What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Discussions and updates on your new bike, your new build, your wishes, wants and desires
User avatar
Trinity765
Posts: 2812
Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2020 2:27 pm
Location: Brighton
Has thanked: 3120 times
Been thanked: 3177 times

What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by Trinity765 »

?
Attachments
KING_IMG_ZOOM_20250828_20242058.jpg
KING_IMG_ZOOM_20250828_20242058.jpg (2.67 MiB) Viewed 1724 times
KING_IMG_ZOOM_20250828_20242031.jpg
KING_IMG_ZOOM_20250828_20242031.jpg (2.32 MiB) Viewed 1724 times
KING_IMG_ZOOM_20250828_20242087.jpg
KING_IMG_ZOOM_20250828_20242087.jpg (2.37 MiB) Viewed 1724 times
User avatar
Count Steer
Posts: 15870
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2021 4:59 pm
Has thanked: 8005 times
Been thanked: 5664 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by Count Steer »

The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'.
User avatar
Trinity765
Posts: 2812
Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2020 2:27 pm
Location: Brighton
Has thanked: 3120 times
Been thanked: 3177 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by Trinity765 »

Count Steer wrote: Thu Aug 28, 2025 6:29 pm One of these?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kawasaki_KZ400
Looks like it.
User avatar
KungFooBob
Posts: 17483
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:04 pm
Location: The content of this post is not AI generated.
Has thanked: 627 times
Been thanked: 9454 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by KungFooBob »

It's a red motorcycle, probably a Kawasaki.
Buckaroo
Posts: 1644
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 7:00 pm
Location: East of West
Has thanked: 1047 times
Been thanked: 1105 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by Buckaroo »

Blimey, for one minute I thought someone had found a barn in Romania😉
User avatar
Trinity765
Posts: 2812
Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2020 2:27 pm
Location: Brighton
Has thanked: 3120 times
Been thanked: 3177 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by Trinity765 »

Buckaroo wrote: Thu Aug 28, 2025 7:06 pm Blimey, for one minute I thought someone had found a barn in Romania😉
I reckon Romania is the barn find capital of the world.
User avatar
Cousin Jack
Posts: 6039
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 4:36 pm
Location: Down in the Duchy
Has thanked: 2982 times
Been thanked: 2514 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by Cousin Jack »

Trinity765 wrote: Thu Aug 28, 2025 7:12 pm
Buckaroo wrote: Thu Aug 28, 2025 7:06 pm Blimey, for one minute I thought someone had found a barn in Romania😉
I reckon Romania is the barn find capital of the world.
It is certainly the barn capital. In some villages virtually every house has a barn attached.
Cornish Tart #1

Remember An Gof!
User avatar
Skub
Posts: 14892
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 5:32 pm
Location: Norn Iron
Has thanked: 13109 times
Been thanked: 14170 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by Skub »

Z400. Kawasaki made a dull plodder with this one,maybe even less arousing than a Homda Superdream.

It's Euro model as it has the long rear mudguard and the clear Brake reservoir.

Some fools restore them and try to sell them as classics. I can't say if they actually ever do sell for the asking price.
"Be kind to past versions of yourself that didn't know what you know now."
Walt Whitman
https://soundcloud.com/skub1955
User avatar
Trinity765
Posts: 2812
Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2020 2:27 pm
Location: Brighton
Has thanked: 3120 times
Been thanked: 3177 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by Trinity765 »

Skub wrote: Thu Aug 28, 2025 8:47 pm Z400. Kawasaki made a dull plodder with this one,maybe even less arousing than a Homda Superdream.

It's Euro model as it has the long rear mudguard and the clear Brake reservoir.

Some fools restore them and try to sell them as classics. I can't say if they actually ever do sell for the asking price.
Thank you.

This one was a gifted to my host. Seems like it was looked after, 78k km on the clock, clean air filter, new front disk. Would be a nice little run around with a little bit of work.

Wiki says it out-sold Honda at the time.
asmethurst99
Posts: 1224
Joined: Fri Jul 31, 2020 2:01 pm
Location: The Gate of the Forest
Has thanked: 1326 times
Been thanked: 482 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by asmethurst99 »

Skub wrote: Thu Aug 28, 2025 8:47 pm Z400. Kawasaki made a dull plodder with this one,maybe even less arousing than a Homda Superdream.

It's Euro model as it has the long rear mudguard and the clear Brake reservoir.

Some fools restore them and try to sell them as classics. I can't say if they actually ever do sell for the asking price.
On this note - I've noticed the demise of the seventies Honda Restorations round my way with the riders wearing hipster (I hate that word) helmets.
Easy to spot as they are broken down.
I'm sure Chas of Chas bikes fame in Kennington has one (the Kawasaki) but its a later model.
edit - looking at Wikipedia it was the J model.
User avatar
Skub
Posts: 14892
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 5:32 pm
Location: Norn Iron
Has thanked: 13109 times
Been thanked: 14170 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by Skub »

asmethurst99 wrote: Fri Aug 29, 2025 9:18 am On this note - I've noticed the demise of the seventies Honda Restorations round my way with the riders wearing hipster (I hate that word) helmets.
Easy to spot as they are broken down.
I'm sure Chas of Chas bikes fame in Kennington has one (the Kawasaki) but its a later model.
edit - looking at Wikipedia it was the J model.
The Z400 may be one of those anti-cool bikes in danger of being cool. Something like the CX500. With people,who can guess. :D
"Be kind to past versions of yourself that didn't know what you know now."
Walt Whitman
https://soundcloud.com/skub1955
.....
Posts: 372
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2025 10:54 am
Has thanked: 23 times
Been thanked: 352 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by ..... »

Iirc, they were a 360° crank, which may have explained why they leaked oil like a brit bike.
And heavy too. I remember lifting one off my mates leg many moons ago and was surprised at the amount of 'nuuuuuurrrgggghhhhh' it required.
User avatar
mangocrazy
Posts: 8850
Joined: Tue Dec 22, 2020 9:58 pm
Has thanked: 2554 times
Been thanked: 4159 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by mangocrazy »

If it were me I'd find a way to lose it in a barn so somebody else can 'find' it. Very uninspiring.
There is no cloud, just somebody else's computer.
User avatar
Felix
Posts: 5220
Joined: Sat Jul 17, 2021 12:34 am
Has thanked: 711 times
Been thanked: 2014 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by Felix »

Hate the term barn find as 99% of the times you see it used it was never in a barn. My old garden shed find. Eye, like you forgot it was in there and lost the reg doc. I blame American Pickers.
Just thought. For sale items saying Bundle also another fucking American pickers term :(
User avatar
Felix
Posts: 5220
Joined: Sat Jul 17, 2021 12:34 am
Has thanked: 711 times
Been thanked: 2014 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by Felix »

BTW is the tail unit on that bike not from a younger model of the KZ400
User avatar
Trinity765
Posts: 2812
Joined: Fri Nov 06, 2020 2:27 pm
Location: Brighton
Has thanked: 3120 times
Been thanked: 3177 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by Trinity765 »

Felix wrote: Fri Aug 29, 2025 11:49 pm Hate the term barn find as 99% of the times you see it used it was never in a barn.
This really was in a barn for 20 years. I don't think it's much of a "find" though going by the information in this thread. The previous owner passed away and his sons wheeled it round.

In Romanian villages every house comes with a large barn. Some are falling to pieces while a lot are restored and turned into useful spaces, small cafes is one. They haven't got the hang of advertising though so you would ride (or even walk) past most of them without knowing that they are there.
Le_Fromage_Grande
Posts: 12158
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 6:40 pm
Location: On the road to nowhere
Has thanked: 602 times
Been thanked: 4527 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by Le_Fromage_Grande »

They were shit, and it does appear to have a badly modified Z400J tail piece.
Bigjawa
Posts: 2170
Joined: Mon Jun 01, 2020 10:54 pm
Location: Ballymena Co. Antrim
Has thanked: 225 times
Been thanked: 969 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by Bigjawa »

I had one of these back in 96, cost me £135. Great riding thing, it was slow but I liked it.
edulord
Posts: 45
Joined: Thu Dec 26, 2024 4:36 pm
Been thanked: 9 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by edulord »

That’s a Dacia 1300, basically Romania’s version of the Renault 12 built under license. They were everywhere in Eastern Europe back in the day. Cool to see one still tucked away like this.
User avatar
Skub
Posts: 14892
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 5:32 pm
Location: Norn Iron
Has thanked: 13109 times
Been thanked: 14170 times

Re: What can you tell me about this - Romanian barn find.

Post by Skub »

edulord wrote: Sun Sep 21, 2025 9:17 pm That’s a Dacia 1300, basically Romania’s version of the Renault 12 built under license. They were everywhere in Eastern Europe back in the day. Cool to see one still tucked away like this.
:wtf:
"Be kind to past versions of yourself that didn't know what you know now."
Walt Whitman
https://soundcloud.com/skub1955
Post Reply