PMC: Z-1/Z-2/big bore Kawasaki custom parts shop

An hour’s drive from Kobe, on the island of Awaji, is PMC, purveyor of custom and reproduction parts for Z-1/Z-2 and other big bore Kawasaki motorcycles. I’d always wanted to visit PMC, so I decided to hop across the Naruto Straits and make the pilgrimage.

40-some pics, so I'll just highlight some here and for the rest you'll have to go to my PhotoBucket album, linked here:

PMC Z1 custom parts shop AWAJI ISLAND pictures by wpb3pan - Photobucket

This is the Akashi Bridge, Japan’s longest and most-expensive-to-cross suspension bridge. I don’t know what the charge for the bridge alone is, but to cross the bridge and go a further 15 miles on the expressway cost 3050 yen one way. That’s about 40USD. YIKES!





This is the PMC building.




This is the owner, Masamoto-san, and his beloved dog Kan-chan.



This is Okumura-san, PMC’s ace mechanic.




Some of the bikes and parts PMC had on display, including a BF new still crated Ninja.

Okumura san was not only working on a customer owned MkII, but also assembling this 100% stock appearance 1973 Z-1 to display at Japan's largest Z meeting, scheduled to be held at Awaji island on November 22nd. Masamoto-san anticipates about 1200 Z's to show up at the meet. I can't make it, so I asked him to take lots of photos and send them to me so I can post them here.

All of the blue plastic covered items are PMC reproduction parts.









Future project bikes, imported from the US, awaiting Okumura-san's magic touch.

Going into the PMC stockroom, I asked Masamoto-san to show me those PMC products of which he was most proud. He asked if I meant stock replacement parts or custom parts, my answer was of course “both.” So, Masamoto-san showed me…
Two cabinets full of various sized carburetor jets.



Custom generator and clutch covers.



Repop speedometer



Other parts I thought were really cool (and I lusted over) were:
Z-1 frame gusset kit



Z-1 frame slider kit



Boxes full of AP Racing/Lockheed twin pot calipers and modern APR four pot calipers



These pictures oughta cause some SERIOUS drooling:
Stacks of repop 4-into-4 exhaust systems



Stacks of 4-into-1 megaphone and hot water bottle (?) collector systems





Hand-bent 4-into-1 collector systems

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And a big Arigato Gozaimasu to you, WP!!! Just thumbing though their catalog is drool-generating but to actually visit the mothership is spectacular. :woohoo:

wow!


thanks for the pics.

leon

Check out this thread: kzrider.com/forum/13-bike-related/484640...n-money-is-no-object

They use quite a bit of PMC bling.

Holy Christ, this is way too cool of a thread!!! Thanks for posting, PMC make the highest end stuff for our bikes. Is their machine shop in the same building? Their swingarms are freaking BEAUTIFUL!!! I'd give my left nut for a 2" over PMC braced swingarm & a set of Ohlins.

Thanks very much for this WPBill, & I'll keep my eyes open for your future thread.

Cheers, Doug

Zedone wrote: Holy Christ, this is way too cool of a thread!!! Thanks for posting, PMC make the highest end stuff for our bikes. Is their machine shop in the same building? Their swingarms are freaking BEAUTIFUL!!! I'd give my left nut for a 2" over PMC braced swingarm & a set of Ohlins.

Thanks very much for this WPBill, & I'll keep my eyes open for your future thread.

Cheers, Doug

Doug, all I saw was the PMC office and warehouse. Machining must be done off site.

Thanks so much for the excellent post once again. I must say that I'm very grateful that we have a member who lives in Japan and is willing to take the time to make these trips and document everything for this forum. Your posts are always an asset to KZR. A trip to Japan is on my bucket list thanks to you and Anthony Bourdain.

tits