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THE

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STUFF

Kawasaki's 350 Bighorn

single is the first big bore

enduro machine from Japan

Back in 1964 one of the Spanish

motorcycle manufacturers released a

new type of machine to the American

market. It was the first production light-

weight street/trail machine. It caused

the motorcyclists, and even great num-

bers of non bike enthusiasts, to really

take a second look at this new machine.

It was a single cylinder two stroke with

semi-knobby tires, and was also

equipped with full electrics to make it

street legal. A few motorcycle maga-

zines immediately had this new honest

to gosh street/trail machine on their

covers. There was a lot of excitement

over this new breed.

Most thought it was a keen idea, but

what exactly could it be used for. In

those days a motorcycle rider either

rode on the road or in the dirt. There

couldn't possibly be a machine that

could do both well or could there?

A few years passed and in the mean-

time the industrious Japanese factories

were producing a multitude of small

displacement woods type trail ma-

chines. They had knobby tires, lights,

and usually a monocoque stamped steel

frame Most of them were in the 90cc

bracket and the power was limited. They

were heavy for their size, but they would

take you just about anywhere

Then in 1967 one of the Oriental

factories released the first real mass

production street/trail (or enduro) type

machine. It caught on like wildfire, the

time was ripe. It was light in weight,

attractive, street legal and was at home

on the trail or road Since then the

Japanese and European factories have

been hard at work producing newer and

better enduro type machinery. The

Japanese machines had the advantage

of being available in large quantities,

with high quality components and good

electrics. The European machines were

79

a little more expensive, but they had the

upper hand in the handling and suspen-

sion departments.

It was only inevitable that one factory

would soon come out with the best

features of both A roadster and a dirt

bike. Kawasaki's release of their 350cc

two stroke single probably surprised

some of the other manufacturers who

have been contemplating the same

move. In our testing of the Bighorn we

were rather surprised with some of the

new ideas that Kawasaki has in-

corporated in the machine.

In an attempt to incorporate all the

good qualities of an off road machine,

some of the frill and dash used on other

bikes of this type are missing. The main

color scheme is brown with white back-

ground on the gas tank and underside of

the fenders.

In the comfort area, the Kawasaki

factory has gone all out to top the other

enduro machines. Excepting the handle-

bars, the Bighorn is exceptionally com-

fortable. The saddle is wide, long and

thick and provides optimum cushion

for the smallest or largest of riders. The

Kawasaki’s new Bighorn has

used most of the qualities needed

to produce a fine mannered off

road machine that is just as at

home on the road.

The muffler is fairly quiet for

a large displacement single.

The pipe and heat shield are

tucked in nicely and pegs are

well located and spring loaded...