The Kawasaki KR500 was a racing

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

manufactured by Kawasaki from 1980 to 1982 for competition in the

Grand Prix motorcycle racing Grand Prix motorcycle racing is the premier class of motorcycle road racing events held on road circuits sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM). Independent motorcycle racing events have been held since the start ...

series. The motorcycle was powered by a 494 cc

two stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes (up and down movements) of the piston during one power cycle, this power cycle being completed in one revolution of t ...

engine, and used an aluminium monocoque frame, similar to the 1979

Honda NR500 NR500 was a racing motorcycle developed by Honda HRC in 1979 to compete in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. "NR" stands for "New Racing". Model history The motivation behind the NR500 was company founder Soichiro Honda's desire to compete using ...

racer, aimed at improving aerodynamics with a small frontal area, improving chassis stiffness and reducing weight.

Model history

The motorcycle was debuted during the

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

world championship ridden by

Kork Ballington Hugh Neville "Kork" Ballington (born 10 April 1951) is a South African former professional motorcycle racer. He competed in the Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championships from 1976 to 1982, most prominently as a member of the Kawasaki fac ...

at the

Nations Grand Prix The Italian motorcycle Grand Prix is a motorcycling event that is part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing season. From 1949 to 1990 the event was known by the it, Gran Premio Delle Nazioni (''Nations Grand Prix''). It was one of the original ...

held on the

Misano circuit The Misano World Circuit (officially known as Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli or Misano Circuit Sic 58, and before 2006 called Circuito Internazionale Santa Monica) is a race track located next to the town of Misano Adriatico (Province of R ...

. At the season-end the South African rider finished 12th in the standings. For the

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

world championship the KR500 was improved with a stiffer and lighter chassis along with a magnesium

crankcase In a piston engine, the crankcase is the housing that surrounds the crankshaft. In most modern engines, the crankcase is integrated into the engine block. Two-stroke engines typically use a crankcase-compression design, resulting in the fuel/a ...

and anti-dive front

suspension Suspension or suspended may refer to: Science and engineering * Suspension (topology), in mathematics * Suspension (dynamical systems), in mathematics * Suspension of a ring, in mathematics * Suspension (chemistry), small solid particles suspend ...

. The season saw the KR500 get its first podium finishes with third places at the

Dutch TT The Dutch Tourist Trophy, also known as the ''TT Assen'', is an annual Dutch motorsport event established in 1925 for road racing motorcycles held on the TT Circuit Assen, also known as the ‘Cathedral of Speed'. The event attained world champ ...

and at the

Finnish Grand Prix Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to: Arts and entertainment ...

and, Ballington placed eighth in the 500cc world championship. Kawasaki KR500 engine

The main change before the

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

season was switching to Showa suspension. Ballington finished 9th in the championship, with a best result during the season of 6th place at the 1982 Nations Grand Prix. The KR500 was more successful competing in the 1982 ACU 500cc British national championship where, Ballington won six consecutive races to win the title for Kawasaki. After three years of development, Kawasaki had failed to close the technological gap with its rival Japanese manufacturers

Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...

and

Yamaha Yamaha may refer to: * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below). ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...

. The 1982 model was powerful but, still too heavy in comparison to the competition. At the end of the season the Kawasaki withdrew from

due to lack of successful results.

Frame

Ossa in the late 1960s successfully raced a 250 cc Grand Prix bike with a welded-sheet

magnesium alloy Magnesium alloys are mixtures of magnesium (the lightest structural metal) with other metals (called an alloy), often aluminium, zinc, manganese, silicon, copper, rare earths and zirconium. Magnesium alloys have a hexagonal lattice structure, w ...

monocoque frame, withdrawing after the death of their rider

Santiago Herrero Santiago Herrero (9 May 1943 – 10 June 1970) was a Spanish professional Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He was Spain's most promising international motorcycle racer until he died from injuries sustained while competing in the Isle of Man TT ...

.Bike Exif
(undated), Retrieved March 17 2017 In 2000 Kawasaki released the ZX-12R, the first production motorcycle with an aluminium monocoque frame, followed by the 2006

ZX-14 The ZZR1400 or Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 and ZX-14R (2006–2022), is a motorcycle in the Ninja sport bike series from the Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki that was their most powerful sport bike as of 2006.

, and the 2008 Concours 14 also with this type of frame.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kawasaki Kr500 KR500 Grand Prix motorcycles Motorcycles introduced in 1980