Kawasaki KH250

Way back, a friend bought a brand new '78 KH250. It was amazing, & so different to the 2 & 4 stroke twins in the 250 class. So when I had the chance to buy a cosmetically challenged but mechanically sound model for £250 (this was before triple prices went stratospheric) I jumped at it. Not my wisest decision. Maybe it would have been alright as a Sunday toy, but I was using it as a commuter.

Mechanically, it was fine, apart from great thirst & fouling plugs in town, electrically a nightmare. The 3 sets of points needed adjusting once a fortnight, it didn't like wet weather, running on anything from 1 to 3 pots, no matter how much you dosed it with WD40. And it ate sparkplugs.

That's not to say it was all bad, had some great sunny early morning blasts with a friend on his H1 triple, but as an everyday bike it failed miserably. Ended up selling it as a non runner ('leccy gremlins again) for what I'd paid for it, with no regrets.

i loved my kawasaki what a great little bike'wish i could turn back time.the bike was reliable stylish and was way ahead of other 250.s only problem i found at the time was the handling. the kawa demand a bit of respect in corners or it would bite ur ass as they say.great fun.

great fun great little runner never let me down

Mine was in Kawasaki racing colours with kh written on the seat. Also polished the engine casings, chromed and shortend rear mudguard and chromed chainguard.

My first bike. Wanted one since I was a school kid. Went everywhere on it with my mates on there RD's >'s. Commuted to work on it. Got 55mpg if I took it steady! Loved it to bits. Wrote it off Oct 78 when some idiot decided to turn right as i was overtaking them. Would definately have another (or maybe a 400 or 500) !

I own a restored 1978 model Kawasaki KH250b2 in Candy Lime Green. I did the restoration myself as a labour of love (and on reflection - stupidity!)

I first saw the little Kawasaki looking well used and tired on ebay in 2006, it was an original unmolested example like I'd owned back when I was 17 with all matching numbers and a history which takes it back to the man who got it out of the crate, the bidding was up to about 500 quid and I decided I wanted it on a mid-life crisis whim and bid 600. A couple of days later I received an email telling me that my bid was successful so arranged a trip to some far flung Yorkshire village where I went and parted with the readies. Once back home and panting, sweating and tripping over things like a love struck teenager I quickly donned the old gear and took the old KH out for a spin. It took me a few moments to think about how to actually start the thing after all these years and being used to modern automatic push button gizmo's - key, choke, kickstart - yes I remember. One swift kick and the old triple crackled into life with those three smoky exhausts emitting a steady stream of burnt oil, left it a minute or two on tickover to warm her up and just on tickover the noise, the smell - my God I was 17 again! The ride was a hoot as the bike crackled and smoked along, take a bend and the frame felt like it had a hinge somewhere in the middle; this coupled with what seem like Teflon coated tyres made the handling interesting to say the least; back on the straight and a fast open stretch in front of me and well - you can guess what's coming! Yes I clunked my way down to third and let her rip and despite that whining, wailing triple engine rising to a screaming banshee-like howl near the redline and leaving an environmentally destructive smokescreen behind me - well - nothing really happened in terms of acceleration - I'm sure it was faster than this when I was 17!

I nevertheless returned home with a smile on my face that met somewhere around the back of my head and raced indoors to play my Clash album loudly and toy with the idea of spiking my hair up a little.

I used the little Kwak for about a week after that until it broke down for the third time with dodgy points and condenser - remember those? It ran out of petrol twice the calculations done later brought the mpg to about 20!!!

Undaunted the following week saw a middle aged buffoon making a pledge to return the little KH to it's former glory and setting about with spanners to strip down the bike to it's last nut and bolt. The weeks wore on and in a bid to create a masterpiece I had begun to act like one of those mad scientist's wanting to breathe life into his dormant 'project' I began to spend money like a fool having shot blasting, powder coating, re-spray, new chrome, new upholstery, new exhausts, new handlebars, mirrors, brakes, nuts and bolts etc, etc, etc ... 2 grand later and after lots of hammer rash and blood blisters I had a stunning little 'as good as new ' Kh250 which looks nice but I'm never going to make my money back on and which now after the novelty has long since worn off stands forlornly in the garage unused, rusting and fading away all over again until some new middle aged buffoon who is trying to be 17 again comes along and parts with his readies. The KH250 - an expensive way to make you feel 17 again - hair dye would be a lot cheaper.

Having owned a KH250 back when it was legal to ride on L plates and having a 'rose tinted' memory of the machine I leapt at the chance to own another now whilst in my forties.

The bike on ebay was rough but honest with all matching numbers and a tracable history from back when it was in the crate, running and legal and all for £600 - how could I not? So off I went to some far flung place in a borrowed van and parted with the readies.

Once back home I quickly donned the gear and started up the old Green triple for a smoky cackling howling trip down memory lane and have to say I wasn't disappointed. The bike sounded fantastic as it burbled and crackled like only a two stroke triple can, give it some throttle and the KH turned into a whining wailing smoke belching banshee which left a hideous fog trail behind me and frightened children and old ladies as I passed. Back home wearing a smile that met somewhere around the back of my head and feeling like a teenage rebel again I felt there and then that it was the best £600 I'd spent in a long time.

Unfortunately I couldn't stop there and decided that I was going to restore this wonderful cure for middle age blues back to it's former glory and set about dismantling the thing down to the last nut and bolt. Crazed like a mad scientist I was soon burning the midnight oil every night restoring every piece back to perfection, all my spare cash was being spent on shot blasting and powder coating, respraying and re-chroming, stainless this and re-upholstered that - if it couldn't be restored it had to be replaced with new. Six long months went by until there stood a gleaming spotless KH250 like it had just come out of the crate and I was so proud.

After all this hard work and months of hammer rash and oily fingers I rode the thing once more and that was it! Horror of horrors the novelty had worn off.

And now she sits rusting in a corner unused and unloved and why am i telling you all this?

The Kawasaki KH250 - a terrible handling, wailing, slow, polluting, gas guzzler - but a small price to pay for something that makes you feel seventeen again.