Source: Bike Bound
Kawasaki KZ400 Scrambler from Bueno Co…
In the early 70s, Kawasaki stepped up their game against Honda’s four-stroke dominance. First came the 900cc Kawasaki Z1 in 1972, aimed squarely at the CB750. While those four-cylinder supers were getting the lion’s share of the limelight, a battle unfolded in the middleweight commuter market as well. For the ’74 model year, Kawasaki unveiled the KZ400 to rival Honda’s best-selling CB350 twin.
The KZ upped the middleweight ante with more displacement and dual cams, and it couldn’t have come at a better time, arriving just as the 1973 oil embargo and resulting gas crisis went into effect. Suddenly, people were ditching their muscle cars, two-stroke triples, and high-powered fours for middleweight commuters.
“Ride the KZ400, even if only around the block, and you’ll know it was designed to do things the way the CB350 did — only a little better.” -Cycle
Today, the well-built KZ400 remains a great vintage Japanese twin, if a bit utilitarian in style. That makes it the perfect donor for custom builds like the one you see here — the work of Nick Ghobashi of Virginia’s Bueno Co. Nick, a professional photographer and skateboard photojournalist, began flipping bikes to help make ends meet.
With the photography industry changing and less pay despite constant publications, Nick finally decided to go full-time into building bikes…a week before covid struck.
“It was a rough couple years. But I stuck with it, and luckily more and more clients trusted me to design and build them bikes. With some solid ‘budget’ builds like the KZ and a few all-out builds under my belt, the future is looking brighter.”
The bike you see here is a ’76 KZ400, built for a client who wanted a midsize street scrambler with a production look — perhaps an equivalent to the CL350 scrambler edition of the CB350,
“The idea was to take the KZ400 and make it dirt road friendly, with a modernist resto-mod look. A sort of factory KZ scrambler.”
Nick details all the modifications below. Highlights include a three-inch shortened frame, repositioned ducktail fender with hand-painted polished aluminum badge, smaller and sleeker tank, new fiberglass seat pan with a dual-foam seat, handmade high-mount front fender, trimmed and relocated wiring loom, chrome flat tracker bars, one-inch longer Hagon shocks, new fork springs, and a rebuilt and painted / polished engine with Mikunis carbs and UNI filters.
Nick and his client, Tyler, eschewed the style of a high-mount scrambler exhaust for a more practical set of pipes:
“The exhaust originally was going to be handmade and of the high-pipe variety, but we opted to retain the amazing condition original headers and fit some 70s-style mufflers for utilitarian purposes. (Burnt girlfriend legs and rider burns are no fun.)”
Minimalist LED signals and Nardo Grey paint round out the build. The result is a nicely customized, highly functional machine that looks like something Kawasaki might have offered in an alternative reality — a “KZ400S” Scrambler, if you will.
“It’s not the fastest bike but it’s got plenty of low-end power on dirt roads and up hills and is just as smooth as can be… It handles and feels more like a modern-day midsize scrambler mostly thanks to the adjusted seat height, bars, carb upgrade, and suspension upgrades.”
Below, we talk to Nick for the full details on this KZ400. Stay tuned for Nick’s Virago street tracker build coming soon.
Kawasaki KZ400 Scrambler: Builder Interview
• Please tell us a bit about yourself, your history with motorcycles, and your workshop.
My name is Nick Ghobashi, from Virginia, born and raised here. My dad’s always ridden motorcycles and I started riding mopeds then motorcycles before I could drive. I worked for years as a skateboard photojournalist and fashion / advertising photographer. Despite regularly being published, I was having trouble making ends meet as the photo industry was changing and started flipping vintage bikes to help with rent in DC and travel costs to NYC. Literally a month before covid hit, I decided to quit photography and go for building bikes.
My girlfriend and I moved to Fredericksburg, VA for cheap shop rent and cheaper housing than DC. I had gradually acquired the skills to build through working on my own (thanks Youtube/Instagram) and working for a shop for a year, and figured why the hell not, go for it!
Bueno Co. XS1100
But covid instantly lost me my first couple clients under my official shop and it was a rough couple years. But I stuck with it, and luckily more and more clients trusted me to design and build them bikes. With some solid “budget” builds like the KZ and a few all-out builds under my belt, the future is looking brighter. I’m hoping to add an employee or two as I expand into apparel and parts and move to Richmond, VA. I have all sorts of ideas ready to be brought into reality in the coming year and am pretty pleased with the direction of Bueno Co.
• What’s the make, model, and year of the donor bike?
It’s a 1976 Kawasaki KZ400.
• Why was this bike built?
It was a build commissioned by a customer who wanted a mid-size cc custom scrambler.
• What was the design concept and what influenced the build?
The idea was to take the KZ400 and make it dirt road friendly, with a modernist resto-mod look. A sort of factory KZ scrambler.
• What custom work was done to the bike?
I started off by modifying the frame to look like the stock frame but sleeker and three inches shorter. To do this I took the stock frame ends and modified them, cut out a section of frame, reattached them, and then moved the frame brace / fender mount forward while also trimming it down.
The ducktail rear fender was moved forward and up, fitted with a custom tail light bracket and Purpose Built Moto taillight and the old holes for the stock tail light capped off with a polished aluminum handmade badge that was then hand-painted with Bueno Co. script.
A smaller and slimmer tank was fitted on custom mounts and a fiberglass seat pan laid to fit all the new work. Instead of just a flat board of a seat I gave it a little shape and two different layers of foam for some comfort.
The front fender is a handmade aluminum piece that was polished and attached to the bike via a custom-made combination bracket. This bracket bolted to a stock KZ400 position and allowed the bottom-mount headlight to be mounted along with the high-sitting fender.
The gauges and controls were left stock to retain some 70s looks but all the wiring that was in the headlight had to be trimmed, modified, and relocated under the tank. I installed chrome flat tracker bars that were trimmed an inch on each end and capped off with Vans grips. The bike also has hidden LED mini turn signals front and back.
One inch longer Hagon custom shocks were thrown on the back, while new springs run up front.
The exhaust originally was going to be handmade and of the high-pipe variety, but we opted to retain the amazing condition original headers and fit some 70s-style mufflers for utilitarian purposes. (Burnt girlfriend legs and rider burns are no fun.)
The engine is fully rebuilt with a new top end, clutch, gaskets, and a stainless steel bolt set. The original carbs were then swapped out for Mikunis and up jetted to handle the free flowing mufflers and UNI foam filters. The engine was painted bright aluminum and polished too, while the bodywork was finished in Nardo Grey for a full modernist look. Overall the modifications were mixed with original parts to give it a modern but patina 70s look.
• Does the bike have a nickname?
Not this one, I just kinda call it the KZ400s for scrambler.
• Any idea of horsepower, weight, and/or performance numbers?
I’m not sure, but I’m certain the precisely tuned Mikunis, slightly lighter chassis, seat, etc. add a bit of speed to the stock bike. It feels a bit peppier to me.
• Can you tell us what it’s like to ride this bike?
It’s not the fastest bike but it’s got plenty of low-end power on dirt roads and up hills and is just as smooth as can be through all five gears, easily screaming along at 65-70 miles per hour on the little bike. It handles and feels more like a modern-day midsize scrambler mostly thanks to the adjusted seat height, bars, carb upgrade, and suspension upgrades.
• Was there anything done during this build that you are particularly proud of?
I really liked trying to meld original, unrestored equipment and looks with handmade and new stuff. My favorite thing is the little handmade polished aluminum badge I made to cover the original tail light mount holes.
• Is there anyone you’d like to thank?
Thank you to my customer, Tyler, for giving me a budget and a blank slate trusting me to put out something cool!
Follow the Builder
Web: www.buenomoto.com
Instagram: @bueno_co
