David Anderson is The most perfect custom motorcycle builder you’ve never heard of. He has no online presence and the only two bikes we’ve seen of him were built 12 years apart. But he has a 100% success rate in taking us down.
His last project, a Husqvarna street tracking that he created before street trackers were great, which still exist today. And his latest work is equally amazing. based on a Kawasaki Z1000but powered by a turbocharged Suzuki Bandit 1200 engine, it was a glorious celebration of the 80s.
David makes a living as a copywriter and brand consultant in Sweden, so custom cars are just his hobby. He does it under the banner of ‘Krook Street Racing,’ what he calls “his own little fake racing shop.”
He said: “Like many Gen X-ers, I love the AMA superbikes of the 80s. “But the problem is that the 80s bikes are a bit difficult to ride. I wanted that stout ‘Fast Eddie Lawson’ racing look, but on a lighter and faster bike.”
David kicked off the project with a 1982 Kawasaki Z1000J and pieces of a bike. Bandit Suzuki Engine 1200 from circa 2001. But the motor is now out of stock.
“It started out as a garden variety Suzuki SACS diesel boiler, but I got tired of it and rebuilt it by the former European Top Fuels champion Sweden,” says David. Now it’s ‘everything extra’; bigger valves, ported heads, raised cams, 1,216 cc high displacement pistons, stronger clutches, etc. To put it mildly, it has some jostling.
Fitting the Suzuki engine into the Kawasaki frame was a bit more complicated than David initially anticipated. “I think I built four or five different engine mounts before putting the drive discs in place, while also making room for the carburetors to slide flat underneath the fuel tank. Thankfully, the Bandit 1200’s engine is much lighter than the old one.”
On the input side, by Kawazuki Keihin carburetors draw air through thick RamAir foam filters. Mounted at the opposite end of the engine is a custom exhaust system, from Racefit in the UK. Not only does it look as noisy as a monster, but it is also said to be significantly lighter than the original system.
David also strutted the Kawasaki Z1000J’s frame in a few places and removed it from any excess attachment points. The shock absorbers have been moved forward, while a friend with a large press stamps new pads to reinforce the triangular frame under the saddle.
With the Suzuki engine taking up less space than the Kawasaki engine, David needed a way to fill the unsightly void behind it. So he built a water tank in front of the swingarm and welded to a blank aluminum plate to finish things off. Looking closely, you’ll see a repurposed Yamaha rear gripper is also hidden in it.
The rest of the build’s parts specs only reinforce how good David’s judgment is. Take a look at the burly 52mm right forks, taken from a Yamaha V-Max and painted in black anti-friction. Then turn your eyes to the rear of the car, where the new Ohlins shock absorbers (finished in black) connect to a custom swingarm.
“It was built to my specifications by GIA Engineering,” David added. “I wanted to keep the original wheelbase and most of the aftermarket swingarms on the modern market are too long.”
17-inch forged Aprilia wheels at both ends, wrapped in sturdy Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tyres. Getting them to fit involves doing what David calls “AC Sanctuary mod,” involves ‘expanding’ the chain to create a wider rear rim. A skateboard wheel chain roller adds another stylish, albeit subtle, touch.
The brakes came from David’s countrymen at ISR, who were also kind enough to build the yoke he needed to hold the massive V-Max fork posts. Sports cockpit with wide ProTaper bars, with ISR brakes and clutch levers with push buttons integrated into their mounting clamps. Under the hood, David rewound the bike with a Motogadget brain and installed a lightweight Lithium-ion battery.
A set of smaller custom components ties everything together—such as the rear brake bracket, handlebar and fork braces, and a pair of ‘wings’ protecting the radiator. He told us: “One of my favorite things about tinkering with bike building is looking over the shoulder at people who, as opposed to me, really know what they’re doing. “This time I managed to gather enough tips to do some of my own TIG and CAD welding drawings.”
“I designed many parts on my computer and then cut or printed them. I want to keep the ‘angular’ icon; original front fender, but like all original components, it is very heavy and does not match the curvature of the 17” wheels. So I made a mold in Fusion 360, 3D printed it, and then did the wet layering with carbon fiber.”
The fact that everything fits together so well with Kawasaki’s blocky bodywork is a testament to how sharp David’s eye is. From the wide ProTaper handlebars to the durable-style fuel tank and twin taillights, we wouldn’t change a thing. Even the olive green and orange paint job, which sounds terrible on paper, is inspiring.
And if the number plate and chunky carbon fiber headlight arrangement remind you of Bottpower’s work, you’re making a lot of money. “The style and position of the lights, and the second oil cooler under the number plate, are heavily inspired by the great Bottpower’s Buell XB racer,” confirmed David, “it remains my favorite bike on Bike EXIF, ever.”
“I was a bit annoyed that before I started, I did not weigh the car, but according to the people of the Ministry of Transport, the car weighs 202 kg with both oil and half a fuel tank. I like to pretend it can pay off Eddie’s 1982 racing bike at Laguna Seca—if only I could send it back in time.”
While we’ll never know, what we do know is that this monstrous mash-up is another hit by Krook Street Racing. We can’t wait to see what David comes up with next—we just hope we don’t have to wait another 12 years to find out.
Image of Carl Magnus
