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Im happy with how the blue tooth ones work but its a pain making sure they are charged up before a ride and charging up each night when on a tour . We like to run ours on an open mic as never really liked the vox but on a wireless system this kills the batteries.
I bought a new autocom  last Year after our 20 yr old one packed in. Ive only just fitted it and discovered that there is a fault on one of the channels . Autocom have ceased trading so im stuck with it . £306 . However i have filed a section 75 dispute .

Thats a no then I guess

 

Hi Guys ,
Apart from Autocom , are there any other hardwired biker/pillion systems on the market?

 A used one with box and fully comlete just went for 260£ on ebay . Im hoping to get that for mine 

Im selling 660 very soon but i know you are fixed up now

 We have a 14 year old autocom , hardwire . We run it on an open mic with a micro switch on the bars so i can power it off should the need arise. Open mic just makes a conversation so much more natural. We have tried blue tooth models and find them less convienient due to having to charge 2 units especially when out for a few days touring . What with 2 iphones and 2 ipads to charge at night we love the convienience and reliability of a hard wire system

Repatriation of you and your bike are the main things . Breakdown cover is not for recovering a bike that's had an accident . Travel medical  insurance needs to be bike specific , most cheap providers don't cover high risk activities

Foot soldiers arrive early to secure the place before the generals arrive

Viper and wingman incoming 

Booked for the sat night

If you want an original classic, perhaps consider an early to mid 1970's Honda CB750? Spares are plentiful from a variety of specialist suppliers, there is a lot of expertise out there both from Forums and also a number of real experts who make their living from overhauling and restoring these bikes where it is necessary. Most of all, they have benefitted from many years of evolution and, as far as classics go are considered "bulletproof". I have a couple of them and would not hesitate to ride them to their full performance potential over any distance.

My "high miler" has well over 70,000 miles of often hard use under its belt and runs as well as it did when it was far newer, with maintenance limited to oil and filter changes, together with an annual service for points, valve clearances etc. All of this is carried out by me, so no particular expertise on type necessary.

If you do ultimately buy one however, might I suggest that you avoid the very early (and more expensive) models with the four - into - one throttle cable? This is not so much through carburettor synchronisation problems, as through product improvements that came with the K2 onward. 1972 - 1976 were probably the best years for reliability, in my view.

My riding friend has a CB1100 EX (2015) and my brother had the earlier model of this bike. One is sold, the other for sale, as they are just not the same as a true classic!

Thanks , useful words.
I'm also strongly considering a 2018 cb1100ex . I know they don't ride like the old ones but as I've ridden the old ones I won't know what I'm missing. A company in Japan does a kit for the CB called Whitehouse which is a full cosmetic overhaul to look like an early cb750 , check it out , it's a thing of beauty !

Hi Viper,

That does not look a bad bike and I don't think the money is too far off. An "as original" bike will command a higher than average price. It is difficult to tell without being certain of the model year and if a US bike has a different specification but the exhaust system does not look original or the seat. However these are two items that would wear and be replaced on a bike of this age. The shocks do look original though or are a good replica.

The thing that most owners concern themselves with is the cam chain tensioner which allegedly is not up to the job and has been known to fail with catastrophic results. The guy who I pay to work on mine seems amazed that I am still running with an unmodified one (perhaps I don't ride it hard enough). I believe that the CCT from a GPZ1100 is the usual replacement.
It is a crab model which means it is from before 1984/5. The A5 model which I own is a 1983 and has chrome engine casings, the prior models had polished alloy which makes me think that the bike was built 1982 or before. (Incidentally, you may not be buying a Japanese bike, I believe most Z13s were built by Kawasaki in a factory in the USA).

They are really heavy machines and after riding newer bikes you will find the single pot brakes to be scarily inadequate, leave yourself twice the distance that you are used to when following traffic!

I've had mine from new and someone has suggested to me that a one-owner Z1300 is probably fairly rare and I should insure it for £10k. Of course, this is way above what I could realistically sell it for. Having now got four bikes in the garage I sometimes find myself thinking I should really sell one off and the Z1300 would be a candidate as it is in many ways the most temperamental and least "rideable" of my bunch, however I had had it longer than the kids, so it is hard to let it go. And then there are those days when it is running well, the big six sings like no other engine and it gets occasional admiring looks that a modern £15k bike would not get. If someone came along with stupid money, I may be tempted to part with it but I am not desperate.

Good luck with your search.

Pete.

(Photo; My Z1300 Pershore Abbey October 2016)

The bike is a 79 a1.    Exhausts are not stock , not sure about the seat . TBH I'm not bothered about it being stock or all original, I'm happy with the way it looks . I just don't want to buy a mechanical lemon. I don't want to be six months in an having to strip down heads ect, I want to be able to use it through the summer. Maybe I should just settle on a modern retro and not have the constant worry and always listening for a problem when I'm riding the zed .

Overpriced for an import IMHO.
Yes, the gearboxes have straight cut gear's so whine on decel.
If there are crunchy or grinding noises on decel then walk away.

Mine was the first year of the DFI and I prefer the injected models to the carb ones, but most prefer the carbs.

Thanks boomer for the comments on the box, that's reassuring. Re the price, everyone says z13 s are over priced but I've been looking for about 2 years now and every bike I've seen for sub 6k has issues or needs work ect. Anything that's ready to ride is s 6k 7k 8k dependending on cosmetics. I have never seen these 5 grand bikes that everyone reckons they paid for theirs !! There is only ever 1 or 2 if you are lucky for sale on eBay . One on at the mo for 6k but has issues . I've entered into negotiations on at least 6 z13's in the last 12 months and can't get the owners to budge more than 10% on their asking price. Everyone seems that know of a mint one that was sold  for next to nothing but I ain't seen them . I've walked away from 3 on the driveway with 6k in my pocket cos the owner wouldn't budge on price.

Priced at 7200 , may go to 6800

I hope not Viper      

Know what you mean though.......predictive text is sometimes better than the original        

Haha well spotted

I don't know a lot, but looks like an American import. It has side reflectors of the radiator and by the rear indicators, and appears to have a short rear mudguard. A UK mudguard should extend well below the number plate and have a moulded rear reflector. Also side panels have KZ1300.
Early carburettor US models had a smaller tank, not the one that is in the pictures. No bad reason to change it to a UK tank [bigger fuel capacity], and the later US models may have come with the larger tank but I am not certain.
Sonothing to say 'don't buy' but just observations and maybe worth asking further questions.
There is a good Z1300 club/forum/FB page if you want more help before committing.

It is an American import from 2000. The carbs have been rejected to accept uk grade fuel.