Company > Johnny's Poop

Looks like summer riding season is moving into more comfortable riding weather and we find ourselves already gearing up already for the coming months.  My wife Robin and I will be heading to Barber Vintage Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL to celebrate our first anniversary at Barber Vintage Days in October and we’re pretty excited about it. One of the bikes we plan to take with us for display will be Hilo’s recently-completed Kawasaki H2 750 Triple project bike. Check it out.

We’ve also been in contact with the American Motorcycle Association and our company has been chosen to restore the official 2011 AMA Raffle bike, with all of the proceeds to benefit the AMA Hall of Fame and Museum. We’re psyched about this project and we will be showing pictures of the restoration work as it progresses.

Here is the bike in it’s current state. We’re starting out with an all original Z1-900 that has about 18,000 miles but had a rough storage life. It seemed to have all the normal things done to it, like aftermarket exhaust, recovered seat, little goofy things here and there. We’re just getting started with it cleaning it up and stripping off the old parts. We are fortunate to have a bike with the original motor, transmission, and swing arm intact, resulting in a fairly easy restoration. Some of the things that were changed on the bike where someone had put on a different rear brake backing plate, to the best of our knowledge this is for a 76 only, as it had the raised lettering where the wear indicator would normally go. On a ‘73 it came smooth with no indicator at all. We are planning to replace the springs on the rear shocks as well as go through the swing arm bearings after the powder coating. Also we’re going to put a 630-92 non-o-ring chain, as they did not come out with the o-ring chain until 74. We are reproducing the shock bolts ourselves, here in the states, along with the chain adjuster bolts, as the ’73 Z1 took the 8mm thread, rather than the normal 10 mm thread. (As in the late ‘74 and ‘75 Z1.) We are not exactly sure what we are going to do for fenders as of yet, we are leaning toward having a genuine fender re-chromed as on modern-day front fenders you can see the small spot welds from the outside. Whereas the weld process on the original fenders was a little different. This motorcycle is a later 73 model, which takes the modern day intake manifolds.

Avon Tyres has been very generous to send us 2 tires for the motorcycle. We are using a Roadrider AM26 120/90-18 65V on the rear, and a Roadrider AM26 Universal 100/90-19 on the front. We have entered into a nice relationship with Avon, so look for their product to appear on our web pages in the near future. The posters you see here are original Avon sales tools from 1953. These pieces of historical motorcycle memorabilia are handing in our shop. Check them out here. Avon has been manufacturing tires since 1904.

Spectro Oil of Ohio is providing chain lube, motor oils and other lubricants for this bike. We want to thank Greg Limber for supporting our projects as well as donating product at our local flat track races at Western Reserve Motorcycle Club of Salem Ohio.

We are going to try to build as correct a restoration as possible, with the idea of this motorcycle being used as it’s original intent – as daily transportation. This is why we are using modern-day tires and the Buchanan spokes which have been provided by Robert Buchanan. http://www.buchananspokes.net/. Look for Buchanan spokes on our web page. We’d like to thank Buchanan for supporting our interests and keeping vintage motorcycles on the road and competition bikes on the track.

We are starting to get a lot of support for the project in the way of our good friend, sponsor, motorcycle collector, and owner of ACE Powder Coating of Akron Ohio, Mr. Ed Vanaman. We’ve done several motorcycles for Ed, and he’s a strong supporter of our cause and between he and Hilo, they come up with some really cool off-the-wall ideas. If you’re looking for an expert powder coater, we strongly suggest you contact Ed and you can find his info on our links page. Hopefully you will meet him at Barber this year with us.

We are having the body work painted by Paintworkz of Mt. Clemons, Michigan. Ralph is very meticulous, lets the paint cure for a long time. Our intentions are to have this motorcycle done by Barber and will keep you posted on its progress. Thanks for checking in and we’ll see you on the road.

Here it is JUNE already. It's been a hectic spring so we've been lax at getting more "POOP" up on the site. John and Johnny II are in Salem this weekend, racing at the Western Reserve Motorcycle Club.  So I thought I'd take this opportunity to write about our recent trip to Connecticut for Memorial weekend. John and I wanted to surprise my sister who graduated from University of Connecticut with her Masters on Thursday. What a perfect opportunity to haul out there on the bikes just in time to surprise her in the parking lot after the commencements!

Then I found out what bike John planned to take. It is a given that John is a dyed-in-the-wool vintage motorcycle enthusiast. This actually translates into "don't add anything to this bike that didn't come with it originally" (including luggage, throttle rest, anything that may help the comfort factor when trying to put 575 miles behind you in a day.) When I learned that John was riding his naked KZ1000 Mark II, I knew we were in for a potentially long and tiring trip. I did convince him to carry his own bag on his bike, and even a map pocket! Since we weren't going to camp, I did have room for everything on the BMW if need be. When it comes to touring, John and I have different theories about riding styles. I'm all about doing what it takes to keep comfortable while wracking up the miles. It's the little things that make a huge difference in stamina.

So we departed for Connecticut Thursday morning later than I had hoped. I find that's when the gremlins show up, just as you're leaving on a trip and you realize as you are ready to put the bike in gear that you forgot to do--whatever-- and it can't wait until you return. It makes me crazy and it happened all morning.

Since we were riding against the clock and had to be in CT by 8 pm, we decided to slab it heading East. We got out on I-76 and had barely made it to I-80 when John signaled to break for gas. Neither of us could believe that he was already on his reserve tank in 95 miles! The KZ was guzzling fuel at a rate of  26.4 mpg. (3.59 gallon tank). This beautiful bike is also a thirsty one. So this really was going to be a long ride. Stopping every 95 miles gave John a chance to rest his butt and stretch out a little more often, which was a blessing in disguise.

Aside from our multiple stops for gas, we stopped for John to put on his rain gear as we were heading into a pretty major thunderstorm around Lake Wallenpaupeck PA. Like I say with the right equipment, you can just ride on through and hardly notice the storm around you other than slowing down a bit for the slick roads and visibility. John's experience of this trip so far was far different from mine as you can imagine, fighting the wind and weather. During each stop, he cursed the seat he had on the KZ. I'm thinking at this point, had I packed my beaded seat or Airhawk just in case, he may just have taken me up on the offer to strap some non-original piece of equipment to his genuine Kawasaki to literally save his aching butt!

All in all it was a good trip. We didn't make it in time for graduation, but ended up surprising my sister at a Japanese sushi restaurant afterwards. She was floored. This alone made the trip well worth it.
Memorial weekend also marks the annual Charter Oak BMW Rally in Marlborough CT, hosted by The CT River Valley BMW Riders Club, a group I've been a member of since 1989. So while we visited we had a chance to drop into the rally, see a few friends, tell tires and kick some lies around. Pretty nifty.

While visiting with friends and family, we made a side trip to the local Kawasaki dealer, Midtown Kawasaki in Rocky Hill, to visit our friend Brian McCann, show off the KZ and peruse the parts inventory. John was in seventh heaven. That is, until I asked him (hopefully) if he had left his side cover back home in the garage for some reason because I saw that it was missing. The look on his face told me that the sidecover had blown off somewhere between my mother's house and Midtown. DAMN. I hadn't seen it blow off because I lead the way in my mother's car as Mom came along with us. So THIS is why you don't take precious relics on the road! Well, not if you're going to get so bent up about it that it ruins the trip. John was upset for a short while but hey, now he's got another quest. The bitter pill is that he just had the tank and sidecovers sent to Japan to be painted so this was their maiden voyage. Somewhere in CT on the Berlin Turnpike, or thereabouts, there is a KZ1100 Mark II sidecover kicking around. Please keep an eye out for it and let us know if you come across it!

We decided to take two days to return to Ohio, this way we could enjoy some secondary roads. We rode to Scranton PA via I-84, cutting North to I-81 then got onto route 6. My only fear was that we'd be encountering a lot of closed parade routes, but luckily this wasn't the case. We stopped at a favorite hangout for lunch along Route 6, the authentic "Wellsboro Diner." If you are into the real old fashioned diners, this one is a gem and the food is terrific.

Along about Coudersport, the skies opened up once more. (If you're riding with me, you're riding in the rain at some point or other!) We found a vacant Pontiac dealership in an old building that featured a covered carport, so ducked in there to get the rainsuit on again. I swear by my Aerostich suit. Rain or shine, you just zip up the vents and you're good to go, no stopping to don or shed rain gear. John's not so much into wearing heavy riding gear unless he's racing or it's cold. I got him a set of Frog Toggs for walking around at soggy swap meets, and this is what he wears on the road if I pack them. Even in this storm, John managed to get soaked through and between that and his seat, he was "done" with this secondary roads nonsense. He just wanted to get home. At this point we were heading south on PA 66 into Shippensburg, so I-80 was close at hand.

Our trip totaled +1,250 miles. Any trip that ends safely is a good one, IMO. It was great to get out on the bikes, this would be our first long distance trip of the riding season. I've decided this wasn't the year to ride to Redmond OR for the BMWMOA National Rally, as there is way too much going on. There will be other years for the national, and a slew of other rallies and meets to look forward to.

Thanks for checking in with us. When John returns from racing, I'll get him to inject some of his own perspective of the trip to CT, as well as some feedback on how he and Johnny II did at the races today. If you have some time, check out the new Movies page on our site. There you'll find YouTube movies we made of Hilo's H2 Superbike project. He's making great progress on it and it looks like he'll be ready to unveil it at Mid Ohio! Ride safe, and remember, beaded seats are not a bad thing... --Robin

This first poop is going to be a long one, as we will attempt to bring you up to speed on recent activities and a snapshot of what we’ll be looking forward to this year.

2009 was a milestone year for us, marking the 25th anniversary of Johnny’s Vintage Motorcycle Company. Our travels included AMA Vintage Days in Mid Ohio, as well as the 5th Annual Barber Vintage Motorcycle Festival in Birmingham AL, where my wife Robin and I exchanged vows right in the Barber Vintage Motorcycle Museum. We were thrilled to have Mr. Barber himself join us at the reception, during which The Aeroshell Team’s precision formation aerobatics demonstration drew two hearts in the sky above us. It was indeed a very special day.

As spring rolls in and the grass grows greener, we are preparing for the long-awaited riding season. It feels good to greet the majority of our customers who have been in hibernation for the last 5 or 6 months. We recently completed a beautiful restoration of a 1973 Kawasaki Z1 for our customer, RJ Hayden from St. Clair Shores, Michigan. This is his first 73 Z1, and we are sure he will enjoy it, as he is very enthusiastic. We wish him luck with his new, classic fabulous ride.

We’re also completing the restoration of a 1970 Kawasaki Big Horn, owned by Jason Reed of Mansfield Ohio. He is an avid collector of the Kawasaki singles, and it’s nice to be involved with someone who matches our enthusiasm.  We appreciate his efforts for finding a connecting rod for my son Johnny’s KDX80 restoration project, which he proudly displayed at the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Club booth at the Cycle World show at the IX Center in Cleveland Ohio.

We recently met up with Sergei Treycoff of Indianapolis Indiana, as he just picked up his 1972 S2 350. We know he’ll put the restoration on as he has with his other 1972 Kawasakis. Sergei is a top-notch restorationist on his projects and cuts no corners.

In March, we took a trip to Florida to purchase an inventory that went out of business in 1988. We brought back lots of treasures, including many obsolete hard parts, as well as a few handfuls of nice, used miscellaneous items. We are also in the process of having rear brake rods made for the 1973-75 Z1 and 1976-77 KZ 900A. If there is any interest out there, keep in touch with us. We’ll be updating this column from time to time, so keep posted for our latest “poop.”

We’ll have a limited schedule of appearances this year as we are participating with baseball, but we are planning on attending Vintage Days in July, and the 6th Annual Barber Vintage Motorcycle Festival in the Fall, the Mid America Auction in Las Vegas next January, as well as a few limited local meets and events in between. Both Johnny II and I plan to race at Western Reserve Motorcycle Club in Salem, OH and we plan to do some touring with my wife and my son whenever possible. Just call us the “Roving Bovas.” Ride safe, and check in again soon.