1971 Kawasaki 350 Bighorn - 5-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article

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1971 Kawasaki 350 Bighorn - 5-Page Vintage Motorcycle Road Test Article
Original, Vintage Magazine Advertisement / Article
Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm)
Condition: Good
With the reaction time of a
stop-light bandit, Kawasaki has
made over 100 changes on the
Bighorn—over 100 good changes.
• When Kawasaki decided to get into the big
bore off-road market, they didn't start by
just getting their feet wet; they jumped in
clothes and all. The F-5 Bighorn 350, intro-
duced in 1970, was just about the trickiest
thing on two wheels when it came to combi-
nation boondockers. But Kawasaki, in their
haste to scoop the rest of the field, found
themselves in troubled waters. The early
models suffered a variety of defects that are
past, painful history to the manufacturer
and dealer network alike.
With a vast aircraft-oriented manufactur-
ing concern like Big K churning ahead, this
sort of setback was dealt with in record
speed. The latest 1971 edition of the Bighorn
has over 114 improvements which practical-
ly eliminate all the major and minor irritants
found on the first models. Feedback infor-
mation from their U.S. facility was quickly
routed into the production line, and changes
for the better began appearing on subsequent
Bighorns.
As far as looks go, they aren't any differ-
ent from last year. A color change and a
Torino-type laser stripe are the only notice-
able alterations. The new color for this year
is a bright lime green (the same shade used
on the Kawasaki Racing Team equipment).
Also, steel wheels have replaced the alumi-
num alloy ones due to the alloy's lack of
ding resistance over sharp objects. The pol-
ished alloy was better looking, but the steel
rims won out for durability. Interestingly
enough, the alloy rims were not at fault in
most of the cases. Kawasaki recommends 24
psi in the front and 31 in the rear. This high
inflation pressure is not conducive to a soft
ride, and some riders would run softer pres-
sures and then suffer flat spots in the rims.
The aluminum rims are a bit on the soft
side, but will hold up if the inflation pres-
sures are maintained, and sharp objects in
your path are avoided.
The steel gas tank has a very pleasing
shape considering its 3.3 gallon capacity.
The lines blend nicely with the semi-squared...
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