There are a lot of skills I wish I had, and the ability to tear about and diagnose old bikes that probably no one but me cares about is definitely one of them. Granted, I know it's a skill that has to be earned, and that you don't just wake up one day with all the knowledge in your head. It's one of those things from the Wachowskis' Matrix universe that honestly would be kind of nice; the ability to simply download whole manuals and reference texts directly into your brain. But I digress.
Lucky for me (and probably also you), Craig, AKA the Bearded Mechanic, is a guy who has those skills. And he shares them regularly with any who care to watch his YouTube channel, so we can live vicariously through him as he systematically takes apart and goes through random vintage motorbikes, mostly from Japan.
This time around, his crew were picking up scrap metal when they turned up a random old '70s (probably) Kawasaki motorcycle. It's one where he's not even sure what it is at first, though he later surmises that it's probably a 1972 or '73 KE100.
It's an interesting machine, too, and one of the ones that has a high and low transmission switch right up on the handlebars. It's a little two-stroke dual sport machine, and early examination seems to show that it was probably, at one time, even street-legal. It no longer has the turn signals on it, but there are clearly places where they could go; they were probably just disconnected and long lost somewhere along the way.
Further excavation reveals all kinds of neat things about this bike: A little cubby for a tool kit that is, unfortunately, empty; a little place under the saddle where your current registration tag could easily be stowed for safekeeping; and, of course, some unfortunate mouse incursion because this thing is likely over 50 years old.
But all in all, it could be a lot worse, and there's definitely ample reason for hope. For one, the engine turns over, and sounds like it may even have compression! For two, there's spark! For three, the fuel tank really doesn't look too bad inside; very little rust, and only a little bit of varnish. These are all extremely hopeful signs to find in a potential project bike.
The carburetor looks like a bit of a nightmare (the words 'baby vomit' are used as a descriptor of what comes out of the thing), but even then, some careful and methodical cleaning, pulling apart, and reassembly seem to do a lot of good for the state of this bike.
And sure enough, it's now available over on TBM's webshop, to hopefully find its way to someone who's looking for a semi-solid base for a project bike. There are a lot worse things you could spend just under $1K on, if you're into this sort of thing.
Do you have fond memories of one of these bikes, or just generally appreciate it when someone rescues bikes like these? Let me know in the comments.
