This was absolutely unheard of at the time, as no subcc four-stroke had ever proven even remotely competitive with the two-strokes on equal footing.
With this news, it became very apparent that the other Big Four Japanese manufacturers needed to get their thinking caps on in a hurry. None of them even had an Open class four-stroke ready to compete with the YZF and now Yamaha was going after their business as well.
No one knew for sure if the new YZF would even be competitive, but if the YZF were any indication, they would be foolish to stand pat and get left behind. In August of , Suzuki and Kawasaki took a bold step toward bolstering their market position by purposing an alliance between the two brands. Both manufacturers would remain autonomous, but each brand would share products that did not overlap hence the yellow KX65 and pool their resources to design and manufacture a F to compete with the new Yamaha.
Both teams would work together, with Kawasaki focusing on the chassis and Suzuki developing the motor. Final assembly would be handled by Kawasaki and both brands would sell the machine with minor changes to differentiate the two. Dual-overhead cams actuated four valves and were fed by a 37mm Keihin FCR carburetor.
Other than color and a slightly different radiator shroud, the Kawazuki twins were identical. Power was torquey and twins worked best when short-shifted instead of wrung out. While this was different from what many people were expecting, it was not really a disadvantage. The power was competitive and the bike handled decently, but it was not going to be mistaken for a RM in the corners.
Overall, the bikes were flawed, but fun to ride. As with nearly any completely new design, there were bound to be problems and these issues led to tension between the two companies.
The bikes were well received initially, but when the new motor proved unreliable, it reflected badly on both parties. Eventually, tensions rose to the point that neither was happy and in May of , Kawasaki and Suzuki decided to end their alliance. While the original KXF certainly had its issues, it was still a very important machine for Kawasaki.
It was vital in for Kawasaki to get in the game and show that they were capable of competing with Honda and Yamaha in this exploding market.
The four-stroke was looking very much like the wave of the future and it was starting to look like the green team was falling behind. The alliance with Suzuki bought Kawasaki some much needed breathing room and a little time to get it right, something they would do with the second generation of their F machine. In , Kawasaki became the last of the Big Four Japanese manufacturers to unveil an Open class four-stroke.
Amazingly, this was a full eight years after the original Yamaha YZF shocked the world in Yamaha had taken the rest of the manufacturers by surprise with their high revving, road race inspired racing thumper and it took all of them several years to catch up. By , both KTM and Honda had big-bore four-strokes in the hunt and plans were set for Kawasaki to unveil their new valve and cam racer in the fall of The new bike was set to use a unique D-style alloy frame that was completely unlike anything else on the market and be powered by a traditional short-stroke DOHC four-stroke single.
In, things looked good for a model year release, but unfortunately, the prototypes being raced in Japan suffered some very high profile frame failures that led the engineers to scrap the D-style frame design completely. When prototype frames began braking in Japan, Kawasaki scrapped the original design and went with an alloy perimeter configuration similar to what Honda was using on its CR and CRF line.
Forced to go back to the drawing board, Kawasaki decided to go with a more traditional alloy perimeter frame similar to the ones Honda had been utilizing since the late nineties. This was a proven design and provided a sturdy and flex-free platform that could handle the immense power and torque of the new cc power plant.
This setback in development pushed back the arrival of the KXF over a year and the new bike would not make its debut until September of Once the new KXF finally hit the market, it was an instant success with a buying public intoxicated by the allure of the new valve-and-cam craze.
It was not the best F of , but it was competitive and a very solid first effort. By far the biggest complaint was with the four-speed transmission, which severely limited its versatility. That is a pedigree no other four-stroke manufacturer can claim. When Honda went to a four-stroke in , most pit pundits thought the writing was on the wall for the venerable two-stroke mini.
Rumors of a purposed YZF had been circulating since the arrival of the original Yamaha F and it seemed inevitable that the days of 85cc two-strokes were numbered. A funny thing happened on the way to the bone yard however; the two-stroke started to make a comeback. KTM, long the champion of the oil-burner, continued to pour development dollars into its racing smokers and perhaps most important, the AMA did not make the same mistake with the that they did with the F.
Unlike the F and F, which were allowed to run legally in the and class, the new CRFR would not be allowed to compete in the 85cc division. It was legal only in the Super Mini class, where it would face larger machines. Its wide powerband was an advantage, but it was heavier and actually put out less power than a strong running 85 and smoker. Even though four-stroke Armageddon was averted for now at least , Kawasaki, Yamaha and Suzuki seemed content to sit back and keep cranking out decades old minis.
Along the way, they had all enjoyed suspension upgrades and some minor bodywork improvements, but the basic machines remained largely unchanged from the days of and Pearl Jam.
For , Kawasaki finally decided to retire their mini workhorses and introduce an all-new KX85 and KX Significantly, the new bikes remained two-strokes, which were lighter, easier to work on, and less costly to repair than a comparable thumper. The new machines featured radically redesigned bodywork designed to mimic the KXF , upgraded suspension and a major boost in power.
The frames remained largely unchanged, but the overall machines enjoyed an all new character. Perhaps most significant were the power upgrades that finally brought the KX within reach of the blazing fast Austrian competition. A new cylinder, head, single-ring piston and expansion chamber boosted power a full four horsepower over and offered a broad and easy to ride power curve. The KTM and nearly identical Husky offered more peak power, but they were harder to ride and more expert oriented.
With Honda stubbornly refusing to rethink their all four-stroke strategy and Suzuki and Yamaha content to rehash old designs, it is important that someone besides KTM is willing to invest in new product in a traditionally neglected division. Nothing helps the breed more than competition and we can all thank Kawasaki for helping to keep the two-stroke oil burning. In all fairness, it is much too early to officially add the KXF to this list, but the initial specs are certainly appealing.
It is no secret that one of the major issues with four-strokes has always been weight. They are big bikes with lots of moving parts and have tended to be correspondingly heavier than the two-strokes they replaced. The addition of fuel injection and its associated hardware have only made that worse.
Honda was first to bring back a little sanity to the ballooning waistlines in and KTM has done amazing things with their incredibly svelte Factory Edition machines.
Now, Kawasaki has finally entered the game and put their immensely successful KXF on a weight loss program. The new boasts a whopping 6. A new mm front disc looks to give Brembo a run for their money and numerous engine upgrades promise lots of holeshots in With its adjustable bar mounts and selectable peg positions, the new KXF is not just lighter; it is also the most customizable stock on the market today.
With the new KXF pointing the way forward, all of us can rest assured that Kawasaki is ready and willing to keep investing in the sport we love. They were the first to the party in , and remain one of the most committed to motocross innovation in the new millennium. Let the good times roll. Kawasaki Motocross history Kawasaki has a long and storied history in the sport of motocross.
Sit back and check out the evolution ala green. The Kawasaki KX, KX and KX Have linkage will travel In the late seventies, motocross suspension design was moving at a break-neck pace and all the manufacturers were caught in a battle of technological one-upmanship. Braappp Kawasaki KXF: Slimmed down, toned up and ready to race In all fairness, it is much too early to officially add the KXF to this list, but the initial specs are certainly appealing. Tony Blazier. The company, as Meihatsu under the Kawasaki umbrella, began producing motorcycles in large numbers beginning with a cc, 4-stroke bike in For the next 10 years, the Kawasaki Motor Company built standard street motorcycles.
In , it developed the off-road dirt bike B8M Motocrosser. The Kawasaki cc 2-stroke F21M model, the offspring of the famed Red-Tank Furore, debuted in , winning a series of off-road races throughout Japan. More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.
Entry-level salaries may be lower. UTI programs prepare graduates for careers in industries using the provided training, primarily as automotive technicians. Some UTI graduates get jobs within their field of study in positions other than as a technician, such as service writer, smog inspector and parts manager.
North Carolina salary information: The U. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish entry-level salary data. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics, viewed June 2, UTI programs prepare graduates for careers in industries using the provided training, primarily as welding technicians.
Some UTI graduates get jobs within their field of study in positions other than as a technician, such as certified inspector and quality control. Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers, viewed June 2, UTI programs prepare graduates for careers in industries using the provided training, primarily as collision repair technicians. Some UTI graduates get jobs within their field of study in positions other than as a technician, such as appraiser, estimator and inspector.
Automotive Body and Related Repairers, viewed June 2, UTI programs prepare graduates for careers in industries using the provided training, primarily as diesel technicians. Some UTI graduates get jobs within their field of study in positions other than as a diesel truck technician, such as maintenance technician, locomotive technician and marine diesel technician.
MMI is an educational institution and cannot guarantee employment or salary. MMI programs prepare graduates for careers in industries using the provided training, primarily as motorcycle technicians. Some MMI graduates get jobs within their field of study in positions other than as a technician, such as service writer, equipment maintenance, and parts associate. Motorcycle Mechanics, viewed June 2, MMI programs prepare graduates for careers in industries using the provided training, primarily as marine technicians.
Some MMI graduates get jobs within their field of study in positions other than as a technician, such as equipment maintenance, inspector and parts associate. Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians, viewed June 2, For details, contact the program representative at the campus you are interested in attending. UTI programs prepare graduates for careers in industries using the provided training, primarily as CNC machining technicians.
Some UTI graduates get jobs within their field of study in positions other than as a technician, such as CNC operator, apprentice machinist, and machined parts inspector. For program outcome information and other disclosures, visit www. See Table 1. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www. Students are responsible for any other costs such as lab fees associated with the course. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an annual average of 61, job openings between and Job openings include openings due to net employment changes and net replacements.
Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an annual average of 43, job openings between and Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an annual average of 24, job openings between and Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an annual average of 13, job openings between and Bureau of Labor Statistics projects an annual average of 11, job openings between and Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that total national employment for Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics will be , by Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that total national employment for Automotive Body and Related Repairers will be , by Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that total national employment for Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers will be , by Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that total national employment for Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Operators will be , by
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