Johan's 6/5/4 z750
By Anthony van Someren - 27 Jan 14
Z750 Twins just make the perfect donor for a scrambler or brat style custom build. It's all there - the tapered tank, the picture-perfect twin-cylinder engine with one pipe aside and a nice simple set of tubes making up a chassis just begging to be stripped and simplified. This beauty belongs to Johan from Sweden - clearly a man of good taste, who, apart from building this lovely 750 owns a clothing store, espresso bar and surfshop (surfing, in Sweden?)... The shop is named "6/5/4" after the type of wetsuit required to surf the cold Swedish waters. We assume it's about an inch thick.
"I got hold of a garage in the same building we use for storage for 6/5/4. There was some room left over and I found this really cool Royal Enfield from '72. I bought it, and I also bought a toolbox, and that was when it all started…" Johan then found himself on Google, looking at inspiration for builds, which is when he discovered Deus, Iron & Resin, The Wrenchmonkees (and of course The Bike Shed?) and within a few months 6/5/4's storage facility had been morphed into a full-blown garage.
Johan, also known as Jovve, decided to call on his friends and see if they wanted to join him in his new venture. Five of them rolled up their sleeves to pitch in to the 6/5/4 Motors project including Daniel "Yakko" who had his Yamaha xs750 featured on The Bike Shed a few months ago. Jovve's team is now nine, and they've had to move into a bigger garage with over 100 square metres to work in.
This bike is a 1979 Kawasaki z750 twin and was sourced online in Sweden. Jovve wanted to build her into a scrambler with wire-spoke wheels, and it's no surprise that he cites the Wrench Monkees as inspiration for the overall build style. They have excelled in turning Z750s into some of the most desirable customs out there, and have inspired more than a few similar builds in recent years.
The subframe has been shortened and looped to fit the aluminium seat pan, upholstered in vintage cognac brown leather which came from one of Jovve's leather goods suppliers. The engine was polished and the tank taken back to the raw metal before being given a coat of clear matte lacquer. In contrast the frame has been painted gloss brown, adding a little warmth to the overall colours but still keeping it cool and muted. A 6/5/4 logo on the flanks of the tank provides the makers marque.
The new motocross handlers boast a Nissin master cylinder and black Beston grips. The front and rear lights are of course Bates style, with a five and three quarter inch unit at the front. There's a high performance battery tucked under the seat in a black box and the wiring is all new.
The air box was ditched with the carbs running open filters and the wrapped exhaust is tipped with mini zoom end cans. The tyres are big fat military Firestones, running 4.5 inches at the back and 4 inches at the front.
It's a great looking bike and one we'd love to have in The Bike Shed garage, and a great build for a fledgling new business. Next up from 6/5/4 Motors will be a 1976 Ducati 860GTS which is set to be a cafe racer.That should prove to be an interesting challenge, and we look forward to sharing it with you all on The Bike Shed. See more from Jovve and 6/5/4 on their Website.