Kawasaki KR 250

Indeed, one way or another, the KR250 brings out the closet racer in the most conservative of riders. That's its heritage. In 1981 Kawasaki won a world championship with another bike named KR250. But while the street KR owes its basic design to the racer KR, the two share no parts. Both have at their heart a twin-cylinder two-stroke engine that is, in effect, two 125cc Singles mounted one behind the other in a common crankcase, their cranks connected by large gears. Rotary-valve induction is used on both racer and replica, with dual carbs feeding into the side of the crankcase. An exhaust pipe from the front cylinder tucks under the engine; the other pipe snakes its way from the back of the rearcylindertoexit high nearthe seat. Both KRs are narrow, light and powerful.

That racer heritage shines through in the street KR250. The engine pulls cleanly everyplace, but it's happiest between 8000 and 10,500 rpm. When the engine hits eight grand at full throttle in first gear, the front wheel claws for the sky while the KR leaps forward almost as quickly as a catalyst-equipped RZ350 Yamaha. And the Kawasaki cruises smoothly and effortlessly at speeds unheard of for a 250: 80, 90, 100 mph. Top speed is well over 110 mph. The penalty is that, much like a racing 250, the KR only makes good power in one gear at any given speed. Come out of a corner a gear too high, the engine will drone ineffectively.

Handling-wise, the KR is quick-steering yet stable, and the suspension is supple over small bumps, rather harsh over large ones. The only real handling defect, however, comes from the slightly rearward weight bias: The front end lightens so much under power that the steering can be vague and imprecise when charging out of slow turns.

Still, for a thoroughbred racer that's been tamed for street use, the KR250 has few weaknesses. It's racy enough to be more high-revving fun on the street than just about anything on two wheels.