The legendary Kawasaki Z1 had a little brother, the Z2. (A better behaved little brother, no doubt.) You’d be hard pressed to tell these Zeds apart: pretty much everything was the same on both bikes, apart from the internals of that glorious DOHC engine. Kawasaki dropped the capacity from 903 to 746cc, but the Z2 motor was carefully designed to mimic the feel of its bigger sibling. And the output was a very respectable (albeit ‘claimed’) 69bhp at 9000rpm. Today, the Z2/750RS is almost as sought-after as the Z1 in Japan, where retro superbikes are highly coveted—and is now a major target for customizers. The machine shown here looks stock at first glance, but has been heavily modified by the Kouga branch of the famed Sanctuary workshop. The frame has been powdercoated and reinforced, and fitted with forks and a swingarm from a Yamaha XJR-1200. New wheels, Brembo brakes and twin XJR-1200-spec Öhlins shocks add more control to the handling. The engine is blueprinted and balanced, with Yoshimura-tuned Mikuni TMR-MJN38 carburetion. Gases exit through a Nitro Racing exhaust with titanium silencers. It’s a beautiful package, and I’ll bet it corners wonderfully too. If Moto Guzzi can go back to its roots with the successful V7 Classic, why not Kawasaki with the Zeds?
