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Difference between revisions of "Kawasaki KR250"
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Kawasaki UK chose to celebrate the factory's fantastic racing achievement, not by importing the new KR250 but by releasing a limited-edition lime-green-and-white version of the dreary [[Kawasaki Z250|Kawasaki Z250]] four-stroke twin (excuse me while I just go and be sick...). The KR was never officially imported by Kawasaki UK - however, in 1984 the enterprising manager of the franchised dealer Huddersfield Kawasaki decided there was a small market for this high-tech machine and brought in just 18 bikes himself and offered them for sale in his shop. This was possibly the first UK example of 'grey-importing' that was to become so popular later on. It was priced at £2799 which was exactly the same price as the officially imported GPZ600R alongside it in the showroom. Its rivals in the marketplace were the similarly-exotic V3 Honda MVX250 and the more conventional Suzuki RG250 Gamma. Yamaha's TZR250 was still some way off, their nearest comparable bike at that time being the first RD350LC YPVS. | Kawasaki UK chose to celebrate the factory's fantastic racing achievement, not by importing the new KR250 but by releasing a limited-edition lime-green-and-white version of the dreary [[Kawasaki Z250|Kawasaki Z250]] four-stroke twin (excuse me while I just go and be sick...). The KR was never officially imported by Kawasaki UK - however, in 1984 the enterprising manager of the franchised dealer Huddersfield Kawasaki decided there was a small market for this high-tech machine and brought in just 18 bikes himself and offered them for sale in his shop. This was possibly the first UK example of 'grey-importing' that was to become so popular later on. It was priced at £2799 which was exactly the same price as the officially imported GPZ600R alongside it in the showroom. Its rivals in the marketplace were the similarly-exotic V3 Honda MVX250 and the more conventional Suzuki RG250 Gamma. Yamaha's TZR250 was still some way off, their nearest comparable bike at that time being the first RD350LC YPVS. | ||
The original 1984 model was designated 'A1'. In 1985 the 'A2' replaced it - the changes were limited to an upgrade of the primary gears. There are small differences to cater for the legal requirements of the importing countries so the Australian/New Zealand models have a longer rear-mudguard, fairing-mounted mirrors and separate indicators on stalks instead of the small square integrated indicators on the Japanese and South African models. The 'Huddersfield 18' came from South Africa I believe and others have since come in direct from Japan so all bikes in the UK seem to be the same. Standard | The original 1984 model was designated 'A1'. In 1985 the 'A2' replaced it - the changes were limited to an upgrade of the primary gears. There are small differences to cater for the legal requirements of the importing countries so the Australian/New Zealand models have a longer rear-mudguard, fairing-mounted mirrors and separate indicators on stalks instead of the small square integrated indicators on the Japanese and South African models. The 'Huddersfield 18' came from South Africa I believe and others have since come in direct from Japan so all bikes in the UK seem to be the same. Standard colors are green/white, silver (with a red seat), white/red, black/red and red/grey. I don't think the KR has any kind of deliberate power or top-speed restriction - if you know different please let me know. | ||
A year later, Kawasaki released the KR250S. It was the same as the 1985 'A2' model apart from the addition of 'KVSS', Kawasaki's version of the 'powervalve' system. The objective seems to have been increased bottom-end power as it appears to have no effect above 7000rpm. The 'S' also had fairing-mounted mirrors (instead of bar-mounted) and was available in black/red and blue/white. | A year later, Kawasaki released the KR250S. It was the same as the 1985 'A2' model apart from the addition of 'KVSS', Kawasaki's version of the 'powervalve' system. The objective seems to have been increased bottom-end power as it appears to have no effect above 7000rpm. The 'S' also had fairing-mounted mirrors (instead of bar-mounted) and was available in black/red and blue/white. | ||