Given its iconic status, the Kawasaki KZ1000 isn’t a model you’ll see customized all that often, but it can serve as an excellent donor bike for those who want a true one-off. Hailing from the golden days of ground-breaking UJMs, it packs an air-cooled 1,015cc inline-four mill with 86 hp on tap. This force travels to the rear wheel via a five-speed gearbox, resulting in speeds of up to 132 mph (212 kph).

By: Silvian Secara  Courtesy: AutoEvolution

Now, the custom specimen we’re about to examine started out as a 1979-model KZ1000 LTD, inherited by one Steve Meyer from his late uncle. Not content with simply getting it restored, Steve had to find someone who could infuse it with a nice bit of bespoke charm, and his search led him to Sean Skinner of MotoRelic. As Steve lives in Hawaii, the Virginia-based shop may seem like an odd choice at first.

It starts to make a lot more sense when you realize the motorcycle was in Baltimore, Maryland, not too far from MotoRelic’s facility in Hamilton, Virginia. Arrangements were made and the vintage Kawasaki was soon delivered to Sean, who wasted no time coming up with the initial design concept. He and Steve decided that a Brat-style makeover was the way to go, then it came time for the real fun to begin.

With the KZ1000 dismantled and placed on the workbench, Sean’s attention went to the fuel tank before anything else. Although the client was adamant about keeping the stock unit at first, the project’s author had other ideas and convinced him to embrace change. A Royal Enfield Continental GT’s tank sat around the shop at the time, and our protagonist thought it would look great on the Kawi.

He clearly wasn’t wrong, but getting this item to fit its new host was no walk in the park. The tank saw its underside extensively reworked to achieve a proper fitment, and it now looks like it was always meant to be there. Once that was done, Sean moved down to the unsprung sector and did away with the LTD’s cast seven-spoke wheels.

They’ve been swapped with a pair of laced hoops, which were taken from a ‘78-model KZ1000 and wrapped in retro-looking Firestone rubber on both ends. The brakes were upgraded with drilled rotors and braided stainless-steel hoses, all accompanied by refurbished calipers. After taking care of the bike’s footgear, the mastermind at MotoRelic tackled a nice bit of frame surgery at the rear.

The subframe was revised and looped, to then be topped with a custom seat pan manufactured in-house. Sean shaped the seat padding, as well, then he sent it off to Counter Balance Cycles in Rhode Island for the upholstery. There, Weston Boege had it cloaked in high-quality brown leather from Horween, but Sean also kept pretty busy as that was taking place.

Having ditched the OEM side covers during the initial teardown, he needed some custom replacements to fill up the subframe triangle. These were built from scratch using aluminum, and the right module features a neat cut-out to make room for the brake master cylinder. Further back, we find a new rear fender topped with a Bates-style LED taillight.

Aftermarket turn signals are attached to the subframe tubing a bit further ahead, and rear-end suspension duties will henceforth be managed by modern Ikon shocks. The party continues at the front, with a second handmade fender placed between the original forks. Even though these suspension bits are stock, they’ve been rebuilt with fresh internals to match the upgrades performed down south. A vintage-style headlight illuminates the way ahead after dark.

As for the front blinkers, they are identical to the rear items and mounted on the frame right below the fuel tank. Then there is the motorcycle’s cockpit area, featuring twin old-school gauges and a new handlebar with brown Biltwell grips. The new aftermarket switchgear is incredibly discreet to keep things looking as clean as possible, and there are no mirrors to speak of.

On the powertrain side of things, the 1,015cc four-banger was completely refurbished inside out before gaining some fresh respiratory bits. The carbs were capped off with a quartet of K&N air filters, and the exhaust-related mods are even more interesting. Steve’s uncle had already fitted an aftermarket stainless-steel setup back in the day, which was still in great condition and thus worthy of being retained – at least partially.

The headers were kept but mated to a custom mid-pipe, ultimately ending in a premium Cone Engineering muffler down on the right-hand side. Knight’s Kustoms handled the paint job to take the project across the finish line, enveloping the bodywork in a Granito Grey hue from Fiat’s color palette. Items like the frame and rims were powder-coated black, and MotoRelic had the fuel tank embellished with antique Kawasaki badges before calling it a day. 

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