Further to the letter from Tony Colman about his Kawasaki Z200 in issue 420.
His letter was a reminder of my own experience.
I have, over the years, had an eclectic mix of bikes, starting off on a D7 Bantam and have had a good mix of British, Japanese, Indian, German and Italian machines.
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I have dipped a toe in restoration (I’m no mechanic!) and have been involved in restoring a BSA C15 and a bike that I’ve not been able to get out of my system since I was 16, the ever popular Triumph Tiger Cub.
Fast forward to the Cub being completed and running. Finally I could relive my youth.
That was until I went out for a test run and quickly realised the limitations of the Cub in today’s modern traffic. Talk about being invisible, it was a sobering moment. Sadly it’s only used for local classic bike events now.
I had to downsize my more modern bike (Royal Enfield Bullet Electra X ) due to the usual combination of age and infirmity.
I attended the Big Bike Sunday at Skipton last year and met a chap on a very tidy Kawasaki Z200. He was rightly proud of it and this planted the idea of tracking one down.
I’m now the owner of an R reg Z200 and, to echo what Tony said, it is amazing to look at both bikes in my garage and marvel at the technological advances Kawasaki made.
It may be a ‘commuter’ bike but electric start, indicators and front disc brake are standard with Japanese reliability thrown in.
It will also take two up at a steady pace, which highlighted the limitations of the mechanical front disc brake! A full overhaul and new pads has improved braking from poor to average.
Many thanks for the article about the Z200 and KL250 in issue 419, it was a pleasant surprise to read an honest review of an overlooked bike that can still keep up in modern traffic on local roads.
Clive Richardson, Lancashire
Read more Letters, Opinion, News and Features at www.oldbikemart.co.uk and in the August 2020 issue of Old Bike Mart – on sale now!
