Your Collection: 1976 KX125
Sunday, July 15, 2012 | 6:00 AM
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PrintThis weeks collection comes to us from Tony DeSantis in New Jersey.
Here is my restored 76 Kawasaki KX125-A3. This is the same model and year bike I purchased new at the age of 14 in 1976. My 1st motocross bike, This rotary valve air cooled 124cc 2 stroke engine put out a claimed 22hp @9750 rpm and had tons of low end power for a bike only weighing 178lbs. With under 4" of rear suspension travel and 6" of fork travel, this bike was not good on rough tracks. Kawasaki made this bike from 1974 to 1976 virtually the same except color and graphics. In 1976 this bike was so behind in suspension technology that Kawasaki took a year off and didn't make a 1977 KX motocross bike. They came out with a completely redesigned motocrosser for 1978. I restored This bike to new condition, complete engine rebuild using all genuine Kawasaki parts, the frame was sand blasted and powder coated, all the original hardware nuts and bolts were re-zink plated, and all the chrome was re-done. The rims were polished and anodized, the fuel tank was cleaned, lined, and painted KX Kawasaki lime green. Every detail has been recreated to make this bike look like it came off the Kawasaki dealership floor in 1976. It would be very cool to have this bike featured in Racer X my collection. I would like to share my passion with all your readers.
Thank You,
Tony
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Sweet bike, nicely restored.
Nicely done! They sure didnt have the top end of an elsinore but they could pull without stumbling all over themselves. Anyone remember the Skunkworks intake kits for these?
Looks SWEET!
Worked at a Kaw shop and waited 'forever' for the first 1974 which was delayed for a production problem (heard it was bead blast media in the fuel tanks). You could do the top end in about 15 minutes for under 25 bucks!
Also had the '78 and '81 models, but had to go with the RM125 in '77.
Wow, That is one sweet restoration !! I just love these old bikes,
I bet it had more bottom power than my 86 kx 125. I loved that bike, even though it was bad, as I was 15 years old and coming off of a Suzuki DR100. Great resto, would love to have that in my garage. Good job.
My my my! How technology has changed. My dad raced CZ, BSA, Maico then went to Kawasaki at the time these came out- I believe they debuted the new Elsinore bout this time too.
If it wasn't for real men racing machines like this- the pre- madonna's we have now wouldn't be so lucky.
Could you imagine holding on to those bikes back in the day? 45 minute motos- 5" of travel- in adequate protective gear- ahhhh, oh yea- little if no salaries to race!
I grew up watching my dad race during this era- hats off to those that raced during the 70's.
Beautiful restoration sir......
That bike is PERFECT! Or as we used to say back then, 'Sano!'. Fantastic job.
You did a really nice job, congratulations.
It would be great to see Kawasaki go back to a green color like that, it looks so much better than the color they use now.
Sweet restore Tony! I have a 75 basket case in my garage now. I raced these bikes during the 74-76 era. A set of Koni shocks, a trickit fork kit and a trim of the rotary valve and you were ready to win. When the RM and YZ hit the track with their long travel suspension I was about to kill my self try to keep up. I switched to a YZ in May of 76 and my days on the Kawi were over. I still have a soft spot in my heart for these bikes and a pain in my back from riding them.
SWEET SET UP!!!!!!!!!!!
Amazing job! "Let the Good Times Roll"!
What a great restoration! Bought a '75 KX125 as my first race bike - same as this one except for white fenders. The bike was very uncompetitive compared to the kitted RM125's and YZ's. After suffering through a year of being pitched off the thing several times in each race I bought a '76 RM 125 early the following year. What a difference. Went from spending a lot of time picking up the KX off the ground to being a top 3 racer. The bike does make a difference!
beautiful bike. i love the old rotary valve engines and the metal kawasaki tanks look great.
Nice job, I was 12 yrs old and showed my dad that bike in a magazine, 2 weeks later he came home with it in the back of his truck. He had it sleeved down to a 100 and ported and trimed rotory valve and Boge rear shocks with the seat cut down! It also had a Bassani pipe on it. It was like cheating in the 100cc class, I got protested right away. Sometimes I forget about some of the cool stuff that my dad did for me as a kid, you see kids now and can't believe how great they have it. One thing about growing up in the 70s that was priceless is coming home from school and being able to go riding out your back door until dark, I couldn't think about anything during school but going riding as soon as I got home. The good ole days!!
I had a KE 125 that had been stripped of all dualsport evidence. Looked like a KX wannabe.
Skunk Works made a kit to increase the rear travel. It positioned the lower shock eye in a type of linkage.
Hondas 76 first red Elsinore 125 was the hot ticket.
Very sano resto. A+
I had this exact same bike in 1976, and I loved this KX. I did however "Lay Down" the rear shocks and inverted them after moving the upper shock mounts. However the increased travel that was created then required a self engineered chain tensioner for the excess chain slack as many of you may know the reason being the distance from the countershaft to the swingarm mounting position. Anyway. I loved this bike, and had tons of fun with it.
Thanks for FLASH BACK.
Youngzy 33
Awesome bike! She is a beauty.
Yes a very nice job on that bike! I am impresed! Yes I remember when they came out. Fortunaly I was on a Yamaha. Some of the guys did make them pretty fast. What a pitty back then for Kawi to not do the frame with long travel. The modified ones were really good! Goood memeories,
Sweet lookin bike! You did an awesome job on it!
Wow! You did an incredible job on that restoration. That exact bike was also my first motocrosser. There was a bunch of them left over in 77 and King Kelly was selling them for $599+3% sales tax. I talked my Dad into letting me buy one with my money (A very hard thing to do) and had some of the most wonderful days of my life learning to ride fast. I thought the engine was superb, with good low, mid and then a top end hit to boot! I learned how to wheelie with that bike and could shift from 3rd to 6th while doing a long one. I do remember doing a few flying W's when over taxing the suspension though. My only mods were an up pipe (psi maybe?) and metzler tires. (And Oury grips!) I'd love to ride one again, but I bet I am spoiled rotten now and would not appreciate it the way I did then. For some reason, I don't see these around much. I guess they are rotting in garages somewhere...
Very nice, I've had a 75 KX125 for 10-15 years but it does not look like this.I now have a vision of what it could look like.May be this is the motivation I need to get going on it, thanks.
Man those pics brought back memories I'd forgotten till now. That model is really what started my dirt bike fever which is still going strong. My cousin and his step brother owned a matching pair back in the day. As I was a motorcycle nut/motorhead from day one my cousin took me for a ride on the back, and I mean the back wheel-straight up thru the gears!
Thirty four years later and still racing,better yet my 13yr. old daughter likes to ride and my 16 yr. old son has started racing enduro's!
Life is sweet! Thanks alot for the trip down memory lane Bro!
One of the first bikes I ever owned. Fabulous restoration! I remember I painted the frame green on mine. I was ahead of my time, I think. Took a lot of abuse for that style change, back in the day. Ha ha. I absolutely LOVED that bike. Konis and the Trickit fork kit, trimmed the rotary valve and pretended I was Gary Semics. Got MURDERED by the Elsinores, tho. Bought a 1977 CR125GP Husky the following year and won a lot of races. Underpowered, but the suspension was awesome!