This little beast, sometimes referred to as a “Baby Ninja,” is about as rare as it gets here in the U.S., but as we’re reminded quite often, just because something is rare doesn’t make it valuable. I think this would be incredibly fun to own for the unusual factor, not to mention that, as they say, it’s more fun to drive a slow vehicle fast than a fast vehicle slow. The seller has this 1982 Kawasaki AR50-A1 listed here on eBay in Albany, California, and they have an unmet opening bid price of $999 listed, and no reserve after that.
This bike has a modified rear suspension in the form of a “Works Performance” (Works Performance closed in 2017, is it “Worx Performance”?) rear shock, and I’m sure it’s a nice upgrade. It also has an LED headlight, but hopefully it’s an easy change back to stock. The front fender appears to be missing its center black stripe, so I’m guessing that it has been repainted, along with the tank and side covers. Maybe just the two side covers were repainted? The seller mentions a couple of scratches and a tiny soft dent in the tank, and I’m sure those could be fixed easily. They say it’s unrestored, but the side covers are clearly missing the black graphics.
All is well with the rear fender, as far as it being original, even if the black and white “stripe” is a bit tattered. Kawasaki offered the small AR50 models from 1981 to 1994, mainly in the UK, but we got them here in the U.S. in 1982, from what I can decipher from the wide range of online information. My book, Standard Catalog of Japanese Motorcycles 1959-2007, doesn’t even list the AR50, but it does list the AR80, a similar bike with a bigger engine. This would be a fun restoration project. It looks like replacement decals are available!
This does not look like a 49-cc motorcycle, does it? At least from the rider’s view above. They were available in Lime Green, Polar White, and Firecracker Red as seen here. The detailing is very nice as one would expect from a 1980s Japanese motorcycle, and as with most small-displacement bikes, this one is kick-start only. The seller says it starts on the first or second kick, and they provided a little video showing it starting on the first kick. Listen to that sweet two-stroke sound, ahhh… I was 100% sure I was going to grab this one, but then I remembered having four or five motorcycles that already needed to be restored and gave up on it. As much as I’d love to have it, I hope a Barn Finds reader can snag this rare ride.
The decal/graphic is missing from both side covers, unfortunately, so plan on a couple of hundred bucks for replacements. The engine is Kawasaki’s 49-cc two-stroke reed valve single with what most sources say would be around 10 horsepower. That’s actually a decent amount of power for a 172-pound bike, and it’s backed by what should be a six-speed transmission for a U.S. model. It gave a top speed of around 55ish, give or take, and that’s fast on a tiny motorcycle! 25 mph seems like certain death on my Motocompo. Have any of you seen this model of Kawasaki before? It’s very similar to Honda’s MB50.
Thrifty transportation 👍
This would be great on the back of a small RV. I’ve known about the Honda MB5(0) for years, I should have known they would have competition. And with an extra gear too! Neat.
That’s exactly what I thought of Andy, the MB5 had competition?? And thanks again, Scotty. Love the unusual vehicles of all kinds!
The absolute LAST thing I would do, is rain on this guys parade. When these posts come up, it’s almost guaranteed who wrote it up. I like all motorcycles, but this pushes my limits. I read, it has a top speed of about 50mph( at 8500 rpm) and does 0-60 in about 35 seconds, 1/4 mile time and speed unavailable. Can you imagine what Scottys warehouse( if any) would have in it if he was a millionaire? Be tour worthy, for sure. Dibs on the tour guide job,,, :)
As much as we have in common, we aren’t clones of each other and I prefer some meat on the bones when it comes to bikes, meaning nothing less than 750 for the street. You want to ride around at 7,000 rpms all day, here you go.
Did I read that right.? Two hundred for a couple decals.This is a MB-5 ,not a DB-5
I remember these, along with their big brothers. I was getting my motorcycle license when the Ninja came out, and every other new bike you saw was one.
During my license road test, the Ninja’s were dipping through the the cones like nothing. Meanwhile, I was having a tough time in my Yamaha XS750 and thought that I might fail. The tester said that I did very well, and took the type of bike into account.
Initially in Wisconsin,( 70s) they had 2 classes, 0-175cc and 175cc up. Rather than take my GoldWing, I took someone’s CB200 and later, they changed it, you had to take the test on the bike you were going to ride.
Auction update: Well, I was a bidder after all, but let it go once it hit $1,300, and it sold for $1,325. Bummer, but shipping would have added a grand, plus, $250 in new graphics, fixing and painting the gas tank, trying to find some correct turn signals, and whatever else. It wasn’t worth $3,000 to me, as much as I wanted it.