Forget your Prius, electric car, recycling, composting and general conservatism. This is the REAL way to go green: a 1983 Kawasaki ELR model. Built to commemorate Eddie Lawson’s Superbike titles with Kawasaki, the ELR shows off its cutting edge race-spec stuff, including twin piggy-back shocks, and a mighty 1000cc air cooled inline four.
But let’s face it: what really sets ELR models apart is the brilliant green finish. Look beyond that and you will start to notice the GPz-like bikini fairing, the cast alloy wheels, triple disk brakes, fork brace, factory Kerker exhaust and more. This is no simple KZ; this was the top of the Big K heap in 1983.
From the seller:
I am selling my 1983 Eddie Lawson Replica (R2) with 22, 377 miles, which is in excellent running order and in very good overall condition. The frame and engine do not match. The original engine was heavily modified for a Cycle Magazine article and the engine was subsequently damaged beyond repair (over rev’ed). It was replaced with a Police 1000J engine.The bike has new Dunlop tires, a new clutch cable, and new front shock seals installed with less than 2,000 miles. The brakes, battery, chain, and original seat are in very good condition. All of the electrical works (with the exception of intermittent flashing to the oil pressure warning light). All of the turn signals, hazard lights, and the “hi and low beams” of the headlight are working.
This bike comes with: Works rear shocks, a “newish” Kerker exhaust, tuned Mikuni flatside carbs w/ 4 High flow air filters, and an “aftermarket” Dyna electronic adjustable ignition.
Bike has been repainted…but there are a few chips and scrapes. Paint scheme is the “S1 Racing” scheme. Stickers can be removed…no scratches underneath.
Spare parts: stock front and back turn signals, racing oil cooler, stock air box, and the black chromed grab rail that fits around the rear of the seat.
Purchase includes the original Owner’s Manual (pristine condition), the Service Manual, and the Cycle Magazine article + 2 framed photos.
The ELR models we have posted here in the past have been in varying condition. Some have been absolutely concours condition and destined for museums, while others were riders or slightly worse. This bike looks to be a bit cleaner than most of the riders we have seen, but is far from stock or original. Will that matter to buyers? Given that pristine examples run in the $12k and above ranges, the BIN for this bike is set for a more reasonable $8,000. The opening ask is $6,500, with a reserve in place.
Will the bidders turn out for this one? If this was the actual magazine testing bike (and documented), that could make it an interesting find. I would love to know more of the back story on that one; could the historical aspect of this bike have any bearing on the final sale price? Click the link to jump over to the auction and check it out. Going green is easy on an ELR!
MI
Good lord I love Green!
The fork tops aren’t stock, either. He should have painted the top end black before putting it together. Also, he can buy just the Kerker race baffle if he wants to annoy people 5 miles away with an AWESOME exhaust note. I did it with my R2 when I was younger–now I wouldn’t. It’s definitely not a tarted up 1000J, but the different engine should affect the price. I sold mine (which I put in $7000 of engine (114hp) and chassis mods) for $7K about 10 years ago.