Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

I I o 00 ~ Kawasaki KDXJ. 75: Uni-Trak woods package By Dan McCauley with Tom Mueller Photos by Gary Van Voorhis and Mueller Last but not least. That must have been Kawasaki's thought concerning the release of their 1980 woods weapon, the. Uni-Trak suspended KDX175. 1979 turned out to be a year in which the three other f' t Japanese act,?nes pu some nononsense 1755 on the enduro circuits and Kawasaki opted to 8 follow suit. Using their latest technology and MX advancements. Kawasaki offers woods riders a suspension sa new that 1980 will be the first time Kawasaki offers it on their MX models. Kawasaki is making a sincere effon to put the KDX on the trails. With a retail price of $1195. the bike will un· dercut the 1980 PE175 Suzuki which will sell for $1~79 and the IT175 Yamaha which will retail for $1595. The first run of the KDX 175 was limited and it has been reponed that every mount was absorbed by the dealer network immediately. The first thing we noticed when the KDX is fired up is its clean. crisp but exhaust note. Not loud. reminiscent of a factory tuned machine. The noise does not stand alone· it is matched with power that can be put to use through the KDX's six speed gearbox. One of our testers has ridden a PE175 Suzuki in com· petition the past susan. He said the KDX will take his PE hands down in a contest of useable power. Kawasaki claims the KDX is worth 24 horses. and throughout the test we found the figure quite believable. Keeping the bike on the pipe is recommended. yet if needed in the right situations the bike can be lugged at low rpm's with no adverse effects. It is almost impossible to load the KDX up. At times we left it in third gear and found it could be used in either tight woods or open sections with ease. The gearbox is clean and stable. The KDX makes positive shifts and never jumps out of gear. That's commendable considering that to use the powerplant to its fullest extent with a si>: speed box the rider must stir the shifter constantly. The Uni-Trak does the trick. but a heavier rider that rides at a brisk pace lOay wish the unit came equipped with a reservoir i,:, order to prevent fading. One of our hghter testers felt a change in damping after an hour of hard riding. but he also felt the rear end was a bit too stiff to start with. We observed the Kawasaki Enduro Team ride in a few events and noticed that some of the riders contended with Uni-Trak fade after approximately 45 minutes of riding. One must consider, though. that some of the team memo bers weigh almost 200 pounds and take the KDX to its limits. One other area where a team Kawasaki member had problems was the rear brake. I n two instances the rear backing plate exploded. It seems that weight and a high level of riding ability can build up a stress factor the KDX can't withstand - at least in stock form. The front forks brought mixed opinions. Lighter testers found the units adequate in stock form. while air caps were desired by heavier riders for a bit stiffer feel. After 250 miles the KDX's chain and sprockets show litlle wear - but the chain guide does. The rubber guard on the top of the swingarm holds its own. but the plastic chain guide already has deep grooves in' it and looks like it will go away after a few more runs. To our surprise, a replacement guide 'costs only $5,66. which is not that big of a chunk out of one's maintenance budget. No chain tensioner is offered on the KDX and the initial chain stretch kept us making nunerous adjustments for the first few miles, After the chain sel' lied into place few adjustments are needed. We noted the countershaft sprocket is held in place with a eirclip. eliminating the problem of stripped and diny threads with the conven· tionaI shaft and nut arrangement. The air box and filter arrangement is top rate. Three PhiUips head screws are removed to pull the left side cover and expose the filter. One wing nut secures the filter, which is a two-stage item with a fuuy outside and a fine foam liner - all in one piece. Take care. however, to replace the side cover so that it's in place; if it isn't you'll invite din and water into the box. All the controls do their stuff. The kill button looks a bit Mickey-Mouse. but nonetheless works. The headlight/taiUight assembly worked all through the test.. but the on/off switch for the unit is vunerable. located on the headlight. It should either be removed or re·located. No brake light was offered on the KDX, which makes the bike illegal on the road in many states, Since almost 'every enduro uses public roads and legality checks have been popping up durinjt some runs, a rider on a KDX may be asking for a citation. The front fender is one of the best production units on the bike . wide and long. The rear fender is hare scrambles oriented. It's too short and a tag can't be mounted unless the taillight ,is re·mounted.

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