We’ve been blessed in recent years, with the big Japanese workshops producing one incredible resto-mod after another. In what has turned into an all-out arms race, some of the world’s biggest suppliers of aftermarket components have teamed up with various customisers, to take these machines to previously unimaginable levels of form and function. But it would be misleading to think this is a new trend. All the major players we’ve featured have been in the game for a hell of a long time, and as if to prove the point, this particular Kawasaki Zephyr 1100RS is more than two decades in the making. Its builder, Shabon Dama, calls it the ‘ultimate incarnation’ of a ’90s road bike, and we can’t get enough of this barnstorming blue beast.

Like many of their contemporaries, Shabon Dama has been plying their trade for a very long time, with some of their employees approaching retirement age, although showing no desire to quit anytime soon. They have followed the well worn path, focusing largely on a small group of motorcycles from one manufacturer, offering a range of their own parts built under a number of unique brand names, and slowly expanding from backstreet heroes to global domination. But like anything done to a high standard, good things take time, and manager Takigawa-san remembers his first interaction with this particular build. “This navy blue bike is owned by someone who has been coming to us for more than 20 years. He originally came to our shop for a carburettor change.”

That was back when this late ’90s Zephyr was only a few years old, and once the owner had swapped the CV-style carbs for some more potent offerings, it wasn’t long before this machine was coming back to the shop for new mods every few years. The engine was given a number of upgrades, the suspension changed, a strict diet was adhered to in an effort to rid the Kwaka of some of its excess weight and new wheels were added. But to become the ultimate incarnation that Takigawa-san knew it could be, and the owner deeply desired, it would have to all come apart and be treated to a full frame-up rebuild. No expense has been spared, no corners cut and right down to the materials and colours of every last nut and bolt, nothing would be left to chance.

The frame might be a lot newer than the old ’70s models, but still being a steel cradle like design, extensive work is required to get it fit for purpose. Placed into a jig the frame is first straightened and all of the welds checked before eight individual points that Shabon Dama has identified are treated to a reinforcement program. Whether that be adding extra steel, bracing or cutting out the old welds to lay new beads, the end result is an ultra-stiff chassis that will never fail. The company use a host of finishes, but they consider powder coating to be the best way to go on the frame itself. Then a host of individual parts are treated, the engine is hit with high temp powder coat, the side plates and pegs RX coating, diamond coating and anodising are also used, and a carbon laminate is added; all to achieve the ultimate in both a long-lasting finish, with maximum visual impact.

The stock bike comes with an 18/17 inch wheel setup, so to convert the front end to a 17 and get the geometry spot on, the triple trees and steering stem are all made in-house and use specs which have been developed over decades in testing. For suspension, because this bike is strictly for the street, the team use the HyperPro AH1 fork, and its traditional design offers even more adjustment than the comparable Ohlins product, with an extra emphasis on high and low-speed dampening. But the big Swede gets the call up for the rear end, with their twin shocks used to control the WHEELIE 7N01 swingarm, the billet component highly polished to contrast with the black frame.

The bike had previously run on Dymag wheels, but OZ Racing’s magnesium forged 6-spoke Cattiva items, wrapped in Michelin rubber were just what the doctor ordered for the ultimate incarnation. To get the braking just right, the bike wears a mix of Brembo calipers and Sunstar floating discs developed for the project and the master cylinders are Gale Speed for an excellent feel at the lever. And with a bike that’s this fast, you want to be confident you can slow down in a hurry! The previous engine built by the team has lasted the owner 15 years of hard riding, and while it was still performing brilliantly, he wanted more power. The block has been completely stripped, honed and crammed with a set of 75mm Wiseco forged pistons to punch the capacity out to 1107cc.

The bottom end is all completely balanced, with the crank given the works burger and the transmission overhauled to match. The cylinder head features the factory twin-spark setup but has also been heavily ported and polished, before receiving a set of Yoshi cams and a valvetrain refresh. To feed the fire, the final carbs for this machine are the legendary 38mm TMR-MJN quad bank and sport the iconic dual stacks. The exhaust is all built in-house, and being titanium, you can’t run it this tight to the motor without building it in sections, the four into one system then fires into a titanium can, providing a massive weight saving. Thermal management isn’t left to chance either, a large oil-cooler, speed flow fittings and a catch can get it done.

A full rewire includes a Uotani SPII Ignition Unit and ETC 2.0 on-board for the engine, and a set of race-spec Stack gauges. But it’s the paint job by YF Design that really gets people talking, using a colour combination the owner had dreamed of for years. The front fender, side panels and rear cowl are all carbon fibre and joined the new aluminium tank in the paint booth for the navy blue with contrasting gold design to be laid down. Neat white and black pinstripes have been added, with extra shading adding to the depth and custom graphics to set the whole package off. Every last nut and bolt has been replaced, and it is simply impossible to pick out a flaw in this radical resto-mod, which combines scintillating performance with looks that are absolutely befitting of this custom classic.