AC Sanctuary gives an original Ninja the Type-R treatment… Introduced in late 1983, the Kawasaki GPZ900R — aka the Ninja ZX900 — was the earliest member of the Ninja series, and it changed sport biking […]
Tag: Kawasaki
Ice Cool R: Kawasaki Z1-R Restomod
Kawasaki Z1-R from AC Sanctuary… As everyone knows, the arrival of the Honda CB750 in 1969 kicked off the superbike era. Over the next decade, a two-wheeled arms race between the big four Japanese manufacturers […]
KZ Scrambler: Kawasaki “KZ400S”
Kawasaki KZ400 Scrambler from Bueno Co… In the early 70s, Kawasaki stepped up their game against Honda’s four-stroke dominance. First came the 900cc Kawasaki Z1 in 1972, aimed squarely at the CB750. While those four-cylinder […]
Smoky Sprinter: Kawasaki Ninja 150R Street Tracker
Two-Stroke Ninja from Batakastem Workshop… While two-stroke streetbikes have been phased out of the North American market since the 1980s, you might be surprised to learn that modern, small-displacement smokers have remained available from major […]
“Maximum Purification” — Zephyr 750 Café Racer
Zephyr Café Racer from Tumulte… Introduced in 1990, the Kawasaki Zephyr 750 was part of a 90s resurgence of air-cooled, twin-shock, retro-style standards with roots in the Universal Japanese Motorcycles of the 70s. In 1992, […]
Big 650: 1170cc Kawasaki Z650 Street Racer
Introduced in 1977, the Kawasaki Z650 (KZ650 in North America) was sometimes known as the “Son of the Z1” — a middleweight version of the mighty 900cc Z, the “King of the Superbikes.” The 652cc […]
Restomod Reborn: Kawasaki KZ1000MK-II
1105cc Kawasaki KZ1000MK-II by AC Sanctuary… The Kawasaki Z1000MK-II appeared in 1978, largely as a response to the Suzuki GS1000 and Honda CB900F. Known as the KZ1000MK-II in some markets, the machine had beautiful new […]
Baby Buffalo: Kawasaki Meguro 650 Scrambler
Meguro 650 Scrambler from Rocket Fantasy Garage… Founded in 1937, Meguro was one of the first Japanese motorcycle manufacturers, a “prestige brand” that supplied police and military motorbikes to the government and raced alongside Honda. […]
Joy Machine: Kawasaki ZR-7 Cafe Racer
“I decided to build a café racer with knee-down potential.” Introduced in 1999, the Kawasaki ZR-7 (aka ZR750F) hit the market as an affordable naked bike that harked back to the inline-four UJM machines of […]
Main Force Patrol: Mad Max KZ1000 “Kwaka”
Goose’s “MFP1000” from Unik Edition… Mad Max (1979) remains one of the most influential films of the 20th century, as powerful today as it’s ever been — perhaps because a post-apocalyptic future seems a more […]