Zx-12r, And Then Some

ZX-12R, AND THEN SOME

Yowza, yowza, yowza! And you thought the stock ZX-12R was a sleek sight to behold. Well, get over your bad self, because Canadian Cliff Randall has done Kawasaki a big-ass one better. He of the bucks-up Vulcan 1500 (CW, January, 2000) is now the proud owner of a $30,000, 178-horsepower ZX-12. How did the 46-year-old corporate dude spend his simoleons? Very carefully. The obvious stuff includes punting the stock exhaust in favor of a Muzzy system with titanium headers and carbon-fiber canister; removing every “unnecessary” item, such as turnsignals, mirrors, various brackets and the like, to net a 40-pound weight loss; and welding the rear seat cowl to the plastic tailsection. And then there’s the paint. Metalflake Black glosses sexily over the bodywork, while Satin Gold on the brake carriers, engine cases, seat, shock, wheels-must we go on?-provides a subtly chic contrast. No doubt about it, Randall knows his trim. He calls his project, “The Final Frontier.” He’s certainly gone where no man has gone before... -Wendy F. Black