Author Topic: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250  (Read 3616 times)

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Offline Kelly E

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1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« on: January 11, 2023, 05:21:06 PM »
I am turning 64 and the boy is turning 14 next month. I want him to learn to ride in the dirt so I just bought a 78' Kawasaki KL 250 for him to learn on.
It's in pretty good shape for a 45yo dirt bike. All of the turn signals are intact as well as the taillight, headlight and gauges. It has a clean title and has only 15k miles on it. It needs a carb rebuild and a new charging system. It even came with a real Kawasaki manual for it.
If this doesn't get him off the gaming and out of his room I wll keep it for myself. I'd post a picture but they are all too big, this site really needs to improve the picture posting size to catch up with the rest of the world. When I can't post the smallest size picture my phone will take there's something wrong and it's not my phone. >:(
Here's the only picture I have small enough.
Never Give Up - Never Surrender

The Rust Bros. Garage Collection
1974 Honda CB 550 K0                                            1971 MGB/GT
1975 Honda CB 400F Super Sport                          1972 MGB/GT
1977 Kawasaki KZ 1000 LTD                                   1985 GMC S15
1978 Kawasaki KL 250
1980 Suzuki GS 1100E
1982 Honda CB 900F Super Sport
1983 Honda CB 1100F
1984 Honda VF 700S Sabre
1984 Honda VF 1000F Interceptor
1990 Moto Guzzi 1000 Le Mans
1994 Kawasaki Concours ZG 1000A9
2005 Harley Davidson Fat Boy

Offline CycleRanger

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #1 on: January 11, 2023, 05:33:02 PM »
If that muffler is intact it's probably worth the purchase price by itself.
Do you have a copy of the Honda Shop Manual or Parts List for your bike? Get one here:
https://www.honda4fun.com/materiale/documentazione-tecnica
CB750K5        '79 XL250s     CL350K3
CB750K3        '76 XS650      '76 CJ360T

Offline PeWe

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #2 on: January 11, 2023, 08:35:07 PM »
I use Tapatalk app in my phone. No issues with highest resolution pics I can choose when adding.
I paid a little for adding more photos at the same time.

Really convenient and quick, especially when having a ride and write here about it when stopped for food.
« Last Edit: January 12, 2023, 01:04:31 AM by PeWe »
CB750 K6-76  970cc (Earlier 1005cc JMR Billet block on the shelf waiting for a comeback)
CB750 K2-75 Parts assembled to a stock K2

Updates of the CB750 K6 -1976
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180468.msg2092136.html#msg2092136
The billet block build thread
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,49438.msg1863571.html#msg1863571
CB750 K2 -1975  build thread
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,168243.msg1948381.html#msg1948381
K2 engine build thread. For a complete CB750 -75
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180088.msg2088008.html#msg2088008
Carb jetting, a long story Mikuni TMR32
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,179479.msg2104967.html#msg2104967

Offline grcamna2

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #3 on: January 11, 2023, 09:26:49 PM »
Nice 250 Kelly;I hope it's able to get running without a rebuild.
75' CB400F/'bunch o' parts' & 81' CB125S modded to a 'CB200S'
  I love the small ones too !
Do your BEST...nobody can take that away from you.

Offline MauiK3

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #4 on: January 12, 2023, 07:10:23 AM »
I know what you mean by getting him away from his screen time, my grandson is a great kid but getting him interested in something other that gaming is a challenge.
1973 CB 750 K3
10/72 build Z1 Kawasaki

Offline Stev-o

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #5 on: January 12, 2023, 07:28:10 AM »
I hope that will get him out of his room, otherwise what will?

We never encouraged our daughter to play video games so didnt have that problem.
'74 "Big Bang" Honda 750K [836].....'76 Honda 550F.....K3 Park Racer!......and a Bomber!............plus plus plus.........

Offline PeWe

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #6 on: January 12, 2023, 07:58:26 AM »
Car game was good for me.
I used steering wheel with throttle and brake pedals.
Helped me when I drove a rental car really inspired.
- "Wow!! How did I manage to handle that??!!

Good training on Brands Hatch, Nürburgring and other tracks developed my skills in my feet in sync with steering.

I learned to avoid crashing into houses in +200kmh.
But this was in my late 30's.
Started with Doom at 34yo.

But real life drugs and alcohol misuse another problem worse than gaming. For me were other people in that kind of groups the worst issue.

Bring the youngsters out on the bike visiting interesting places eating something tasty. Publish here on Ride thread as heroes.
Fishing... fish, 2-leggers when old enough ;)
CB750 K6-76  970cc (Earlier 1005cc JMR Billet block on the shelf waiting for a comeback)
CB750 K2-75 Parts assembled to a stock K2

Updates of the CB750 K6 -1976
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180468.msg2092136.html#msg2092136
The billet block build thread
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,49438.msg1863571.html#msg1863571
CB750 K2 -1975  build thread
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,168243.msg1948381.html#msg1948381
K2 engine build thread. For a complete CB750 -75
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180088.msg2088008.html#msg2088008
Carb jetting, a long story Mikuni TMR32
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,179479.msg2104967.html#msg2104967

Offline grcamna2

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #7 on: January 13, 2023, 09:23:39 PM »
Kelly,did you put it on the list of bikes which you and your friend will do ?
75' CB400F/'bunch o' parts' & 81' CB125S modded to a 'CB200S'
  I love the small ones too !
Do your BEST...nobody can take that away from you.

Offline BenelliSEI

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2023, 08:30:29 AM »
Good choice! We started my 12 year old grandson on this, then a CR50, and now looking for something bigger for Spring (now 14). He rides all day around our farm and surrounding trails......
« Last Edit: January 14, 2023, 12:03:33 PM by BenelliSEI »

Offline Kelly E

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2023, 08:38:19 AM »
Kelly,did you put it on the list of bikes which you and your friend will do ?

Yes we'll go through it but we're not going to paint the frame or anything like that.
Never Give Up - Never Surrender

The Rust Bros. Garage Collection
1974 Honda CB 550 K0                                            1971 MGB/GT
1975 Honda CB 400F Super Sport                          1972 MGB/GT
1977 Kawasaki KZ 1000 LTD                                   1985 GMC S15
1978 Kawasaki KL 250
1980 Suzuki GS 1100E
1982 Honda CB 900F Super Sport
1983 Honda CB 1100F
1984 Honda VF 700S Sabre
1984 Honda VF 1000F Interceptor
1990 Moto Guzzi 1000 Le Mans
1994 Kawasaki Concours ZG 1000A9
2005 Harley Davidson Fat Boy

Offline grcamna2

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2023, 01:27:49 PM »
Kelly,did you put it on the list of bikes which you and your friend will do ?

Yes we'll go through it but we're not going to paint the frame or anything like that.

Yeah,get it running nice  :)
75' CB400F/'bunch o' parts' & 81' CB125S modded to a 'CB200S'
  I love the small ones too !
Do your BEST...nobody can take that away from you.

Offline Kelly E

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #11 on: January 14, 2023, 04:26:25 PM »
For sure the stator coils are shot with broken wires, the PO cut the stator wires instead of unplugging it. >:(
There's a couple of other cases of wiring butchery. The rest is easily fixed and hopefully we can get the stator parts to fix it properly.
Never Give Up - Never Surrender

The Rust Bros. Garage Collection
1974 Honda CB 550 K0                                            1971 MGB/GT
1975 Honda CB 400F Super Sport                          1972 MGB/GT
1977 Kawasaki KZ 1000 LTD                                   1985 GMC S15
1978 Kawasaki KL 250
1980 Suzuki GS 1100E
1982 Honda CB 900F Super Sport
1983 Honda CB 1100F
1984 Honda VF 700S Sabre
1984 Honda VF 1000F Interceptor
1990 Moto Guzzi 1000 Le Mans
1994 Kawasaki Concours ZG 1000A9
2005 Harley Davidson Fat Boy

Offline grcamna2

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #12 on: January 14, 2023, 04:41:37 PM »
For sure the stator coils are shot with broken wires, the PO cut the stator wires instead of unplugging it. >:(
There's a couple of other cases of wiring butchery. The rest is easily fixed and hopefully we can get the stator parts to fix it properly.

Kelly,there's a place in Birmingham,AL. called Custom Rewind and they will fix that.
75' CB400F/'bunch o' parts' & 81' CB125S modded to a 'CB200S'
  I love the small ones too !
Do your BEST...nobody can take that away from you.

Offline RAFster122s

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #13 on: January 14, 2023, 05:54:13 PM »
Custom Rewind does top shelf work
David- back in the desert SW!

Offline Kelly E

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #14 on: April 30, 2023, 04:45:18 PM »
I haven't updated this in a while. We ended up taking it apart and blasting the frame. Got the frame blasted yesterday and now sanding it. We've repaired a bunch of stuff already and a couple things were more difficult than usual. I had to make Delrin swingarm bushings and an exhaust out of some exhaust parts from other bikes. We've finished up a lot of the neglected maintenance stuff but there's still more to go. We hope to be done before school is out.
Never Give Up - Never Surrender

The Rust Bros. Garage Collection
1974 Honda CB 550 K0                                            1971 MGB/GT
1975 Honda CB 400F Super Sport                          1972 MGB/GT
1977 Kawasaki KZ 1000 LTD                                   1985 GMC S15
1978 Kawasaki KL 250
1980 Suzuki GS 1100E
1982 Honda CB 900F Super Sport
1983 Honda CB 1100F
1984 Honda VF 700S Sabre
1984 Honda VF 1000F Interceptor
1990 Moto Guzzi 1000 Le Mans
1994 Kawasaki Concours ZG 1000A9
2005 Harley Davidson Fat Boy

Offline BenelliSEI

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #15 on: April 30, 2023, 05:13:37 PM »
Frame looks good, no pounded tubes? Still looking for a larger bike for my grandson.......

Offline grcamna2

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #16 on: April 30, 2023, 05:39:10 PM »
Frame looks good, no pounded tubes? Still looking for a larger bike for my grandson.......

Did you look at XR200R's John ?
The 1993'+ models sit lower to the ground.
75' CB400F/'bunch o' parts' & 81' CB125S modded to a 'CB200S'
  I love the small ones too !
Do your BEST...nobody can take that away from you.

Offline BenelliSEI

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #17 on: April 30, 2023, 06:30:30 PM »
Frame looks good, no pounded tubes? Still looking for a larger bike for my grandson.......

Did you look at XR200R's John ?
The 1993'+ models sit lower to the ground.

Only found one so far, and it was just beaten to death......

Offline Kelly E

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #18 on: April 30, 2023, 06:56:23 PM »
I bought this one because it's only got 15k miles on it. The downside is the lack of maintenance during that time. The motor has plenty of compression even though it hasn't run in 17 years. Getting the frame blasted puts us over the top and I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. Of course it could be an oncoming train and we are screwed. ::)
Never Give Up - Never Surrender

The Rust Bros. Garage Collection
1974 Honda CB 550 K0                                            1971 MGB/GT
1975 Honda CB 400F Super Sport                          1972 MGB/GT
1977 Kawasaki KZ 1000 LTD                                   1985 GMC S15
1978 Kawasaki KL 250
1980 Suzuki GS 1100E
1982 Honda CB 900F Super Sport
1983 Honda CB 1100F
1984 Honda VF 700S Sabre
1984 Honda VF 1000F Interceptor
1990 Moto Guzzi 1000 Le Mans
1994 Kawasaki Concours ZG 1000A9
2005 Harley Davidson Fat Boy

Offline BenelliSEI

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #19 on: May 02, 2023, 06:55:24 PM »
Kelly.... I love that everything “falls to pieces” in your shop! You’re incapable of a “quick fix”. I’m sure it will be a very nice machine when you are finished!

Offline Kelly E

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #20 on: May 03, 2023, 07:53:52 AM »
Kelly.... I love that everything “falls to pieces” in your shop! You’re incapable of a “quick fix”. I’m sure it will be a very nice machine when you are finished!


You found me out, I just can't manage to do a half assed job. 8)
Never Give Up - Never Surrender

The Rust Bros. Garage Collection
1974 Honda CB 550 K0                                            1971 MGB/GT
1975 Honda CB 400F Super Sport                          1972 MGB/GT
1977 Kawasaki KZ 1000 LTD                                   1985 GMC S15
1978 Kawasaki KL 250
1980 Suzuki GS 1100E
1982 Honda CB 900F Super Sport
1983 Honda CB 1100F
1984 Honda VF 700S Sabre
1984 Honda VF 1000F Interceptor
1990 Moto Guzzi 1000 Le Mans
1994 Kawasaki Concours ZG 1000A9
2005 Harley Davidson Fat Boy

Offline PeWe

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #21 on: May 03, 2023, 12:29:21 PM »
Really good inspiration for others. ;)
A good restored base on those photos.

When everything is apart, regrets will come afterwards if not done as good as possible or the wallet allow.
Redo it will cost, money, time and heavy lift.

Easy removable parts can be done later if wallet is temporarily drained.
CB750 K6-76  970cc (Earlier 1005cc JMR Billet block on the shelf waiting for a comeback)
CB750 K2-75 Parts assembled to a stock K2

Updates of the CB750 K6 -1976
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180468.msg2092136.html#msg2092136
The billet block build thread
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,49438.msg1863571.html#msg1863571
CB750 K2 -1975  build thread
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,168243.msg1948381.html#msg1948381
K2 engine build thread. For a complete CB750 -75
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,180088.msg2088008.html#msg2088008
Carb jetting, a long story Mikuni TMR32
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,179479.msg2104967.html#msg2104967

Offline MauiK3

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #22 on: May 03, 2023, 03:00:48 PM »
I love it when I see fixit YouTube videos about how quickly things get done. I’m always looking at parts that need cleaning/paint/repair and such. It never goes quickly for me, I’m afraid.
1973 CB 750 K3
10/72 build Z1 Kawasaki

Offline BenelliSEI

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #23 on: May 04, 2023, 06:30:38 AM »
Kelly.... I love that everything “falls to pieces” in your shop! You’re incapable of a “quick fix”. I’m sure it will be a very nice machine when you are finished!


You found me out, I just can't manage to do a half assed job. 8)

+1 to that! Stick with that attitude.

Offline Kelly E

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Re: 1978 Kawasaki KL 250
« Reply #24 on: May 04, 2023, 08:00:30 AM »
Kelly.... I love that everything “falls to pieces” in your shop! You’re incapable of a “quick fix”. I’m sure it will be a very nice machine when you are finished!


You found me out, I just can't manage to do a half assed job. 8)

+1 to that! Stick with that attitude.


Thanks buddy  8)
Never Give Up - Never Surrender

The Rust Bros. Garage Collection
1974 Honda CB 550 K0                                            1971 MGB/GT
1975 Honda CB 400F Super Sport                          1972 MGB/GT
1977 Kawasaki KZ 1000 LTD                                   1985 GMC S15
1978 Kawasaki KL 250
1980 Suzuki GS 1100E
1982 Honda CB 900F Super Sport
1983 Honda CB 1100F
1984 Honda VF 700S Sabre
1984 Honda VF 1000F Interceptor
1990 Moto Guzzi 1000 Le Mans
1994 Kawasaki Concours ZG 1000A9
2005 Harley Davidson Fat Boy