Cars, motorcycles, even fishing gear—add three little letters and instantly the interest goes up along with the price. JDM, or Japanese Domestic Market, is a very simple acronym, but for many of us there has always been an intense fascination and appreciation for the incredible quality of the vehicles and products that the Japanese produce for themselves. It’s not just the big names; some of the best gear comes from the backstreets, like today’s motorcycle, which hails from the industrial area of Kashihara City. There, in Nara Prefecture, a shop called American Dream has been selling and building brilliant bikes since 1993. They have an intense love for all things Kawasaki Z, and this modern Z900RS is their idea of the perfect daily rider.
The top man at American Dream is the always-friendly Takashi Matsuda, who grew up in the ’70s with a love for everything Kawasaki. It’s no surprise then that the Z2 was his favourite bike as a kid, and after just a few short years in the car industry, he opened his own motorcycle business with the support of family and friends. More than three decades later, the company is still going strong, serving as q retailer for all the major Japanese brands, as well as Harley-Davidson and Ducati, while also running a paint and upholstery shop.
But it’s customising and modifying that has always got the blood pumping for Matsuda-san, and he has created his own line of parts, which the business sells at both wholesale and retail levels. He’s also a keen racer, getting his knee down on a host of Kwakas and even owning a track-spec Bimota. It’s on the circuit where he’s developed a full range of parts for the Kawasaki Z900RS. This particular bike is relatively mild compared to what often rolls out of the American Dream workshop, but for Matsuda-san, it’s the perfect bike for daily commuting as well as spirited rides in the hills.
The overhaul to the Z comes with all-new bodywork, which is sold as a kit or can be purchased as individual pieces. The first item from the American Dream catalogue is the new bikini fairing, which has beautiful classic lines, and the extended side panels provide a much better look than the stock item. At the rear of the bike, the stock plastic piece is ditched and replaced with the ‘Long Tail Cowl Type-1’ kit, which is 30mm longer than stock and helps to create lines more reminiscent of the original Z. Both the front and rear fenders are replaced with carbon fibre units that not only look cool but also save some weight.
But Matsuda-san never does things by halves, so the mounts for his fenders are adjustable, allowing owners to fit tyre warmers underneath for those who like to take their new Z to the track. Having a full paint shop on site means that American Dream is always happy to come up with anything their customers desire, and the main colour is a custom mix to match the owners’ wish. To finish the look, the graphics package is what the shop calls their ‘Tiger’ pattern, and the silver and white provide a neat contrast to that creamy finish. Extra black pinstripes are added, and one of the shop’s custom tinted screens is goes on as well.
In addition to every other service the business offers, they also have a full upholstery team, and the custom seat, with colour-matched coverings, is a sensational example of what they can deliver. After giving the bike its visual makeover, the suspension and rolling stock are stripped off, and the full street handling package is deployed. It all starts with the extended swingarm, part of the Black Line range, which is finished in cerakote, and that longer tail section helps to balance out the extra length. To control that new rear end and provide the rider with the best possible feedback, the rear shock has been swapped out for a fully adjustable Showa BFRC unit.
At the front end, one good Showa part deserves another, so the forks are now the suspension firm’s BFF items. They’re a serious piece of kit, and track testing has shown they work best with a slight geometry change, which is achieved via a switch to American Dream’s in-house Pride steering stem kit, adjusting the offset from 34 to 31.4mm. To take care of the braking, a set of high-end Brembo calipers are finished in black and clamp Pride-spec Sunstar discs, while the rear gets the full Pride underslung conversion kit, complete with a new caliper and disc combo. To round out the handling package, the wheels are Gale Speed Type-R rims, wrapped in Bridgestone tyres.
The engine package is left relatively stock for this bike that will be daily ridden, but the exhaust had to be changed and is now a full American Dream NEO short muffler system. From headers to the muffler tip, it’s all stainless steel, coated in black, and uses an SC collector in the middle. The fuelling is tuned to make the most of the extra breathing and to smooth out the throttle, and a custom radiator guard is bolted on too. To finish off the build, a new set of bars is bolted into the risers, and the KIJIMA mirrors with integrated turn signals keep things looking clean. The Kawasaki Z900RS is hugely popular in Japan, and with examples like this from our friends at American Dream, it’s easy to see why the new Zed is such a success.
[ American Dream ]