Back in 1986 I was offered and bought a rear wheel from one of the KR 500 s. Everything was made out of magnesium; including the spacer between the bearings. It was 18 x 4.5 inches. The cush drive was a masterpiece of engineering. I fitted it to a Suzuki GS 1000 that I sold 34 years ago.
One of the most beautiful machines ever both physically and musically and along with one of the most talented riders to ever grace a Kawi. Thanks for the memories Kork!!
Hello Kork! As a boy 15 years old I see you often 1979 at the track. Remembering your great riding still - brilliant!! You are one of the best in Grand Prix racing history. Great video, thanks! Regards from Germany, Torsten
I still remember the pictures of Ballington and his Kawasaki back in the late 70's in some Motociclismo magazines we could get to at that time in Cuba. So now -thirty years later- the sound of it comes to complete the whole idea. When it warmed up a little, it came to roar as expected, and it convinced. Engines are like living creatures. Thank you champ for posting that for us to enjoy.
Music to my ears! That baby is totally unreal! I remember my dad telling me about those engine setups, nice to finally hear and see one, I think they sound nicer than the more modern v4 strokes. Take care of her mate!
Bring back the 2 stroke ! 500 GPs of the late seventies to late nineties were terrific. Great to see The KR 500 again. Hat's off to Kork for this video.
Thanks mr Ballington, I always loved the kr from when I was a kid, probably just cos it was green ,appreciated the engineering when I was a little older! hope you are keeping well!
I remember building the 1/12 Tamiya kit of this way back when! I always wanted one of these to ride on the street. Love the clatter of a two stroke and dry clutch plates!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
What a boytjie and from Natal nogal!! I cant wait to read his recently launched autobiography "Ballington Unkorked". Brisbane, you are lucky to have one of South Africas winning sons.
I met Kork in '79 I think it was - ace guy! Still got the signed poster on my wall, alongside the photos I took of the great man, with his brother and the great KR500!
That is one beautiful machine ,thanks heaps for taking the time and sharing it for us two stroke lovers ,I owned two KR 250's in the eighties and it's probably good they never made them for the general public or I might not have been here today. It's great Kork .
Thanks for that Kork, the '82 version is my all time favorite bike - especially with the original big front mudguard, and those gorgeous exhausts - t just looks fantastic and the green/yellow/white with flashes of red colour scheme suits it so well -absolutely DELICIOUS!! - would love to see more footage with it's clothes ON though!! I'd also like to see the '80 and ''81 versions and Eddie Lawsons and Greg Hansons bikes - a shame it wasn't more succesfull so there would be more stuff about it
Great video, thanks for the great memories. My Brother used to work for Stuart Baldwin in the 80's and some of your old bits and pieces were on show for us to look at !!! Those magnesium carbs were so light and well made !! Dave R
What a coincedence, while i was looking at this, I was just watching a movie on TV "Assen" filmed in 1977... and who should be interviewed but Kork Himself..the Winner!.
Went to RUclips to get the URL of that wonderful GP at Silverstone between Kenny Roberts and Barry and look what I found. Superb ! A wonderful talk through of the Kwacker's qualities - with humour. The only thing missing is pizza ! A new video AND a new book ! Where do you find time for a Castle ?
He lived in Pietermaritsburg and I watched him as a kid on a modified road bike 3 cylinder Kawasaki air cooled running with Agostini, Paul etc on works machinery
Hey Kork, thumbs up to the age old Kwak. Pity they dont have an Aldo Scribante or Kumalo race track here for you to play on. Ever thought of taking it to Lakeside and thrashing the "lighties" of today? You never know what may happen. Re-ignite the passion. Well done mate. Murray
EXCELLENT. man.. i'd love to fit soem lights and take it out on some mountian roads... thanks for posting that! great to see it not sitting 'on a shelf' so to speak.
I was lucky to see you tide in 79 at Silverstone...If I remember correctly you rode the 250 & 350? Wonderful machine Thank you for sharing her with us Naked 😄 She's Beautiful
Do you mind turning that thing down my wife is in bed. Had to grab the remote. Seriously that sounds fantastic like 4 kx 125a3’s fastened together. The Eccentric adjusters in remember having the on my 1985 GPZ1000RX. But to have them on the front spindle that’s cutting edge now same with the anti dive. Simple but brilliant. I remember you winning at donnington park. You may have been on the same bike. I was racing the school boy motocross on a kx125 at the time. It’s in my garage with all the other competition bikes Kawasaki made that year. Brilliant Video I’ve never lost my love for the Kawasaki’s I’m just about to buy a z900rs se. It will probably be the last new bike I ever buy. Thanks for the memories. Take care. Any one you consider to one of the all time great riders Kork Ballington has beaten.
Thanks for showing such a great bike, love the engineering. Any chance you could detail the anti dive system please. I’m interested as a retired engineer. Thank you
If only Kawasaki had sorted the weight, the brakes and got it to hook up out of turns better. what a fantastic well thought out GP bike. The mechanical anti dive is so unusual for a gp bike but is that why the brakes cooked plus the extra weight. sounds the absolute nut, just love the sound of the blowback through the carbs at low revs, easy to pick out with the bodywork off. nice thanks Kork.
oddly enough a few years ago there was a set of magnesium engine cases up for sale on egay for a KR square four, I found it very strange since these bikes were not p.r. priceless machine take good care of it.
Superb,thanks for posting this,did Kawasaki give the bike as a present?Best get her out on track soon to keep the wheels turning! If you do can I have a go!?!
great to see a champ doing this just for kicks.....freddie or eddie - where r u? just curious to ask - seem like shot in downunder...is kork there now?
Back in 1986 I was offered and bought a rear wheel from one of the KR 500 s. Everything was made out of magnesium; including the spacer between the bearings. It was 18 x 4.5 inches. The cush drive was a masterpiece of engineering. I fitted it to a Suzuki GS 1000 that I sold 34 years ago.
One of the most beautiful machines ever both physically and musically and along with one of the most talented riders to ever grace a Kawi. Thanks for the memories Kork!!
Hello Kork! As a boy 15 years old I see you often 1979 at the track. Remembering your great riding still - brilliant!! You are one of the best in Grand Prix racing history. Great video, thanks! Regards from Germany, Torsten
In those days as a kid of twelve,thirteen years old, i was a big fan of Kork Ballington and Kawa! thanks for showing this wonderful bike!
Wow! Adjustable rake angle, adjustable front axle, 'anti-dive' damper, suspension adjustments... Pretty spectacular for it's era!
I still remember the pictures of Ballington and his Kawasaki back in the late 70's in some Motociclismo magazines we could get to at that time in Cuba. So now -thirty years later- the sound of it comes to complete the whole idea. When it warmed up a little, it came to roar as expected, and it convinced.
Engines are like living creatures. Thank you champ for posting that for us to enjoy.
What an absolutely legendary man. Nice to see he's still a 'good guy' too. Thanks for the vid.
Riding a GP500 2-stroke in shorts and flip-flops. the man is a legend.
...& without a seat!
@@rattusnorvegicus4380 .... and sitting on exhausts pipes 😁....
He’s in Australia ,he is barbecuing his nuts. Love the sound makes my kr1 sound like a toy
So awesome! I started racing in 1982. I remember watching him in 1983 at brands hatch on wide world of sports.
Music to my ears!
That baby is totally unreal! I remember my dad telling me about those engine setups, nice to finally hear and see one, I think they sound nicer than the more modern v4 strokes. Take care of her mate!
what a beautiful bike,loved the humour as well thanks Kork
Bring back the 2 stroke ! 500 GPs of the late seventies to late nineties were terrific. Great to see The KR 500 again. Hat's off to Kork for this video.
Always nice to see an old Grand Prix bike still alive that escaped the crusher.
Thanks mr Ballington, I always loved the kr from when I was a kid, probably just cos it was green ,appreciated the engineering when I was a little older!
hope you are keeping well!
The sound of a 4 cylinder 2-stroke sounds like music to me! Really great!
I remember building the 1/12 Tamiya kit of this way back when! I always wanted one of these to ride on the street. Love the clatter of a two stroke and dry clutch plates!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Kork thank you for the video and for what You have done for us. Frantisek.
What a boytjie and from Natal nogal!! I cant wait to read his recently launched autobiography "Ballington Unkorked". Brisbane, you are lucky to have one of South Africas winning sons.
Thanks for showing it! Its a really rare bike. I love 2 strokes!
Great sound! It sounds like 3 motorcycles together.
Kork ....a great champion....a fantástic job you made with both 250 And 500!
Kawasaki was silly to retire so soon
I met Kork in '79 I think it was - ace guy!
Still got the signed poster on my wall, alongside the photos I took of the great man, with his brother and the great KR500!
Thanks for showing this piece of art !
That is one beautiful machine ,thanks heaps for taking the time and sharing it for us two stroke lovers ,I owned two KR 250's in the eighties and it's probably good they never made them for the general public or I might not have been here today. It's great Kork .
Thanks for that Kork, the '82 version is my all time favorite bike - especially with the original big front mudguard, and those gorgeous exhausts - t just looks fantastic and the green/yellow/white with flashes of red colour scheme suits it so well -absolutely DELICIOUS!! - would love to see more footage with it's clothes ON though!! I'd also like to see the '80 and ''81 versions and Eddie Lawsons and Greg Hansons bikes - a shame it wasn't more succesfull so there would be more stuff about it
That aluminum brushed tank… what a beauty
What a work of art and Kawasaki continue to make master pieces to this day.
Kork was and still is an absolute legend, loved the vid👌🏽👍🏽
Two thumbs up!!! A brilliant piece of history, and you just can't beat that idle sound!
what a beautiful engineerd machine. damn i wish we could have those two strokes back in road racing. thanks Kork for sharing it with us !.
By god, that bike looks and sounds fantastic. What a terrific video. Thanks, Kork!!
the best.
thank you Kork
Still a Bloody Legend !!!!
cheers Mate !!!!
Wow stunning piece of engineering looks great even now 40 years on
Thank you for that it was a great presentation thanks for sharing
Great video, thanks for the great memories.
My Brother used to work for Stuart Baldwin in the 80's and some of your old bits and pieces were on show for us to look at !!!
Those magnesium carbs were so light and well made !!
Dave R
Well, that was a treat! Thank you.
Thanks Kork, I enjoyed building the Tamiya model of this bike years ago. You can't beat Kawasaki for some different engineering.
Thanks for this great posting! Straight into my favorites!
Nice vid and a dam good bike , It takes me back to when two strokes ruled the earth .Thanks for posting
that is one heck of a gorgeous bike...two strokes sound brilliant.cheers for uploading your great vid
これは、かなり貴重な映像(^.^)昔からのカワサキファンとしては凄く嬉しいです。KR500は一度、もうかれこれ30年前に元カワサキGP監督をされていたケン鈴木氏の経営する軽井沢のペンションに泊まった時、庭に置いてあったのを見て記念に写真を撮ったのを思い出しました。500はレースで結果が出なかったけれど、それでもやっぱり今でもカワサキ伝説のマシンですね。
Thank you so much, sir!
Much appreciated.
Thanks Kork,seen you ride the 500 a few times and a pleasure to see you and the bike then and also now,keep up the good work!
Most awesome !! just watched the DVD of Kim Newcombe which featured Korkie, great time awesome racing.
Bloody awesome,sounds amazing! thank you.
amazing, beautiful, etc Thanks to show us this amazing bike.
Thank you Kork! I 've visiting every summer Ken Suzuki's pention Silver Stone in Kaluizawa in Japan.
The square 4 is a amazing engine.
Great vid Kork....watched you ride at the Barry Sheene Festival od Speed 2009....awesome !!!
Team Wine and Dine. Fantastic, thanks for the look.
What a coincedence, while i was looking at this, I was just watching a movie on TV "Assen" filmed in 1977... and who should be interviewed but Kork Himself..the Winner!.
NICE TO SEE YOU, 4 TIMES WORLD CHAMPION, KAWA MAN
Went to RUclips to get the URL of that wonderful GP at Silverstone between Kenny Roberts and Barry and look what I found. Superb ! A wonderful talk through of the Kwacker's qualities - with humour. The only thing missing is pizza ! A new video AND a new book ! Where do you find time for a Castle ?
what a sound. looks and sounds great with a true legend . great vid .
Thanks for the show, love the 2 strokes!!
Kawaslakkie.
RESPECT TO A LEGEND ✌🏻
He lived in Pietermaritsburg and I watched him as a kid on a modified road bike 3 cylinder Kawasaki air cooled running with Agostini, Paul etc on works machinery
a legend and the hero of every ZA school boy in the 70's
I want these 2-strokes back ❤❤
A real treat..I still thing the front brake calipers are interesting. Wish you could do a close-up view and talk about them.
amazing... old but still rocking!
excellent vid...
You've *GOT* to post some track day stuff. I would love to see that baby on a circuit again.
Anybody notice the beautiful Silvia in the driveway?
Why can't somebody in my neighborhood have one of those? Gorgeous stone wall. 👍
2 stroke 4 ever 🤜💥🤛
Hey Kork, thumbs up to the age old Kwak. Pity they dont have an Aldo Scribante or Kumalo race track here for you to play on. Ever thought of taking it to Lakeside and thrashing the "lighties" of today? You never know what may happen. Re-ignite the passion. Well done mate.
Murray
Thank you Lord!!! And thank you Kork!!!
Thank you so much for sharing with us!
Very nice. Thank you for that. Bike sounds AMAZING.
Thanks Kork - great to see.
Thanks for great video of the lagend.
wow.
thanks for sharing this mate.
EXCELLENT.
man.. i'd love to fit soem lights and take it out on some mountian roads...
thanks for posting that! great to see it not sitting 'on a shelf' so to speak.
THAT THING SOUNDS BRILLIANT !!!!
look at the calibers..big square blocks :))
2:26
Total legend and has there ever been a better name in any sport?
I was lucky to see you tide in 79 at Silverstone...If I remember correctly you rode the 250 & 350?
Wonderful machine Thank you for sharing her with us Naked 😄
She's Beautiful
Do you mind turning that thing down my wife is in bed. Had to grab the remote. Seriously that sounds fantastic like 4 kx 125a3’s fastened together. The Eccentric adjusters in remember having the on my 1985 GPZ1000RX. But to have them on the front spindle that’s cutting edge now same with the anti dive. Simple but brilliant. I remember you winning at donnington park. You may have been on the same bike. I was racing the school boy motocross on a kx125 at the time. It’s in my garage with all the other competition bikes Kawasaki made that year. Brilliant Video I’ve never lost my love for the Kawasaki’s I’m just about to buy a z900rs se. It will probably be the last new bike I ever buy. Thanks for the memories. Take care. Any one you consider to one of the all time great riders Kork Ballington has beaten.
Thanks for showing such a great bike, love the engineering. Any chance you could detail the anti dive system please. I’m interested as a retired engineer. Thank you
I LOVE THAT SOUND!!!
2 STROKE 4 EVER
Outstanding! How about you and the bike coming to Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2008? We'd love to see you.
Sounds Fantastic!!!
Amazing video!
How did he not burn his legs? Thanks for showing this amazing machine.
proper decent bloke-have a castle for me Kork:-}
I see you Imatra 2014! Kork drives very fast!
Cool, thanx for sharing
If only Kawasaki had sorted the weight, the brakes and got it to hook up out of turns better. what a fantastic well thought out GP bike. The mechanical anti dive is so unusual for a gp bike but is that why the brakes cooked plus the extra weight. sounds the absolute nut, just love the sound of the blowback through the carbs at low revs, easy to pick out with the bodywork off. nice thanks Kork.
A winning combination.
Kork & Kawa & Kastle (sic)... well perhaps a Windhoek.
Great pity Kawasaki never really featured in 2 stroke 500cc GP bikes.
Excellent!
Excellent!
K&K ABSOLUTE LEGEND
The heat coming off that must have been bad on hot circuits.
Hi Kork, the strip tease worked a treat, once i saw the monocoque chassis i was fully aroused.
A thing of complete beauty, thanks for sharing it.
WOW ! That's brilliant.
oddly enough a few years ago there was a set of magnesium engine cases up for sale on egay for a KR square four, I found it very strange since these bikes were not p.r.
priceless machine take good care of it.
To walk out to the shed and see that. I wouldn't go back inside.
great memories thanks, is it ok if i use a few clips in a video i am doing? i will credit you of course, thanks again
Thankyou!
Superb,thanks for posting this,did Kawasaki give the bike as a present?Best get her out on track soon to keep the wheels turning!
If you do can I have a go!?!
83 Honda Interceptor was perhaps much more refined with its' V4, and superior handling.
a pure race bike
great to see a champ doing this just for kicks.....freddie or eddie - where r u?
just curious to ask - seem like shot in downunder...is kork there now?
to own it , you tell your race director you want it when the season is done!! usually when you win a championship !!