Kawasaki KZ650 Bratstyle by Piston Trigger

Custom motorcycle enthusiast Alex from Piston Trigger loves Japanese classics and already had a cool custom bike, based on a KZ400. Unfortunately, he crashed that one into a van and destroyed (most of) it. So he was desperate in need of a new ride. On Craigslist he found a ’79 Kawasaki KZ650 in rough state. He decided to turn it into a Kawasaki KZ650 Bratstyle. The result is looking great:

But since this was only his second project, it took him almost a year and a lot of frustration:

I have to say that this project didn’t come easy. It seems like I have spent the majority of time fixing my own damn mistakes. It took me so many tries just to get the smallest thing accomplished. However, the feeling of completing this project was amazing and all the headache was worth it…

A great story to tell on a birthday party is that Alex almost got arrested, trying to get his frame and other parts back from a powder coating guy who suddenly disappeared from the earth. Check out the full story on his blog.

Most important modifications:

• Custom frame hoop with a custom seat and upholstery
• Conversion of front wheel to 18″ with double discs
• Lowered front fork and lower rear shocks
• Custom battery box for an 8 cell ballistic battery
• Super small headlight
• Small LED taillight
• Kawasaki enduro gas tank
• Rebuilt engine
• Rebuilt carburators
• Dynatek ignition
• Kerker 4 in 1 exhaust
• Complete new wiring
• … and a lot of smaller details

To be honest, I think all the struggle was worth it. The bike looks amazing and fun to ride. I honestly hope he doesn’t crash this one, but I sure hope that this is not his last project!