While Rickman Motorcycles started out producing frames and body kits for British made motorcycles in the seventies they turned their interest to the Japanese manufacturers. With this came kits for transforming the legendary Honda CB750, Suzuki GS1000’s and of course Kawasaki’s formidable Z1000. This particular Rickman Kawasaki Z1000 hails from Japan and was painstakingly restored by custom workshop Kurumazaka Motorcycles.
The Kurumazaka Zed features the unmistakable nickel plated frame, made famous by the Rickman brothers and the beautifully constructed fiberglass bodywork made especially for the Z1000. While there’s no denying the Rickman boys did a stellar job when producing this kit back in the early seventies, the team at Kurumakaza identified a few areas where they felt the aesthetics could be improved and did so.
The first of the changes was to revise the mounting hardware of the front cowl to improve it’s lines and position. New brackets and stays we’re machined to position the cowl so it’s angles mimic the lines of the frame perfectly. To compliment the new position of the cowl the fibreglass tank cover was also remounted and although you’d have to be a Rickman expert to notice the differences aesthetically it’s a significant improvement.
As the 40 year old Zed was beginning to show it age a series of new components were also fit to the bike. New bars, switches and dials clean up the front end, all the original lights (aside from the headlight) were swapped out for LED units and all of the serviceable components such as the chain, bearings and rubber were replaced by modern parts. A pair of custom made alloy mudguards protect the engine from road debris and there’s plenty of polished, custom bracketry holding everything in the right place for optimum functionality and appearance.
So as to not detract from the nickel plate on the frame the entire exhaust system, including it’s Sebring muffler, was finished in hi-temp matte black paint and the 5 spoke rims in gloss black. The paint on the bodywork is the most significant of the changes to Rickman’s original spec. Rather than finishing the bike in a flat colour from their 40 year old catalogue, Kurumazaka have opted for a much more modern custom paint approach. Airbrushed shadows accentuate the beautiful lines of the fibreglass bodywork and the dark gold paint sets this Rickman Zed apart from any other you’re likely to see. If you look closely you’ll also notice faint pin striping across the top of the tank and on the cowl…it is, as they say “all in the details” and there’s plenty of stunning ones to be found on this beauty.
