[ron_9191]

Hi I was thinking about buying another motorcycle for my daily office commuting as doing the same on a Royal Enfield is becoming a pain in the wrong place and again I dont wanna use my Royal Enfield in bumper to bumper traffic scene in Bangalore city.

Here's what I was thinking about. I want something dirt cheap, something that can take anything I throw at it and preferably a 2 stroke. Yamaha RX is what came in to my mind, but I am on a budget. Thats when I stumbled upon a forgotten classic, The KB 100 RTZ. Well it has that love it or hate it look but it was once upon a time something that youngsters pf those days dreamed of throwing their leg over.

Well the bike I saw is in a bad shape. The chassis is perfect. No bends and not even a single spec or rust. The luel tank is full of dents and dings but surprisingly both the side covers are intact!!! The documents are clear and the person is ready to throw it at 5k.

I commute alone most of the time and i was planning on a single seater with this bike. Preferably a cafe racer. I am eagerly looking for ideas and inputs for both cosmetic and engine mods.

[Chipz]

Since you are getting the bike for 5 K. You will be spending some amount to get it in good shape if you are planning to remove the petrol tank dents and a paint job. Spares availability for the KB100 is a bit of a problem. Why dont you stick with RX. Their spare are much easily found.

[abhinav.s]

Get it checked by a local mechanic to ensure that you would not need any major part replacements immediately after purchase. Also find out the availability of parts. I think it should be available though not easily.

If its in a good mechanical condition, 5k is dirt cheap and you will have it ready with the dents removed and painting done for 10k total including the cost of the bike.

[Ripper]

I had one for 3 years and i can say that it was a blast to ride, feels more stable than its competitors. It was reliable and easy to maintain, the only issue i faced in the ownership was spares.

Do check the following things first before going in for any cosmetic works.

1> Condition of the fuel tank. check for rust below the tank, near the fuel tap.
2> Battery. This bike needs a 5 AMP battery to power most electricals. Also Get the rectifier checked.
3> Source some hard to find spares like the Airfilter hose pipe, Acc. cable with the boot, Ignition set (its better to change the lock set), check the block for any scratches (mine had and so i had to go in for a new Block/piston set.)
4> The stock rear shox are a pain, go in for the one on the old discovers (sns type).
5> Id say keep the bike stock with some small bits here and there to make it look cool. Cafe racers are not meant for city riding conditions. Get a good paintjob like the old kawasaki 1000R the bike looks sweet in retro colours.

6> Another thing i had done on my bike was i got the entire front disc brake assembly of the pulsar gen 1 fitted on my KB, The braking was simply awesome thereafter.

[riteshpawar]

Congrats dude you are lucky to get this for 5k

Its an awesome bike.. long forgotten after Bajaj abandoned the 2 stroke manufacturing at Akurdi in Pune and ventured into the 4 strokes starting with 4S and then the Calibre and then Platina and Pulsars.

Its a 98cc bike giving a mean 10.5 bhp and awesome pickup, its very stable on bumpy roads and no need to get broader tyres. Fuel wise too it gives a good 50-55 kms in city riding.

While buying it ensure that the clutch plates are in good condition this one has just 4 discs instead of 5 discs. Also check if this the Delta super tuned engine to identify this look for a rectangular box just below the fuel tank on the right side with a pipe that connects directly into the carb.

This was the first desi bike with the carb in an enclosure so nobody can fiddle with it if it was parked in unmanned places.

I have been riding my RTZ & still do since 1995 and have covered 85000 kms before I needed to get a speedo - tacho console after a crash in 1999. Luckily then the instrument panels were still available at Bajaj spares shops.

The original piston, crank and connecting rods are no longer available though duplicate ones still do a good job provided your mechanic knows his job and the turner and fitter is a good one too.

Go ahead pick this one up its a steal for 5k. If you are looking for something thats less noisier look out for an Ind Suzuki AX100 the first of the 100 cc to ride in India

[sunil.nv]

Hi,

One of my friends has brought his KB 100 to Bangalore recently and is in the lookout for a trustworthy mechanic who knows his stuff around RTZ.

He currently has problems with the bike as over the past three years it has been sparingly used (only for a few days once in 6 months).

The current problems are wheel wobbling, engine heating and hitting high RPMs at low speeds. He would also be using it regularly now and needs to have regular service done on the bike.

Please suggest if anyone has been servicing their KB 100. Ok to take it to any part of Bangalore but best quality service is required.

Regards,
Sunil

[sameer9797]

Hey dude,

Why not go for the KB-125 ?. I am sure that you will get it around the same price. It was an unsung hero then, and its surely a forgotten classic.

[hillram]

Dear RTZ lovers
I too had a passion for Kawasaki RTZ as 2 of my college friends owned this lovely bike. Hence i acquired a pre worshipped KB100 and restored it to its glory.
As is state when i acquired the KB100


Post restoration..its a silver streak

[ATUL SINGH]

Hi, I own a 1990 RTZ Delta which has done around 40,000kms. The bike is in running condition but earlier it was locked in the garage for 5-7 years. The local mechanic who is an old hand with 2stroke KB's said that the carb needed to be replaced since the bike was unable to crank after the mechanical restoration.

Got a new carb from delhi but it seems that the same was not an exact fit and resulted in the throttle slide sticking. the engine rpm would shoot up to redline figures in such a case and had to be shut down. Reworking/polishing of the slide does not seems to work.

When i would turn the steering handle to the left the acc. cable seems to stretch and the rpm would again cross shrieking levels.

incase i close the fuel cock and start the engine as soon as the petrol level drops the engine rpm shoots up again.

Are the above problems related or independent to each other. Since the bike is currently at Varanasi i need assistance of somebody around this place knowledgeable enough to help me out. However, incase required i am ready to lug the bike to Delhi to get the same done here. Help...

[pramodkumar]

Originally Posted by ATUL SINGH

Hi, I own a 1990 RTZ Delta which has done around 40,000kms. The bike is in running condition but earlier it was locked in the garage for 5-7 years. The local mechanic who is an old hand with 2stroke KB's said that the carb needed to be replaced since the bike was unable to crank after the mechanical restoration.

Got a new carb from delhi but it seems that the same was not an exact fit and resulted in the throttle slide sticking. the engine rpm would shoot up to redline figures in such a case and had to be shut down. Reworking/polishing of the slide does not seems to work.

When i would turn the steering handle to the left the acc. cable seems to stretch and the rpm would again cross shrieking levels.

incase i close the fuel cock and start the engine as soon as the petrol level drops the engine rpm shoots up again.

Are the above problems related or independent to each other. Since the bike is currently at Varanasi i need assistance of somebody around this place knowledgeable enough to help me out. However, incase required i am ready to lug the bike to Delhi to get the same done here. Help...

The last problem you mentioned is due to vacuum leak, the issue is called an idle surge. When ever there is a vacuum leak the AFR gets messed up and more Air and less fuel enters the cylinder and it has a cascading effect till the bike(carburettor bowl) runs out of fuel. Solution is to check if the carburettor hose/Manifold or 2T pump tube is connected, in case all are well try looking for leaks in the air filter box. Also try blocking the 2T inlet.

The second and first problem looks related, try and understand weather its the slide sticking or is it the throttle cable getting pinched. Now what you can do to make sure its a pinched is remove the tension from the cable first. undo the side which goes into the twist grip and start the bike, let it idle, now pull the cable slowly and see if the previous behaviour of the slide getting stuck is resurfacing. Now try rocking the handle side by side while holding any RPM position on the throttle cable, check when it gets pinched, when moving left or right. Then check cable routing and if (most likely it is) pinched try to do a cleaner routing.

Now, about the old hand helping you, don't take an offense but its always great to stay curious, never believe in what they say, their old age is never to be mistaken with experience, todays shittiest mechanics will also grow old and their age will have noting to do with their skills. Another way of looking at this is, great mechanics of yester years have 100 different ways of turning crappy, alcohol abuse is one to name. now let me tell you why I took this clean shot, a mech who cannot rectify a pinched cable is not a mechanic in my book, its time you find a new and better guy.

Pramod