In 1976, Cycle World declared that the KZ1000 was “The Fastest Stocker We’ve Ever Tested.” Production started in 1976, and the KZ1000 was the third in a line of fast, exciting ‘nakeds’ that started with the Z1 and then the KZ900.
The KZ1000 is now something of a cult machine, and popular with both cafe racer builders and restomod specialists. In Japan, there is a whole industry of companies that focus on fettling and upgrading the KZ1000, with AC Sanctuary being the most famous.
Over the years, multiple variants of the KZ1000 were developed by Kawasaki, and the 1980 Z1000H was the first mass-produced fuel-injected motorcycle in the world.
It’s one of the most exciting platforms to build on in the custom world, and if you have tens of thousands of dollars to spare, you can buy a heavily upgraded custom KZ1000 that will hold its own against much more modern machinery.
Even if you know very little about Kawasaki’s history, you probably know about the KZ1000R Eddie Lawson Replica. Released in 1982, it was a limited edition motorcycle based on the one that Lawson won the championship with. Essentially a production bike with new paint and some upgraded parts, it was special, but not overly so.…
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Our favorite stories this week run the whole gamut from old school to new, starting with a stunning Ducati breathed on by the legendary Woods Motor Shop. There’s also a crisp CB750 from Australia’s JAX Garage, a gorgeous Kawasaki restomod from the Japanese specialists Auto-Magic, and news of the return of Can-Am. Enjoy.
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Anyone who has raced motorcycles or spun spanners in a pit lane will know that track bikes are a work in progress. They’re mobile test beds, because shaving seconds off lap times is the only way to stay ahead of the competition. The mechanics at the Japanese workshop AC Sanctuary know this. For the past…
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If there’s any proof that motorcycling is a universal language, it’s the global fame of AC Sanctuary. Set up in the mid 90s by mechanic Hiroyuki Nakamura, the Japanese workshop rose out of obscurity to become a high water mark for fast and desirable retro racers. That’s despite Nakamura-san and his crew speaking no English.…
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A box fresh turbocharged Kawasaki Mystery Ship, a slinky Yamaha Virago cafe racer from Spain, a Henderson Model G converted into a…
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A brutal new Kawasaki restomod from AC Sanctuary, a Crocker Small Tank about to go under the hammer, and a slick Krämer…
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A new Kawasaki Zed from the Japanese restomod kings AC Sanctuary, a retro-futuristic BMW R80 from Holland, and a $30,000 Yamaha WR450F…
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Custom trends will come and go, but the art of the resto-mod will always have a place in the pantheon of motorcycle…
Read more »Ed Turner is one of Europe’s most extreme custom workshops. Owner Karl Renoult has a very clear and unapologetic vision: he builds each…
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As vintage big fours go, the Kawasaki Kz1000 is as mythical as they come. It’s hailed as one of the granddaddies of…
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If the sixties was the heyday for muscle cars, the seventies was the era of superbikes. Cars that could run the quarter…
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In the early 1970s, two Japanese superbikes ruled the roost: the Honda CB750 and the Kawasaki Z1. The Z1 was originally going…
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