ONLINE EXCLUSIVE Ever heard of a Kawasaki Z970? Neither had we. But that’s the moniker the Wrenchmonkees have given their latest custom, a stunning Z750B that’s been bored out to almost a liter. It’s the pet project of company founder Per Nielsen, who wanted to build “the perfect City-Dirt tracker” with a beefed-up motor and loads of torque. According to Nielsen, “Our local engine workshop was keen on the idea of a big bore engine as well. But there are no kits or tuning parts available for these old twins, so we had to do it ourselves.” While the workshop machined out the cylinders, Wössner in Germany built new 89mm diameter pistons. The top end of the DOHC motor was ported and everything else was checked, replaced or fixed.
More visible is the departure from the Wrenchmonkees’ signature monochrome look, with an orange frame and pinstriping on the tank. The exhaust pipes are attention-grabbing too; taken from a Yamaha XT500, they’re hooked up to a SuperTrapp muffler system—which has been routed to the left side, to avoid the rear brake master and sections of the wiring. Carburetion proved trickier to sort out: “The old carbs are very difficult to find new parts for, apart from gasket kits,” says Per.
“I tried with a ‘standard’ Keihin CR33 upgrade, but that was far from enough. So I put on two SR/XT Mikuni TM36 flatslide carbs, with large K&N filters, and it worked. It runs very smooth, and pulls wheelies on the gas!” (I’m guessing there are a few more ponies than the 50 quoted for the original motor.) The icing on the cake comes from 19″ wheels shod with Maxxis dirt track tires, and the overall effect is taut and purposeful.
