I bought the little Kawasaki twin just after Christmas 1986. Buying new, especially a new 250, doesn’t quite follow the established practice of the UMG but I’ve got my excuses ready. At the time I had an ancient CD200 that handled dreadfully and vibrated something chronic. I was about to need a machine capable of daily trips of 80 miles. I’d saved some money and thought that if I bought new and kept forever the bike would pay for itself - eventually.
The ER is the last in the line of the Scorpions, which began with the Z250A, came with a smart Uni-Trak/belt drive rear end. It’s virtually identical to the GPz305, and is usually overshadowed by it - which is a shame because the difference in performance is not great. Anyway, the financial millstone firmly tied around my neck, I picked up my first new bike and set about gently running it in.
While this was taking place, the CD200 lived out its last days as an abused commuter. It was then sold and the Kawa took over as No.1 (and only) bike. Running in complete, it settled down to several months of charging down the M4 and slithering over London cobbles - the Scorpion is ideal for heavy traffic being light, responsive and superbly manageable. Interestingly, both British Telecom and DataPost use faired versions in London (well, I’m interested, anyway). I quickly got a feel for the bike - it needs quite a bit of gear shifting to wind through urban traffic but will run smoothly at motorway speeds with only a mild buzzing in the bars; the bike runs smoother the faster it goes.
The first dealer service came and went and, in fact, that was the last time it was entrusted to trained mechanics. Since then I’ve worked on it myself with the help of an expensive workshop manual and not a little perseverance. By the time the bike was celebrating its first birthday (with its 22nd oil change), 12000 miles were showing on the clock. The little Kawa was certainly having to earn its keep (and at 1400 quid I expected nothing less).
Looking back, its health and beauty treatment can be mentioned - I’ve never really kept to distinct service intervals, certainly not to those optimistically cited by the Japanese. Instead, I’ve just checked, filled up, replaced, lubricated and cleaned things whenever I’ve had the time, which is probably too often rather than not often enough.
First went the rear tyre at under 5000 miles (shocking, I know). On went an Avon Roadrunner which lasted for ages but did not really suit the bike because I never felt confident on it, especially in the wet. The recently installed Pirelli Phantom is much better, thank you very much. Both front tyres and pads were replaced at 11000 miles. The front brake is excellent, being powerful but progressive with plenty of feel, probably thanks to the Dunlopads. The rear drum isn’t so hot because it locks up the wheel when you least need it.
My expensive tastes in tyres is matched only by my paranoia over oil changes - I get filthy every 1000 miles with a filter change every 2nd or 3rd change. Kawasaki’s belt drive had received lots of praise from people; deservedly so because it’s clean, quiet and has longer adjustment intervals. It still has plenty of wear left after 15000 miles. The Uni-Trak rear suspension is similarly lauded, but I think it’s a pain in the neck because the various linkages have to be coated with heavy duty grease and even then the bushes and sleeves wear at an alarming rate. The cost of these parts is incredible so it’s vital to do the job frequently. Worse still, the swinging arm is devoid of grease nipples (unlike the Z250S) and so needs a complete strip down to clean and lubricate.
The suspension is adequate, though by now I have to wind the Uni-Trak shock right up to maximum to provide a reasonable ride. The forks are twitchy on all but the smoothest of surfaces; especially noticeable on London’s decaying roads. Pump the forks up to 11psi straight away - you can have endless hours of fun checking that the same pressure is in both forks as they aren’t linked. If that all sounds a little negative, the bike’s low mass saves it from any real nastiness; it’s given hours of endless fun on twisty A and B roads.
No real problems have come from the engine, although the top end is a little noisier than it was. The camchain adjusts itself (I hope) and the valves are quite happy enough away from the feeler gauges. Of course, having a SOHC parallel twin air cooled motor means the ER is about as trendy as an Escort XR3i but at least it keeps things relatively simple for DIY grease monkeys. At the moment, 16 valve, DOHC water-cooled lumps are just nightmares on the horizon.
I changed from a mere commuter to a despatcher after a year with the Kawasaki. Covering between 400 and 1000 miles a week means I now count myself lucky if on any weekend I only have to change the oil and check the oil and battery.
Obviously, the ER250 is not the ideal long or medium haul despatch bike (that honour probably goes to its bigger brother, the GT550) but it’s better than many other bikes. I’ve added a large Ranger GT handlebar fairing which greatly reduces fatigue and frost-bite on longer journeys, only marginally affecting high speed stability. Fact is, on the motorway I get blown all over the place anyway and there’s not a lot you can do about it.
I haven't mentioned fuel economy because I’ve never bothered to work it out, but a full 3.8 gallon tank lasts for around 180 miles of moderately heavy throttle twisting. The bike is basically very reliable and has stayed that way despite the caning it’s received. How long it will go on before the futile whining of the starter motor and loud curses begin, I don’t know.
Despite my valiant efforts at scraping the road crud off, the bike is now as tatty as any self respecting D-reg despatch bike ought to be, although it hasn’t quite degenerated into the agricultural machinery stage yet. Riding in London in winter is probably more harmful to a bike (and its rider) than the ParisDakar rally. All in all, I’m glad I bought the Kawasaki.
At the rate I’m going I doubt that the ER will see another Christmas but by the time it does expire it will have paid for itself several times over. To end with a recommendation and a warning: the ER250 is a great bike, but despatching really screws up your machine.
Ian Carter
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