IF YOU WERE A TEENAGER OF THE 1970S AND THE sight of a Kawasaki triple doesn’t fire those recollective synapses, then you probably have a hole in your soul – it really is that simple. Even if two-strokes aren’t your thing, there’s no denying the visceral impact of the maddest bikes of the period. We can all dream about the chest-beating 750s and the trouser-compromising 500s, but for many the smaller 250/350/400 versions were more practical, viable and/or accessible. Be honest here, who hasn’t aspired to owning one? It’s a little like that line from the 1970s rock film That’ll Be The Day: ‘Show me a kid who didn’t want to be a rock star and I’ll show you a liar!’ Triples are most emphatically like that.
Almost without exception, the 250 is the most accessible in terms of both cost and availability. Yes, they may be the slowest of the genre (depends on the rider, Steve – the younger the rider, the more fearless they are – Matt) and the likes of a well-maintained RD250 will outpace and out-handle an S1-cum-KH250, but that misses the point entirely. The three-cylinder motor allied to that asymmetric tail end, further combined with the associated aural delights, were, are and will forever remain the bikes’ USP (unique selling point). Nothing quite sounds like the smallest triple when they are given the beans, which is how the manufacturer intended them to be ridden. Oh, and of course, those stunning, drop-dead gorgeous looks – Kawasaki’s stylists
