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End of the line for Kawasaki’s long-running 250 single

Kawasaki Estrella Final Edition

Written by www.motorcycle-magazine.com , Date 12:13 PM
Kawasaki Estrella Final Edition

A quarter of a century after its launch Kawasaki is to finally kill the Estrella 250 and has revealed a Final Edition version in Japan to mark its passing.

Kawasaki Estrella Final EditionMassively predating the recent fad for retro bikes, the Estrella first appeared in 1992, and since then more than 100,000 have been sold. Most of them stayed on home soil, though, as Japan has long been the bike’s main market. Between 1994 and 1999, the Estrella was offered in some European markets, including Germany, but sales were relatively low.

The Estrella, or BJ250, was inspired by the 1960s Kawasaki SG250, itself the spawn of Kawasaki’s tie-in with the older Meguro brand which had offered 250cc singles back to the early 50s. Several different versions have been offered over the last 25 years, including single-seat and dual-seat versions. There was even a scrambler – launched back in 2001, a decade before the current trend for such bikes – in the form of the 250TR.

In pursuit of a true retro experience, the ‘D’ and ‘E’ models of the Estrella were even ‘updated’ to replace the disc brakes of the original version with 1960s-style drum brakes front and rear. The rear drum remains to this day, even though the earliest bikes had discs at both ends.

Kawasaki Estrella Final EditionThe styling of the new Estrella Final Edition, which goes on sale in Japan in June, is largely the same as it’s ever been. Changes include paintwork inspired by the 650RS W3 of 1973. There’s a ‘Final Edition’ sticker on the tank and a chrome front and rear fenders, too.

Coming so soon after the end of production for the W800 retro, which was discontinued last year, the death of the Estrella leaves a retro-shaped hole in Kawasaki’s range. Given the recent revival of retro machines, with the Ducati Scrambler, Triumph Bonneville and BMW R NineT all selling so well, surely Kawasaki must have plans to plug that gap soon.

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