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Kawasaki's KL250J agri is a two-wheeled Jeep
By Dave Abrahams At first glance the Kawasaki KL250J Stockman looks like an ordinary enduro bike with carriers tacked on at both ends – but a couple of days aboard KHI's first purpose-built agribike will soon convince you otherwise. The KL's all-digital instrument pod doesn't run to a rev-counter, so it's difficult to quantify, but the motor ran smoothly and exhibited no signs of stress until well past its torque peak.
But it also means that the 'box never misses a shift, with or without the clutch - and it will go into neutral anytime you want, as long as the bike is standing still, a Kawasaki idiosyncrasy that dates back to the 1960s. It takes a little getting used to, but once you remember to stop in first, it's dead easy to use. The bike is fitted with an all-stainless exhaust system, complete with catalyser, which runs incredibly hot in service, and stays that way long after you park the bike. Worse still, there's only 1.5 litres of 10W40 in the slim crankcases, and the motor runs just as hot as the pipe. I came in from a long ride and parked the KL for a full hour before returning to polish it for the photos; both motor and pipe were still hot enough to inflict nasty burns on my hands. In practical terms, the result is that no matter how good the oil you use in the motor, it's going to get fried PDQ*. I suggest that in South Africa's unmercifully hot and dusty climate, you change the oil on your KL250J more frequently than the 5000km intervals recommended by the manufacturers; it will help to keep the top end of the motor properly lubricated and it can't hurt everywhere else. The steel frame is also unique to this bike, with a deep rectangular backbone giving extra stiffness to a conventional single-downtube cradle frame. The rectangular-section swing-arm is painted silver to look like an alloy unit but it's also steel, the better to stand up to the kind of abuse that gets handed out to hard-working agricultural implements. The rear suspension has a central monoshock, adjustable only for preload, with a bottom-mounted Uni-Trak link for a reasonably rising rate despite the limited suspension travel. There's no centre-stand, but the KL has a second side-stand on the right so that you can park the bike even where the ground slopes the wrong way – just remember to leave it in gear. The theme of practicality über alles is extended to the conventional front forks, which are protected by the long rubber gaiters that were popular on dirt-bikes when they were still called scramblers. They look a little out of place today but they still do a very good job of keeping mud and other abrasive stuff off the polished chrome stanchions. The brakes are also very ordinary, floating callipers at both ends on plain stainless-steel discs, but well up to stopping a 120kg bike with no pillion accommodation. All the vulnerable bits are well tucked away, with the sole exception of the sliding pins on the calipers themselves, which would repay frequent cleaning and re-greasing. Thanks mostly to the limited suspension travel, the KL has an unexpectedly low 830mm saddle height, the lowest of any off-roader IOL has reviewed. This also lowers the centre of gravity and makes it the most sure-footed dirt-bike I've ever ridden – even in thick sand. The long, flat saddle is comfortable enough for several hours of playing in the dirt, while being able to reach the ground with knees comfortably bent, even on cross-slopes, gave me the self-confidence to take the Kawasaki into - and through! – some places I didn't have the nerve to tackle on genuine, very capable, enduro machinery. This highlights the bike's strongest point; very few working farmers are skilled enduro riders. Most, like myself, are competent road riders but lack confidence in the dirt. Anybody who can ride a bike at all can ride the KL250 safely anywhere he or she can walk, at up to about 40km/h – which is faster than a cow or sheep can run. It turns in as quickly and surely as a quarter-horse, steering with pinpoint accuracy and making it easy to avoid the rocky outcrops and overhanging thorn-tree branches of the average African farm. The converse is also true, however; anywhere above 105km/h on tar the bike has a disconcerting tendency to pick up a long, slow headshake which goes on for hundreds of metres - especially in a straight line! Since the motor is happiest at about 95, I just learned to relax on the tar and ride inside the Kawasaki's comfort zone. Ridden like that the bike returns a very creditable 5.36 litres/100km, the more so considering the short standard gearing, which allows it to be ridden at little more than walking pace in first without jerking - very reassuring when picking your way through thick bush. The only instrumentation is a small rectangular LCD pod, which gives a speedo read-out, odometer, two tripmeters and a digital clock. It's mounted behind a little plastic cowl, which does nothing more than keep the sun off the display and make it easily readable – very practical. The KL comes standard with front and rear carriers, as well as heavy-duty handguards, useful for keeping the aforementioned thorn branches off your favourite knuckles. That also applies to car mirrors in heavy traffic, but don't quote me on that! The brackets for the front carrier completely enclose the instruments and headlights, while the handguards protect the levers, making the bike practically crash-proof. All the fittings for the carrier and handguard brackets are built in, not added on, so everything is solidly bolted in place, adding to the Kawasaki's air of total competence. In so many ways this thing is a two-wheeled Jeep, intended to do a job along with its owner, without demanding any attention for itself. With frequent oil-changes it should last just about forever. *PDQ = pretty damn quick. Specifications: Motor: Liquid-cooled four-stroke single. Capacity: 249cc Bore x stroke: 72 x 61.2mm. Valvegear: DOHC with four overhead valves per cylinder. Compression ratio: 9.3:1. Power: 15kW @ 8000rpm. Torque:20.6Nm @ 6000rpm. Induction:Mikuni BST34 carburettor. Ignition: CDI electronic. Starting: Electric. Transmission: 6-speed constant mesh gearbox with final drive by chain. Suspension: Conventional cartridge forks at front, bottom-link Unitrack linkage with monoshock adjustable for preload. Brakes: 230mm disc with twin-piston floating calliper at front, 210mm disc with single-piston floating calliper at rear. Tyres: Front: 2.75-21 tube type. Rear: 4.10-18 tube type. Wheelbase: 1375mm. Seat height: 830mm. Dry weight: 121.5kg. Fuel capacity: 9 litres. |
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