Kawasaki
WASABI BURN: Kawasaki W800 by Schlachtwerk
Written by Martin Hodgson
Nobody goes for Sushi to only have just one piece, and the world’s best Kawasaki W builder has taken the same attitude to his bikes! So having crafted a killer Kawasaki powered drag bike called ‘Wasabi’ with all the fun, flavour and exhilaration of the real thing, Schlachtwerk’s Tommy Thoring decided that the second dish needed to be just the same, only available on the takeaway menu! So with his team of world-class chefs, he’s back with his second Wasabi offering and this one takes all of the drag racing hardware to the street for one hell of a traffic light GP racer.
SUPER COMMUTER: ER-6N Street Tracker By Taverne Motorcycle Garage
Written by Tim Huber.
Since its release in the mid-2000s, Kawasaki’s ER-6N or Ninja 650, has been a go-to choice for riders seeking a practical, no-frills, mid-sized commuter bike. Its popularity, however, has a lot more to do with its reliable and economical nature than it does its relatively unremarkable appearance. So, with a stellar twin at its core, a well-designed chassis, and generally capable running gear, France’s Taverne Motorcycle Garage set out to give the ER-6N a visual redesign with as much character as its lively mid-sized twin.
URBAN FIGHTER: Kawasaki Ninja 250R by Droog Moto
Words by Tim Huber.
Since 2016, husband and wife team, Max and Erica Droog have been building custom bikes under the banner of Droog Moto. The Washington-based shop is known for its signature take on the post-apocalyptic look, with customs that can be best described as modern, doomsday-ready street fighters with a dash of scrambler flavor. For its latest build — dubbed “DM-015 The Urban Fighter” –– the couple has once again set its sights on Kawasaki’s Ninja 250R — Team Green’s longtime entry-level staple of a sportbike.
BRAT RACE. Kawasaki KZ440 by AMP Motorcycles
Written by Martin Hodgson
Take a project of any kind, particularly the weekend tinkering approach, and for generations the world over Fathers and Sons have been swinging the tools together. Whether they’re building a barn, restoring the young lad’s first car or making motorcycles, it’s as much about the relationship as the final result. But somewhere along this journey for Michael Posenauer and his son Allen things stepped up a level and they now run a shop called AMP Motorcycles in Germany. Now from the bones of Michael’s first bike comes this 1982 Kawasaki KZ440 LTD that’s been given a full Brat-Bob makeover.
WERKING CLASS. Schlachtwerk’s Kawasaki W650 Racer
Schlachtwerk’s Tommy Thöring is obsessed with the Kawasaki W650. As everyone should be. They’re dead reliable, have handling so neutral it could be described as ‘Swiss’. If you’re in Germany and you own a Dub you want chopped into something special, it’s Schlachtwerk’s number you’d be calling…
MIRTH, WIND AND FIRE. Mellow Motorcycles’ ‘C4’ Kawasaki Zephyr Neo-Cafe
There is something incredibly satisfying about being right, and if you’re part of the cafe racer revival, then by default you are. In the 1990s, some Japanese manufacturers were already selling retro remakes and industry experts thought this to be insane. Now Germany’s Mellow Motorcycles have proven them wrong…
ZEE WHIZ. BGM Cafe Racer’s ’78 Kawasaki Z400 Street Scrambler
BGM Cafe Racers’ Tonie Wishart is trying to redeem himself. Years ago his father brought a bike home, an old Kawasaki G4TR 100, which Tonie successfully pulled apart and unsuccessfully put back together. Now, years later, Tonie and the team from BGM have turned out this…
LAND DOWN UNTER. Schlachtwerk’s Aussie-Bound Kawasaki W650
They say a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step; but for one particular German it only makes sense to begin with a Kawasaki W650. Now he’s packing up his Schlachtwerk operation and heading for the Land Down Under. Sydney to be exact…
PUNCH DRUNK. Pap N Mam’s Boxer Kawasaki W400 Scrambler
After almost ten years of blogging about custom bikes, we’re pretty confident we could count the instances of builders who have made their own engines on one hand; even a hand that’d taken a trip through a rear chain and sprocket. Put simply, it almost never happens. Unless your Indonesia’s Pap N Mam…
CORDON BLUR. Schlachtwerk’s Tricolour Kawasaki W800 Racer
As modern retros go, Kawasaki hit the nail on the head with their re-imagining of the W series bikes from the ’60s. In fact, the ‘new’ W’s bevel driven twin cylinder engine is even more of a classic than the original. But as an overall package they’ve always needed a little more panache…