Boosted Classic: Bandit-Powered Kawasaki Z1000 Turbo

Dave Solomon of Butchered Classics puts a Bandit’s Heart in his Zed Turbo…  

It’s always a treat to hear from old buddy Dave Solomon, founder of Butchered Classics — an online community that “pays homage to all motorcycles registered 1990 or before with any modifications whatsoever from mild to completely wild.” The origin story of the group is one for the ages. It all started after Dave built a 1977 Kawasaki Z1000…with a 156-bhp Bandit 1200 engine — a bike we featured here on BikeBound more than ten years ago. 

“There’s a breed of two wheeled enthusiast out there who despise the big old Kawasaki purely for what it is (we’ll call these people ‘Purists’).  They despise any change to any ‘classic’ vehicle and one even called it a ‘Frankenstein creation.’  Now I know there are many people who follow my belief that you shouldn’t have to suffer the same faults with these bikes as they left the shop 35 years ago as a stock bike: bad handling frames, poor suspension, skinny wheels, etc. However, one ‘purist’ took exception to this view and suggested I leave their Facebook owners’ site and go join a site like “Butcheredclassics.com.”  He thought this a hilarious comment: I just took it on the chin and once realising there was no such site…I created it!”

Today, the group has nearly 60,000 members! They’ve had their own exhibition at events like KICKBACK Custom Classic Bike Show, and Butchered Classics members make up a strong portion of the attendees at events like Worship Moto Show — an event organized by Gary Inman of Sideburn fame to showcase muscle bikes and other high-powered two-wheeled weapons. 

Meanwhile, Dave has continued to build big-bore turbocharged monsters out of his shed, many of which we’ve featured here on BikeBound. Back in 2021, we featured Dave’s Kawasaki Z1000 turbo — the culmination of a boyhood dream, which began when 12-year-old Dave watched a CBX turbo and highly modified lime-green “Kermit the Frog” Z1000MKII wheelie down the Cheltenham promenade. 

“Number eighteen was not a rush build, nor is it a cheap build! It’s been created in the mind of a 12-year-old boy with no money back in the day…. This bike had no such limitations — in fact, I’ve been planning this build for over three decades!”

Zed Turbo: Kawasaki Z1000 Turbo by Butchered Classics

After riding the bike for a while, however, Dave did find that his Zed Turbo had a few limitations: the engine proved temperamental, and the paint wasn’t quite up to snuff. So David decided a new incarnation of the bike was in order.

The biggest change? A turbocharged Suzuki Bandit 1200 engine built by none other than Dave Dunlop of FAST BY ME Turbo Systems — one of the most highly regarded engine builders in the UK.

With the crossbred engine, the bike is all the more maddening to purists…which is dead on brand for Dave. Some say Dave’s creations have caused more cardiac infarctions among the purist class than Japanese carbs on European bikes — the horror!

Combine that mega motor with new bodywork and paint, and Dave’s boyhood dream has finally come true. 

“I now have a usable daily rider with well over 200 bhp on tap. It rides fine in slow-moving traffic and is bloody scary past 6000 on the revs; it looks as fast as it moves when stationary and just demands attention whenever parked up.”

Below, Dave gives us the full story on this evolution of his dream bike. Photography credits go to Roberto Garagarza (@roga______), our man on the ground at the recent KICKBACK Show, as well as a few shots from Dave himself.

In the Builder’s Words…

So, here we have the second attempt to make a rider-friendly turbo classic street bike that has manners in traffic…but twisting the throttle unleashes two hundred plus horsepower that will make even the most miserable person among us grin like a demented fool.

The first incarnation of this build came out OK. The motor was OK and rode fine; the turbo setup was a pain to get right; however, it did what it said on the tin and when it did boost it flew…though a little temperamental. The paint work was OK and was exactly as expected for the money paid. But I wanted more than OK so apart it came…again!

Over the winter of 2023/24 I pulled the motor and she got sold along with the turbo setup. Funds from that enabled me to purchase a complete Suzuki 1200 Bandit turbo built by Dave Dunlop of “Fast By Me” fame. 

 

The motor was swapped in a matter of weeks. The original alloy bodywork was sidelined for a steel “Euro” Z1-R tank and original plastic Z1000 MK2 tail section, which was swiftly given to Sammy Cave to work her magic.

The evil turbocharged Brian the Snail from the 1970’s kids program The Magic Roundabout was her just showing off her airbrush skills, as if the three-dimensional “Molly” Z1-R Turbo graphics weren’t enough…it’s a tad better than OK now.

So, what’s changed about the bike? I now have a usable daily rider with well over 200 bhp on tap. It rides fine in slow-moving traffic and is bloody scary past 6000 on the revs; it looks as fast as it moves when stationary and just demands attention whenever parked up.

As much as I loved The Magic Roundabout as a kid in the 70’s, I also liked Captain Pugwash…I was kinda wondering how Sammy would’ve airbrushed ‘Seaman Staines’ on the tank?  GOD I LOVED THE SEVENTIES!

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