The vintage dirtbike influence is growing in the custom scene. Street trackers (like those from Mule Motorcycles) are getting more attention, along with iconic machines from luminaries such as Ron Wood.
The vintage motocross scene is booming. And even regular café racers are sporting dirt-track Dunlop K180 rubber to get the vintage look. The mainstream manufacturers are a little behind on this—with the exception of Triumph and its Scrambler—but in Japan, Kawasaki has a success story on its hands with the 250TR.
The early 1970s trail bike influence is clear, from the choice of fenders and tires to the crossbar on the handlebars. And it works strangely well, with just the right amount of chrome, and retro-style turn signals and lighting.
It’s a simple and lightweight bike, with an air-cooled, fuel-injected thumper and a kicked-up, blacked-out exhaust that could have come straight out of the SuperTrapp catalog. The good news is that the 2011 model 250TR sells for the equivalent of just US$4,400 including taxes, which sounds like a bargain to me. The bad news is that it’s reserved for Japan and the other Asian markets.
As a side note, the Japanese have always been more aware of how a rider looks on a bike: check the bottom image in the gallery below. It’s designed to show the stance of the 250TR with a 173cm (5’8”) rider on board.
