5 Kawasaki Kx80 Revival
5 KAWASAKI KX80 REVIVAL
FUN FACTOR
MINI GP IS BIG FUN
Don Canet
IN THE CORNER OF MY GARAGE is a 1993 Kawasaki KX80 that has sat gathering dust for nearly two decades. It was the very bike featured in Cycle World (December 1994), as a kart track roadrace project I built and competed on. The bike’s key mods are lowered suspension, 17-inch wheels, and an upgraded front brake system—in essence a supermoto by modern definition.
In the beginning, my KX was the sole converted MXer present at West Coast mini-roadrace events that consisted mostly of adults and youth riding fully faired Yamaha YSR50 and Honda NSR50 machines. The KX was dominant in the CP 80 class running against bikes with 80cc two-strokes shoehorned into YSR or 125 CP chassis. It wasn’t long before others began showing up with MXbased bikes of their own.
Fast-forward to present day... The most common mini CP platform that competes in the STTARS series (supertt.com)-a local SoCal supermoto/mini CP series that I founded and have operated since 1997—is now a lightly modified KX65 shod with road tires along with a variety of other MX-based brands across various classes. While the machines have evolved, the essence of mini CP competition remains the same: that of big-time fun on a small machine on a minuscule budget.
While I enjoy orchestrating the monthly STTARS events, the prospect of resurrecting my now vintage KX for Fun Factor promised to be a hoot. But first, a few replacement parts were in order as its aged foam air filter crumbled upon contact. Wrenching on the bike commenced at Y&H Clobal Motors, an auto repair shop owned by Ichiro Horiba, an enthusiastic series regular. An animated fella by nature, “Itchy” assisted bringing the KX out of mothballs and dished out
endless banter as we looked forward to banging elbows in the CP 85 class.
All fluids were drained and topped off, including ancient coagulated brake fluid. A fresh pair of 110/70-17 Dunlop Alpha 13 tires (fronts used on KTM RC 390 cup bikes) was mounted at each end and the heavily rusted brake rotors cleaned with a bit of elbow grease. The bike fired after a couple of kicks and ran reasonably well. The following few days leading into race weekend were spent repairing a stubborn crack in the plastic fuel tank and rebuilding the rear brake master cylinder.
On race day at Apex kart track, my bike spewed radiator coolant into the catch bottle after only few heated practice laps. Ichiro saved the day fixing the problem while I handled rider registration. Back on track, I lined up at the rear of the grid for the CP 85 heat. A couple of laps in the engine suddenly sputtered and died as I rounded a tight hairpin. My slowing bike got rear-ended by a fellow competitor, which caused him to fall unharmed. Poor customer service on my part. Turning the fuel petcock to reserve allowed me to rejoin the race running dead last.
In the main, I got a solid launch from the back of the field and picked up several positions into the first turn. A good drive onto the following straight gained a few more spots and I was within a stone’s throw of the lead pack entering turn two. My competitiveness got the better of me, however, and the rear tire broke loose and skittered into a low-side crash exiting the corner. I was immediately up and running and finished the race. One of mini-roadracing’s benefits, such mistakes often carry a light cost.
Young or old (rider or bike), minis are not just for kids. It doesn’t get much more fun than this!
