PMC: Z-1/Z-2/big bore Kawasaki custom parts shop

[Kamakura Kid]

An hour’s drive from Kobe, on the island of Awaji, is PMC, purveyor of custom and reproduction parts for Z-1/Z-2 and other big bore Kawasaki motorcycles. I’d always wanted to visit PMC, so I decided to hop across the Naruto Straits and make the pilgrimage.

40-some pics, so I'll just highlight some here and for the rest you'll have to go to my PhotoBucket album, linked here:

PMC Z1 custom parts shop AWAJI ISLAND pictures by wpb3pan - Photobucket

This is the Akashi Bridge, Japan’s longest and most-expensive-to-cross suspension bridge. I don’t know what the charge for the bridge alone is, but to cross the bridge and go a further 15 miles on the expressway cost 3050 yen one way. That’s about 40USD. YIKES!

This is the PMC building.

This is the owner, Masamoto-san, and his beloved dog Kan-chan.

This is Okumura-san, PMC’s ace mechanic.

Some of the bikes and parts PMC had on display, including a BF new still crated Ninja.

 

[Kamakura Kid]

Okumura san was not only working on a customer owned MkII, but also assembling this 100% stock appearance 1973 Z-1 to display at Japan's largest Z meeting, scheduled to be held at Awaji island on November 22nd. Masamoto-san anticipates about 1200 Z's to show up at the meet. I can't make it, so I asked him to take lots of photos and send them to me so I can post them here.

All of the blue plastic covered items are PMC reproduction parts.

Future project bikes, imported from the US, awaiting Okumura-san's magic touch.

 

[Kamakura Kid]

Going into the PMC stockroom, I asked Masamoto-san to show me those PMC products of which he was most proud. He asked if I meant stock replacement parts or custom parts, my answer was of course “both.” So, Masamoto-san showed me…
Two cabinets full of various sized carburetor jets.

Custom generator and clutch covers.

Repop speedometer

Other parts I thought were really cool (and I lusted over) were:
Z-1 frame gusset kit

Z-1 frame slider kit

Boxes full of AP Racing/Lockheed twin pot calipers and modern APR four pot calipers

These pictures oughta cause some SERIOUS drooling:
Stacks of repop 4-into-4 exhaust systems

Stacks of 4-into-1 megaphone and hot water bottle (?) collector systems

Hand-bent 4-into-1 collector systems

 

[KTMphil]

Some real treasures there