Kawasaki Kz400D Motorcycles, page #38

Moto blog

Supercross Preview With Factory Kawasaki Riders Ryan Villopoto & Jake Weimer

In anticipation of this Saturday’s Supercross opener in Anaheim, California, Kawasaki invited a select crowd of enthusiasts and journalists to join their employees at the corporate offices in Irvine, California, for the annual Team Monster Energy Kawasaki pep rally. We sat down with defending SX champ, Ryan Villopoto, and his teammate, Jake Weimer, to get their perspectives on the upcoming season. Both men entered last season at less than 100%.

BSB 2012; Mystic Mac investigates

In my opinion, the smartest move in the BSB off season has to be Michael Laverty moving from Swan Yamaha to HM Plant Honda. With a ban on electronics for 2012, and in particular traction control, WFR's Graham Gowland has already proved to Laverty how competitive an EVO spec Fireblade can be - so I’m tipping both these riders to be bang on the money at the Brands Hatch season opener in April. Unlike BMW, Kawasaki and Yamaha, Honda have deliberately developed their road-going Superbike without electronics to give a user friendly feel with good mechanical traction, so it’ll be interesting to see how the opposition copes with their high-tech trickery stripped off.

Randy de Puniet's custom W650

MotoGP star Randy de Puniet commissioned Deus customs to build him a motorcycle for the streets of Sydney. Randy's brief was for a middleweight, 2-up twin that would be light enough to slice through the city streets and have the power for blasts on the open road, and have orange, black and white for the paint. Deus chose the Kawasaki W650, lowered it at both ends, fitted an SR500 tank, lobbed the old air box and added K&N filters, stuck on a custom 2-into-2 exhaust system and added low-profile fenders to finish off the clean and simple look.

Stuck for a gift? Solution No3: Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki or Kawasaki merchandise

After the excesses of KTM and Harley's gifts ranges, Hondas seems tame. But even the sober Japanese firm has a handful of oddities in its line-up. The Japanese have been accused of imitating in the past, and Honda's incorporation of a baby's dummy in its official accessories catalogue mimics KTM's 'Silencer-System Mini Pro'.

Versys 1000 video short

Kawasaki's just-launched Versys 1000 also came with a video crew for the day. So if you're interested in a bit of footage of the bike in action and some 'behind the scenes' stuff from the launch, then check it out. If you want to read the Kawasaki Versys 1000 first ride review, well, click that link old son.

2012 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14R First Ride

Loyal fans of Suzuki’s iconic Hayabusa have something to be seriously worried about. Kawasaki has overhauled its fast and smooth ZX-14, adding a bigger and more powerful engine that promises to outgun the venerable ’Busa. I just spent a day hammering the new ZX-14R In Las Vegas, beginning with a blast through the desert and ending with several runs down the quarter-mile dragstrip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Top 10 EICMA Show Bikes You May Have Missed

Interesting motorcycles you probably didn't see1 of 11Next Last There’s no cave deep, mountain high or rock heavy enough to have thwarted news of Ducati’s 1199 Panigale superbike launch at the 2012 EICMA show in Milan, Italy. And a few models such as Honda’s NC700S and X, Kawasaki’s Versys 1000 and CRP’s Energica were unveiled without heavy prior fanfare, but gasps of surprise weren’t heard when the wraps were taken off Triumph’s Tiger 1200 Explorer, Husqvarna’s Nuda or MV Augusta’s F3 675 among others, whose existences were revealed months in advance of the show. What we’ve comprised below is our list Top 10 Bikes unveiled at EICMA that didn’t receive top billing but are certainly worthy of your attention.

EICMA 2011: Kawasaki Versys 1000 Not Coming to U.S.

While Kawasaki unveiled its Versys 1000 at EICMA, don’t expect to see it on American roadways any time soon (edit: but if you live north of the border in Canada you’re in luck, as it will offered for CN$13,999, a bit higher than the Z1000 but the same price as the Ninja 1000): What will we be missing? A bigger, badder version of the original Kawasaki Versys seems to be the answer. “Created as the long-awaited big brother of Kawasaki’s mid-size any-road street surfer, the new Versys 1000 is designed to enable the greatest riding enjoyment in the widest variety of street riding situations,” Kawasaki Motors Europe says in a release.

James Stewart Signs With Joe Gibbs Racing – Bubba Returning to Motocross and Eying Future in Nascar

James Stewart has signed a multi-year contract with JGRMX, the motocross division of Joe Gibbs Racing. Stewart raced the last three years with the L & M Yamaha factory team, and he will continue with the Tuning Fork brand with JGRMX, riding a Yamaha YZ450F. The two-time AMA Supercross and one-time AMA Motocross Champion will debut with JGRMX at the Jan.

Mobile tea-urn

This steam powered motorcycle (not a bicycle, 'cos it don't have no pedals), could be perfect for you if you like a brew at short notice on your Sunday ride. Built in 1894, it's about to be auctioned and is expected to reach a world record price (for a kettle). It uses a coal furnace to super-heat water into steam which is fed into a small engine.