KZ or not KZ

Philosophical question:

At what point of modification does a KZ cease being a KZ? Obviously, a tiny little change such as a Halogen sealed beam in place of the stock bulb wouldn’t tip the scales, but if, for example, the frame, swingarm, forks, brakes, bodywork, electrics, etc. were all changed and the engine had aftermarket cylinders, carbs, cams, etc.; would it still be considered a KZ?

Will your title still say kz?....

It'll still sound like a KZ and run like a KZ (on steroids) so my opinion is still 100% KZ goodness.

Well, as long as it's got the Kawasaki engine, it'll always be a KZ - I guess.

if it is still a kz configured engine then i will be calling it a kz,maybe with some monicker in front of or behind the kz.such as "1 bad a$$ed kz"or whetever.:laugh:

leon holmes

Hmmm lets see...

If you made a titanium frame and bolted in a 400 cubic inch alcohol powered big block. Its still a KZ as long as one part of the orginal bike is still present. There is more soul in one screw of a Kawasaki than any other entire motorcycle. SO there thats my answer...

By the same logic if used one screw form one of my KZ's to put something together on my Mustang it is no longer a Mustang GT, I guess it would have to be a KZ4600GT...

So that is a little extreme but I still stand by my answer. One screw is all it take to make a KZ a KZ!

Will your title still say kz? ....Sounds correct to me

My KZ so far has an aprilia rear end and a Honda swingarm. Soon it will have different front forks, but, it will still be a KZ, just a KZ750EAH?

"Will your title still say kz?"

I meant the question from a philosophical perspective rather than legal.

From a legal perspective the VIN that is stamped in the steering neck is used to determine what the MVA will put on the title (at least in MD). So if you put a KZ1300 engine in a Jawa frame the folks at MVA would call it a Jawa :laugh:

Here in NC the only way to change a title year/make/model is from rebuilding a salvaged vehicle with or with out a title and that is a long crappy process or completly build one from scratch. You're supposed to notify the DMV if you change engines so they have your new engine serial numbers or frame serial number for vehicle tracking if it gets stolen. Then you will get a new VIN number to stamp on your bike and a new title but will still state the original year bike.

I've made a few trikes from VW's, saturn and a kawasaki T-rex type I'm working on now plus 2 cars and I've found the best way to deal with it is just lie to the dmv and keep your title and get a vehicle tracking system like onstar.

if all that has been changed like a couple of my bikes have been or if you live north of the 48th parralel then they are called the mighty KZed

In theory the second you remove a stock kz part and replace it with a non-kz part it ceases to be a kz despite the majority contribution of the other kz parts. This would be the purists view.

In the view that kz's were designed and built to perform, any modification that improves the handling or power of the kz is within the original intent of the design as set forth by the gods of Kawasaki. So long as the motorcycle remains street legal in all 50 states and the title still says kz and the modifications improve handling or performance then its a kz.

However, if a SOHC motor is swapped in, the bike ceases to retain its kz status and is then designated as an oop-z