OzVMX Forum
Marque Remarks => Kawasaki => Topic started by: VMX247 on June 25, 2009, 10:54:23 pm
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Got talking to a fellow in a MC shop about bikes as one does. ;D
He starts talking about a K11M---What is this please...??????
We got interrupted, and this brought the conversation to an end :P
Glad, as I was lost what an K11M was. :-\
cheers
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I will hazard a guess that it is actually a F11M.
(http://www.classickawasaki.com/F11.jpg)
Because most Kawasaki model designations begin with a K (KX, KDX, KLR, KE, KV etc...) he may have it mixed up.
A google of Kawasaki K11M did not return anything bike related.
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Thanks... sorry F11M......
Not too good with dreaded flu-(not swine) glad germs don't spread though the screen ;D
Thank you for the pic.....Nice little bike 8) ....Amazing what people have got in bikes when you get talking. :o
S&A WA
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I am quite partial to the F11's be it an F11M F11A/B or C ;D probably 1 of the most underated and overlooked bikes of the pre'75 era. Compared to all other jap 250's of this era including the MX'ers I've ridden and owned the F11 stands head and shoulders above the others simply because of one minor detail..they actually handle! :o for me to have a genuine F11M gracing my garage would be just as good as owning any RH or RN Suzuki (excepting an RH67) ;)
(http://abhzmq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p5gu5guDzqvEtIKkqCIV2zViVIHktwaGoDGZP3jLlxOUw4MNXkqSpzx-TKwoIg4QsJReUPHE3yGQfR5rbjNCHxQ/F11A%201973%20Kawasaki%20250cc%20Doc.JPG)
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Alison,
Did that chap actually have an F11M?
Only 215 were ever built.
I used to race one back in 74. They were pretty good, & very light w a nice torquey powerband, but Kaw never gave them much airplay cos they were consumed w the bigbore in USA, so they're kinda one of the forgotten bikes of pre75.
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A mate of mine swapped a pristine F11M for an equally nice Rickman Montesa in the early 90s. At the time he thought he got the better of the deal but the last time I spoke to him he was trying to get the Kawa back. Does anyone have an F11 engine they'd like to sell me?
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I am quite partial to the F11's be it an F11M F11A/B or C ;D probably 1 of the most underated and overlooked bikes of the pre'75 era. Compared to all other jap 250's of this era including the MX'ers I've ridden and owned the F11 stands head and shoulders above the others simply because of one minor detail..they actually handle! :o for me to have a genuine F11M gracing my garage would be just as good as owning any RH or RN Suzuki (excepting an RH67) ;)
(http://abhzmq.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p5gu5guDzqvEtIKkqCIV2zViVIHktwaGoDGZP3jLlxOUw4MNXkqSpzx-TKwoIg4QsJReUPHE3yGQfR5rbjNCHxQ/F11A%201973%20Kawasaki%20250cc%20Doc.JPG)
I remember in the day the Kawa got rave reviews for handling etc, but it was too little too late and cost too much (IIRC). The horse had bolted. Yammy, in particular, 'owned' the off-road 'brand loyality and the world was quickly moving on to LTR.
Nice try but no cigar :-[ (but I would still love to own one for looks alone 8)).
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Graeme, kind of but not really. The F11 was built from '73-'75. Comparable models in '73 were the TS250K, silver tanked XL250K and the DT250A all of which offer no better engine performance and none of which offer the same level of handling. Long travel was still a long way off and a new (trailbike) F11 sold for only $50 more than the $790 DT250 of '74. I know $50 was a lot back then but my way of thinking is you couldn't even buy a decent pair of aftermarket shocks for $50 (not even back then) even so the other 3 need more than just shocks to get them up to the same level as the F11. I feel it was more a case of 'the populous at large' never took the F11 seriously until it was too late as the model remained virtually unchanged during it's 3 year production run. Maybe by '75 it was getting a little dated but still a better then the models Honda, Yamaha or Suzuki were offering up at the time.
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$50 is a 15% price disadvantage, that's a lot no matter how you 'soft soap' it :P. Kawa was coming from behind in every regard; it wasn't winning on the race track, it didn't have the same dealer network, etc etc. And they were behind on price. And they did very little in the way of advertising to convince the market it was worth the difference. And they didn't up date. They didn't give themselves a hope in Hades ::).
As I said "too little too late and cost too much. The horse had bolted"
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Back in the early 80's used to do a bit of trail riding with some blokes from work. The father of one one of the blokes (he was 47, so old to be riding dirt bikes i thought!!!) turned up with this weird 250 Kawasaki MX bike that he'd apparently bought from a used car yard. Non of us really knew what model it was, had a green plastic tank, an underslung chamber which swept up at the back with a sort of cone shaped silencer which flaired outward at the back and went like the clappers. The outer cases were sand cast, which I thought was unusual. After a few reliable years it was eventully sold off to a young relative of his. As I was getting interested in VMX in the early 90's I tried to track it down only to be told it had been trashed. I've yet to see another like it, but I'm guessing it must have been an F11M.
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Back in the early 80's used to do a bit of trail riding with some blokes from work. The father of one one of the blokes (he was 47, so old to be riding dirt bikes i thought!!!) turned up with this weird 250 Kawasaki MX bike that he'd apparently bought from a used car yard. Non of us really knew what model it was, had a green plastic tank, an underslung chamber which swept up at the back with a sort of cone shaped silencer which flaired outward at the back and went like the clappers. The outer cases were sand cast, which I thought was unusual. After a few reliable years it was eventully sold off to a young relative of his. As I was getting interested in VMX in the early 90's I tried to track it down only to be told it had been trashed. I've yet to see another like it, but I'm guessing it must have been an F11M.
Not with outer cases sand cast. It musta been something more exotic than a production trail bike (unless they had been sandblasted for the appearance ::)).
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In the 3 year production run of the F11 they didn't update this is true, thing is by 1975 the other 3 still hadn't caught up to the capabilities of the '73 F11 so why change it. I agree PR work was woeful and $50 was a lot but I still the majority of people made up their minds without even considering the seemingly unpopular alternative. All the things you mentioned did happen back then but we live here and now and I still claim the F11 kawa to be the sweetest handling trailbike ever to come from Japan pre 1975.
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Well that's one thing we agree on Doc ;). The K11m was the best looking, best handling, rare, desirable, collectable little orphan of the pre 75 period ;) :).
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Ok I gave the owner a ring and he told me it came out with a Japanese Racing team, then onto Darwin and now in his loft. ;D
It has plastic tank-Chrome Molly Frame and magnesium cases,no lights as its a MX 1973 job.
He has a few write ups on it, the manual and other paper clippings written on them,so we can all rest in peace tonight knowing there is another special bike in our great land ;) ;D
oops forgot he said "tell ya mates its not for sale" :D
cheers
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Ok I gave the owner a ring and he told me it came out with a Japanese Racing team, then onto Darwin and now in his loft. ;D
It has plastic tank-Chrome Molly Frame and magnesium cases,no lights as its a MX 1973 job.
He has a few write ups on it, the manual and other paper clippings written on them,so we can all rest in peace tonight knowing there is another special bike in our great land ;) ;D
oops forgot he said "tell ya mates its not for sale" :D
cheers
Tell him 'don't be slack', to take it out of the loft, polish up the alloy, fuel it, fettle it and bring to CD7 and give all of us a look ;D.
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Back in the early 80's used to do a bit of trail riding with some blokes from work. The father of one one of the blokes (he was 47, so old to be riding dirt bikes i thought!!!) turned up with this weird 250 Kawasaki MX bike that he'd apparently bought from a used car yard. Non of us really knew what model it was, had a green plastic tank, an underslung chamber which swept up at the back with a sort of cone shaped silencer which flaired outward at the back and went like the clappers. The outer cases were sand cast, which I thought was unusual. After a few reliable years it was eventully sold off to a young relative of his. As I was getting interested in VMX in the early 90's I tried to track it down only to be told it had been trashed. I've yet to see another like it, but I'm guessing it must have been an F11M.
Thats a very good description of what the F11M looked like. Tho I don't think the outer cases were sandcast, they were special castings & flyweight. The whole bike was flyweight. I'd say it definitely was an F11M.
Kawasaki never had the PR machine of Yam or Honda w their associated 'spin doctors', or a dealer in every town, & unfortunately their race-efforts were often half-hearted, so the F11M never had the circulation of the Elsinore or the mistique of the RH or YZ a/b but it was a mighty fine MX bike in 73. It was easily the equal of an Elsinore & far & away better than the TM & MX. Tho down a little in peak power to the Elsie it had much better MX power, was lighter & didn't have the handling/cornering quirks of the Elsie or its gearbox troubles. It was only produced in 73 & in Kaw's scheme of things it was only ever a stop-gap model till the 74KX came out (which was practically a production 'RH' & almost as rare). The "F11M" moniker didn't help its mistique as people too often associated it w a modified trailie. Nor did its drab colour scheme (pale green & black, black & more black) or Kaw's pre-occuaption w the big-bore class in US help its cause
The F11 trailie actually came out in 72 & sold very well, esp in the early years, so it was hardly too little too late. Nor is $50 more than $790 a 15% disadvantage! (More like 5%)
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Ok I gave the owner a ring and he told me it came out with a Japanese Racing team, then onto Darwin and now in his loft. ;D
It has plastic tank-Chrome Molly Frame and magnesium cases,no lights as its a MX 1973 job.
He has a few write ups on it, the manual and other paper clippings written on them,so we can all rest in peace tonight knowing there is another special bike in our great land ;) ;D
oops forgot he said "tell ya mates its not for sale" :D
cheers
A,
Thats also a good description of an F11M. No doubt it is one. Wish it was in my loft!
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a bike that could cause a little confusion would be the '74 KX450 these also had the plastic tank and downpipe. I remember the excess stocks being fitted with lights in '76-'77 at Brisk Sales and sold off cheap to farmers as AG bikes..one hell of an AG bike!! :D
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Yeh, my mate bought one in 73 as an enduro bike - registered & all. He absolutely loved it & not too many bikes could drag him off. Rather vulnerable pipe, but his din't get flattened for yonks.
Hopefully a nice pic of an F11M should be shown below (http://www.leguidevert.com/forum/images/a133377_1.jpg)
'In the flesh' in 73, tank colour wasn't nearly as nice as that - much more pale
Better w white guards too.
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great information 8) -but always chasing more :P -so when would of the F11M come out with the Japanese team and where did the event take place. ??
modifier-oops sorry typeo will see if I can get some pic when down in the city next..Now you have me intrigued with its history of how it got to Australia :o
cheers
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Strange thing happened this morning, picked up a random old trail and track mag, opened to a random page, low and behold first page of a f11m test.
Looks the same as the photo JC posted accept different tank stickers saying" Kawasaki motorcycles Pty Ltd" they also appear to be hand written.
......Yes I can copy it, no probs, let me know where it has to go.
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Alison,
It'd be nice if that chap would allow you to photograph the one he has in his loft
Strange thing happened this morning, picked up a random old trail and track mag, opened to a random page, low and behold first page of a f11m test.
Looks the same as the photo JC posted accept different tank stickers saying" Kawasaki motorcycles Pty Ltd" they also appear to be hand written.
That particular test bike had that stenciled/painted across the tank, but the rest of the Oz bikes didn't. All the australian ones had a small white round sticker on the tank instead of the black "Kawasaki" that the US ones had (as in the pic above), which had a green "K" symbol in the middle, & bold "Kawasaki motorcyles" around the circumference which can be seen in the T&T test, but it also had in smaller printing under the "K" something like "Race Team" as I recall.
I don't know of any Jap racing team that came out w them tho. Perhaps the story got blown out of proportion from the sticker, as fables do.
I can account for about 8 F11M's that came to Oz & a couple went to NZ. Kiwi Darryl Poulsen won a couple of VMX titles at Cheribah in 2000 on one they brought over from NZ. It was very original.
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Does anyone have an F11 engine they'd like to sell me?
Mark,
It shouldn't be too hard to find one at a wrecker as Kaw sold quite a few & they haven't been sought after by VMXers (like DT1/2/3 engines). Another project coming on???
If yr chasing one for a competition project, the later models (B & C, 74 & 75 I think) had closer ratio gearboxes. From memory, I think the magic # is after 16500.
Barrels are quite easy to port & I have a couple of articles w porting specs from back in the day. They are a longer stroke engine than Yam/Suz/Hon/CZ/Hus/Bul/Oss/Mon, which has its advantages. Also have F11M specs. Pipe specs too (incl tapered header) from F11M manual
Steve Cox was racing a modded F11 in VMX back a few years, but I don't know if he still is.
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Yeah John, it's for a project but not one of mine. A friend wants to build a Hagon Kawaski as he had an F11M powered bike back in the day. HE realises he won't have much chance of finding one of those engines today so the F11 is most probably the next best thing.
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Is this another article for the F11M ;D gotta get it right hey 8)
cheers
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KAWASAKI-F11M-F12M-Road-Test-Article_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286Q2em20Q2el1116QQhashZite
m4cdcab43e9QQitemZ330119726057QQpt
ZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
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74KX came out (which was practically a production 'RH' & almost as rare).
surely you jest
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I'd agree with JC, the early suzuki's and kawasaki's were so similar it isn't funny and this I assume mainly due to the imput of Olle Pettersson. I'm a Suzuki type person through and through but if given the choice of an F11M or a production RH250 I'd take the F11M without hesitation ;)
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given the choice of an F11M or a production RH250 I'd take the F11M without hesitation ;)
Actually I tend to agree, the 74 KX is a vastly under rated motorcycle, productionised RH description is not that far off. Both companies share technology then and now so it is not impossible that the KX borrowed heavily from the RH73.
Its frustrating to think how really good the TM250 could have been.
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While the F11m is very rare i really don't think it would cmpare on the track to a RH250. The '74 KX250 didn't rate that highly in magazine tests in the day but with what we know today they can be made into a good vintage mx'er. Maybe i'm just biased towards the RH.
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mmm, I was always of the same beliefs too John until I puchased a boring old F11 traily and took it vmxing. My attitude has changed 'somewhat' now after riding it. With some mild engine work and a bit of lightening up it'll be a really nice thing. 8) as for a head to head comparo of the RH250 and the F11M :P that be the sort of article I'd love to see inside a glossy type vintage mag ;D
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I'm no Olle Petersson but over the years I've ridden RH74, RH75, Kawa F11M and a 75 KX250 and in my humble opinion reckon it's a long bow to draw comparing the F11M with an RH. The F11 is indeed a good bike but's still based based on the F11 traily and I'd hate to see how much the F11M would lose a drag race with an RH by. My mate that sold his F11M reckoned that the Rickman Montesa Cappra that replaced it was faster. Dave Tanner has both KX250 and RH250 so I'd be interested in his comparison.
Having written a few of those comparo style articles over the years I now reckon they're a bit overblown and don't really prove much. Comparing bikes that are even one year apart is not really very objective as the tides of engineering improvement were moving at a rapid pace back then. Comparing a '73 F11M to an RH74 is like comparing an EJ Holden to an EH. They look similar but that year difference put them worlds apart.
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I wasn't comparing the F11M to an RH. Just trying to make the point that the 74 KX (not the F11M) is very similar to an RH. No doubt OlleP is the connection. The KX fork damping & shocks were a looong way off, but that was really their only major fault. To fix that is relatively easy these days. Frame geometry & engine design are very similar to RH. Talk to Suzuki211.
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Comparing bikes that are even one year apart is not really very objective as the tides of engineering improvement were moving at a rapid pace back then.
Wholeheartedly agree.
What the F11M should be compared to are bikes available in early 73 when it came out. Against that standard, it holds its head up high.
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okay sorry, I did get a little over zealous with the converted traily against an RH ::) but in all fairness I still maintain a modded F11 would be a good thing in pre'75. This little extract below is typical and kind of tells me the trail version of the F11 was infact built to MX specs from the outset :-\
Of the Japanese "Big Four" Kawasaki is the last to produce a genuine production motocross model to compete in the booming MX market. Yamaha has been the leader firstly with race kits for trail machines, progressing to production MX machines, to the current series of MX3's; Suzuki produced firstly the TM400 and then late last year the TM250 and finally last month we saw the TM125. Suzuki differed from Yamaha in that they concentrated straight out on the scrambler, foregoing trail bike versions. Honda, long leaders in four-stroke design both for the road and dirt, dropped a proverbial bombshell when the two-stroke CR250M production motocross machine hit the market. Here again Yamaha's trend of progressing from trail models to motocross machines was ignored. One would tend to think that Honda, realizing that they could well miss out on potential sales by procrastinating, jumped right in "whole hog" and spent a lot of money to produce the genuine article first off. Last, but not least, Kawasaki; obviously thinking along the same lines have after lots of development arrived with the Kawasaki 250 F11M. A conventional design piston port induction two stroke which has proved very popular with the trail-riding brigade. Harking back to Suzuki prior to their entrance into the world of motocross, ex-Husqvarna Teamster, Olle Pettersson of Sweden was engaged to design, develop and produce a winning machine. That Pettersson did everything that he was asked to is now much "old hat", as we all know what fabulous Grand Prix machines the Suzuki's are. Pettersson, an exceptional rider, was more or less pushed into the background by the three "Flying Belgians", Robert, De Coster and Goeboers who always took the front running position on the Suzukis. In 1972, Kawasaki obtained his services, and from scratch he has once again channelled his designing and engineering talents into producing a first class motocross machine. One would think that with his success with Suzuki that this new machine would be just another Suzuki in disguise. Not so - it is a completely new model in its own right. With all last years competition to sort out the prototype it is quite understandable that we now have a top line 250 production model in our midst.
I know the frame was designed by Olle and a top US frame builder but the name eludes me ?? The other article is also era and paints a fairly common picture to most tests and articles I've read..
(http://nvpgya.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pfFz18sXzwidNi7_wgR2be67xO0JyuAM4aN5eaRHF6DQ_vANFJeQHEqdOum3ZI4JN4aFq3U4cJNAYq21K7Saa6Q/kpr1.jpg)
(http://nvpgya.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pMqHu13B2BHXqtXK3jY-F-tSMMxnagiNLsbfgoypkuepZqQ7A5xaQEZStfuIksmLGZ2gF2gtFqqXrdJXPXLg1Sg/kpr3.jpg)
(http://nvpgya.bay.livefilestore.com/y1puWYa2Vr5HoYW7OFwRc3IzASgLkcnCAdGqJWKS9zZsRHbBG--N7cNVRoS0uO_qnjcY2aMeF0qbk1oHPpAuhXKKg/kpr4.jpg)
(http://nvpgya.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pzVHaTqlTm7HNWgdGa4zYeB6rWULEXWxKI-xh6trp_nZrSA-d-yu1VBXtjGDg_R4OH3rM6ZH4M0HFTBtI4HhsBw/kpr6.jpg)
(http://nvpgya.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pzVHaTqlTm7G7BnhRkfRxQNJlq7SXtZk_UHB-16z5qmbdW06n2h_JTIFA8ZIbPWnXrCWLrcgS5K3cPddXnkhA7g/kpr7.jpg)
(http://nvpgya.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pNHf7tytuopbchaVAeUszhdZESCwVvn3t5J-l9SN15bS6LldQfIdqWSF3KWiCBBqvSzG0JEjg_KLutnLeKk70pQ/kpr8.jpg)
(http://nvpgya.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pXNRR7k_14oYg_4Nyu0A_nopt9UUiVVbUIfVpgEhJn3A1mlRUC9z1sgDYqk8JcfO6AwS--NtPv3ywy5vnFhKD6A/kpr9.jpg)
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The KX fork damping & shocks were a looong way off, but that was really their only major fault. To fix that is relatively easy these days.
Too true, with a little bit of suspension tuning the KX may not be better than an RH but you can give one a scare. I mean even the humble TM250 can be 'sorted' with a few bolt ons.
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The KX fork damping & shocks were a looong way off, but that was really their only major fault. To fix that is relatively easy these days.
Too true, with a little bit of suspension tuning the KX may not be better than an RH but you can give one a scare. I mean even the humble TM250 can be 'sorted' with a few bolt ons.
A few bolt ons frame , forks , shocks , then hopfully it would only weigh as much as single decker bus ;) dont matter how you dress it a TM 250 will always be an overweight sledge :)
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A few bolt ons frame , forks , shocks , then hopfully it would only weigh as much as single decker bus ;) dont matter how you dress it a TM 250 will always be an overweight sledge :)
[/quote]
Guess I was a little optimistic Bill..... you can put lipstick on a pig...but its still a pig.
Pity Suzuki never built a CR250 beater out of the TM, they had the racing experience to build at least the 74 TM into a better bike.
My understanding is that the TM and RH were developed by seperate teams who wouldn't share technology. Working for a Japanese company I can believe it.
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This is how you get a TM to go. Lightweight frame, Alloy swingarm, YZ250A Yamaha forks, OW mag front hub, RL back wheel, plastic tank and bodywork = 190lb TM400 ;D
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-8/1062154/cd6%20044.jpg)
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nice, see Bill just a few bolt ons. ;D Then all you need is an RH250 top end and you have it all.
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That B&S of firkos really is the goods :) i saw it at CD6 and it is very trick and very period :)
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Thanks Bill...It is indeed trick, even if I do say so myself. I spoke to Jens Olsen yesterday at Nepean and organised dropping off the newly arrived full circle crank TS400 engine to undergo his porting and ignition trickery. Then the bike will have an engine to match the chassis. Jens has also agreed to ride it at the Dirt Track Nats at Raymond Terrace in September. He'd be on it for Conondale but unfortunately he's not going.
I've never been a Suzuki kind of guy but this bike and my 'bit by bit' TS90 project are turning me over to the dark side. ::)
I'm still scratching my head as to what to do with the two TM250s. No, they're not for sale........yet.
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Firko what's the go with the steering head on that B&S frame, does it have adjustable head angle via the bolts?
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Firko welcome to the home of champions.
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another picture of Firko's Boyd and Stelling..
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a205/Doctor_Suzuki/CD6010.jpg)
TS90's must be catching, here's mine as of about 10 minutes ago :P
(http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a205/Doctor_Suzuki/060709003.jpg)
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Firko what's the go with the steering head on that B&S frame, does it have adjustable head angle via the bolts?
Yeah John the B&S frame has an adjustable steering head rake so you can adjust the geometry to suit various tracks and disciplines. The bike looks a tad odd in the photos as it's on full "in" adjustment after showing someone at CD6 how it works. It's normally in a less agressive rake mode for MX.
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-8/1062154/cd6%20043.jpg)
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Firko - will that be racing at the Nats?
cheers
Rossco
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Ross...I had intended it to be at the Nats but the intended rider,Jens Olsen has decided he can't afford the trip so we'll hold over it's open debut to the DT Nats in September. I'll hopefully debut her at the Nepean 2 day in 3 weeks.
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Firko - I reckon you, Shane Fraser and I could have a good play at the back of pre 75 Open???????????
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That'd be fun Rossco but I think my motocross days are well behind me. With a badly gammy ankle, a knee not much better, 30 kilos too many and an upcoming 60th birthday, I reckon dirt track and the odd vinduro are more my pace these days. I like building the bikes and seeing fast MX guys do what I can't on them.
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badly gammy ankle, a knee not much better, 30 kilos too many and an upcoming 60th birthday,
I think they have a pre 64 dud ankle, knee and fat bastard class..... if they don't they should develop one based on the age of the rider and life experience.
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Just two questions.
Was the F11 a crank port engine as if I remember right they were 2 foot wide?
Is Firko still looking for a motor for one as I might know of one though it my be a 350?
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If it's a 350 and a 'crank port' I'll take it. ;)
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EML, the F11 is quite a normal size and piston port. The 'crank port' job with the carb on side is the 350 F9 Bighorn ;)
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Well I think there is one of those over the farm. What are they good for apart from scaring chooks.
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Well I think there is one of those over the farm. What are they good for apart from scaring chooks.
NOTHING just send it to me I have chooks that need to be pulled into line.
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NOTHING just send it to me I have chooks that need to be pulled into line.
:D
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I seem to remember Peter Ploen racing a 350 in NZ-I'll give him a call and ask him ;)
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I can account for about 8 F11M's that came to Oz & a couple went to NZ. Kiwi Darryl Poulsen won a couple of VMX titles at Cheribah in 2000 on one they brought over from NZ. It was very original.
Well its been 16 months since the start of this topic and I cant say I've seen too many of the F11M's around,
You're not likely to either Allison. I know of only 3 still in existence, including the one you located in WA, & I think 1 of them has been sold to a US collector
[/quote]maybe the rare one at CD8 ? :(
cheers
[/quote]
??? Tell me more
I spoke to a chap at the last CD (ie CD7) who tho't he had one but it was very definitely a 74 KX250
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350 Bighorn engines are big lumps but they can be made into something pretty impressive fairly easily. A good friend of mine, Paul Bastick fitted one to a TD1B Yamaha roller and it performed as well as the original twin. Apparently the original balance factor is all wrong so a re jig in that department smooths them out. The rotary valve timing is really conservative so once that's addressed along with better ignition, carby and a pipe. There was a bloke racing a 350 Kwaka at Nepean last year that was fitted with the rare factory road race kit and it hooted.
I know of only 3 still in existence
The late Stan Rose raced an F11M here in Sydney but sold it to Mick Murnane from Melbourne in the early to mid nineties. Mick raced it for a while but he and the bike eventually dropped from site.
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A favorite of mine, Jay Springsteen demonstrating how to skid an F9 350..probably Champion framed but eh..it's still a Bighorn 8)
(http://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1plprgFNzHVlvFYJx0oarmAX8WR4zBuaNn0FNKA2C4JtcM_qlc3_T2SL50dQXnCr4-fJMmuNFl1FxcRhm7CONzSQ/Jay%20Springsteen%20Kawasaki%20350%20Bighorn.jpg?psid=1)
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Great shot of Springer doing what he does best Doc. It's hard to tell but the bits you can see look to be a Champion frame. The bike that raced at Nepean with the factory kit that I mentioned earlier is a intersting piece of kit. The frame started life as a brand new stock F9 Bighorn trailbike but it was converted to flat track geometry by Rick(?) Parry using a kit that Kawasaki apparently supplied to a limited number of American competitors. The geometry is almost inch for inch, degree for degree a copy of a Bultaco Astro which in turn was supposedly based on Trackmaster geometry. Whatever the history, it's a really well engineered bike that went pretty well considering it had been pulled out of the shed after sitting idle for 30 years. The owner reckoned he had a couple of race kits and some race pipes but, they weren't for sale.
(http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-8/1062154/NEPEAN%20AUG%2009%20286.jpg)
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CD8 ???..what have I missed!! Where was it!! :o oops, my bad, read it the wrong way :-X
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Doc is this it ??
sounds like it has heeps of potential. ;D
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Srq4r3SpuGQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InVh4pcxEes&feature=related
In preparation for the 1973 season, the factory initiated production of a semi-production machine (just 200 units) that was dubbed the F11-M. Most of these remained in Japan as the smaller Japanese riders didn't have the size and strength to handle the open class machines that were so popular in America.
Bryon Farnsworth - Kawasaki R&D Manager in America recalls testing the early F11M prototypes coming from Japan. “We used Peter Lamppu and Jim Cook as test riders and Kawasaki Japan contracted Thorlief Hansen! Our riders were impressed with the power, the finish was good, but suspension and handling still left something to be desired!” Bryon goes on to say, “The Japanese focused on the 250's as their test riders were smaller and we (Kawasaki R&D in America) focused on developing the 450 identified as the F-12MX! Heck, the Japanese test riders couldn't even start the 450's……..we had to do it for them!”
By 1974, Kawasaki introduced the KX line of motocross bikes and later hired Jeff Ward, Gary Semics, and Jimmy Weinert to pilot the factory machines. Weinert rewarded them with a 500cc National title in 1975 and a 250cc Supercross title in 1976.
http://www.earlyyearsofmx.com/1973KAWASAKIF11M250.html
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:D yes you can just hear the potential oozing out in that exhaust note Alison. Fine examples!! Looks like I'll have to dig mine back out to take up the cause ;) last ride was CD6 and it wasn't going too bad but had clutch issues..least of which being a welded on kickstart from a previous owner which meant I couldn't do much..lazy me bought another shaft and lever just after..but ummm..it's still on the shelf with the inner rotor ignition I purchased much the same time :-[ like this thread, you can't rush these things ;D
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funny you say welded on kick start, mine possesses the same currently, the orig one snapped so we welded a random one onto the side, so as am still able to just take the orig one off the spline and will remove the dodgy one...currently looking for one at moment will prob just jump on ebay and buy one from US...little expensive but ok.
just adding more pics to my intro thread below
http://ozvmx.com/community/index.php?topic=17462.0 (http://ozvmx.com/community/index.php?topic=17462.0)
or direct link to pics here
http://s145.photobucket.com/albums/r231/sberton/Kawasaki%20F11B%201975/
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Heres one on Ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Kawasaki-F11-250-F-11-Vintage-1970s-Trail-Bike-VMX-/330511374769?pt=AU_Motorcycle_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4cf40359b1
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With all the special legends,families,mechanics and vmx associates around at this weekends Classic Dirt 9 Wallarwang NSW ,it was perhaps no surprise to recieve more info about these bikes in Australia.Talked to Trevor Williams Kawasaki mechanic in the Commercial Hotel and confirmed that there is under five of these F11M brought/left in Australia.
cheers A