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, […]
Tag: Kawasaki
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 […]
Turbo Tracker: Kawasaki KZ440 by Slyfox Customs
“Words can’t describe the sound this thing makes as it comes onto boost.” Back in 1974, Kawasaki built a plant in Lincoln, Nebraska, to produce their new KZ400 twin, becoming the first foreign manufacturer to […]
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 […]
Zed Turbo: Kawasaki Z1000 Turbo by Butchered Classics
“You’ve spotted the turbo then?” These were the unforgettable words heard by our friend Dave Solomon of Butchered Classics as he stood outside his local Kawasaki bike shop at the impressionable age of 11 years […]