The familiar name on the steel-grey tank betrays the bike's origins, even as this machine's cafe racer style is uniquely head-turning.
Certainly no Kawasaki production line ever turned out such a beast.
The Saetta 3.5 is the result of the burgeoning market in bespoke customised bikes. Sartorie Maccaniche, its Italian creators, are self-professed motorcycle "tailors" who believe that there's a masterpiece to be found in every classic motorcycle.
"Saetta" means "lightning" in Italian, and in that lies a clue to the concept behind this bike, which trundled off a production line as a humble Kawasaki Z350, a popular, honest street machine aimed at the discerning rider. Its versatility has made it popular with customisers, with varying results.
The Saetta 3.5 is up there with the very best. The engine is bored out to 400cc offering increased acceleration and top speed. However, it is the details that are conceived to delight the eye. The single seat is cast in fibreglass and finished with bespoke leather upholstery. Bodywork is kept to the bare minimum and mirrors are mounted on hand grips.
While aesthetes might suggest there's a quiet elegance to the monochrome colour palette, the Saetta's modified exhaust system is anything but restrained, with a megaphone exit to announce the bike's presence.
"We make things to last, with our hands and our hearts," say Sartorie in an oddly poetic on-line manifesto. The Saetta 3.5 certainly has soul, and then some.
