1975 Kawasaki KT250 Trials Test - 7-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article

Description

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 page
Condition: Good
CYCLE GUIDE TRIALS TEST
KAWASAKI
The roster is now complete. The in-
troduction of Kawasaki’s KT-250 means
that all four Japanese motorcycle compa-
nies are officially in the business of build-
ing trials machines.
Kawasaki’s method of developing a
trials motorcycle sounds like a rerun of
the method used by the other three com-
panies—hire a former trials champion to
act as a consultant. And really, that is the
only sensible way to do it. Kawasaki's
choice was Don Smith, a likable English-
man who by no mere coincidence is a
former European Trials Champion—he
has held that title three limes. His job was
to guide the designers and engineers into
the construction of a competitive trials
machine. And although the period of time
it look Kawasaki to develop the bike was
relatively short, they didn’t appear to be
in a big rush to get it on the market—at
least not by usual Japanese standards.
The original Kawasaki prototypes used
450cc engines, obviously in an attempt to
capitalize on the tremendous torque of
that engine; also there normally are no
displacement 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 fitted
with 250cc engines, and the 450s were
forgotten.
Does the fact that Kawasaki was the
last Japanese company to produce a trialer
have any particular significance? May-
be—or maybe not. It's sort of hard to
tell just exactly when Kawasaki, or any
other company for that matter, actually
began development of their bikes. But if
Kawasaki was last because they spent a
little extra time with development, that
could be very significant. Most expert
trials riders have been impressed but less
than thrilled with the other Japanese
trialers, so perhaps the KT-250 will go on
the market with two strikes against it—
which is too bad because Kawasaki wasn't
swinging the bat when those strikes were
committed.
THE BIKE: The KT-250 has the look
and proportions of a true trialer, even
though it comes with a dual-beam head-
light. a sloplight/taillighi. a horn, and an
ignition switch under the left front of the
gas tank. Kawasaki pul the horn and
lighting on the bike to widen its appeal,
hoping to sell KT-250s to trail riders and
people other than dyed-in-the-wool trials
fanatics. For the rider who doesn't want
them, it's an unnecessary expense that has
A tame
Green Meanie for the
feet-up folks
jacked up the purchase price slightly. But
if you intend to do some post-dusk trail
riding, they could prove quite useful. It’s
all in how you look at it.
In the engine department the oil-in-
jected 246cc two-stroke single has a
69.5mm bore and 65mm stroke, which are
unusual dimensions compared to most
current 250s. The stroke is about five
millimeters longer than normal, which
should only enhance the low-rpm torque
characteristics of the engine. The porting
is mild by Japanese enduro standards, but
a tad more radical than the Spanish
trialers.
A set of straight-cut primary gears turns
the wet clutch, which delivers power to
a five-speed extra-wide-ratio gearbox. The
ratios are typically trials-like: The first
three are very low and spaced relatively
close together. There’s a large jump to
fourth and an equally large jump to fifth.
The final drive is by a 14-tooth coun-
tershaft sprocket, into a number 428 chain
and 52-tooth rear wheel sprocket. A pri-
mary kickstart system is handy, allowing
in-gear starts with the clutch disengaged.
An extra-heavy magneto flywheel not
only gives the crankshaft some necessary'
inertia for trials, it also generates current
for the KT-250's CDI ignition and direct
AC lighting systems.
The 26mm Mikuni carb is angled to the
left at the rear of the cylinder, but its
positioning constitutes no porting trickery';
the carb is angled to allow sufficient
clearance for the air cleaner hose between
the rear of the carb and the single rear
frame downtube. Il also allows more room
for the over-the-head exhaust system,
which tucks and snakes its way through
the framework, exiling in a muffler/spark
arrester 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 beneath
the engine cases. The steering head sits
at a26.5-degree angle, and the front wheel
trail is exactly three inches.
The slender front forks use dual-rate
springs and permit 6.8 inches of front
wheel travel. The front axle clamps to ears
which are mounted ahead of the sliders:
that gives the desired amount of front
wheel trail while keeping the fork tubes
closer to the steering axis. The theory here
is 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...
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