Zl1000 Eliminator Vs V65 Vs Vmax Gen 1

[customizedcreationz]

Ok there is a local one for sale. I know I just sold my bikes, and I am looking at bike day dreaming.

I ve seen a couple 1000's for sale, I understand they are rare only being produced in 87 and 88. And this one is clean. $3000.

Just got me thinking. You always hear about the ZL900 and not much on the 1000. The 900 never broke into the 10's in a 1/4 mile and the 1000 didnt either I think.

I did some research on the 1000 on the ZL forum and they bicker amongst themselves about which one is faster.

NOW BEFORE PEOPLE DERAIL THIS THREAD WITH ********, PLEASE STAY ON TOPIC.

I know a couple of you have experience with the Eliminator. So I would like to hear your input on the bike. Again these bikes werent made to take turns, go long distances or go to the grocery store for a weeks of food. They were made like the Vmax , to terrorize stop lights and have quick sprint fun no more no less. They were a niche area.

Comparing it to a V65 Sabre or Magna and Vmax. How do they compare? Real world experiences please. I can read a hundred posts on what ifs , or I read it in a magazine. What are you experiences with one?

This one only has 933 original miles supposedly. I think they are ugly. I read that they are longer than the 900 and the 900 was setup more for drag racing than the 1000 was.

 

[customizedcreationz]

And for the record, I am not buying a bike. It just peaked my interested into more information on the 1000.

 

[Old V65 Rider]

From what I have read the eliminator is very quick off the line. Would get a head start on a Vmax but the max would soon out muscle it and pull away. I have run with two eliminators (both 1000's) one guy just claimed his bike was faster but would never line it up, the other wasn't running right. I have a V65 and a Vmax. V boost on my max isn't working so my V65 is definitely quicker in the quarter. My Vmax feels snappier but speed at the end of a quarter is much slower.

 

[srk468]

Only experience I have is with a friends 900 he used to have, it was actually a little quicker down low than my max but I'd reel him in up top. They aren't the most attractive bikes in my opinion but that's just my tastes, when he had his it seemed to ride good and stop well and was a good all around bike really.

 

[Unholy1]

I had a 96 or 97 zl600 eliminator that I loved. Built like a low seat cruiser, but ninja 600 motor tuned for torque and shaft drive. I had friends with the 1000, and they all liked my 600 better, but they were much faster. Never raced a vmax against any of them, but my Ninja zx1100 was way faster than any of the eliminators were.

 

[reddobie0]

I have two zl900's, one Vmax,and a v45. It's been many years since I rode a V65. My one zl is stock and the other has exhaust/pods/timing advance and jetted. The vmax has super traps,cops, and clutch mod. But I will tell you this those two 900s will beat my Vmax in around 1/8 mile but then the vmax takes over. I like my Zl's because they sit lower than my max and I always liked the drag bike look. I don't like how it is geared so low that on the highway I'm looking for another gear. I would much rather be on the max or V45 on the highway. As far as the 900 to 1000 they are pretty much equal and all depends on riders. The zl900 was basically supposed to be a drag bike with its small tank and more aggressive styling. The zl1000 received a larger tank and was a little more conservative.

That bike you have mentioned with 933 miles is also mentioned on the ZL-OA site. I have my doubts about the mileage but if it is truly that low the bike is a deal at $3000 and one owner. People usually want much more for a bike with that mileage and condition. But who knows maybe he didn't research his prices first.

 

[customizedcreationz]

Red thats about what I read on the forums about the bikes. That the 900's were faster than Vmax's at the stop light races. But actual drag races the Vmax was faster.

Now I have to say.... lets see some pictures of these beasts you have!

 

[reddobie0]

If you go to my album my bike pictures are there. I'm on my little tablet and this thing doesn't always work to well for me putting pics in threads.

 

[tothemax93]

I had an 85 zl 900 eliminator off the show room floor. I always thought it was fast. My brother took it out and decided to see what it had. When hit hammered it, He said he almost pulled his arms off the handlebars. He thinks the Eliminator was faster than my max now. I don't agree. I got them twelve years apart so its actually hard for me to compare. I never raced the Eliminator at the track, or a v65, Vmax. The Eliminator got the same respect from the Harley guys as The Max.

 

[Unholy1]

One other thing I can say is you can never make one sound anywhere near as cool as a Vmax. It'll always sound like a ninja.

 

[gunrunner]

The 900's are geared better and are actually quicker than the 1000's .
Another useless piece of info , the ZL900 featured in the original Mad Max movie .

 

[88vmx12]

Texas tornado where are thow...? You can go to the ZL forum. Search ZL owners association on the web and get info there too

 

[dwarf717]

An old buddy of mine had a 900. I had an 84 Nighthawk S. We raced quite a bit back then, and I kicked his ass badly every time

 

[mckzx9]

I also had a 86 zl 900. I loved that bike but IMHO the vmax will take it easily. It was a fun bike. It was my first shaft bike. They have a 2nd gear problem worse then the vmax. It really loved hole shots though. Bad ass looking too. Everywhere I went people talked about it almost as much as my vmax. I'd love to get another one. I was only 19 years old when I had it. Only had it for a year until I had to sell to,pay court fines for fighting

 

[Rusty McNeil]

You're asking about three bikes, I've had several V65's, one Vmax, no ZL's ever.

A properly running Vmax will eat a V65 every time in my experience, in the quarter for sure.

 

[Fire-medic]

The 900's are geared better and are actually quicker than the 1000's .
Another useless piece of info , the ZL900 featured in the original Mad Max movie .

I believe you are mistaken. "Mad Max" was six years old by the time the ZL900 was released in the USA.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079501/?ref_=sr_2

Mad Max (1979)
88 min - Action | Adventure | Thriller - 12 April 1979 (Australia)
7.0 Your rating: -/10 Ratings: 7.0/10 from 85,200 users
Reviews: 224 user | 130 critic
A vengeful Australian policeman sets out to avenge his partner, his wife and his son whom were murdered by a motorcycle gang in retaliation for the death of their leader.

Director: George Miller
Writers: James McCausland (screenplay), George Miller (screenplay), 2 more credits »
Stars: Mel Gibson, Joanne Samuel, Hugh Keays-Byrne | See full cast and crew

http://www.ehow.com/list_7457008_specifications-1985-kawasaki-zl900-eliminator.html

Introduced in 1985, the Kawasaki ZL900 Eliminator is a cruiser with the feel of a drag-racing bike. The ZL900 was equipped with an inline four-cylinder engine similar to the one used in another popular Kawasaki product, the 1984 ZX900 Ninja. The ZL900 was only produced for two years, but the Eliminator name continued to live on until 2009, encompassing a wide range of cruiser models in a number of engine displacement ranges, from an entry-level 125 cc to a 1,000 cc cruiser.

 

[reddobie0]

I like the sound of my ninja! I don't think it sounds like one but I do love those dale walkers.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xYN764mR7fw

As far as fastest I don't really care much about that anymore. I like my bikes and like to ride each one. There will always be a newer and faster bike out there and as I have gotten older that matters less to me. As far as second gear on ZL's that is a new one to me. I know my magna and max can have that issue but not my ZL.

Don't know where BGT or Texas Tornado is he is more knowledgable on this than me and had all three bikes.

 

[woodsman30]

The friends I rode with back in the 80's had these all at the same time ..**** where does time go:bang head:
The one guy had a 1984 V65 honda sabre. Another guy had a 1985 vmax I myself had the old green kawasaki. This is where I fell in love for the vmaxunk:
The V65 Sabre was and is a fast bike it was a great runner that loved to be throttled hard. It handled ok it was stiff but by no means a sport bike by todays standard but would handle if you muscled it.

The vmax was hands down faster the guy who rode it knew how to ride well and would put that thing through its paces. He called me when he got it told me I had to come over and check out his new bike.. so I did. When I first seen the vmax in person back then I was like wow nothing like it before...so holly ****.
The real story starts when he asked if I wanted to ride it..uh duh.:worthy: He told me to becareful it was fast I laughed because I rode many fast bikes this was not different so I thought. Now keep in mind this is around 1985-1986 so the vmax was in a league all alone. I went for a ride and put the bike through its paces when I got back I could not stop smiling that thing was ******* awsome unlike anything I rode to date back then.
So to answer the question the bottom line the 80's was a awsome time to be riding. To experience these bikes when they first come out with nothing like them before. The V65 is bad ass for what it is the vmax is bad ass for what it is these bikes paved the way for the super bikes today. To get the same feeling I had when riding these for the first time I think I would need a Star Wars speeder unk:

 

[The Beekeeper]

I'm a big fan of the origional Mad Max, most of the bikes used were the KZ900-1000 models, Kawasaki ruled the roost through most of the 70s.................Tom.

 

[Fire-medic]

Yes, "The Beekeeper" from MI is correct. One of the major mags did a story on the movie not long-ago, and it was filled w/all-sorts of fun facts. Done on a shoestring, and using local bike clubs as extras, the movie was a 'sleeper,' earning far-more than it was expected-to. As a franchise movie set, the 'Mad Max' series shot Mel Gibson to popularity and probably encouraged people to try motorcycling of a different sort than they got incentive to try from seeing 'On Any Sunday.'

The Australian Kawasaki distributor offered the lot of bikes they had supplied for filming at the end of the movie for what-amounted to a few $thousand, but the principals passed on the deal. What would they be worth today?

The bodywork was done for many of the bikes from scratch, and the actors often rode to the day's shooting location 'in-costume,' which must have left any locals scratching their collective heads, wondering, "what was-up." Bubba Zanetti is still a fearsome chatacter to be avoided, as he is still pissed-off over losing Night Rider. Toe-Cutter, too. :biglaugh:

I'm a big fan of the origional Mad Max, most of the bikes used were the KZ900-1000 models, Kawasaki ruled the roost through most of the 70s.................Tom.

Yep, KZ900's Z1's, Z1K000's, on both sides of the law.