The big one

This is the Kawasaki Z900RS SE and I want to start off by saying: I like the Z900RS. If you’re looking for a bike that has it all, this might just be a candidate. And although that might be a matter of opinion. As a matter of fact, I am writing this piece entirely based on my personal opinion. Nothing to do with facts or statistics, just the experience. You may have read my previous articles by now (if you haven’t: they are on this site somewhere) so by now you may know that I like to write different stuff than the usual.

Let’s have a look at the Kawasaki then. I had the pleasure to know this bike from the beginning, having been present at the press presentation back in 2018. At the time, it impressed me just as much as it has this time and I’ll tell you why. In this day and age, we have gotten used to some pretty edgy design, frontrunning electronics, power beyond measure and handling beyond our wildest dreams. So far so good, you might think. But that’s not the case for everyone. Sometimes, you don’t want more. Sometimes, you want a little less.

Retro
Kawasaki jumped on the retro band wagon with the Z900RS, and for good reason; who remembers the legendary Z1? Kawasaki did decide to things slightly different from their competitors, by not building a full retro machine, but a retro inspired modern motorcycle. Just take a look at those flashy wheels and design, or the USD front fork with radial mounted brakes. That’s not just for looks, it’s an honest upgrade. Then, the engineers went a little step further and tweaked the engine. Just a little less power (only a few hp) from the top, but with a trade off for some more torque and a bulkier midrange. That’s where my interest was caught, because even though power is nice, it’s only good when you can use it. On a desolate Spanish backroads where we usually ride at a presentation, that’s okay. But in real life, when or where would you be able to use its full potential?

To really top things off, they even went so far as to tweak the fuel injection so it doesn’t run as perfect as it could at idle, just like it’s an actual old carburettor bike. Now that’s eye (or ear) for detail. Another big difference is the seating position. Gone is the high rising fuel tank or passenger seat, instead you get a much flatter seat unit and tank. And if you ask me, it’s a godsend. The seating position on this bike is just perfect. I have to admit, this is a trick other brands also use, but in those cases it also works. Because of this, ‘retrofied’ middle class machines are just plain awesome.

Special Edition
This is not your average Z900RS. This is the SE model which has a new color. And also some parts. It’s not the first time Kawasaki adds a little bit tricked out model to the lineup. Usually it’s a little sprinkle of performance parts that are pre mounted and as a package costs just a little less than you’d pay for the individual parts. So that’s a win-win. However, it would be a little bit weird to present a Performance model of the retro bike, so they went a different way.

In earlier years Kawasaki had also enticed the public with a special ‘R’ version, like back in 2011 with the Z750. That included an upside down fork, radial mounted brake callipers and I think a little beefier rear shock. And now here’s the 900RS SE edition. This bike now has Brembo callipers instead of the standard Tokico and an Öhlins rear shock instead of the standard one. And although that’s really all they did, it does make a difference.

Picturesque
It’s a great looking motorcycle too. When I was taking the pictures, I had to regularly answer questions and almost always people were surprised when I told them it’s actually a brand new bike. So if you were still wondering if this is retro enough for you, there’s your answer. But there is an extra. The retro community is thriving, and it has been for years. In that respect, you can also see the RS as an homage to that scene.

Now as for ride quality, I can be brief; I like this bike. It feels nice, it runs great, especially with the ECU tweak down under, to make it respond like a carbed motorcycle, it handles and performs like a modern bike and that is, I believe, a big part of the appeal of this bike. Buy something cool, get something without any technical issues. It does have fuel injection, so it runs just fine. ABS is standard, so no issues with that. It has modern wheels and tires, so you can ride it like any other modern bike. And as an extra it also has 3-way adjustable traction control, just like most modern motorcycles. I could have been fine without it, but I can only speak for myself. It’s a safety feature, so it’s fine. And also it’s easy to switch off if you like. Just for the pictures, of course, officer.

Kawasaki haven’t just picked any bike. They went for the one that would fit the plans as good as possible. So with the 900, we get a four cylinder engine that performs but also fits the space under the tank beautifully. And it’s even finished with some faux air-cooled ribs on the side. As for the rest of the bike, well, you can see the pictures. The seating position is just like you’d expect, upright and commanding. It does feel a bit bulky when manoeuvring at stand still, but that’s exactly how bikes used to feel ‘back in the day’. And there are so many details I haven’t mentioned yet… the tank logo, the side logos, the cockpit (did you know the angle the dials make when it’s off is an exact match to the original Z900?), the list just goes on. Don’t take my words, just take a look.

So well, that’s my summer holidays well spent. I’m going back to work, but you just never know when I present you with a new adventure. And maybe I can think of an excuse to do some more riding on this bike.

Make sure you head over to your nearest Kawasaki dealer to check out what they have in store for you.

Special thanks to Kawasaki Motors Europe NV for making this Z900RS available for review.

The post Review: 2022 Kawasaki Z900 RS SE appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

This isn’t Sebastien’s first rodeo. He has built a stunning Yamaha XS650 before, completely in Jap-style. It was featured in many magazines back in 2020, and for good reason too. There is definitely no lack of imagination when it comes to his old build, but also this more recent creation.

We are a sucker for nose art. Especially those from around World War 2. The first nose art started at the beginning of the 20st century, during World War 1. When fighter planes where being used in close combat. Pilots would paint their planes with menacing texts or imagine instilling fear into their opponents. Nowadays we don’t see nose art anymore in the military, but it is still regarded as art among enthusiasts around the world.

To see nose art being used on a custom motorcycle makes our hearts beat a little bit faster. But there is more to this machine than just the nose art, which has a symbol of the rising sun on the left, and shark mouth on the right, a nod to both east and west. Sebastien has managed to source a racing fairing of Norton Commando and has modified it to fit the Kawasaki seamlessly. The combination of nose art and matt green paint has been done incredible well by Cedric B Ink.

The rear of the KZ650 has been chopped and lowered, using custom shock absorbers. There is something special to these shock absorbers. They are modified for air-ride, which allows the rear of the bike to be raised or lowered at the flick of a switch. At its highest point, the clearance between the exhaust and the ground is a mere 10 centimeters! A neat feature we see in the custom car scene, but not often on a motorcycle.

The rear cowl comes from a Kawasaki Z1000ST and has been modified to fit the KZ650. The custom seat has been made by Dérouillée Sellerie and looks astonishing on this bike. The Delkevic exhaust has been modified to fit this KZ perfectly. Combined with the DNA air filters, this Kawasaki definitely breaths better now.

The front of the Kawasaki has also been lowered to accommodate for the lower stance Sebastien was going for. The fuel tank has been heavily modified, and now incorporates a fuel level indicator on the side, and a pop-up gas-cap. The electrics of the Kawasaki have been replaced with a simplified wiring harness that accommodates for the micro switches. We love the minimalistic look, especially with the large tacho front center. The Kellerman LED lights and indicators further contribute to this look. The levers are now Brembo’s, which are adjustable.

When you look at the pictures closely, you will see that the kick-starter pedal looks custom. That’s because it is, courtesy of T4 Motorcycles. What’s also custom, is the Ruroc 2.0 helmet which Sebastien has made to match the look of the bike. Small detail, but with great results!

Sebastien admits that with the ground clearance, the Kawasaki is more suitable for slow strolls than racing. Still, with the way this KZ650SR has turned out, we wouldn’t be surprised if it commanded anyone to move to right as it appears in your rear-view mirror. And all of this with a budget of no more than €6000,-.

Photo Credits: SKM

Builder details:
Seb Kustom Motorcycles
Instagram
Facebook

The post Shed Built: Kawasaki KZ650 Bomber appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

Being bitten by the motorcycle bug in Asia, our new reporter Koen Theeuwes became restless, paused his career and moved to the United States.
Currently residing in California, he has got plans to head South following the Pan American Highway.
We leave it up to him to introduce himself and his motivation for his trip.
Editorial team.

About Koen Theeuwes
Let me start with a short introduction about myself, before we get to the important topics.
My name is Koen, a typical Dutch name, (I guess my parents never meant for me to go abroad) but still, as it means ‘brave’ it is a name I wear with pride. I was born and raised in the Netherlands. I studied Business and Finance, which I still love, but around 10 years ago I discovered my greatest interest: people and their different cultures.

Only one thing allows you to experience people and their cultures to its fullest; travelling. So this is what I decided to do. Now you may think to yourself: ‘I’m on a bloody motorcycle blog, what do I care about this guy loving people, I want the smell of gasoline and roaring engines’. Good thought, keep it, we’ll get there in a sec.

How was this dream born?
During my studies in Rotterdam, I did an exchange in Istanbul and an internship in Nigeria.
That fueled my ‘wanderlust’ (terrible term, I agree) even more. So before starting work in the Consulting sector, I traveled South-East Asia for 6 months and lived the life. This is where my love for two wheels began. After renting all motorbikes in Thailand, Malaysia, The Philippines, Myanmar and Indonesia I made it to Vietnam.

My Asian bikes
For $ 250 I bought a Chinese rip-off version of a Honda Win. No less than 110 ccs of pure power and beauty (..). Who needs a licence, insurance or lessons? Not me!

I rode it from Ho Chi Minh down the Mekong Delta and back up all the way to Hanoi. After these 4000 km / 2500 miles I was hooked.
The motorbike was going to be my means of transport to explore the world.

Back in Holland
In hindsight riding Vietnam without any preparation of course was rather irresponsible (sorry mom, we’ll talk about this later). So coming back home I came to my senses and decided to actually get a licence. Of course I got a bike as well. My second love was a custom Kawasaki CSR 305. It wasn’t fast, but it looked amazing and sounded even better.

While riding in Vietnam I promised myself I would make a big trip on a motorbike, before I turned 30. When I learned about the Pan-American Highway I instantly knew this was going to be the next one up.

Finding the right moment
But as with most dreams, regular life kind of got in the way. My career was going well and I really enjoyed what I did (after Consulting I worked for Kraft Heinz, who doesn’t like to sell Ketchup?). However, the itch for an adventure trip kept creeping up.
But when is the right time? One thing I learned: there is never a good time. You just have to go for it. I luckily did manage to find a slot that was less ‘bad’ than others. The actual planning started in February (2021), I informed my employer in April I needed a year off and decided on leaving in September.

I was finally going to do it! Maybe not finish before turning 30, but starting it, for sure!

Preparations
In daily life I am very organized, but when traveling I like to go without a plan as much as possible.
There were a few things that required my attention:
1. COVID – needed to wait for vaccinations, hence my leave date in September. Otherwise I would have started in Alaska in July
2. Route – I wanted to make sure it was actually possible to ride my bike all the way. Turns out, it is not. But there’s solutions
3. Motorbike – was I able to legally ride a motorbike in all the countries on my route? With an American vehicle, yes. Any Latin / South American vehicle was probably going to raise questions of border officials at some point. This thus also concluded my starting country
4. Starting point – I have a good friend in Vancouver (Washington state, just North of Portland) who rides bikes as well. Figured it would be helpful to start somewhere where I had a ‘guide’
5. Other ‘trivialities’ – insurance, vaccinations, luggage, visas, other documents, etc. Will not go into the boring details here, but please find my contact details below if you have any questions.

In my next blog I will write about my arrival in the US and all the hoops I had to jump through to actually start riding. Sneak preview: it was a success, see my monster below. Stay tuned!

Contact
By popular demand.. :-) ..I started using Instagram.
Please feel free to follow @koentheeuwes
If you have any more specific questions you can reach out via email: koen.theeuwes@gmail.com. (Happy to answer or help!)

The post Pan American trip appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

This is in response of the influx of invitations from manufacturers to test-ride and review their new models, helmets and clothing. This has inspired us to include more, what we like to call ‘petrolhead lifestyle’ articles on our website. We believe that it is an excellent opportunity for us to give our followers a broader look on what is going on in the world of motorcycles. We try to take a slightly different approach when we write about our experiences. Staying away from all the deep digging technical stuff we try to express our emotions when we ride something new or different.

Of course we will always stay loyal to our core principle, and that is custom built motorcycles. But in our view the spice of life is variety.

In the article below our team member Ron was invited for some serious riding in Spain. He always claimed never to be seen riding on adventure bikes, but he came back a changed man.

Enjoy his coning out!

Editorial team

Retro guy
Retro styled custom motorcycles are mostly designed for riding in urban areas. Being a huge fan of retro- and vintage styled motorcycles, you would probably expect me to become very excited at the prospect of riding a Kawasaki Z900RS rather than the Versys 1000 S model of the same brand.

That’s a very logical train of thought as I am mostly known for my involvement with the retro and custom scene. However, things changed dramatically after spending a full day of riding on twisty country roads in Cataluña, Spain.

1000+ curves in 9 hours
On invitation by Kawasaki I took part in the ‘Kawasaki Versys Experience’ which is a Kawasaki Europe organised event in collaboration with the CromRide. The CromRide celebrated its fifth anniversary this year and is more or less a ‘local Catalan ride’ organized by Joan Martí Utset and his team at Crom Events. When I say ‘local’ I really mean regional as riders come from all over Cataluña and other parts of Spain to participate.

The ride itself is a 12-hour, 570km and 2000+ curves challenge, leading riders along awesome roads and enthralling views across the mountains of the Pyrenees. In partnership with Crom Events Kawasaki had organized a ‘Versys Experiential Event’. 18 journalists from various European countries were invited to try out the 2021 Kawasaki Versys 1000 S during a full day of riding. In our case it meant a ‘light version’ of 10 hours, 370km and 1000+ curves to be conquered.

Versys 1000
It was my very first encounter with the Versys 1000 S on the day we set out on this 370 km journey. There have been the odd courtships with adventure bikes in my 45-year motorcycling experience, but never as serious a ride as the one I was embarking on that day.

I have an open mind when it comes to riding motorcycles and I get easily excited by anything motorised with two wheels. As long as there is torque and speed involved, you can count me in!

The Kawasaki is an impressive machine from whatever angle you look at it. If you see it approaching in the rear view mirror you will let it pass rather than challenge it to a duel. The bike has some aggressiveness built into its front end, but the overall design is classy, modern and distinguished. It has ‘ready to take you wherever you want to go’ written all over it.

Kawasaki’s Versys 1000 S and SE are clearly designed to offer maximum riding enjoyment across a wide variety of street riding situations. Whether riding solo or two-up, around the corner or around the globe, this fun-to-ride sport-touring bike’s combination of a highly responsive In-Line Four engine, which is clearly tuned for flexibility, and a nimble chassis that is fitted with dynamic suspension, it is sure to have riders smiling broadly in their helmets. Even though I was wearing a full face adventure helmet for the occasion, I am sure my grin was easily detectable from afar.

Rider position
With the prospect of having to ride for 10 hours or more, I was hoping for more comfort than what I was used to on all the retro and vintage machines I regularly ride. I was pleasantly surprised by its relaxed, upright riding position which offered a high level of machine control, and was complemented by a highly comfortable seat and good wind protection, making it easy to spend a long time in the saddle.

Talking about level of control; that was something I was and still am Kawasaki very grateful for. The ‘local boys’ I encountered, who were also participating in the CromRide at points where the two routes intermingled, were nose-diving ‘full throttle’ into each bend we encountered. It goes without saying that my testosteron shouted at me to go for the pursuit, but I was no match for them. The clear disadvantage of insufficient mountain road experience and being new to all those curves, they clearly knew what they were doing. They probably new these roads as well as the back of their hands.

Just the bike and I
Leaving their backs for what they were, I decided to opt for an experience with just me and the Versys 1000 S. Still riding slightly faster than what is legally allowed, the Versys and I developed quite the love affair along the way. We hardly encountered any other vehicles for most of the day, it was easy to focus on establishing a true relationship between me and the Versys. I was impressed with its beauty, its sure-footedness along those curvy country roads, but perhaps mostly, by the ample amount of torque available in all the gears. The admiration must have been mutual, as the Kawasaki was clearly satisfied with my handling and speed at which I thrusted the bike through the Pyrenees mountains.

Most noticeable was the forgiveness of the machine when it came to making stupid braking mistakes at the end of leg one, just before lunch. After a great start in the morning and having a lot of fun, my empty stomach and lack of caffeine clearly put me back into the ‘consciously incompetent’ quadrant of the matrix. There were a couple of hairy moments when I braked at the wrong moment, but the Versys took control and led us safely through those corners.

The Kawasaki Versys 1000 comes standard with 3 different ride-modes: sport, road and rain. In the ‘road’ mode there is more than sufficient power readily available. Switching to ‘Sport’ will make the Versys loose the woollen jacket and show its ‘wolf power’. Quite the difference and it is good to have a choice according to your personal mood.

After lunch dip
Our lunch stop was scheduled at the ‘Hostatgeria Restaurant Santuari de Montgrony’ somewhere high up in the mountains in a location that can only be reached via a dedicated passage way, ending in a ‘cul de sac’. There, our hosts were waiting for us. While sharing the delicious food, it was also time to compare notes with fellow members of the press. It was very clear that all of them were as impressed with the Versys as I was, and we were all looking forward to the second part of the ride. Some of them were afraid of an ‘after lunch dip’, but with the adrenalin rushing through my veins there was nothing of that sort on my part.

I had gone through a steep learning curve in the morning. But with over 45 years of riding experience I am still a quick learner and for the remaining 180 kilometres, I really got into a flow. With time not being a factor, it was just the road, the uninterrupted succession of exciting curves, the Versys 1000 S and myself for the next five hours. What a glorious feeling.

Looking back
I started this post by stating that I am not really an ‘adventure bike’ guy. I retract those words now. I most definitely am! The Kawasaki Versys 1000 has managed to convert me to the conviction that there is tons of excitement and fun in riding this type of motorcycle, especially on roads like we were challenged to ride that day.

In short; The Kawasaki Versys 1000 is definitely a bike I will be adding to the stable. It has everything you are looking for in a bike that you want to take for a ride which is more than the occasional tour in your own country. It will seduce you to take the ‘long way home’ each time you climb on board or perhaps add a few extra days to an international trip.

It is a reliable companion which comes with a complete package of electronic gear to help you enjoy the ride even more.

Final conclusion in one word: YES!

Technical data:

Dimensions
Overall length: 2,270 mm
Overall width: 950 mm
Overall height: 1,530 mm / 1,490 mm (High/Low position)
Wheelbase: 1,520 mm
Road clearance: 150 mm
Seat height: 840 mm

Curb mass
SE: 257 kg
S: 255 kg
Fuel tank capacity: 21 litres

Performance
Max. power: 88.2 kW {120 PS} / 9,000 min-
Max. torque: 102.0 N·m {10.4 kgƒ·m} / 7,500 min

Engine
Type: Liquid-cooled 4-stroke In-Line Four
Valve system: DOHC, 16 valves
Bore x Stroke: 77.0 x 56.0 mm
Displacement: 1,043 cm3

Kawasaki Versys 1000
CromRide
CromRide – Instagram
CromEvents

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Kawasaki and Royal Enfield love child
Since this build was to look similar to the 1979 Kawasaki the Virginia based outfit already built before, the new project really didn’t need to much designing. Bob shipped a Royal Enfield Continental GT gas tank to Motorelic and Sean got to work cutting it up to fit the KZ frame. The tanks outside dimensions fit the bike very well. The tunnel, not so much. It requires a completely new tunnel to fit the KZ’s frame; the frame needed new mounting points. Once the tank was fitted and had the right clearance to the forks, the seat could be built. The new seat needed to be able to lift up using the stock lock and modified hinges. It received a new black leather cover, upholstered by Counterbalance Cycles. The subframe needed to have a cafe style loop welded in to finish off the look and help hold the custom rear fender which houses a Motone tail light.

Anchors
This particular Kawasaki didn’t come with a right side brake caliper and rotor. Finding a good used caliper for the right side can be difficult and expensive. Sean lucked out finding one on eBay that was mislabeled as a left side, what are the odds?!. He hit the buy-it-now button quickly! Another rotor was quickly sources and the whole package got sent to TrueDisc to be resurfaced and drilled. The KZ1000 is not a soft kitten, so the braking power is much needed. Sean lowered the front forks internally about an inch and a half and used new Ikon Dial-a-Ride shocks on the rear to give the bike a nice stance.  This Kawa should have the handling it deserves.

Kawa in Red
Once the fabrication was finished and the lines of the bike were to Sean’s liking, he dove into disassembly. All of the parts that would be black were cleaned up and taken to Right-a-Way Powder to have that gloss black applied. The body work was given to Danny at Knights Kustoms. Bob, the owner of the Kawasaki, had chosen to paint the bodywork Ford Raptor Red. It’s a beautiful color that showcases the classic look of the bike. Since everything was out getting shined up, Sean got started on the engine rebuild. The top end got removed for inspection, turned out that everything was well taken care off. New pistons and rings were installed and the cylinder got honed. All new gaskets and seals were used and fresh paint was applied to finish it off. Browning Polishing added a bright new shine to all of the engine covers and new stainless hardware fastened everything down.

Some assembly required
The fit and finish on this Kawasaki is extraordinary. The wheels received new stainless-steel spokes and a set fresh set of Conti GO tires were wrapped around the black rims.  The classic MotoGadget mini speedo looks the part and a new wiring harness made all the electrics work as designed. Biltwel grips and some aftermarket switches cleaned up the bars.

Culmination of hard work
When the project is coming to close the excitement builds and you go over the mental list of all that you have done or have to do. You have touched every single part and you hope that all went according to plan. Adding gas to a freshly welded, sealed and painted tank. Adding oil to a just rebuilt engine. Brake fluid in rebuilt calipers. These are all things that have the potential for hiccups. But once the bike was running and Sean heard the sweet 1000cc sound ripping through the new Delkevic exhaust and all the fluids stayed in their place, the stress levels immediately dropped. Taking the bike on its first couple rides sheds light on anything that needs to be addressed. But this time the only thing was a main jetting change and it was ready to be shipped back to Colorado. With long distance builds, the only thing Sean could wish for is seeing his customers’ first reaction, like a kid at Christmas, opening that one special gift.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Thorpe

Builder details:
Motorelic
Website
Instagram
Facebook

The post A luscious red Kawasaki KZ1000 by Motorelic appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

At Bikebrewers we are fans of the stuff that Droog come out with. They strive to be different than the others and quite often succeed.

Kawasaki Z1000

The throbbing heart of the ‘DM-014” is a Kawasaki Z1000 killer inline 4 motor “with tons of torque” as our friends describe it. They buy most of the donor material online, as the engines in most cases dictate which way a build is going. The rest of the bike they use is sort of ‘extra added value’ as so much is changed anyway to fit their fantasy.

Straight from the head

The guys at Droog Moto build directly from their heads. What they have in mind goes straight into the tools, without putting anything down digitally or on paper. For the DM-014 they envisioned something to look menacing and out to seek vengeance. When asked about the rough look of the bike they reply: “You don’t want to take a bike like this and make it a flashy bright sparkly thing. It needs to have depth and look intense. “

BikeBrewers: “This bike has a strong ‘Sci-Fi’ feel to it, even slightly reminiscent of the Star Wars bounty hunter  ‘Boba Fett’, was that the outset?”

Droog:  “We strip the bikes down and let the ideas and fabrication come as we go. Our latest builds have been sleek and aggressive machines so we are keeping appearances up with this. We don’t like to categorize our work into the basic Scramblers, Cafe’s, Brats, etc… We like the bikes to be their own creation or more of a Sci-Fi feel.”

Getting outside help is something the Droog team rarely do. For the DM-014 It was for specific work such as the upholstery that they call in outside troops.

BikeBrewers: “so how happy does this bike make you? Is there anything in particular that you like about the result?”

Droog: “All of it! This bike is big and intense, but stealthy. It’s new features complement the motor and help bring out the aggressiveness to it.”

BikeBrewers: “A lot of builders seem to put those fat and knobby tires on their bikes. We like the way they make the bikes look, but we are not so sure about the riding experience.”

Droog: “ It rides like a damn dream! There are a lot of people who hate on the knobby tires on street bikes. We say don’t diss them till you ride them. They’re smooth and corner very well along with having the abilities to hit some dusty roads. You have the power and torque everywhere you could want with more to spare. DM-014 is a fierce machine that looks down right rebellious but gives you awesome riding features.”

Specifications:

The list is very long, but I will give it a try:

• DM-014 received a full build from top to bottom.
• The bike features a custom fuel cell that Droog made.
• Aluminium radiator upgrade.
• The stock subframe was cut off and a new one was fabricated in place to fit the new seat and LED lighting.
• Custom tracker plate with LED lighting and signals integrated into the triple trees.
• Handmade aluminium wheel inserts along with TKC80’s.
• Pod filters and a re-worked exhaust system help this beast breath and brings out the noise to a new level (nice!)
• Shorty brake levers along with 1 1/8” Moto bars and chunky grips.
• Aluminium adjustable rear sets were installed for rider comfort and ergonomics.
• A mini digital speedo was installed to keep the from sleek along with braided brake lines.
• The front and rear suspension was swapped out to help with handling and better features.

The post Born Aggressive: Droog Moto’s Kawasaki Z1000 Scrambler appeared first on BikeBrewers.com.

I don’t think there’s a bike that has been featured twice on the same website. On any custom motorcycle website (correct me if I’m wrong). When the owner of this bike submitted it, I didn’t recognize it in the first place. But after a second look (and a little hint of the owner), I did recognize the Kawasaki W650 Brat build by Kevils Speedshop I posted around a year ago. That owner is called Mark Levell; the owner of a design consultancy bureau in Birmingham, UK.  And if you take a look at the original machine, you can easily recognize it. Mark simply personalized the ride. Mark: “I had this from Kev last year and have since detailed it, with a new style tank and design and also the addition of antique gold, engineering polishing, and chrome accents. The tank has been made to look like a seventies barn find. The Kawasaki bade has been removed and replaced with ‘California Dreamin’, to give it more of a personality”.

Let’s list this bike as “a personalized custom bike”. Read more about the original bike by Kevil’s here.

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If I think of Sweden I usually think about my Volvo and that huge wholesaler of Chinese firewood kits. Despite the fact that these two are completely opposite, I would say that Swedish people, in general, have a pretty good taste and an eye for design. The guys from PAAL Motorcycles in Malmö definitely have. Owner Frederik Persson grew up with motorcycles and his passion for customizing them started when he was a child. He used to cut off parts of his toy bikes and colored them with waterproof markers. When he grew up, it was just a matter of time before he started working on real motorcycles.

But Fredriks career started on a completely different path: he became a chef that was looking for recognition in Michelin stars while working at high-end restaurants. He didn’t have time even thinking about bikes, but after working his ass off for many years, he became tired of the cuisine and he decided to go back to his old love: motorcycles. His first project was a bit ambitious because he didn’t have any professional experience working on bikes. So to get his skill level up to speed, he started working in a local motorcycle workshop for an unpaid (!) job for over 8 months. After 8 months Frederik was offered a full-time job at the shop to keep his cash flow on a healthy level. His experience gave him the confidence to start building his own custom shop.

Till today, Frederik has an impressive line-up of 14 projects. This Kawasaki KZ650 is numbered 13, and I instantly fell in love with it. This beauty is put together with a great taste of design. The color palette used materials and parts perfectly fit together without being a cliché.

Follow PAAL Motorcycles:

Web | Facebook | Instagram

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That the Kawasaki KZ440 is a great base to build a scrambler was already confirmed by Droog Moto a couple of weeks ago. Today I received another cool KZ440 scrambler built by Pierre Forme from Bordeaux, France. Pierre has a technical background and got involved with motorcycles at the age of 13 with an old Solex 3800 (which actually is a bicycle with a small engine on the front wheel). He started customizing bikes simply because he didn’t have the budget to simply buy the bikes he desired. But that was a long time ago according to Pierre. His “motorcycle career” went on and on, but after riding new bikes for years, all bigger, faster, heavier, more expensive, and stuffed with electronics and plastics, he decided to change gears.

“I decided to give myself a new sensation of motorcycle riding by getting into the fashion of cafe racers and scramblers“. A while back he was offered a rather bold Kawasaki KZ440 D1 from 1981, which you can see below.As you can see, nothing special, nothing sexy and a little worn out. His plan was to create a smaller and lighter machine with a huge fun factor on small, dirt roads. And next to fun riding it, it should also be a joy to watch when not riding it.

Pierre completely stripped the bike and literally touched every single part of this bike. In fact, it looks more like a restoration project than a customization: All bits ‘n bites are cleaned, polished or sandblasted, the engine is completely rebuilt, the wiring is completely rebuilt. He also hooked up a set of beautiful laced wheels and really did his homework on the paint job with a classic Kawasaki look. If your French language is up to date, you can read the complete story of this project here.

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It’s been a while since I’ve featured a bike from Danny Ariyanto, the owner of the Indonesian Studio Motor. Danny has built a lot of custom motorcycle the past few years and he worked on a wide variety of machines. From a small Vespa to a big fat Harley-Davidson; Danny can work on anything. But if you take a good look at his work, you see that a lot of his customers come in with small displacement machines. Pretty obvious; in Indonesia, it’s common to get your ass from A to B on a cheap and efficient way. Nevertheless, Donny can turn these cheap (and often rather ugly) machines into something that stands out. Take a look at the bikes I’ve featured earlier here. His latest project is based on the small Kawasaki Z250. This tiny machine shares the platform with the more sporty Ninja 250 (which recently served as a platform for a cafe racer built by Mr. Ride). But the stock bike contains a lot of plastic and looks a bit futuristic, and fits in perfectly in today’s lineup from Kawasaki. But we’re not here to talk about stock bikes, aren’t we? Donny wanted to bring the Z250 back to its bare essentials with a raw edge which resulted in this cool looking Z250 scrambler.

The frame is pretty much standard with only a customized subframe to shorten the overall look and bodywork. He went for an all-black color scheme with a little gloss. The original fork is re-used with a set of new, progressive springs.  To align the rear end, he upgraded the rear suspension with a set of adjustable YSS G-Series shocks. To get rid of the all-plastic-look, he removed most of the bodywork and hand-crafted a completely new gas tank with cool vintage knee dents. The custom leather seat matches perfect in the new design and together with the scramblerish rear fender, the bike looks a lot more agile and fun. To give the rider a feeling of more control, Donny mounted a wide handlebar. The bulky headlight unit was also ditched and replaced with a small 5″ aftermarket DRL headlight and the front also got a custom-made fender.

And luckily Danny also ditched the two most ugly parts of the machine: the casted wheels and huge stock exhaust. The wheels are replaced by TK Japan rims (18X3.00 and 18X3.50) and wrapped up with a set of Shinko E804 Big Block tires (120/80-18 & 150/70-18). The exhaust system is also fabricated by Donny. All and all the result is a cool, small and humble scrambler which looks a lot better than the original plastic monster… One thing I don’t get is why he used that ugly, OEM-blue oil filter… :s

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