Sean Skinner of MotoRelic builds a red-hot KZ… Introduced in 1977, the Kawasaki KZ1000 would set the standard for generations of liter-size superbikes to come. The 1015cc engine boasted 90 horsepower in factory trim, good […]
Tag: Kawasaki KZ
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 […]
Kawasaki KZ400 “MoneyPenny” by WKND Customs
Built for a female air force officer… The original Kawasaki KZ400 twin, introduced during the oil crisis in 1974, was billed as a middleweight commuter, featured in magazine advertisements alongside a VW Beetle with the […]
Whoa, Black Betty: Kawasaki KZ400 by Classic Moto Works
The Kawasaki KZ400 was an air-cooled twin built from 1974-1980 out of plants in Akashi, Japan and Lincoln, Nebraska — the first foreign motorcycle factory on U.S. soil. In 1974, it was marketed alongside the […]
Kawasaki Z750 Scrambler by Andreas Olesen
The Kawasaki KZ750/Z750, introduced in 1976, was a 55-hp vertical twin designed for riders who preferred the dependability, character, and easy maintenance of a big twin — a machine that recalled the 750 twins of […]
Kawasaki Z1000H Restomod by Butchered Classics
Dave Solomon is the mad Englishman behind Butchered Classics, an online community dedicated to pre-1990 bikes modified in diametrically “non-purist” fashion, embracing everything from braced swingarms to crazy engine swaps. Dave himself has earned an […]
Air-Cooled Interceptor: Kawasaki KZ1000P Police Special
To protect and to rock…a restored KZP from Sculpt Moto! The Kawasaki KZ1000P was the police version of the 90-hp Kawasaki KZ1000. Otherwise known as the KZP, the bike would become a legend in its […]
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 […]
