Kawasaki 125 Enduro
KAWASAKI 125 ENDURO
CYCLE WORLD IMPRESSION
Good Handing, Pleasant Disposition And Plenty Of Torque
TAKE ONE SOUND frame design. Install engines with varying displacements in numbers which are proportional with current consumer demand. And you will have created a complete enduro line, as Kawasaki has, with a minimum of expense and machining costs.
Sounds like a cop out, doesn’t it. Actually though, it's a good business practice which is also advantageous from an engineering standpoint.
Kawasaki's latest l 25-cc Enduro exemplifies this trend. Basically it is their 175E model with smaller wheels and tires, different forks, and a modified powerplant.
This practice not only keeps manufacturing costs down, but more importantly, it results in over engineered small displacement machines. Reliability, therefore, is increased. Greatly improved handling and big bike looks are additional benefits.
As mentioned earlier. Kawasaki’s l 25 shares most of its components with the 175. Frames, in fact, are identical. Duplex downtubes run from the steering head down under the engine and circle back up, where they connect with double top backbone tubes.
Steel tabs, welded to the frame just behind the engine, provide a rigid mount for the swinging arm assembly. A bash plate, welded to the downtubes, protects the center of the engine case, but the outer portion of the right case, which houses the carburetor, is vulnerable.
The engine is a single-cylinder, rotary-valve two-stroke which produces a claimed I 7.5 blip at 7500 rpm. A 26-mm Mikuni carburetor is used, and 10.K lb. of torque are developed at 7000 rpm. An autolube system precludes mixing oil with the gas.
Except for the ignition system and the fitting of a smaller barrel, piston, and head, the engine is identical to the 175E unit. Bore has been reduced to 2.05 in., but the stroke remains unchanged at 2.3 2 in. The head is tapped to accept a compression release or an extra spark plug.
Capacitive discharge ignition is not used. Instead, the l 25 relies on a conventional three-coil ( l ignition primary coil and two charging coils) setup.
At 251 lb. with a full tank of gas, Kawasaki’s l 25 Enduro is a trifle heavy. And those infinitely adjustable Hatta forks, found on other Kawasaki models, are absent. The conventional units fitted, however, perform quite well and have approximately 5 in. of travel. Bottoming occurred only once during testing at Saddleback Park.
The rear shock absorbers are five-way adjustable and are a great improvement over previous Japanese units. They work fine on fireroads or on trails, but when rough terrain is negotiated at high speed, they make the back end hop.
The front rim diameter and the standard tire sizes are also less than ideal for off road use. A slight increase in traction is needed in soft or loose dirt; substituting a 3.50 for the stock 3.25-1 8 Dunlop trials universal would cure this.
Up front, the stock setup isa 3.00-18 Dunlop trials tire. This is a good compromise for street riding, but a larger diameter rim and a slightly wider front tire would improve off-road handling.
In spite of the dirt/street tire compromise, several features make this machine ideal for the casual enduro rider or cowtrailing enthusiast. The rubbermounted tachometer and speedometer are both easily read. Furthermore, the speedometer features a resettable odometer that is notable because it can be corrected either forward or backward.
To remove the rubber-mounted gas tank it is only necessary to unhook a rubber strap at the rear of the tank. Once the gas line is disconnected, the tank can be slid off to the rear.
The amply padded seat is hinged to provide access to a polyurethane foam
air cleaner element, wiring, and battery. The air cleaner cover, held on with a rubber strap, is difficult to remove because the wiring interferes. It is also difficult to refasten the rubber mounting strap because little clearance exists between the air cleaner box and the frame tubes. A toolkit is located under the oil tank.
Rubber footrest covers are held in place by a 3/4-in. washer bolted to the end of the folding footpegs.
And, best of all, the quiet silencer is also a forestry approved spark arrester.
For those desiring more performance. Kawasaki is readying a motocross kit, consisting of a cylinder, expansion chamber, and a racing magneto. No release date for this kit has yet been announced.
