Kawasaki KDX125
Kawasaki KDX125 | |
Manufacturer | |
---|---|
Also called | KDX 125 |
Production | 1990 - 92 |
Class | Enduro |
Engine | Two stroke, single cylinder, with KIPS |
Compression ratio | 8,0:1 |
Top Speed | 64 mph / 103 km/h |
Ignition | CDI |
Spark Plug | NGK B9EV or B9EVX |
Transmission | 6 Speed |
Suspension | Front: Kayaba 48mm telescopic hydraulic fork reversed KAYABA 48mm, double adjustment + adjustable spring preload, prepared Rear: Uni-Trak adjustable for preload |
Brakes | Front: Single 260mm disc Rear: Single 220mm disc |
Front Tire | 70/100-21 |
Rear Tire | 4.10-18 |
Wheelbase | 1455 mm / 57.3 in to 1480 mm / 58.2 inaccording to chain tension |
Seat Height | 950 mm / 37.4 in |
Weight | 98 kg / 216 lbs (dry), |
Recommended Oil | K-tech 10W-40 |
Fuel Capacity | 9.0 Liters / 2.3 US gal |
Manuals | Service Manual |
It could reach a top speed of 64 mph / 103 km/h.
Engine[edit | edit source]
The engine was a Liquid cooled cooled Two stroke, single cylinder, with KIPS. The engine featured a 8,0:1 compression ratio.
Drive[edit | edit source]
Power was moderated via the Multi-disc clutch in oil bath.
Chassis[edit | edit source]
It came with a 70/100-21 front tire and a 4.10-18 rear tire. Stopping was achieved via Single 260mm disc in the front and a Single 220mm disc in the rear. The front suspension was a Kayaba 48mm telescopic hydraulic fork reversed KAYABA 48mm, double adjustment + adjustable spring preload, prepared while the rear was equipped with a Uni-Trak adjustable for preload. The KDX125 was fitted with a 9.0 Liters / 2.3 US gal fuel tank. The bike weighed just 98 kg / 216 lbs. The wheelbase was 1455 mm / 57.3 in to 1480 mm / 58.2 inaccording to chain tension long.
Photos[edit | edit source]
Overview[edit | edit source]
Kawasaki KDX 125
Review
This (or should I say these?) were the most popular test bikes ever. Now I'm
not saying that the KDXs' keys were the first to disappear when we got into the
office, oh no.
The KDXs were popular with the sort of people who can't be bothered to wait
for the keys before riding them. Bastards.
Rupert had his for about five days before it was stolen and I managed to keep
the one I had for nine days before it went too.
Judging by the reactions of kids to the bike it should be just as popular for
Kawasaki in the sales charts. The amount of attention from the up-to-18 age
group was embarassing. It was easily more than I got from everybody when I had
the FZR600. To be this popular up Westgate Hill on a Saturday I'd have to be
giving away LC parts. It was all a bit unnerving. I felt like Jason Donovan and
Kylie Minogue rolled into one (what a thought).
First impressions of the bike were somewhat less than favourable, though. I
mean, if you were faced with a 210 mile trip home up the Al, to be completed in
as little time as possible, what bike would you choose? Unless it was all you
were allowed to ride, I don't imagine that a restricted 125 would be your first
choice. It wasn't mine either, but seeing as Rupert was only giving me a choice
of one, I didn't have an alternative.
It had been six years since I passed my test and sold my restricted 125 to
some other poor sod, and I had never ridden a trail machine before. After about
ten miles the nearest thing I could liken it to was the Luton van I'd been
driving the week before. The seating position is very similar; upright and high
enough to see over cars, hedges etc.
Making decent time also relies on the same process as driving a large van,
where keeping up momentum is the be-all and end-all. Thanks to the emasculated
engine, manoeuvres have to be planned long before they would be on a more
powerful bike.
Overtaking is a case in point. It is, how shall we say, an exact science.
There's no just dropping it a couple of cogs when a gap appears in the outside
lane. Trying this will, at least, leave you with a very irate motorist up your
exhaust pipe, and at worst well, I just hope you like the smell of oak.
You have to work up to the same speed as the other traffic and slip into the
gap as it goes past. Whilst this sounds fine in theory, I lost count of the
number of times I had everything set up, only for some company rep to come
blasting up at about 90mph and fill the space. This invariably left me stuck at
about 40-45 mph behind Mr & Mrs Normal (Who's normal these days? Rupert's
psychiatrist) in their Metro.
Once you're settled into the routine, the first real problem with the bike
presents itself. At (comparatively) high speeds it vibrates noticeably. This may
be an advantage for any readers who frequent the type of clubs where leather
caps and long coats are de rigeur but it just left me with a sore botty (same
sort of feeling as visiting the aforementioned clubs).
In fact the vibrations were so bad that, after 600 miles, the exhaust header
nuts came loose and oil spat past the exhaust gasket. Not exactly what you would
expect from a new bike, but once tightened up again the nuts gave no more
trouble (at-least for another 250 miles, that is, until it was stolen).
Although fast A roads and motorways may not have been its forte, the KDX was
much more at home on back roads. A combination of good cycle parts and
restricted engine means the bike can be thrown about without a hint of danger.
Whilst the motor puts out about 24 ponies in unrestricted form, the 12bhp
version means the frame and suspension can have a day off.
The brakes (single disc front and rear) were adequate, but not confidence
inspiring. The front worked quite well, but the rear must have been designed by
a trail rider. It needs a large input for very little effect, which is great on
trails where there is a danger of locking it up on loose stuff, but not so good
on the roads. While they never failed to stop me, even quickly when needed, I
think I would reserve judgement on what they must be like on the 24bhp model.
Not so the suspension, which is undoubtedly the bizz, with non-adjustable
forks (41mm on a 125!) and Uni-Trak rear (5 way adjustable for preload)
shrugging off the best (worst?) that British Gas etc could throw at it. This was
definitely the best point about riding the KDX. No need to teeter your way
carefully around the streets avoiding manhole covers as you have to on race
replicas with their solid suspension at low speeds. Just pick a line, there's no
need to deviate.
With the high seat (34 inches) letting you see a long way ahead, and
consequently letting you plan your next move earlier, this all combines to make
the KDX an ideal back lane scratcher. This was demonstrated when I was back home
on a little jaunt up a country lane near where I live in Geordieland. It's the
sort of lane that's two cars wide (if they're Minis), hedge-lined and twisty.
Also, thanks to its proximity to a quarry, it has various surprises hidden round
bends, such as lumps of earth, gravel and every now and again a new stream
running across it. The KDX was the quickest bike I've ever ridden down there, no
exceptions.
However, back in learner-legal land the engine is the most important thing.
Cycle parts, and how well they work, are to a certain extent superflous; it's
all about whose bike is quicker than whose and this is where the KDX doesn't
quite cut it. I'm sorry but it's not the bike to beat your mates on if they've
got TZRs or RG125s, etc. The large frontal area alone means you're always going
to be left a few frustrating mph behind them (and within the national speed
limit) on quick roads.
If back lane scratching is easy, then commuting is a doddle. Forget all
you've heard about mopeds being the ideal inner city transport, the KDX wins
hands down. It's so easy to manoeuvre in and out of cars, whether they're
standing still or moving, that you'll reach point B (as in from point A) quicker
than almost any other bike from tuned EXUP down.
A tiny turning circle helps here. There's no need to pick your way gingerly
between rows of traffic, as on bikes with limited steering lock.
On the aforementioned Al ride I came to a 2 and a half mile
traffic jam and spotted a Porsche that had passed me a few miles before doing a
ton plus. Whilst all he could do was sit and fume, I made good my getaway. He
didn't pass the little Kawasaki again until about 30 miles down the road.
If at all possible, try to avoid taking a pillion. The seat is more than
large enough for two but passengers tend to slide down it, pushing you to the
bottom. This gives you the feeling that your knees, hands and ears are all at
the same height, and makes the front end seem decidedly vague.
One other complaint from passengers was the height of the bike when getting
on and off (wasn't it, Joan?). As the seat height is a couple of inches taller
at the rear, vet all passengers carefully and exclude any with a less than 34in
inside leg.
If you think the tank looks small you are right. Holding nine Liters
it will last about 75 miles of flat out riding before needing reserve. This
worked out at about 45 mpg, and under the same conditions you could expect to
fill it up with two stroke at the rate of 500ml. per 175 miles.
To get to the oil tank you first have to find the tool kit (little black
compartment between the seat and footpeg), extract said kit and then select the
correct socket. This is the one which will undo the three bolts holding on the
right hand air scoop thingymagig and then you can actually see the oil tank.
Take the crosshead screwdriver to undo the screw holding the cap on, and you're
ready to fill up. Refitting, as they say, is a direct reversal of removal.
Doing this gives you a chance to admire the Kawasaki's finish. This is
generally very good apart from the exhaust, which was showing signs of rusting
slightly around the edges after only 1,000 miles, so God only knows what it
would be like after 5,000 miles of being ridden through peat bogs and the like.
If you're going to spend £2,000 on a bike like this, then please, please,
please do yourself a favor and take it trail riding. What's the point of
spending all that dosh on a dual purpose bike and the only using it for half of
what it was made for?
If you've never tried dirt riding before, pick an easy trail and I guarantee
you'll love it. No amount of ham-fisted riding seems to upset the KDX, and a
small dent in the exhaust was all it had to show for the couple of times I
dropped it off road.
Is any 125 worth two grand? Certainly it's about as good a 12bhp motorcycle
as you're going to get. Everything works at least adequately (brakes), if not
exceptionally (suspension, headlight). The only fly in the ointment is the high
speed vibration.
If I were a learner again, however, I wouldn't even bother buying a 125; I'd
find a test centre which hired bikes out and pass my test that way either that
or buy a cheap secondhand bike which I could sell for the same price I'd bought
it for. The £2,000 would make a nice deposit for a GPZ900R or similar.
But if you're the sort of person who just can't live without this year's
model, can stand the thought of 15% depreciation before the ink on the sales
slip is dry and has an alarmed garage complete with several Kryptonites this
could be the bike for you. Buy it, pass your test as quickly as possible,
de-restrict it and you'll be looking at some serious fun.
Make Model | Kawasaki KDX 125 |
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Year | 1990 - 92 |
Engine Type | Two stroke, single cylinder, with KIPS |
Displacement | 124 cc / 7.6 cu-in |
Bore X Stroke | 56 х 50.6 mm |
Cooling System | Liquid cooled |
Compression | 8,0:1 |
Induction | Keihin PE28 carburetor |
Ignition | CDI |
Spark Plug | NGK B9EV or B9EVX |
Starting | Electric |
Max Power | 24 hp / 17.8 kW @ 9600 rpm |
Max Torque | 21.8 Nm / 16 lb-ft @ 8600 rpm |
Clutch | Multi-disc clutch in oil bath |
Transmission | 6 Speed |
Final Drive | Chain |
Front Suspension | Kayaba 48mm telescopic hydraulic fork reversed KAYABA 48mm, double adjustment + adjustable spring preload, prepared |
Front Wheel Travel | 300 mm / 11.8 in |
Rear Suspension | Uni-Trak adjustable for preload |
Rear Wheel Travel | 320 mm / 12.5 in |
Front Brakes | Single 260mm disc |
Rear Brakes | Single 220mm disc |
Front Tire | 70/100-21 |
Rear Tire | 4.10-18 |
Wheelbase | 1455 mm / 57.3 in to 1480 mm / 58.2 inaccording to chain tension |
Seat Height | 950 mm / 37.4 in |
Ground Clearance | 365 mm / 14.3 in |
Dry Weight | 98 kg / 216 lbs |
Fuel Capacity | 9.0 Liters / 2.3 US gal |
Standing ¼ Mile | 20.3 sec |
Top Speed | 64 mph / 103 km/h |
Related Link | Kawasaki KLX |