Kawasaki scrambler motorbikes offer their owners the opportunity to experience the outdoors in an entirely new way. Scrambler motorbikes were developed in order to combat tough terrain and to allow their drivers the ability to take their love for motorbiking cross country, rather than just keeping it to the streets. Therefore these types of motorcycles had to be modified in order to allow for the ease of getting over such terrain and therefore they are known for their high mounted exhaust pipes, wider handlebars with a cross bar, and all terrain tyres. In addition to this, in order to get over those steep inclines and other dangerous or tricky terrain, anything that was not necessary for the motorbike to run, was stripped or removed from the motorcycle. These types of bikes therefore are much more lightweight than their street racing counterparts.
In the late eighties, Kawasaki ventured in to the off-road racing industry and competed in the Baja 500. This inexperienced team won the race and from then on, they dominated the race. This lead to them growing their off-road race programme to include a wide variety of events from all over the world. What is more is that Kawasaki has also developed a team that are continuously known as being the best in the business and therefore it requires them to develop bikes for them that they can rely on. As a result, Kawasaki scrambler motorbikes have become synonymous with power and precision.
At present, Kawasaki has four fantastic off-road scramblers for you to choose from: The KLX 140, the KLX 140l, the KLX 110, and the KLX 110l. Each of these bikes offers their riders a unique experience and this is due to the fact that each has unique specifications that allow for a different experience to be had.
The KLX 140 has the following specs:
- Engine: Four stroke, SOHC, two-valve single
- Displacement: 144cc
- Bore and strole: 58.0 x 54.4mm
- Cooling system: Air
- Carburetion: Keihin PB20
- Compression ratio: 9.5:1
- Ignition: CDI
- Transmission: Five-speed with wet multi-disc manual clutch
- Final drive: Chain
- Frame Type: High-Tensile steel, box-section perimeter
- Rake/Trail: 27 degrees / 3.3 in.
- Front suspension / wheel travel: 33mm telescopic fork / 7.1 in.
- Rear suspension / wheel travel: UNI-TRAK® linkage system and single shock with 5-way preload adjustability / 7.1 in.
- Front Tire Size: 70/100-17
- Rear Tire Size: 90/100-14
- Front brakes / rear brakes: Single 220mm petal disc with a dual-piston caliper / Single 186mm petal disc with single-piston caliper
- Overall length: 71.7 in.
- Overall width: 31.1 in.
- Overall height: 41.3 in.
- Wheelbase: 49.6 in.
- Ground clearance: 9.3 in.
- Seat height: 30.7 in
- Curb weight: 93kgs
- Fuel capacity: 5.6l
I could easily just give you the specs of each bike but this will not really help you get a true feeling of what it is you will experience when purchasing a Kawasaki scrambler. Let me give you a brief description of what to expect.
Firstly, dirt and lots of it. You will find yourself going through terrain such as mud and if you are a person who does not enjoy dirt then I would not recommend taking up off-road motorcycling. Secondly, you can expect that sinking feeling that you get in your stomach as you go fast up and down over hills or bumps, as off road terrain is not smooth or comfortable to drive over and can often leave you air-bound for a few seconds before you reach the ground. So if you are queasy then this is no the sport for you. This sport requires dedication and most importantly, you have to be a little bit crazy to get in to it.