Description: Yes we combine shipping for multiple purchases.Add multiple items to your cart and the combined shipping total will automatically be calculated. 1975 Kawasaki KT250 Trials Test - 7-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article Original, vintage magazine article. Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm) each pageCondition: Good CYCLE GUIDE TRIALS TESTKAWASAKIThe roster is now complete. The in-troduction of Kawasaki’s KT-250 meansthat all four Japanese motorcycle compa-nies are officially in the business of build-ing trials machines.Kawasaki’s method of developing atrials motorcycle sounds like a rerun ofthe method used by the other three com-panies—hire a former trials champion toact as a consultant. And really, that is theonly sensible way to do it. Kawasaki'schoice was Don Smith, a likable English-man who by no mere coincidence is aformer European Trials Champion—hehas held that title three limes. His job wasto guide the designers and engineers intothe construction of a competitive trialsmachine. And although the period of timeit look Kawasaki to develop the bike wasrelatively short, they didn’t appear to bein a big rush to get it on the market—atleast not by usual Japanese standards.The original Kawasaki prototypes used450cc engines, obviously in an attempt tocapitalize on the tremendous torque ofthat engine; also there normally are nodisplacement categories in observed trials.It was a perfect example of the bigger-is-better axiom, but it evidently didn't work.Subsequent Kawasaki trialers were fittedwith 250cc engines, and the 450s wereforgotten.Does the fact that Kawasaki was thelast Japanese company to produce a trialerhave any particular significance? May-be—or maybe not. It's sort of hard totell just exactly when Kawasaki, or anyother company for that matter, actuallybegan development of their bikes. But ifKawasaki was last because they spent alittle extra time with development, thatcould be very significant. Most experttrials riders have been impressed but lessthan thrilled with the other Japanesetrialers, so perhaps the KT-250 will go onthe market with two strikes against it—which is too bad because Kawasaki wasn'tswinging the bat when those strikes werecommitted.THE BIKE: The KT-250 has the lookand proportions of a true trialer, eventhough it comes with a dual-beam head-light. a sloplight/taillighi. a horn, and anignition switch under the left front of thegas tank. Kawasaki pul the horn andlighting on the bike to widen its appeal,hoping to sell KT-250s to trail riders andpeople other than dyed-in-the-wool trialsfanatics. For the rider who doesn't wantthem, it's an unnecessary expense that hasA tameGreen Meanie for thefeet-up folksjacked up the purchase price slightly. Butif you intend to do some post-dusk trailriding, they could prove quite useful. It’sall in how you look at it.In the engine department the oil-in-jected 246cc two-stroke single has a69.5mm bore and 65mm stroke, which areunusual dimensions compared to mostcurrent 250s. The stroke is about fivemillimeters longer than normal, whichshould only enhance the low-rpm torquecharacteristics of the engine. The portingis mild by Japanese enduro standards, buta tad more radical than the Spanishtrialers.A set of straight-cut primary gears turnsthe wet clutch, which delivers power toa five-speed extra-wide-ratio gearbox. Theratios are typically trials-like: The firstthree are very low and spaced relativelyclose together. There’s a large jump tofourth and an equally large jump to fifth.The final drive is by a 14-tooth coun-tershaft sprocket, into a number 428 chainand 52-tooth rear wheel sprocket. A pri-mary kickstart system is handy, allowingin-gear starts with the clutch disengaged.An extra-heavy magneto flywheel notonly gives the crankshaft some necessary'inertia for trials, it also generates currentfor the KT-250's CDI ignition and directAC lighting systems.The 26mm Mikuni carb is angled to theleft at the rear of the cylinder, but itspositioning constitutes no porting trickery';the carb is angled to allow sufficientclearance for the air cleaner hose betweenthe rear of the carb and the single rearframe downtube. Il also allows more roomfor the over-the-head exhaust system,which tucks and snakes its way throughthe framework, exiling in a muffler/sparkarrester behind the right shock.The KT-250’s frame is a double-down-tube. single-backbone affair, with a weld-ed-on perforated steel skid plate beneaththe engine cases. The steering head sitsat a26.5-degree angle, and the front wheeltrail is exactly three inches.The slender front forks use dual-ratesprings and permit 6.8 inches of frontwheel travel. The front axle clamps to earswhich are mounted ahead of the sliders:that gives the desired amount of frontwheel trail while keeping the fork tubescloser to the steering axis. The theory hereis to keep the heavy mass (fork tubes,dampers, and sliders) as close to the steer-ing axis as possible, resulting in a light,quick steering feel. A neat little conical... 15946s-1627g 16874-AL-7503-09
Price: 12.88 USD
Location: Kingsport, Tennessee
End Time: 2025-01-29T13:37:26.000Z
Shipping Cost: 5.95 USD
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Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Make: Kawasaki
