Meet the 120

[JETZcorp]

There's not much to say that hasn't been said.  I'll just copy the video description in here.

This is the best bike in the world. I don't care what you say, or what you have, this is better.

It's a 1967 Kawasaki 120 Road Runner. Originally, it started life as a bit of a turd, being designed as an enduo with a goofy speedometer, goofy headlight, goofy luggage rack on the fender, bizarre 2 x 4 speed transmission, no expansion chamber, and practically no suspension front or back. This one, however, has been modified.

Let's go front-to-back. The crappy forks have been replaced by a new set from a Suzuki about a decade newer, complete with about twice the travel, and leading-axle. All the street-legal stuff has been removed for a bare, aggressive-looking bike. The stock chrome pipe was traded for a hot expansion chamber with no silencer whatsoever, which not only made the bike loud, but gave it unbelievable power and torque, with instant response from the 1/8-turn throttle. The old shocks which looked like mozzarella string cheese were replaced by high-end Girlings and forward-mounted for more travel and better action.

This is the only bike I've ever ridden, aside from a 490 Maico, that can raise the front wheel on-command in either first or second, regardless of where the rider has his weight. It isn't very big on horsepower, but its torque is legendary. Once it was drag-raced against a Hodaka Ace 100, and the race was surprisingly a tie. Then the two were taken to a motocross track, and whenever there was the slightest incline, the 120 would absolutely disappear into the distance.

Meet the 120

If you're watching this right after I posted it, the quality may not be up to snuff quite yet.  Also, I've created a new YouTube channel entirely dedicated to bike stuff, so go ahead and subscribe to JETZcorpMotors if you want.

[Coop]

Neat looking bike, but loud bikes lose riding areas.

[JETZcorp]

Not on Wednesdays in areas without anyone to enforce or enact noise restrictions, OR any neighbors for twenty miles.  I wouldn't ever dare take this little beast to a place like Tillamook where someone might actually care about noise.  Not only would it be impolite to all the people in the forest doing things besides riding (hikers, people living ten miles away, etc.) but it would also get me one hell of a ticket.  At this spot, and on this abandoned day, we didn't even see nor hear another human being.  All the noise did was make my ears ring (my bike was the quiet one, by the way) and alert the deer that we were coming so that we didn't hit any of them.

Besides, that pipe is designed, built, and tuned to operate the way it is, and when you tack on a silencer, it changes the way all the waves inside work, the timing goes off, and the legendary power disappears.  Not only that, but the last time we put the silencer on, it cracked the pipe from all the leverage.  If my options are to run it loud, ruin the bike, or park it in the garage forever, I'm going to run it whenever I can (which translates to once a year when a "nobody's around" moment pops up.)

[KTMguy]

kook

[Turquine]

Nice vid, JETZ. I wish I'd had that when I was first starting out riding. I Started out on a 1972 Suzuki RV90 fat wheeler. It was a cool little trailbike, but my buddy had a '71 Honda SL 100 with a megaphone and all stripped down and tricked out for the dirt. He roosted me on a regular basis and constantly bragged how his bike was better because it was a 4stroke. If I'd had that 120 there, the tables would have been turned big time :-)

[SachsGS]

JETZ, the vintage bikes are fun, lord knows I own enough of them but have you ever considered a more modern bike as well? The first generation ATK 250's are very light and handle very well, have bullet proof Rotax rotary valve motors and have a well thought out simplistic design as well as being American made. I've also noticed that their values have just started to rise after bottoming out the last few years so an ATK would even be a reasonable investment.The WP suspension is a little harsh and the anti-torque drive needs a little more maintenance but, all in all, they are fun bikes.

While the vintage bikes are fun and we need more videos, not less, about all these rare gems of the past it is astounding what modern bikes can do.I have found personally that if you balance the old with the new it adds a new dimension of enjoyment to the sport and allows an individual to really appreciate the vintage iron as well as be able to separate progress from the "hype" when it comes to new machinary.

Keep up the good work.

[JETZcorp]

I have considered a modern bike.  Two, in fact.  The first is a new Maico, and I'm thinking a 700 enduro would be nice because there you'd have a bike that can do anything you could possibly desire it to, and do it faster than anyone else on the planet (except maybe if you run afoul of a 1000cc sportbike, and even then you might have a shot).  The second would be a direct-injected MX bike.  I would like to support whoever comes out with one of those first by buying their bike, assuming it's not ridiculously ugly, ridiculously expensive, or ridiculously bad in some other way.

Aside from that, I plan on sticking to the 1974-1983 range.  I've seen enough to know that as long as you've got decent long-travel suspension and a well-running 360cc motor, you can do anything and everything to within a few bike lengths of anyone else.  These bikes are already so fast that a man can get into an unbelievable amount of trouble, and even if you could get a modern 250 to go faster (and remember, I'd be shopping for one of these against a 440 Maico) you absolutely wouldn't want to.

Besides, I prefer the look and sound of an old bike over a new one, anyway.  Aside from the 700, I can't see myself getting something modern and covered with same-as-everyone-else's plastic until I run out of vintage and evolution bikes to buy, and that would require a pair of two-car garages packed to the balls.

[ACMX]

Awesome video Jetz! The only 'vintage' bike I really have is an early 80's Cr80. 
I'm not positive on the year :/

[Coop]

I'm not positive on the year :/

Post a picture. Can you read the VIN on the frame stem?

[ACMX]

It's at my dad's place with my other old bikes (Kx60 and Cr80) and I don't go over there much but if I find a chance I will do that for sure. Maybe a video as well.

[TMKIWI]

Does your mum know you stole the chopping board for the front of the bike ? 

[JETZcorp]

Our cutting boards are plastic pieces of shit.  Only the finest pieces of industrial aluminum make it onto the 120.

[SachsGS]

That "industrial aluminum" isn't a "liberated" highway sign is it?

[JETZcorp]

No, my dad used to work at a manufacturing plant so he had buddies to get him all sorts of things made.