Kawasaki KR1 250cc 1989 model iam after general information.

Marc_456 · Post by **Marc_456** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 8:27 pm

Hi on ebay there is a Kr1 which is few miles from me. (Item no 160126258125) what i wanted to know is what are the engines like on this model, do they need alot of maintenace and are they reliable bikes.
Thanks Marc

rc46 · Post by **rc46** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 10:23 pm

short answer and not very helpful i know...

Yes they are reliable if they have been maintained..

This bike has a few miles on it, and has been standing... Youd want some history but i doubt it has that... The engines are pretty good and are easy to work on... Linkages tend to come lose so make sure they are all there, servo motors can die if cables have siezed, (its been sitting a while so make sure that works) make sure all that works, when it starts make sure she has equal preassure from each exhaust, and idels well, make sure both chambers get warm, also rad gets warm, check the water colour.. once warm give it a few revs to see if she goes okay... and if all that is okay you may have a decent start.. BUT be prepared with no history to do at least a top end rebuild sometime soon, and while your there check the crank for play...

looking at that bike id pay £350 - £400 tops as a top end is gona be £200 and if the crank needs done that could be another £250+ and then there will be all the other little bits....+ labour if someone dose it for you!!

If your after doing the work yourself and not scared go for it, if not save a bit more cash and get one with some documented history....

SHimmer45 · Post by **SHimmer45** » Mon Jun 11, 2007 11:42 pm

use pukka fully synth and KR's are fine

Marc_456 · Post by **Marc_456** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 9:32 am

Thanks for the information i was surprised how little it seems to be worth. To have a crank rebuild cant you just take the crank to a motorbike garage to have the bearings put on, or is it specialist job.
Thanks Marc

the-elf · Post by **the-elf** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 12:07 pm

The crank is assembled from several parts which are all pressed into each other. It a specilist job. Stan Stephens or RC46 mate's (can't remeber their name ATM) can do the job.

rc46 · Post by **rc46** » Tue Jun 12, 2007 2:41 pm

Marc_456 wrote:Thanks for the information i was surprised how little it seems to be worth. To have a crank rebuild cant you just take the crank to a motorbike garage to have the bearings put on, or is it specialist job.
Thanks Marc

As elf says, its a specialist job, alot of garages dont have the know how, and Stan Stephens or BDK will true the crank up, fir new innner outer bearings 4 new seals 2 new rods, small and big ends... essentially a new crank...

Do a search on the web for BDK race engineer's or Stan Stephens!

mgtkr1 · Post by **mgtkr1** » Fri Jun 15, 2007 3:41 pm

when buying a stroker its always best to assume the worst as elf and rc46 have said, especially with no history but the kr engine is a potent and reliable motor if maintained correctly, despite the horror stories. the days of loose ring pegs are history although i hear some dodgy pistons are still in circulation(there are two diffrent types with there own batch no but not sure which is which, do a search as its on the site somewere). a complete engine rebuild aint cheap im afraid(500-1000quid, depending on whats required) but if you go to a specialist like BDK, SEP for crank rebuild, stan stevens etc then at least you know its all done correctly. if you add about a grand on top of your purchase price you should end up with a sweet bike, cheap compared to a early LC/YPVS or aircooled rd and with much better handling aswell as been a fair bit quicker! if your not mechaniccly minded i reccomend you wait for a good un to come up but the kr1-kr1s are very easy to work on with very few special tools needed. BTW, the kr1/s still put on a good show on the race scene against much more modern bikes such as the zxr/fzr and vfr400's which speaks volumes about the kr's potential.