“I had a desire for a classic bike that could actually be ridden hard…” Introduced in 1976, the Kawasaki KZ750 twin was a big twin designed to compete with the Triumph Bonneville and Yamaha XS650. […]
Tag: Kawasaki
Project Z: 1977 Kawasaki Z1000 Restomod
In 1972, Kawasaki unleashed the 903cc Z1 on the world, a four-cylinder freight train destined to outclass every other production street bike on the planet: “With one stunning model [Kawasaki] scooped up all the prizes […]
Lil Scrapper: Ninja 250R Scrambler
Vintage Sykles builds a firefighter a tough 250 Ninja… In 2008, Kawasaki unveiled a completely new version of their best-selling sportbike, the Ninja 250R. The baby Ninja has long been a favorite of both new […]
Bloody Evil: 1052cc Turbo KZ / GSX-R1100
Kai Bailey’s KZ1000 / GSX-R1100 Turbo… For 1977, Kawasaki introduced the KZ1000, their 90-hp inline-four successor to the mighty Z1 and KZ900. Not only was it one of the fastest factory bikes of the era, […]
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 […]
The Grinch: Kawasaki KX125 Flat Tracker
19-y.o. motorcycle mechanic builds himself a two-stroke tracker… The Kawasaki KX125 was the company’s 125cc motocross machine, a lightweight two-stroke weapon that competed for years against the likes of the Honda CR125, Suzuki RM125, and […]
Eddie Lawson Replica: Kawasaki GPz1100 Restomod
A vintage superbike racer builds a tribute to the Eddie Lawson Kawas… In the early 1980s, legends such as Fast Freddie Spencer, Wes Cooley, and Eddie Lawson spent their days trying to tame a stable […]
The Z: Kawasaki Z650 Scrambler
SW-MOTECH Cofounder Jürgen Swora’s Z650! The Kawasaki Z650 was designed by none other than the grandmaster himself, Gyoichi “Ben” Inamura, designer of the legendary Z1. Introduced in 1976, it quickly earned as reputation as the […]
Plush Sled: Kawasaki W650 Desert Sled II
DDM returns with one stunning desert sled… At the end of 2020, we featured a Kawasaki W650 desert sled from Rick Hannah of London’s Dirty Dick’s Motos, a semi-pro shed builder who said he got […]
Miracle at the Bonneville Salt Flats
Living legend Steve “Brewdude” Garn revived on the salt… In late August, we drove cross country to attend the AMA Motorcycle Speed Trials at Bonneville Speedway outside Wendover, Utah — our first trip to the […]
