Bike of the Month for January
Kawasaki SW650
OK, so most of us will remember the 650cc BSA A10. How many remember that Kawasaki made a faithful copy of the pre-unit BSA in the 60's? The W1 and W2 were so similar that many people thought they were straight copies. They weren't, but it was obvious that they were heavily influenced by the British bike. Kawasaki has brought back the W1 and W2 with this new model, the SW650. It has the look of the past, even down to having a cradle loop frame, and an overhead valve engine, but it has modern electrics, suspension, brakes, and finish. I love the chrome blade fenders, the gas tank with big chromed emblems and rubber knee grips, the pushrod tube and the big flat seat. The only changes I could see myself making would be to swap the handlebars for a lower pair. I'm not talking clip-ons here, just the height of traditional British home market bikes, and I would swap the disc brakes for high quality four leading shoe drums front and rear.
December 1998's Winner Harley-Davidson FLSTS Heritage Springer
November 1998's Winner BMW R1100S
October 1998's Winner Triumph Speed Triple
September 1998's Winner Moto Guzzi V10 Centauro Sport
August 1998's Winner Harley-Davidson FXDX Super Glide Sport
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