When it was time to give the KZ440 bobber the superior airflow and superior performance it deserved, Todd built a carbon fiber topped dual flange K&N air filter of his own design
K&N Air Filters employee Todd White transformed a run-of-the-mill 1981 Kawasaki KZ440 LTD into a Ryan Villopoto inspired bobber taking Bikernet’s Editor’s Choice Award in IMS biker build off
A few years back K&N employee Todd White and his good friend Matt Dawson spent six months transforming a stock 1999 Harley-Davidson XL1200C Sportster into a one of a kind bobber. The build was described as a melding of Matt’s vision and skills, with Todd’s hard work and money.
The duo was influenced by post World War II era motorcycles, and attempted to create a nostalgic looking motorcycle out of a modern machine. Bobbers trace their roots to the late 1940s and can be considered some of the earliest custom motorcycles. A bobber usually retains stock frame geometry, unlike a chopper, and takes a stripped down, minimalist approach to styling.
The 1999 Sportster bobber was Todd’s first custom bike build, and he did such an excellent job that the bike earned him and Matt a first place trophy at the Grand National Roadster Show in the bobber class. Still fresh off that build, and full of excitement about all they had achieved, Todd already had plans to build a custom vintage Triumph motorcycle and a classic Ford pickup truck. As it often happens, life threw a curve ball in the duo’s direction. Matt suffered some dramatic health challenges and Todd took a timeout to start a family with his wife.
In recent years, vintage Triumph twins, known for their parallel twin cylinder engines, have become increasingly popular thus becoming hard to find and expensive when they do pop up. This has led many custom bike builders to pursue other options such as the Yamaha XS650 twin, or in Todd’s case a 1981 Kawasaki KZ440 LTD-A. The Kawasaki KZ400, and later KZ440, falls under the classic “Universal Japanese Motorcycle” or UJM classification common in the early days of Japanese motorcycles.
“I got this bike from a buddy,” said Todd. “It was rotting on the side of his house. I was looking for a project, so I asked if I could take it off his hands and he happily agreed.”
The UJM Kawasaki wasn’t designed to excel in any particular category, especially good looks, but simply intended to be a good all-around motorcycle. Keeping this in mind only helps to appreciate all the hard work and effort Todd put into his custom Kawasaki KZ440.
Todd completely rebuilt the 1981 KZ440 engine, which was blacked out using high-temp paint with the exception of the side and valve covers, which were powder coated in a root beer brown.
“The entire motor I went thru,” said Todd. “I replaced only a center shifter fork in tranny and sandblasted existing pistons with 8-gauge glass and used a fresh ring set. I honed cylinders and did some mild porting.”
Todd White’s custom 1981 Kawasaki KZ440 LTD-A features many one off custom parts that he fabricated himself. Because most post World War II era motorcycles did not feature rear suspension Todd designed a custom rear hard tail section married to the stock front half of the frame for that nostalgic bobber look.
“All frame tubing is DOM .120 wall cold rolled,” said Todd. “The plate behind the motor I designed to support lower frame tubes, down tube and give motor more mounting options.”
The custom support plate fitted to the frame behind the engine added support and a faux oil tank was installed underneath the seat. Vintage Triumph twins, as well as American made Harley-Davidson motorcycles, feature a dry sump engine design with a remote oil tank.
“I machined all the spacers on the bike out of brass,” said Todd.
The Kawasaki KZ440 is actually a wet sump design, however Todd added the faux oil tank to give his bobber that vintage look as well as give him a place to house the bike’s electronics. The custom seat pan, wrapped in a bold gripper seat cover from Enjoy Manufacturing, rests on urethane bumpers and flips up to reveal a hidden storage compartment for personal effects and allow access to wiring.
“Under the seat I made brass housings for urethane bump stops to add for a more comfortable ride,” said Todd.
The compact Ballistic battery was left in plain sight with custom a machined mount keeping it in place, while the number 2 plate was inspired by 4-time Supercross champ Ryan Villopoto
Todd’s crown jewel in this custom bike build is the one-off springer front end with trunnion style rockers. When Todd couldn’t find a springer fork that he liked, the decision was made to build his own springer front end from scratch.
“The springer front end I made at work, took existing stem from old lower tree and press fitted it into new lower tree and finished up front end around the ride height,” said Todd. “I made old style trunnions for the rockers out of 1-inch cold rolled steel. Front caliper is off YZF 450 and machined access to run cable reverse direction. Bought cables from J&J aircraft supply. Turned down the rotor .050 thou to allow for more clearance.”
The stock Kawasaki KZ440 gas tank was retained; however Todd sectioned and stretched the tank an additional three inches. A Russ Wernimont Designs rear fender hugs the nostalgic looking Duro Tires. Because the Ballistic Performance Components Lithium battery is almost a work of art in and of itself; Todd left the compact battery in plain sight and instead machined a custom mount to keep it in place.
“Carbs were sand-blasted with glass and completely rebuilt using Sigma Jets out of Arizona,” said Todd. “The air filter was my own design I made two filters, one with cotton media and the other with a dry flow media. Both filters come with the sale of the bike and are the ONLY style of its kind. Also made carbon fiber tops to give it a different look.”
When it was time to choose the color Todd went with Kawasaki Flo Green paint, a traditional blocky Kawasaki logo, and custom striping to give it some additional flair. The bike’s hand and foot controls were all borrowed from a Motocross bike, and the KZ440 bobber proudly wears the number 2 plate after the now retired 4-time Supercross / 3-time Motocross champion and Factory Kawasaki racer Ryan Villopoto.
Todd would like to thank all the sponsors who helped out during this year and a half long custom bike build; such as Ballistic Performance Components, Russ Wernimont Designs, Enjoy Manufacturing, Biltwell Inc. and of course K&N air filters.
All of Todd’s hard work paid off when he entered the KZ440 bobber in the Ultimate Builder Show biker build-off in Long Beach, California. Todd was again fortunate enough to be recognized for his creativity, this time with the Bikernet Editor’s Choice award. When asked if he had any plans to build another bike Todd stated that he planned to take some time off from building to spend as much of his free time as possible with family.
Bike Name: Lunch Box Special
Fabricator: Todd White
City/state: Sun City, CA.
Time to build: 1-1/2
Owner: Todd White
Phone: 951-375-6353
E-mail: todd.the.builder.77@gmail.com
Year: 1981
Make: Kawasaki
Model: Z440 LTD-A
Displacement: 27.03 cubic inches
Year: 1981
Builder: Fabricated by Todd White
Style or Model: Bobber
Modifications: One off hard tail married to stock front half
Make: Custom built by Todd White
Model: Springer
Mods: Used existing stem and married to one off springer front end
Tanks: Slims Fab Farm
Fenders: RWD Designs
Oil tank: Todd White
Paint: My buddy Chip
Frame: Gloss black powder coat
Front: 19” Stock
Rear: 16” Stock
Carburetion: Stock with custom jet kit from Sigma Jets
Air cleaner: Dual Flanged K&N Filter w/ carbon fiber top
Exhaust: Stock pipes that were sectioned and stretched with fishtail exhaust
Foot controls: Biltwell
Handlebar controls: MSR
Clutch Cable: Motion Pro
Brake Lines: Custom
Front caliper: YZF 450 (machined to fit)
Shifting: Smooth as silk
Seat: Slims Fab Farm
Gas caps: Parts Unlimited
Handlebars: Biltwell
Grips: Biltwell
Oil filter: K&N Performance
Fuel Lines: Hanks Hardware
Throttle: Biltwell
Throttle cables: Motion Pro
All spacers/washers: Todd White ( made from brass)
Kickstand: Todd White
Ignition switch: Parts Unlimited
Wiring: Matt Dawson
Headlight: Bates
Taillight: Zero Engineering
Battery: Ballistic Battery Components
Credits: Thank all my Sponsors, KN filters, Biltwell, RWD Designs, Ballistic, Enjoy Seats. And everyone who helped in the build.
Comment: This bike took me about 1-1/2 years to build and I literally have gone thru every square inch of this bike. I named it “The Lunch Box Special” because I built it every day at work on my ten minute breaks and my lunches.
It’s a ton of fun to ride but have to sell it and provide for the family.
K&N contact: Johnny Jump
Powersports Brand Manager – K&N ENGINEERING, INC. – T: (951) 826-4000 Ext. 4338 – F: (951) 826-4003 – WWW.KNFILTERS.COM
