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The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

Kawasaki Z400 Scrambler from Classic Farm Motorcycles

By Paul Crowe

Kawasaki Z400 Scrambler from Classic Farm
Kawasaki Z400 Scrambler from Classic Farm

Classic Farm Motorcycles, where the McDeeb Royal Enfields come from, create specials from lots of different makes and models. Just received these photos of their latest work, it’s a Kawasaki Z400 Scrambler called Taurus. They took a fairly ordinary Kawasaki standard and gave it a whole new personality, but it’s more than just a pretty face, it looks like it’s capable of doing actual off road work to some degree. Skid plate, knobbies, high pipes, all the right pieces and even though a bike that looks this good may never see much more than an occasional dirt road, it won’t get lost in a sea of similar bikes, either. Classy and subtle. Nicely done.

Link: Classic Farm Motorcycles

Kawasaki Z400 Scrambler from Classic Farm Motorcycles
Taurus - Kawasaki Z400 Scrambler from Classic Farm Motorcycles

Posted on April 13, 2011 Filed Under: Motorcycle Builders


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Comments

  1. Bart says

    April 13, 2011 at 11:26 am

    WANT!! Makes all kinda sense to me. Tough as nails bike to start with, and cheap to find/fix.

    Drill the front disk, raise the front fender for some mudroom and its done!

  2. Skizick says

    April 13, 2011 at 11:37 am

    Very well executed rendition of the 60’s Desert Sleds. Maybe a Rickmann frame?

  3. Sportster Mike says

    April 13, 2011 at 11:57 am

    Yes, I like it
    Not sure we ever got that particular model of Kawasaki in England
    Doesn’t matter which side you fall off on as you can burn your legs in either direction!!
    (says one who lay under his XR250 slowly sinking in the Dorset mud – and then I came to….)

  4. DWolvin says

    April 13, 2011 at 12:46 pm

    Beaut! For some reason I would love to see a ural sidehack on this… 🙂

  5. B50 Jim says

    April 13, 2011 at 1:27 pm

    Very nice — a good rendition of the of-road bikes riders used to build when they ran what they had. With 5″ of suspension travel on a good day, a street engine with high pipes, a set of knobbies, a skid plate made from an old shovel and an attitude of fun, they rode the living whee out of them. This one has the added benefit of not breaking 20 miles out in the desert the way those old Britbikes did. It has the right stuff.

  6. john says

    April 13, 2011 at 1:57 pm

    Bin the brown seat and it looks a “go”.

    • mule says

      April 13, 2011 at 10:30 pm

      Exactly my opinion! Looks awesome, but no brown seats on dirt-scratchers please.

  7. todd says

    April 13, 2011 at 3:54 pm

    I’ve been riding my R75/5 scrambler around the streets quite a bit with a set of rock-hard knobbies on them. What a joy to slide around corners even when you least expect it. After running it on the freeway a number of times (woo hoo, rain grooves!) the tires build up so much heat they eventually wear holes in the tubes. Though it gets tons of admiring comments I’m starting to rethink the validity of a street scrambler (at least with real knobbies…).

    This rendition is nice and the front fender is authentic for the look. This reminds me a lot of the old Ducati 450 scramblers. Neat bike.

    -todd

  8. Phoebe says

    April 13, 2011 at 3:57 pm

    I like it! I’ve been considering doing something similar with my CL100 (which is already a scrambler, at least in looks).

  9. steve w says

    April 13, 2011 at 9:44 pm

    I like most bikes that get changed a bunch. It makes motorcycles interesting. What I don’t like is how proud people are of thier stock showroom bike that is just that stock. So you take a boring showroom bike and create this and now it is interesting.

  10. Bob says

    April 14, 2011 at 5:13 am

    I’ve just been looking at the Enfields too. These guys are building some pretty bikes and they look well built too. I love the road test video of the Enfield scrambler!

  11. Sick Cylinder says

    April 14, 2011 at 9:57 am

    Very nice apart from the brown seat. The Z400 twin was imported to the UK – I had a friend who rode one many years ago. Later they did a 440 version.

    I would also like to see this treatment on a Z200 single which would probably be light enough to be more use off road although obviously a lot slower on the highway.

  12. bblix says

    April 14, 2011 at 1:04 pm

    Um…awesome.

  13. Uncle Homey says

    April 14, 2011 at 3:56 pm

    Nice,
    A little to low to the ground.
    Those pipes look like they could peel the hide off a badger.

  14. Core says

    April 15, 2011 at 8:39 am

    Looks really pretty. But as someone who has had an engine on an ATV lay over and melt the skin off my right inner thigh in a crash… those pipes are pretty damn scary in placement.

  15. Fabrizio "McDeeb" Di Bella says

    April 15, 2011 at 11:31 am

    Hi guys,

    thanks for your warm feedbacks. About the engine , on this special we used a mild tuned 440 cc six speed unit, but fitted in the better look Z400 frame.
    The frame isn’t Rickman but I’m proud if somebody believe it: we have welded a tail section and a good molding and powder coating treatment obtain that effect.
    The drilled covers on the pipes can avoid to burn the driver legs, too.
    Mudguards are handmade in sheetmetal alloy as some other body parts.
    The tacho is a Smiths replica item, while the alloy rims are similar to the classic Borrani or Akront used in the sixties on the off road racing bikes.
    The final gear ratio is shorter to compensate the bigger circumference of knobbed tyres.
    This bike is dedicated to the rare and fast Taurus G27 , an half-liter sport bike manufactured in Italy by the well known engineer Vittorio Guerzoni, in the fourties also under Enzo Ferrari’s request.
    Only few pieces were made and now we are working on a perfect replica, too.

    I hope you ‘ll like this next special from our workshop.

    Cheers

    Fabrizio
    Classic Farm Motorcycles..
    We are also working on

  16. B50 Jim says

    April 15, 2011 at 11:44 am

    C’mon, guys, what’s off-road riding without a pipe burn or two? Time was it was a badge of honor to come in to school or work Monday morning with new oval-shaped burns on your arms and legs.

    Seriously, this bike shows what you can do with stock components, a little sheet metal, some ingenuity and skill. I’m OK with the brown seat — many years ago leather was popular for seat covering, and usually it came in natural brown. Suede provides lots of grip.

  17. Marc says

    April 15, 2011 at 3:07 pm

    Bikes like this is what make motorcycling so cool. With a vision and a modest amount of cash you can create your perfect bike.

  18. Scotduke says

    April 16, 2011 at 9:04 pm

    Looks okn- tho the Z400 twin wasn’t one of Kawasaki’s better engines.

  19. Thom says

    April 16, 2011 at 11:12 pm

    I have to laugh a little… I just made a rock guard for the headlight on my TX500 that looks identical to this one… And I had planned on making a similar set of high pipes as well. Guess that plan is out. But it seems to me I should send in pictures of my bike when I’m done! Lol. Seriously, though, the brown seat looks all wrong. I think it’s the paint color more than anything. A nice O.D. Green paint job would really suit this bike much better.

  20. Marvin says

    April 22, 2011 at 7:30 pm

    Nice

  21. Fabrizio "McDeeb" Di Bella says

    May 5, 2011 at 4:43 pm

    Hi mates,
    i’ve already did too much scramblerized Kawasaki in several green trim, so like to make something different.
    The seat cover seems leather but is the water-proof and no-slip “Alcantara” synthetic material vastly used in fornitores and automotive purpose.
    About the light grille, we’ve used it since my earlier special in the eighties, but I shaped it remembering the old “Moto Guzzi Lodola Regolarità” you can find in Google Images, too….
    The heat protectors work fine and is not easy to burn your legs but spend the weekends sleeping in your bed could be more comfortable as ride a bike, sure! LOL

    Cheers

    Fabrizio

  22. will says

    May 10, 2011 at 4:22 am

    Very cool I’d like to see one with the w650 engine!

  23. bob says

    May 10, 2011 at 5:00 am

    nice bike!
    when a tt replica?

  24. Fabrizio "McDeeb" Di Bella says

    May 15, 2011 at 4:22 pm

    W650 special ?

    We already did it !

    Next step maybe is the newer W800 🙂

    Ciao

    Fabrizio

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