Mike's Z1000

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Welcome to Mike's Z1000 page.

I bought my 2003 Kawasaki Z1000 on 09/20/03 from Action Motor Sports in Idaho Falls, ID. As of this writing, I have 1,028 miles on it. The break in period was 1,000 miles. For the first 500, I had to keep the engine RPM under 4,000, and for the next 500 miles, I had to stay under 6,000 RPM. This is harder than it sounds. You have to practically idle it around to stay under 4,000.

Latest News:

04/10/04:	I finally hit the 1,000 mile mark and was able to open up the "Z" today. Up to 6,000 RPM the "Z" gave me a warm fuzzy feeling, but from 6,000 to redline...what a rush!
01/08/05:	Revised site, fixing links that did not work.

Pictures of The "Z" Click the thumbnails to view full size images.

	The "Z" Arrives Home I picked the "Z" up in my '83 Chevy and drove it the 50 miles home. I did not want to drive it on the freeway the first day (actually you can't - top speed is about 58 if you stay under 4,000 RPM). If you like the truck, you can learn more about it on my '83 Chevy Page.

I used to own a 1985 Kawasaki ZL900 Eliminator. It was in showroom condition. I had a stage 3 DynoJet kit with K&N filters and ran like a scalded ape. I really missed it so I bought the "Z" because it reminded me of my old Eliminator.

This new "Z" has more of a sport bike look, but it has a very comfortable seating position. You are not hunched over with your weight on your arms like you would be on a sport bike. I actually like the old "muscle bike" look that the V-Max still retains, but I could not get the updated suspension, brakes and performance in any bike that style. So I chose the "Z." So far I really like it. I do have a few complaints however:

The seat hurt my butt at first, but seems to be breaking in.

The mirrors are positioned badly. All I can see are my elbows. If I adjust them to so that my elbows only obscure half of the mirror, I am not seeing anything important in the other half. Seeing directly behind you is nearly impossible.

The mini windshield scratches REALLY easy. Just drying it softly with a terry towel will produce scratches. I tried buffing them out with Meguiar's plastic polish, but it only helped a little.

I get buzzes from the instrument cluster someplace. I have tried to find the source with the intention of fixing it, but so far have been unsuccessful.

This page was last updated on 01/09/05.