As we do

[JC]

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%)

[JC]

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. 
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     
oops forgot he said "tell ya mates its not for sale" 
cheers

A,

Thats also a good description of an F11M. No doubt it is one. Wish it was in my loft!

[DR]

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!!

[JC]

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


'In the flesh' in 73, tank colour wasn't nearly as nice as that - much more pale
Better w white guards too.

[VMX247]

great information      -but always chasing more      -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 
cheers

[evo550]

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.

[JC]

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.

[JC]

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.

[firko]

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.

[VMX247]

Is this another article for the F11M     gotta get it right hey 
cheers

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KAWASAKI-F11M-F12M-Road-Test-Article_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286Q2em20Q2el1116QQhashZite
m4cdcab43e9QQitemZ330119726057QQpt
ZMotorcyclesQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

[Marc.com]

74KX came out (which was practically a production 'RH' & almost as rare).

surely you jest

[DR]

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

[Marc.com]

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.

[JohnnyO]

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.

[DR]

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. as for a head to head comparo of the RH250 and the F11M that be the sort of article I'd love to see inside a glossy type vintage mag