Omega Sports Special 125
OMEGA SPORTS SPECIAL 125
CYCLE WORLD ROAD TEST
KAWASAKI AIRCRAFT CO., LTD. IS A MEMBER of the giant Kawasaki heavy industries group, and they make (in addition to aircraft) buses, trucks, pumps, machinery for the production of textiles — and motorcycles. The range of Kawasaki two-wheelers extends from 50cc tiddlers to a 500cc vertical twin, but it is their 90cc and 125cc machines that are being imported into the United States. Kawasaki’s American importer, the Ken Kay Distributing Company, has these bikes built to order with minor changes in specification (making them better suited to the American market) and a change in nameplate from “Kawasaki” to “Omega.”
By far the most outstanding thing about the Omega “Sports Special 125” is its finish. We have become accustomed to nice finishes on small-displacement, inexpensive Japanese motorcycles, but the Omega sets a new standard in this regard. The engine castings are very nice, and the various sheet-metal pressings that go into the frame, etc., are heavy and have the appearance of being automaticfeed welded. This is a small point, but we have found that nice welding — even beads and all that — make a big impression here in the States. Good paint and lustrous chromework are things people look for, too, and the Omega has them.
It seems likely that we can assume the Omega’s good finish will be more than skin deep, so the machine should be reliable. Certainly, there is nothing “experimental” in its design. The engine is an ultra-simple, single-cylinder two-stroke, with a piston controlled intake port. The cylinder is an iron casting, unusual only in that it is fixed to the crankcase by short studs through a flange at its base. The aluminum cylinder head, in turn, is bolted to the top of the cylinder. This arrangement is better, in most respects, than the more usual method of having long through-studs extending down from the cylinder head to the crankcase. The through-studs place compression loads on the cylinder, and will account for some added distortion at running temperatures. Of course, with its 6.3:1 compression ratio and relatively mild output of 11 bhp, the Omega engine is not placing much of a mechanical or thermal load on any of its components.
The Omega has a “rotary shift” transmission, and this is very good or very bad, depending on personal preference. It is good, because when running in traffic, in 4th gear, you can pull up to a stoplight and get into neutral simply by dabbing at the lever one more time (just like you were reaching for a 5th gear). Then, another dab, still in the same direction, will select lst-gear and you can ride away. It eliminates a lot of back-shifting. The bad side of this is if you should be a trifle absent-minded and stab the gear-pedal once more after getting into 4th. That will move things into neutral, and there is a strong probability that you will unconsciously decide that you have missed the shift and give the lever yet another stab. When the clutch is released after that final stab at the lever, you will quite suddenly discover that lst-gear has been selected, and that the engine is turning far too many revolutions for its own good. We have found that with experience, the tendency to do this is very much reduced, and the rotary-shift is quite handy in city stop-and-go riding, but the staff is divided as to the ultimate desirability of this feature.
Because all of the potentially messy bits are hidden, the Omega is a very tidy motorcycle. Two-strokers’carburetors always cough back a fog of fuel, and as this has a percentage of oil in it (the Omega uses a 20:1 fuel/oil mix), there is soon a great lot of oily residue all around the carburetor. On the Omega, the carburetor is shielded, and while there is a ferocious mess under the shield, it remains clean outside. And the rear chain is the same sort of thing. A properly lubricated chain will always fling a bit of grease about, but the Omega’s chain is inside a full-enclosure case. This measure will keep its rider’s trousers clean, and it extends chain life by protecting it against road grit.
All of the things that make for comfortable touring have been provided. There is a long, soft saddle, nicelyplaced footpegs, and a good, comfortable rise to the handlebars. The only thing we did not like very much was that the folding footpegs for the passenger are mounted well back on the rear swing arm, so that they move with the same frequency and more than half the amplitude of the rear wheel. Of course, it may be expected that people will do only occasional, short period, two-up riding with a 125cc motorcycle.
The Omega is one motorcycle that is fitted with proper turn indicators. The lights are mounted on stems, extending out from the upper fork bridge and the rear fender, and the bulbs behind the large amber lenses give enough light to be visible day or night. The headlight puts out a goodly amount of light too, and we think it all may be due to the very large battery on the Omega. This battery, and the voltage regulator that goes with it, would do justice to a small automobile.
The big 12-volt battery is not simply the result of an engineer’s whim. The Omega’s electric starter is a combined starter/generator, and its armature is fitted directly to the end of the crankshaft and turns at engine speed. Therefore, to crank the engine over, it must produce enough torque to overcome compression without the aid of reduction gears and that means a big current-hungry starter. To carry things further, the big starter becomes a big generator once the engine is running, and that gives the current to handle the oversize electrical system — including the headlight’s 35-watt filaments.
While the Omega is no ball-of-fire in terms of performance, it does get down the road reasonably quickly for a 125cc-engined motorcycle. Fast enough not to be in any danger of being run-over in any case. And, it is exceedingly smooth. The engine either vibrates very little, or the makers have been successful in stopping the vibration before it gets to the rider (exactly which of these is not particularly important). Also, it gives a marvelously smooth ride.
Perhaps the best indication of the kind of machine the Omega is, was that everyone here soon began using it for all manner of errands, because it would always start without fuss or reluctance, and it was comfortable. Not as exciting as a 750cc fire-breather, but a lot more convenient in city traffic.
OMEGA
SPORTS SPECIAL 125
SPECIFICATIONS
POWER TRANSMISSION
DIMENSIONS, INCHES
PERFORMANCE ACCELERATION
$429.50
