Our favorite stories This week, run the full gamut from old to new, starting with a stunning Ducati powered by the legendary Woods Motor Shop. There’s also a sharp CB750 from Australia’s JAX Garage, a beautiful Kawasaki rework from Japanese experts Auto-Magic, and Can-Am’s return news. Interesting.
Auto-Magic’s Kawasaki KZ1000 MkII When it comes to meticulous muscle bike rehabilitation in Japan, AC Sanctuary has the highest configuration. But they’re not the only outfits that play the game. An hour’s drive south through Chiba prefecture will bring you to the front door of Kawasaki’s Auto-Magic specialist, which takes a slightly different approach but has a great reputation. 
Auto-Magic focuses more on the restoration aspect, with a bunch of mods to update the bikes — rather than building ultra-high-end motorcycles.
Just finished this KZ1000 is a great example, and looks as good as the day it rolled off the factory floor. But closer inspection reveals a few interesting changes to the bike’s construction.
The biggest change is at the frame level, with stiffer sections of the seamless steel tube welded underneath the top, reinforced tubes. There’s a matching new rear subframe and everything has been redesigned on a jig.
There’s more important work on the swingarm, which is a tuned Yamaha XJR1300 unit with reworked shafts. It also allows Auto-Magic to fit the 200-section rear tire. (The rear wheel, incidentally, was found to be slightly misaligned and was corrected.)
The new sprocket allows for a straight chain, the Öhlins suspension package includes the right fork and power comes from the refurbished engine via the Yoshimura MJN-TMR cabin. Great. [More] 
“Bicycles in the forest” We tend to associate Brooklyn-based Moto Borgotaro with luxury Italian motorcycles, but lead man Peter Boggia also has a knack for tracking down some very interesting machines for sale.
He just listed this 1974 Ducati 750SS, which is even more desirable than usual – because it was tweaked in the mid-’80s by Jim Woods, owner of hot sale SoCal. Famous Woods Motor Shop.
In 2013, a no-cost restoration began, including an engine rebuild by Ian Gowanloch in Australia. Original non-Wood bodywork has been restored with Back to the Classics in the Netherlands, and every detail on the car is carefully considered — right down to the Alpina spokes on the beautiful Borrani wheels.
“To say that the current owner is detail-oriented would be a gross understatement,” says Peter. “Accompanying the sale is a huge history file of the restoration, original receipts, as well as hundreds of photos and notes during the nine-year restoration.”
In terms of provenance, this is better. High heel Ducatisti should contact Moto Borgotaro to more details and pricing.
Honda CB750 by JAX Garage It’s hard to believe that The iconic CB750 was released more than half a century ago. It still looks great in stock form and still creates traction among custom builders. This red CB is exactly 50 years old and comes from JAX Garage of Melbourne, Australia.
ONE a lot of work went into this machine. The user interface is custom and is part of the toolkit that JAX has developed. Three new trees clamped to the fork of Honda CBR929 RR, with brake calipers, discs and alloy wheels from CBR also transferred.
The rear end is also custom setup, using a 2004 Ducati Monster rear wheel and large sprocket, and custom YSS shock absorbers. “We decided to go with this setup because the front and rear wheels are both three-spoke alloys and give consistency to the entire structure,” says shop owner Jas Babalija.
The iconic inline quad is powered by Mikuni RS34 carbs and a set of 50mm velocity stacks. It increases horsepower by 25% – “At least, that’s what Mikuni claims!”
JAX has simplified the back of the frame, and added a luxurious new seat and many less obvious details, such as a custom oil tank, a complete Motogadget rectifier, and a compatible regulator/rectifier. compatible with lithium batteries from Rick’s Motorsport Electrics. Many small items were turned on lathes or machined on mills, such as hanging bolt caps.
There’s even a 5-piece gearbox: “Nobody can see it unless they get right under the gas tank, but we’ll always know it’s there,” says Jas.
The CB750 is now about 30kg lighter than stock, and certainly far more capable of handling than the original – supported by modern Pirelli Diablo Rosso III tires. This is another half century on the way! [JAX Garage]
Can-Am teases electric motorcycle family The auto industry is now starting to resemble the auto industry from a few years ago. New e-bikes are being introduced weekly and the latest bike to join the fray is Can-Am.
Can-Am’s bike isn’t necessarily gas. If you live in the United States, you probably know the brand for its 70s motorcycles. If you live elsewhere or on a farm, you may know the company about their more recent ATVs.
Can-Am’s Canadian parent company Bombardier Recreational Products has annual sales in the billions of dollars, so the move is significant. It already owns Alta’s assets and IP, and the new bikes are expected to hit the market in two years’ time.
Unfortunately, even though it has patent filing, BRP didn’t reveal any more details: all we got was a murky video. Plus a notable quote from the press release: “Riders can expect these new state-of-the-art Can-Am electric mopeds to be perfect for everyday commuting and stay true to their trail heritage. of the brand, entertaining on – and off-road riding. “Bring it in. [Via]
