With the new carburettor installed, I was able to catch up with 300cc Jawas despite being 200cc and 15 HP short.
BHPian TorqueMonster recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
The last update on this bike was more than a year ago, and within this year, a lot of things happened. The first being me shifting an entire state now for studies. The second being the entry of another bike into the garage, in the form of the Super Meteor. And when the question came to decide what bike to bring to the university, there was only one option that was considered. Bringing the KB100 all the way from Kerala.
Now, over the past year, the bike has undergone a lot of changes, be it physically or mechanically. Physically, the bike had not been ridden for a while, the Kawasaki Lime Green vinyl faded, and the spokes were broken. There was also an onset of rust here and there.
Bringing the bike back to running condition for the 3rd time in 33 years, this time did not take much effort. Major changes were made, however. The first was regarding the engine. The engine earlier was lethargic, struggling till 40 and saturating at 60. A new carburettor being fitted along with some engine tuning has now totally fixed this bike. Now it runs a KB125 carb, with necessary engine tuning. And this has totally changed the characteristics of the engine.
The vehicle is back to its rev-happy self, and it is the smoothest it has ever been. Secondly, the bike now easily picks up speed until 60, and saturates at an 85, with a top speed being up to 100 easily with enough straight road. The speed is adequate enough that for a recent ride, I was catching up with 300cc Jawas despite being 200 cc and 15hp short. I now have the classic 2-stroke performance with enough usability of a 150cc. I now get decent mileage too, anywhere between a 35 to 40 easily. Considering the fact that I contemplated selling this bike for a 150cc commuter, now I have the best of all worlds, be it looks, old-school charm or sheer performance. It is the one bike that is now finally making me feel like all the effort I had put in earlier was worth it.
Moving on to the looks, the Lime Green vinyl have been replaced with newer vinyl, bringing back its shiny look again, back to how I had restored it last year. And this is of massive importance, as the 2-stroke sound and the looks make it one massive attention-seeking motorcycle. It is fun to see the looks of confusion, of a bike that says Kawasaki, but sounds and rides similar to the RX. This bike commands attention, from both curious onlookers unaware of the existence of such a bike, and also 2-stroke enthusiasts and bike enthusiasts in general.
As of now, this bike has been part of multiple long rides, and it has effortlessly cruised at 65 – 70. Sharing a few recent images of the motorcycle below.
Now there aren’t any major changes to be made to the bike. If the budget permits, the next upgrade will be a disc brake in the front to deal with the recent highway rides of which this bike has been a daily fixture.
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