It’s been too long since AC Sanctuary graced our pages, so this week’s lead bike is an unapologetic Kawasaki KZ1000 from the Japanese masters of excess. We follow that up with a ridiculously potent Simson S51, a fresh club-style Harley-Davidson Sportster 833, and an immaculately restored BMW R80 G/S Paris Dakar.
Kawasaki KZ1000 by AC Sanctuary In the world of hyper-modified vintage Japanese superbikes, few people can match the brilliance of AC Sanctuary. Their machines ooze performance, epitomizing the notion of leaving no stone unturned.
As you’d imagine, the legendary Japanese workshop has something of a cult following. This wild Kawasaki KZ1000 MkII, designated RCM-600, is the fifth bike that they’ve built for the same client (with a sixth already in the works). Although it pulls a lot of concepts from AC Sanctuary’s racing motorcycles, it’s been designed for road use.
Visually, this KZ1000 has more in common with the AC Sanctuary Z1000 racer that we featured two years ago than the company’s usual resto-modded UJMS. A classic bikini fairing sits up front, followed by a deeply sculpted handmade fuel tank. The tail section follows the same design as AC Sanctuary’s race bikes, but it’s been modified to accommodate a big, blocky, OEM-style taillight.
Take a second look, and you’ll notice that the side covers form part of the tail section. Together with a paint job that would make a hot rod blush, it adds to the bike’s uncompromising performance vibe.
Dig deeper, and you’ll discover the Kawasaki’s equally impressive running gear. A burly aluminum swingarm from Sculpture sits out back, hooked up to a pair of fully adjustable Öhlins shocks, via special eccentric lower pivots that enable easy geometry tweaks.
Right-side-up Öhlins forks sit at the opposite end of the bike, held in place by custom-made yokes. The KZ1000 rolls on a tasty set of OZ Racing wheels, wrapped in tacky Pirelli Diablo Rosso 4 tires. Brembo and Sunstar components make up the braking system.
The engine has been bored out to 1,135 cc with a whole stack of internal upgrades—including forged pistons and a new CNC-machined crank. AC Sanctuary also added a set of Yoshimura carbs, their own oil cooler, and a rowdy Nitro four-into-one titanium exhaust system. The cockpit is swish too, sporting a one-off dash with Stack instruments.
Finished off in a livery that’s so nice we’ve mentioned it twice, RCM-600 is solid proof that AC Sanctuary is at the top of their game—and likely will be for some time to come. [Source]
Simson S51 by Tony Möckel What’s small, orange, and makes nine times more power than it did from the factory? This zany custom Simson S51, that’s what.
Puny enough to qualify as a moped, the German-made Simson S51 two-stroke made a paltry 3.7 hp when it left the production line in 1984. But despite its stature, Tony Möckel has wanted an S51 since childhood. So when he finally got his hands on one, he went buck wild.
Tony bored the little Simson out to 130 cc, resulting in a final output of 32 hp. He then braced and gusseted the frame, swapped the wheels for 16” units, and added a CNC-machined swingarm and Öhlins suspension. The two-stroke beastie exhales through a gorgeous custom-made exhaust that loops around the front of the bike, exiting in two downturned mufflers on the left.
Weighing just 80 kilos [176 pounds], the Simson’s power-to-weight ratio is about as crazy as the bike looks. Ask Tony, and he’ll tell you that riding it feels like “riding a cannonball.” Where do we sign up? [Source]
Harley-Davidson Sportster by Emma Fry As the child of the owners of Yellowstone Harley-Davidson in Montana, USA, Emma Fry has grown up around motorcycles. It’s no wonder then, that her first motorcycle was a 2007-model Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 that had been traded in at the dealership.
Emma has tried bigger bikes since, but the plucky 883 has always had a place in the garage. And when Emma was invited to bring a custom bike to show off at Milwaukee’s one-of-a-kind Mama Tried show, it was the prime candidate for a makeover. Working with her father, Yellowstone Harley’s head mechanic Travis Overstreet, and fabricator and painter Brett McGinley, and drawing heavily on the vibe of club-style Harley FXRs, she turned it into the sassy machine you’re looking at here.
The Sportster now boasts a 1,200 cc engine, kitted with EMD cases, and transferring power via a chain-drive system. A classic S&S Cycle intake feeds air to the motor, while a two-into-one exhaust from Cone Engineering handles the soundtrack.
Emma’s Sporty also wears an upper fairing from Saddlemen, with aluminum lowers that Brett fabricated for the bike. A burly skid plate, also made by Brett, sits between the sides of the generous fairing. The bike features a ducktail-ed rear fender, high-bend bars on even higher bar risers, and tiny Kellermann LEDs that handle turn signal and taillight duties.
Brett helped Emma lay down the Sportster’s refreshing paint job—but the distressing was all Emma. The bird on the side cover references her nickname, ‘Birdie,’ and the bike has been christened ‘Maxine,’ after Emma’s grandmother.
The humble Sportster 883 is often overlooked and underrated—but we’d ride this one any day of the week. [Source]
BMW R80 G/S Paris Dakar by Motorrad Senger A nuts and bolts restoration can be hard to get excited about—unless, of course, you have a particular affinity to the make and model of the motorcycle being restored. They often involve an inordinate amount of work, invariably cost more than expected, and leave no room for personal interpretation.
This gorgeous 1981 BMW R80 G/S Paris Dakar isn’t your average restoration job though. Not only is the R80 G/S PD one of the most iconic motorcycles ever produced by the German marque, but the restoration on this particular unit has been performed by one of the best in the biz.
It’s the work of Normen Senger—the man behind Motorrad Senger in Frankfurt. Herr Senger is a second-generation BMW mechanic and one of few who holds BMW Motorrad’s ‘classic’ certification. That gives him access to the amazing BMW Group Classic archives, and it gives him the authority to issue official “BMW Classics” certificates.
Normen spend 250 hours working on this BMW R80 G/S PD, documenting the process in 450 photographs. Showing 23,840 km [14,813 miles] on the clock, the bike not only looks the part on the outside but has had its engine cracked open and balanced, too.
Looking fresher than factory, the R80 G/S PD is currently on offer via our friends at Moto Borgotaro in New York. The lucky collector who snags it also gets a second (and smaller) G/S fuel tank, an extra dual seat, period BMW helmets, a tool kit, and a BMW Classic certificate.
Tempted? You’d better dig deep; an icon restored to this standard ain’t cheap. [More]
