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 […]
Tag: Kawasaki
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 […]
Modern Baja Tribute: Kawasaki KX500AF “Purple Monster”
A 500cc two-stroke monster built in the image of the Mean Green Baja kings… The Kawasaki KX500 is one of the most legendary, if not notorious, off-road weapons ever created. The performance numbers are still […]
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 […]
The Beater: Kawasaki ZX-6R 636 Stunt Bike
In late 2002, Kawasaki made an unusual move with their 600-class sportbike, the ZX-6R. They increased the engine capacity to 636cc for the mass production model, then offered a limited production 599cc ZX-6RR for displacement-restricted […]
Quarterstack: Kawasaki Ninja 250R by Joe Flores with Fitz & Flores
“Blackthumb” Ninja built for the Atlanta streets… For years, the Kawasaki Ninja 250R — aka the EX250 — was America’s best-selling sport bike, offering a 37-hp liquid-cooled parallel twin engine and 6-speed transmission cradled in […]
Kawasaki KX500 “Carbolution” by JZ Handmade
Carbon KX from the Czech Republic! The Kawasaki KX500 is one of the most infamous dirt weapons ever created. The 500cc 2-stroke motocross bike made 63 horsepower in stock trim and weighed just 220 pounds […]
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 […]
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 […]
