Nutella Racer: AMP’s Beautiful Street-Spot Kawasaki Z400
When the Germans Michael and Allen Posenauer’s father and son team have launched AMP Motorcycles, which is a way for the two to bond after hours. But even though it started out as a hobby, the rumor soon spread — and AMP did some commissioned builds.
Paying customers is great, but they also come with confusing things like summaries, expectations, and deadlines. After a while, the Posenauers were looking to build something for themselves again, without any outside pressure. This sharp Kawasaki Z400 street watchers total is.
Internal projects are often an excuse for aggressive development, but that is not the case here. The 1979 Z400 belonged to Allen, who wanted something neat and light to run around the city. However, the simple aesthetic shows the amount of work that has gone into it, because there isn’t an inch of this Kawasaki left untouched.
The job involves cutting out as many parts as possible, while restoring the rest and sprinkling in a tasteful mix of mods and upgrades. “Our aim was to have only the essentials on the bike,” explains Allen.
Reliability is also a factor, so the duo has treated the engine to an extended service, complete with new gaskets and seals. It looks as good as new now, with a new dark gray and polished finish. The carbs were ultrasonically cleaned, cured and hooked up to shell filters.
AMP also rewound the bike, swapping out the battery for the smallest possible Lithium-ion unit. It’s tucked away right in front of the swingarm pivot, and it’s barely powerful enough to start the bike – so Allen instead kicked it to life.
Moving on to the chassis, Allen and Michael rebuilt and lowered the front fork, then built a pair of aluminum fork covers to bulk up the front end. The new YSS shocks have a return mission.
Allen wanted to keep the spokes wheels, but they’ve been stripped, powder-coated black, and remade with stainless steel spokes. Avon Safe Miles An MkII tire was chosen for their ruggedness and classic trail. AMP has also serviced and repainted the brakes, fitted new pads and shoes, and upgraded the front brake lines.
Next, you cut, loop and de-tab for the frame. And since Allen traveled alone, they also shaved off the passenger pylons. There’s a small LED Highsider taillight embedded in the rear loop and a slim Alcantara saddle at the top.
And no, there aren’t any fenders – but since this is Allen’s bike, he’s happy to sacrifice a bit of practicality for style.
Step closer, and you’ll discover an extensive list of mods in the cockpit. AMP has fitted wide LSL riser bars on the new aluminum risers, and fitted them with a new throttle and lever. The turn signals and turn signals at the end of the line are from Motogadgetthe mirror is from Highsider, and the micro switches are part of Racetronics.
If you’re looking for the ignition, you’ll find it behind the forks, embedded in one of the frame sets. A petite headlight completes the front end, with a custom license plate holder mounted on the swingarm at the rear.
The Kawasaki Z400 still carries its original jar – partly because it looks great, and partly because the family has fallen in love with its unique color scheme. “This car is nicknamed the ‘Nutella Racer,'” says Allen. “My mom named it when we bought this tank colored donor bike.”
Even the lining is still intact, so the AMP just needs to clean the outside and do some magic on the OEM tank badges. First, they painted it completely black, then they polished the outlines of the letters to create contrast.
Other finishes include a handcrafted two-in-one exhaust system with Ixil silencers and a beautiful white sparkle effect on the frame. It’s an inspiring choice that beautifully complements the factory Kawasaki paint job.
Sure, this topless Z might not tick every racer’s box, but there’s no denying how neat it is. Also, here’s Allen’s bike – and he loves it.
“That’s exactly what I wanted,” he said. “A perfection cafe racer for the city. Super light, super agile and super good looking. ”
Motorcycles AMP | Instagram | Pictures of (and with thanks) Marc Holstein and Christine Gabler