paint jobs and patches of GRP hidden inside the plastic.
The Pantah claimed 60 horses and could run to as much 125mph, was mechanically tough enough to cruise at 90 to 100mph; helped along by the narrowness of the engine and the aerodynamics of the half fairing. The main restraint on comfort was the saddle, especially after the foam wore down, but easy enough to replace.
The engine ended up in the 750SS without too many major changes, indicating a basic toughness and rightness. The most obvious possible weak spot being the belt drives to the camshafts (which control the desmo, two valve heads that need exact if infrequent shimming). These usually last for at least 15000 miles, though we've heard of ones going to thirty thou and others only lasting for ten grand. Basically, buy a workshop manual and check the engine over every 1000 miles, though it may need no attention.
It's quite possible to get fifty thou out of these engines, most did at least 30,000 miles. When they do go it's usually expensive problems like main bearings, gearboxes and pistons, though clutches are prone to slip and rattle as miles rise.
Chassis and electrical rot are other potential problems but Pantahs tend to be well cared for, so anything that looks dodgy or has exploding electrics will probably have an engine well on the way out as well.
Pantahs, alas, have found favour with the collectors and can be very expensive, but the odd hard used one does turn up for around £1500. Why, when later Ducatis are even better, they should be burdened with classic status is hard to explain but there you go. Put it down to the weird and wonderful world of used motorcycles.
Guzzi 850 Le Mans
For a while, back in the mists of time, Guzzi were serious rivals to Ducati, the 850 Le Mans being one of the better sportsters of the late seventies. If ever a motorcycle could be said to possess a lot of blood and guts this was it. Just the way the whole machine quaked in the frame at tickover and twitched upwards at the back under throttle was enough to convince of its sheer seriousness.
Once under motion the idea of the brutality of the combustion process never really faded, even if the 850cc vee twin settled down to an intense canter at 90 to 110mph. The Guzzi didn't so much as accelerate as thud up the road, creating in its midst a minor earthquake. To ensure that mere mortals didn't forget where they were, there was also the matter of the horrendous heaviness of the controls; throttle and clutch, both, aiding the machinations of only Bullworker addicts.
Handling was similarly heavy going but basically safe once the intrusiveness of the shaft drive was mastered... the combined forces of the thudding flow of power and counter reaction of the shaft meant that the universal joints or seals were often short-lived. Performance could also be depleted by the speed with which the carbs went out of balance - a sign of Guzzi cool was to balance them by ear whilst waiting at traffic lights.
The OHV vee-twin engine, despite its agricultural feel, was a reasonably reliable device given regular servicing (easy for DIY artists) and good oil. The lower tuned models in the big Guzzi range often went around the clock, a fate a mildly ridden Le Mans can equal. Thrashed examples could be shagged out in 50/60,000 miles.
The wiring's out of another world - basically, if it hasn't already been done (and it most probably has) pull it all out and replace with Japanese stuff. The switches are similarly unsuitable for British winters. The smaller type of car battery will fit in and it's better to buy the more expensive, sealed for life type - they last longer. Guzzi's did get better on the electrics on later models but they are out of this price range.
One of the more curious aspects of Guzzi ownership was the linked brakes. Fine once you get used to them but the whole system could be mucked up when one of the calipers seized (slightly rusted discs are normal and no cause for concern unlike cracks or thinness). Age, similarly, doesn't favour the wheels.
The Mk.1 Le Mans has become something of a classic from a combination of rareness, rawness and nakedness (having merely a tiny handlebar fairing). That leaves the Mk.2 or Mk.3 (the Mk.4 has odd styling and a 16 inch wheel that dooms the steering, so avoid unless you want to fit earlier parts) which have bigger handlebar fairings and marginal lower fairings, as well as a few more ponies than the Mk.1. As with the Pantah, silly money's often demanded but rarely achieved; £1500 to £2000 is more than enough to find something with rough cosmetics but tough mechanicals.