K9 1994-97

Model Details

Frame No from: KH125K-015001; engine No from: KH125DE014293 original colour schemes: Ebony & Sunbeam Red. 12v electrical system. Engine range same as for K5-K10.

There doesn't seem to have been a K8 model it's not listed on the parts micro-fiches I've seen and the frame numbers sort of support this. The K7 started on frame number 013501 and the K9 on 015001 - only a difference of fifteen hundred, hardly enough for a K8 to be slotted in-between. (If you do own a K8 then take a picture of the relevant bit of the V5 and send it to me. Thanks).

Again, no revamp to the bike or colour scheme for the K9 (see the pages from K4 onward for the history of this colour scheme). The design and graphics were now ten years old and could be considered as a little dated. It was clear that Kawasaki had decided that the little KH125 two-stroke's days were numbered in the UK. The only upside was that the electrics were better having been upgraded to 12v on the last model.

Perhaps this lack of commitment is not surprising given that they could only have shifted a maximum of fifteen hundred bikes since the end of the K7, they were hardly flying out of the Kawasaki dealerships. Compare this to a maximum of around four and a half thousand between the previous two K6 and K7.

I can't comment on the usual leaflet/brochure advertising because I've never seen one for the K9 model. Did Kawasaki even produce any advertising literature for this version? Perhaps their lack of commitment to the model didn't justify the expense? If you have a brochure for a K9 I'd be grateful for a scan for this page. Thank you.

This was the last time the UK KH125 bore graphics. While the Ebony would 'kind of' live on a little while longer, this was the final run of the Sunbeam Red which had first appeared in 1985. Because these colours spanned a decade in production and are later model KH's, they are the most commonly seen for sale these days. Nevertheless, expect their appearance on auction sites to become rarer as the years go by.

Official K9 Brochure Wanted. Was there one printed by Kawasaki? If so, can you help with a scan?