Just who was it designing those Kawasaki’s anyway?

In 1976 I started working at Kawasaki Country in Yakima Washington. I have always said there are 3 types of motorcycle shops. Those that make it happen…those that watch it happen….and those that wonder what happened.

Prior to this shop I worked in the latter type of shop, but this was a make it happen place. Don, the owner, was all for being creative and using your imagination. If anything, he had some of the wildest ideas. I will talk about some of the promotions we did another time; but this time I would like to reflect on some of the bikes we created.

In this time period, there was not a demand for the specialized bikes we find today. There were no sportbikes, no cruisers like we see now, and very few touring bikes. Today we see a lot of ‘builders’ around, but in my mind they are mostly assemblers - as all they do is take existing parts off the shelf and assemble a bike (with modifications to it). A real builder starts from scratch and makes his own frame and usually everything but the motor. We made customs.

The first one we did was with a stock KZ400. We found a place that made handlebar mounted fairings and some nice small bags that matched and made what could be called a mini touring bike. This combination sold very well because it looked nice and was very reasonably priced. The regional manager for Kawasaki came by and took pictures.  Then Kawasaki released the KZ400 Deluxe, which cost hundreds more than ours and did not sell.

Next I wanted to build a ‘Café Racer’ so I took a 1976 KZ900 ordered Lester Mag wheels, a BMW R90S fairing, 4 into 1 pipe, better shocks and an additional disc brake and more. We had it custom painted a blue silver with blue stripes. The Kawasaki came in again armed with a camera.  Again, they took pictures.  Sure enough, in 1978 they introduced the Z1R.

I rode a KZ900 for a year but did not like the weight so when the KZ650 came out, I bought a 1977 KZ650C with the mags. I put a 720cc kit in it, smoothbore carbs, Koni shocks, drilled the disc, BMW fairing again and a KZ750 twin tail section.  I tell you, history continues to repeat itself.  Kawasaki Rep comes out, takes pictures, leaves.  Then Kawasaki introduces the GPZ 750.

At about the same time I had a customer who was a former H2 owner buy a KZ650 but it wasn’t fast enough.  So we turbo charged it – which was unusual in the mid 70’s. Can you say GPZ 750 turbo? I sold the 650 and rode a KZ1000 MKII (J model).

I do remember asking the rep if it was possible to get any of the Eddie Lawson race parts from Racing as I wanted to make a replica.

It was at this time the shop was purchased by the local Harley dealer and we got a new Kawasaki regional rep.

Maybe I should have applied at Kawasaki headquarters for a job. 

Selling bikes

The motorcycle industry has gone through several ups and downs since I got started in the early 70’s. Like many I got started behind the parts counter, but one’s enthusiasm always boils over onto the show room. The first motorcycle I sold was a Honda CL350 because the owner wanted what he considered “a bike he could ride on and off road”. Unless he lived on a gravel road, I don’t think that thing ever got off the pavement. My how things have changed!

Just a couple of years ago I was in a shop with one of my sales reps for Parts Unlimited and this young parts counter kid said he had just bought a ‘really neat vintage bike’ and asked if l would like to see it. As an enthusiast with a shop full of “proper British motorbikes”, I said “Sure. I would love to see what you have bought”.  We go in the back and he shows me a 1976 green KZ900. I didn’t really want to rain on this young man’s parade, but 1976? This might classify as a classic, but not a vintage in my book. Just because it was made before he was born I think classified it as vintage in his mind. I sold these things when they were new!

Kawasaki had a program for dealers on 25 units so my boss bought 50 and I don’t think we sold 30 the previous year. On top of that when I got down to the last 10, he bought 25 more! We had a special for $2495.00. Those were the days when if you wanted a touring bike you added a Windjammer fairing and Bates saddlebags.

The fun back then was creating your own specialty bike.  For example we were buying lots of Vetter Windjammer fairings and adding them to mostly KZ900 and KZ1000s. For the most part they were white and never really matched anything. We decided it would be cool to build one all matching -  so we got a painter to do it all in yellow…body work, fairing, bags, top box and cargo trailer. Then we took the gas cap down to the local trophy shop and had it engraved ‘Custom built for………. By Kawasaki County’ (the name or our shop). When people would express an interest in the thing we would point to the cap and say that the owners name was to be engraved as soon as the deal was done. We let the boss sell this one as he was the principal behind the entire program and a touring rider himself. 

Sorry I don’t remember the gentleman’s name that purchased it but I do remember he had a 1974 T150 Triumph Trident with probably a 6” extended front fork. I took the bike for a test ride and could not for the life of me understand why someone would take a really well handling bike and to that to it. He and his wife racked up many miles on that yellow monster.

So I had this customer come in looking to buy a good used bike for a trip. I had previously sold him a bike at the Honda shop, but now at the Kawasaki shop he was looking for something to ride from Yakima, Washington to Tennessee. The problem was he had hardly any money. We had a really clean Honda CB450 that he was looking at, and asked if it would make it there and back. I said the bike would make it but I would be a long ride for him and his wife. He came in about a month later after he got back and said the bike was fine, but both he and his wife still had numb butts. That’s when he purchased the now ‘Vintage’ GREEN KZ900 with fairing and bags.

I need to be real careful about passing judgment on fools riding long distances on ‘little bikes’. I once rode a 1968 Yamaha YCS1C (180cc) from Fairbanks, Alaska to Anchorage on the 430 mile old road. Very long trip but I was young and adventuresome.

But that’s just selling bikes. . .