CNIIARCHIVES
P130
BY KENT TAYLOR
In 1972, Kawasaki
experimented
with a rotary-valve
engine for its 350cc
Bighorn enduro/
dual sport bike.
W
hen it comes to
animal machis-
mo, the Bighorn
sheep has to be one of
nature's most underrated
critters. Heading into rut,
the big ram on campus
will seek to establish
himself against all other rams
as the alpha male, the leader of
the pack, the necklace-wearing,
hairy-chested guy with the open
silk shirt, slathered in Brut.
Watching two rams engage in
the game of head-butting is like
watching an 18th-century pistol
duel. Facing opposite directions,
the rams move measuredly
away from each other before do
-
ing a 180 and gassing
it for a direct head-on
collision. Taking a
minute or so to let the
bell-ringing fade away,
the animals will repeat
the process. Eventually,
one ram will sulk off, ap
-
parently deciding that even the
hottest ewe just isn't worth the
headache.
In the early 1970s, Kawasaki
borrowed the moniker "Big
-
horn" from the manly beast
and emblazoned it on its 350cc
dual-purpose machines, which
were called "enduros" at the
time. Could the Kawasaki
Bighorn properly honor the real
BIGHORN
KAWASAKI'S
A ROTARY
POWERED DUAL
SPORT BIKE?
KAWASAKI
GAVE IT A WHIRL.
