But could the A4 live up to its
works moniker when put to the
test by a top pro rider, one who
was more accustomed to such
exotic machinery? In the sum-
mer of 1978, MX'er Billy Grossi
agreed to a short-term stint for
Terry Dorsch, a longtime dirt
track star who had become a
Kawasaki dealer in Santa Cruz
near Grossi's home. Grossi, a
former member of Team Ka-
wasaki, Honda, Suzuki and just
about every other brand, piloted
one of Dorsch's A4s in a local
Northern California summer
series. He found the Kawasaki
to be a sheep in wolf's clothing.
"It had a works bike look and
was pretty light, but that's where
the 'works' part ended," Grossi
remembers. "I recall it having
a light-switch powerband and
very twitchy handling. The short
wheelbase and harsh suspen
-
sion made it quite a handful on
the technical tracks in our area.
I probably only raced this bike
four to five times locally, win-
ning a few motos but it also had
a habit of pitching me to the
ground more often than not! It
looked good on the bike stand,
but unfortunately, I did not get
along with this Kawi."
Kawasaki was not the choice
of rides for the privateer pro
racer at the time. A look at
results in the mid-to-late '70s
would reveal that most of the
top non-factory riders were
aboard Maicos, Husqvarnas,
Hondas, Suzukis, Yamahas, etc.
Almost everything but Kawasaki,
so it was understandable that
the company was hoping that
the new 250 would change that.
A limited number of just 2000
bikes would come into the U.S.
and according to Cycle News,
dealers were encouraged to "see
fit to sponsor a good local rider"
who might also take his new
A4 to the nationals and demon
-
strate that this truly was a works
bike for the working man.
Scanning the results of the
1978 AMA 250cc National
Championship series reveals
a handful of top-20 finishes
from privateer Kawasaki riders
Charles Cooper and Steve Bauer,
who said, "The suspension was
behind the times, but they came
out with the Uni-Trak a year
later. Kawasaki gave me one
[the A4] to race, but I liked my
Honda better. I raced the Kawi
a few times and even won on
it but eventually gave it back."
A year before, in 1977, that
number was zero; no one rode
a Kawasaki, so while the green
company hadn't produced a true
works bike for the masses, with
the A4, they clearly had taken a
significant step toward making
Kawasaki a more viable com
-
petitor.
CN
CNIIARCHIVES
P100
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There's no denying,
however, that the
1978 Kawasaki
KX250 A4 was
a handsome
motorcycle.
Kawasaki hoped it
would attract more
pros to race green.
Technically, it did.
