Kawasaki makes some of our favorite cafe racer platforms, from the Z/KZ series to the GPz and the mighty two-stroke Kawasaki triples. Here you’ll find some of our favorite Kawasaki cafe racer builds we’ve featured.
ALPHA: Kawasaki ZRX1200R Café Racer - Titanium-clad Zed from Alpha.Moto… The Kawasaki ZRX1200R remains one of our favorite machines of the early 2000s, a throwback muscle bike that took inspiration from the KZ1000R Eddie Lawton Replica of the early 1980s. […]
Ex-Zero: Kawasaki Z250 Café Racer - Kawasaki 250 Café Racer by Batakastem Workshop… The Kawasaki Z250 (twin) was basically a lightweight naked version of the Ninja 250R, packing a 31-bhp version of the fuel-injected liquid-cooled twin that powered its fairing-clad sibling. […]
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 […]
“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, […]
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 […]
Alternate Reality: Kawasaki-Meguro KZ79SP Raven - CROWS Performance injects Meguro soul into the KZ1000… Founded in the Shinagawa Ward of Tokyo in 1924, Meguro was a prestige brand that supplied Japanese military and police motorcycles, coming to be known as the […]
From the ZRX Sanctuary: Kawasaki ZRX1200R “Aki” - A young builder transforms a “fallen” ZRX into a 70s-inspired beast… Introduced in 2001, the Kawasaki ZRX1200R was a burly, big-bore muscle bike whose retro style and big-block power harked back to the Eddie Lawson […]
Donatello No More: Kawasaki Ninja 250 Café Racer “Donna” - Golden Age Motor Co. transforms an early EX250 Ninja… Introduced in 1986, the Kawasaki EX250 Ninja — also known as the Ninja 250R — would become one of the world’s most popular 250cc machines. The […]
Retro Superbike: Kawasaki Zephyr 1100 “Shōzō” - 72 HKG Performance builds a ZR1100… Introduced in the 1990s, the Kawasaki Zephyr 1100 harked back to the mighty air/oil-cooled four-cylinder monsters of the ’70s and early ’80s — a time when riders like Eddie […]
Waterloo 77: Kawasaki KZ400 Café Racer - Café Racer New Style rebuilds a middleweight KZ… Introduced in 1974, the Kawasaki KZ400 was designed as a “bigger and better CB350” (Cycle Guide, 1979). While the KZ didn’t have the smoky sex appeal of […]
El Citron: Kawasaki S3 Two-Stroke Triple by Motobrix - “El Citron? This thing should have been called El Diablo…” In 1974, Kawasaki unveiled the S3 Mach II, a 400cc two-stroke street triple with 42 hp and a dry weight of 339 pounds. The bike […]
Triple Black: Kawasaki H2 by Vinny Borbone - A vintage racer builds one bad two-stroke street bike… The Kawasaki H2 was one of the most uncompromising motorcycles ever produced, a 750cc two-stroke “Widowmaker” triple that was loud, smoky, crude, and scarily fast, cutting […]
Green Meanie: Kawasaki “KR800” Triple - Triple Trouble: 800cc, 130-hp Kawasaki two-stroke triple from Ralf Kraemer… The Kawasaki H1 Mach III hit showroom floors in 1968, a 500cc two-stroke triple that cost less than $1000 and could outrun nearly any muscle […]
Problem Child: Kawasaki Zephyr 550 by Vintage Sykles - A 70s flat track racer returns to his roots… The Kawasaki Zephyr series was the company’s range of retro-styled naked superbikes, which took inspiration from the original Kawasaki Z1. That meant twin rear shocks, […]
The Rickman Zed: 1075cc Air/Oil-Cooled Cafe Racer - Thirty Years with a Rickman Z900: From 1/4-mile sprinter to cafe racer… Rickman Motorcycles, founded by brothers Derek and Don Rickman — both AMA Hall-of-Famers — is possibly the world’s best-known name in motorcycle frames. […]
STG Tracker: Kawasaki KZ750 Twin - In 1976, Kawasaki introduced the KZ750 Twin, meant to compete against large-bore vertical twins like the Triumph Bonneville, Yamaha XS650, and the bygone British twins of yesteryear. But the KZ was no throwback — the […]
Aquafresh: Kawasaki KZ1000 Cafe Racer - A big-bore Kawa from Mitsuaki Shinohara… The Kawasaki KZ1000 is one of the baddest air-cooled muscle bikes of the 1970s. Introduced in 1976, the bike won the 1977 and 1978 AMA Superbike Championship, and the […]
Two-Stroke Triple: Kawasaki S2 “V2.0” by Brian Cox - In 1972, Kawasaki introduced the S2 Mach II, a 350cc two-stroke triple that made 45 horsepower at 8000 rpm and weighed 330 pounds. Unlike its legendary big sibling, the widow-making 500cc H1 Mach III, the […]
Street Sweeper: Kawasaki ZRX1100 by Motor League - A ZRX risen from the Philly streets… The Kawasaki ZRX1100 was a throwback to the muscle bikes of the 1980s, a retro-styled machine that recalled the Eddie Lawson superbikes of yore, sporting a retuned 1052cc […]
Road Racer: Stoker S-RR by Stoker Motorcycles - The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6RR was a limited-production homologation special based on the company’s 636cc middleweight, the ZX-6R. Both machines featured new aerodynamic bodywork, ram induction, and a GP-style swingarm, but the track-oriented RR added an […]
Triple Trouble: Framecrafters / Kawasaki H1 Cafe Racer - “I put a tricked out H1 engine with the left and right cylinders reversed into a Framecrafters road race frame and put lights on it.” This was the cryptic message we recently from Mike McSween […]
“Poseidon” Kawasaki GPz1100 Custom by RW Motorcycles - A Sea-inspired Kawasaki GPz from the Algarve Coast… For a riotous period in the 1980s, the Kawasaki GPz1100 was king of the air-cooled superbikes. A decade later, Kawasaki re-introduced the GPz brand with the liquid-cooled […]
Kawasaki KZ1000 Restomod by Nova Motorcycles - Few motorcycles have the long and varied history of the Kawasaki KZ1000. Known as the Z1000 outside North America, the big air-cooled inline four debuted in 1977, and the police model would remain in continuous […]
“Street Lethal” Kawasaki KX500 Cafe Racer - Meet the ultimate lightweight, big bore 2-stroke street weapon… The Kawasaki KX500 is one of the most notorious motorcycles ever built — a fire-breathing 2-stroke legend of motocross and desert racing whose power delivery has […]
Kawasaki 750 Zephyr Café Racer by Wolf 77 Customs - The Kawasaki Zephyr series harked back to the mighty Zed of old — a line of air-cooled, dual-shock inline fours with 70s styling and 90s tech. This made for quite a solid combination, though some […]
Kawasaki Zephyr Cafe Racer by November Customs - The Kawasaki Zephyr was built during the retro/naked bike boom of the 1990s, with styling that recalled the mighty Kawasaki Z1 of yore. The blend of 70s style and 90s tech was a success. The […]
Kawasaki KZ400 Cafe Racer by Therapy Garage - Toby Reed of Therapy Garage grew up riding the 60cc Yamaha JT-1 Mini Enduro that his grandfather bought new for his grandmother in 1971. From there came a dozen more bikes. Then, a few years […]
Kawasaki KZ650 Cafe Racer by Jon Arfsten - The Kawasaki KZ650 is one of our favorite vintage bikes. Sometimes known as the “Son of the Z1,” this middleweight UJM offered a 61-hp inline four, solid handling, and loads of potential from a customization […]
Kawasaki Ninja 250 Cafe Racer by Mr. Ride - Flavio Vianna of Brazil’s Mr. Ride recently completed an internship with none other than Kaichiroh Kurosu of Cherry’s Company in Tokyo. Upon returning home, he knew his first cafe racer project would need to be […]
Kawasaki KZ400 Cafe Racer by Offset Moto - Motorcycles bring families together like nothing else. BikeBound.com is largely a father/son project, so we are especially partial to stories like this Kawasaki KZ400 cafe racer by Offset Motorcycles of San Francisco. Founder Jason Lisica […]
Kawasaki KZ650 Brat by Kaspeed - If you follow the blog, you know we are big fans of the Kawasaki KZ650. The Honda CB series of the era may get more love and attention, but this “Son of the Z1” […]
5-Cylinder Kawasaki 2-Stroke by Allen Millyard - The Kawasaki Triples were some of the most notorious motorcycles ever made, a series of 2-stroke street demons that prompted Hunter S. Thompson to write: I still feel a shudder in my spine every time […]
Kawasaki KZ900 Cafe Racer by Excelsior Customs - We first met Jarred Hassell of Excelsior Customs at the Iron & Clematis in West Palm Beach, Florida, last year. Our senior correspondent, Rick Brown — my father — was simply blown away by the […]
Kawasaki GPz750 Custom by Paul Hutchinson - Paul Hutchinson builds custom motorcycles in Melbourne, Australia. He only asks that you don’t call them cafe racers. His first build, a Hornet-orange BMW K100, graced the pages of many of our favorite blogs, including […]
Kawasaki KZ750 Twin Cafe Racer - This blood-red Kawasaki KZ750 twin cafe racer, garage-built by Shad Alexander of Alabama, won the People's Choice Award at Ace Corner during this year's Barber Vintage Festival. Incredibly, this was Shad's first build attempt and he did all the work himself, including making the fiberglass underbelly, lacing and truing the wheels, and building his own paint booth.
Kawasaki Z650 Custom by Wrench Kings - Bram and the boys from Bilthoven, The Netherlands, are back with another incredible build. This time the base bike is one of our favorite models: the Kawasaki Z650, better known as the KZ650 in North […]
Turbocharged Kawasaki KZ650 - We spotted this incredible 830cc, turbocharged Kawasaki KZ650 at The Handbuilt Show in Austin, Texas. Come to find out, it was built by Ezio Covelli of Magnum Opus Custom Bikes in our hometown of Wilmington, […]
Kawasaki KZ650 Cafe Racer by Toby Jones - Here at BikeBound, we’re always on the look out for KZ650 customs. These “Sons of the Z1” always surprise with their rev-happy motors and eagerness to lie flat in the corners. Rick Brown, who runs […]
Kawasaki ZR550 by Retro Bikes Croatia - Today, we’re excited to present “Innuendo,” a 1996 Kawasaki ZR550B Zephyr from Retro Bikes Croatia. Located in Zagreb, RBC builds bikes “distinctive and irreplaceable, with original retro style but always usable on the road.” This […]
Bandit-Powered 1977 Kawasaki (K)Z1000 Custom - Today we’re thrilled to present this incredible restomod Z1000 from Dave Solomon of Cheltenham, UK. Dave is a friend of Darren Carter, whose BSA Hill Climber and custom Z650 have each graced the blog. We’ve […]
Faves: Zephyr (ZR750) Cafe Racer from DVGAS - Daniel Vallejo Garvia of DVGAS Garage has a real passion for motorcycles. He currently works to repair and restore bikes in his spare time, and recently completed two complete restoration projects covered by Otomotif.org. Daniel […]
Kawasaki GPz750 Tracker, “The Ghost Ninja” - Today we’re pleased to present this 1982 Kawasaki GPz750 built by our new friend Narve Læret from Horten, Norway. Narve is a fourteen-time Guinness World Record holder in tameshiwari (competitive breaking), who has broken 700 […]
