1974 Kawasaki Z1 Chopper
In the history of custom choppers as soon as the Japanese inline four motor was on the market people were pulling them and putting them in custom projects. Companies like Amen made this even more accessible in the early 70's and with the introduction of the Kawasaki 750, 900, and 1000cc motors they adapted to include these in their lineup of ready to install chopper frames. However these Kawasaki Amen frames were much harder to come by years later than the CB750 Honda counterpart which dominated the market leaving any KZ chopper out there rolling a real head turner. Flash forward to the 2017 Biltwell El Diablo Run when we had the chance to meet Robbie Hardbarger on his Amen framed Kawasaki Z1 chopper. The bike absolutely screamed down the baja Mexico highways and despite the extreme heat performed amazing. After the run he knew he wanted to change things up and spent several years getting it to the stance he wanted. Just before the 2021 EDR he had it ready to hit the road to San Felipe again and we met up with him once again to relish in this amazing Kawasaki chopper full of awesome road stories.
