Custom by DOREMI COLLECTION | Kawasaki Z900RS Custom Project: Beyond Z

It’s like a brand new Z1 appeared from 40 years out of the past

Kurashiki has two faces: on one side you have the white-walled facades left over from the Japan of old; on the other you have a modern city acting as gateway to the Great Seto Bridge that links Honshu and Shikoku. This town that blends the traditional and the new is home to Doremi Collection.

Through the large storefront window, beautifully restored Z1 and Zephyr models pull your gaze. Inside, the interior is warm and inviting. For any Z fan this is a treasure trove. Lost in blissful reverie, the booming voice from the back of the shop is startling. “Welcome! You’re just in time. I’ve just finished it,” exclaims a beaming Hiroshi Take, the shop owner. He is a naturally cheerful person.

Take-san leads the way to his factory in the back of the shop. You pass a collection of old Z models and an authentic Godier Genoud endurance racer nonchalantly waiting to be restored. The scene is like a backyard garage in rural America. In contrast to the shop at the front, the smell of grease permeates the air in the workshop.
“As a motif, I chose the Z1 racers that were active in AMA in the late 70s. At that time, Yoshimura was still fielding a Z1 with Wes Cooley as the rider.” The Doremi Collection Z900RS custom he unveils has Lime Green stripes on a black base. The chic colouring is impressive. It’s like a brand new Z1 appeared from 40 years out of the past.

“I think the standard Z900RS was done really well. To bring back this style, part of the frame had to be redesigned. The main frame’s upper rails are closer together, and the seat rail angle is flatter. So I thought, ‘Yeah, this is something I can work with.’”

“We specialise in cosplay here,” explains Take-san, smiling. Doremi Collection is famous as a producer of replica bodywork for old Z Series models, for which parts are no longer available. The techniques and know-how gained from working from moulds allowed him to develop a bodywork kit that would let Zephyr models be transformed into authentic looking Z models. Included among the bikes on display in the front shop are examples of his work. Their details, sense of balance, and colouring have all been faithfully reproduced – to the point where unless scrutinised up close they cannot be distinguished from the real thing. There is even an anecdote of a Kawasaki designer who visited the shop being fooled!
Pursuing the proportions of the Z models he so admired

As Japan’s foremost Z replica builder, the model that Take-san had long been waiting for had finally arrived: the new Z900RS. However, its stock proportions were markedly different from those of the Z1. Even if younger Zephyr fans could be enticed, he was unsure if the generation that grew up longing for the original Z1 could be tempted.

“The proportions created by the Z1’s large air-cooled engine and slim fuel tank was part of its appeal. In comparison, the Z900RS’ engine is very compact. That style is fine for a modern machine, but riders who dreamt of owning a Z1 might feel it’s missing a little in the impact department. The tank volume is sufficient, so I added some modifications to the engine.” Engine guards disguised as under-tubes were intentionally designed to jut out with the aim of creating an appearance of volume. And a specially machined aluminium base is layered with a Z2-type points cover to increase thickness.
The muffler is an essential component of a bike’s appearance. This is especially true of the Z1, whose quad-style muffler was iconic. At the time collector pipes had not yet appeared; even the AMA racers ran four individual pipes. Not one to stop at half measures, Take-san went so far as to rebuild the muffler, taking apart a stock muffler, removing its internals, and fitting them into a new quad-style muffler. He chose to work with steel to help reproduce the smooth exhaust note that bikes had in those days.
Meticulous too with the bodywork, he fitted Z2-type tail cowl and side covers from a Zephyr, and a steel front fender. For the taillight, turn signals and mirrors – staple custom items – Z2 parts were also appropriated. An example of Take-san’s dedication even in areas that would not be seen, the lighting internals were replaced with LED components. The headlamp uses a modified Z1 case, giving it a classical style, but this too houses a LED unit.

AMA-style disc brakes combined with 18-inch Morris mag wheels perfectly match the bikes of the era. The 18-inch wheels were chosen in part for the balanced appearance they offered, but also to express the composed handling of a Z1. A chassis posture with a slightly raised rear looks better, but not wanting to sacrifice reach to the ground a seat height adjuster was also added. This forethought would allow women riders to lower the seat enough to be able to ride. To achieve the silhouette’s overall balance, the swingarm was shortened 2cm.
“We are entering the age of cosplay,” asserts Take-san. “Simply adding rearsets and an aftermarket exhaust will not be enough to stand out. If everyone who sees it doesn’t think, ‘Hey, that’s different,’ then there is no point in customising your bike. Having said that, garishly adding expensive parts will make the bike difficult to ride, and any of its original good qualities will be wasted. In that case, it’s better to create a custom that maintains the inherent goodness of the stock model. Which is why I built a machine focusing especially on the bodywork.

“Today it’s a given that machines have good engine and chassis performance. So, I think effort can be focused on styling. But compared to the trembling excitement I felt with older Z models, when the Z900 came out, to be honest, I hardly felt anything.” The Zephyr was a hit because it tapped into the essence of motorcycling inherent in a standard. Along the same line of thinking, a return to roots became a theme for Take-san’s custom, and the 70s heritage racers that had inherited the handling character of the original Z1 became his goal.
The Z1 and other older Z models continue to be highly valued by traders all around the globe. “Why? Because they’re cool!” grins Take-san. The 70s and 80s were filled with bikes like the early-model Z1 and later the Z1000J ridden by the legendary Eddie Lawson that dominated AMA racing; the KR endurance racers fielded by Kawasaki France; and other monster machines all battling fiercely on the world’s circuits. For Take-san, first seeing these machines in the bike magazines of the day was an impact so profound that it literally left him shaking. On the topic of Japanese neo-classic bikes, he feels that Z is the real thing, so he wanted capture the feeling of that early era and express it through the Z900RS.

“This custom Z900RS is a work in progress. There’s still lots to do,” he explains. At the top of his list is trying his hand at a new fuel tank, the centrepiece of a bike’s design. The angled style of the Z1R and Z1000 Mk II is something he thinks might work. It’s good to know that the legend of the new liquid-cooled Z is still being written.