No photo yet

Sportbikes

1988Kawasaki KR1

25 fields on record

The 1988 Kawasaki KR1 is a Japanese sports bike with a 249cc liquid-cooled two-stroke parallel twin making 55 hp and 36.8 Nm. It weighs 123 kg dry and has a 6-speed gearbox and a 16-litre tank.

Capacity: 249.0 ccm
Engine: Parallel Twin, two-stroke
Gearbox: 6-speed
Dry weight: 123.0 kg
Seat height: 855 mm
Power: 55.0 HP (41.0 kW) @ 10500 RPM

⇄ Compare with another bike ＋ Add to garage All model years

Other years 1988 1989

How it rides

Editorial estimate from the spec sheet - not lab tested

Off-road & trail5%

Cornering80%

City riding25%

Daily riding20%

Touring10%

Two-up25%

Track75%

Best for: Sport bike built for its class - everyday, practical use.
Built for: A sport bike from Kawasaki, built around a 249cc engine - a real production model, but this profile is formula-generated from its class and spec sheet rather than individually reviewed.
Not ideal for: Not for serious performance or off-road use.

Scores are derived from the spec sheet using the same model across every bike, so they compare like for like.

Will it fit you?

Worked out in your browser - nothing is sent to us

Your height

Inseam (optional)

Units

At 855mm, a rider of 68.9" with a 31" (estimated) inseam will reach the ground with tip-toe one foot on the 1988 Kawasaki KR1, with a cramped knee angle of around 75 degrees and a forward-leaning riding position.

Assumes about 30mm of suspension sag once seated. This is an approximation from category-typical geometry, not a measurement of this bike or of you - sit on one before you buy.

More bikes at 821-900 mm — Long Legs →

Find bikes that fit your height →

Reliability & safety

Bike Reliability score, safety recalls and owner complaints

Bike Reliability

How the score works →

out of 100Average

The Kawasaki KR1 passed its annual roadworthiness test first time 83.6% of the time, 0.1 points above expected for bikes of the same age and mileage. That beats 48% of models.

Bikes first registered in 1988 have 64 tests, too few for their own score, so this covers every year.

83.6%Passed first time

10.5%Failed outright

5.9%Fixed during test

17,000Typical miles

1,350Tests

Pass rate by miles ridden

0-10k

88.5%

10-20k

81%

20-30k

82.9%

30-40k

87.5%

All years of this model.

Score by year first registered

19891990

Against its rivals · ranks 5 of 6

#	Model (all years)	Score	Tests
1	Yamaha RD 350 F	76 Good	141
2	Suzuki RG 500 Gamma	66 Good	2,168
3	Yamaha TZR 250	59 Average	3,338
4	Yamaha RD 350	56 Average	16,292
5	Kawasaki KR1	48 Average	1,350
6	Suzuki RGV 250 Gamma	39 Below average	2,632

Rivals are the most-viewed bikes on MotorcycleDB in the same category and engine size, from within three years of this model.

From British annual roadworthiness tests, 2005-2025. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (DVSA MOT test data, Great Britain). How Bike Reliability works.

Full specifications

Engine

Capacity: 249.0 ccm
Power: 55.0 HP (41.0 kW) @ 10500 RPM
Torque: 36.8 Nm (3.8 kgf-m)
Engine type: Parallel Twin, two-stroke
Power/weight ratio: 0.4472 HP/kg (dry)
Bore x stroke: 56.0 x 50.6 mm
Compression: 7.4:1
Cooling system: Liquid
Fuel system: Carburettor
Starting: Kick

Transmission

Gearbox: 6-speed
Transmission type: Manual
Final drive: Chain

Dimensions & weight

Wheelbase: 1365 mm
Overall length: 2005 mm
Seat height: 855 mm
Dry weight: 123.0 kg
Fuel capacity: 16.00 litres

Chassis & suspension

Front suspension: 41mm stanchions, air assisted telescopic fork with unstopped preload adjustment
Rear suspension: Bottom Link Uni-Trak with air adjustable gas shock, unstopped preload, and four-way rebound damping

Brakes & wheels