Table of contents

• Test LSL-Kawasaki Clubman W 740 R LSL retro bike
• Engine, chassis, tires
• Brakes, optics and price
• Conversion info
• Technical data LSL-Kawasaki Clubman W 740 R

Artist

motorcycles

Test LSL-Kawasaki Clubman W 740 R

Test LSL-Kawasaki Clubman W 740 R
LSL retro bike

This LSL Cafe Racer is more than just an expensive tuning motorcycle. A challenge for mind and hand. What is feasible, where are the limits? Here a little more, there a little more, everything for the attention to detail, for a great, unique experience.

Thomas Schmieder

December 04, 2008

There are days when it would have been better to stay in bed. Trouble with the tax office, piles of bills in the mailbox and a mountain of work waiting in the office. Drizzle on the way there, only snoring noses on the way, all traffic lights red. Ah, wonderful. But in the late afternoon the tide turned. Finally after work, the sun comes out. And in the underground car park, it affects me: the modern interpretation of a classic speed twin, refreshment for the stress-ravaged soul.

Created from one Kawasaki W 650, originated from an idea: “To combine the timelessly beautiful shape of the 1960s motorcycle with the performance of today’s developments.” This is the mission of Jochen Schmitz-Linkweiler, head of the Krefeld tuning company LSL. He and his people did an abundant good job. Where to start Chassis, wheels, swing arm, handlebars, seat, brakes, lights, all new parts. Only the tank, side cover, engine housing, carburetor and frame come from a standard 650 series.

“Heavy steel and cast iron series parts do not fit into the Clubman concept. That is why we have replaced the triple clamps, handlebars, swing arm, wheel hubs and fenders of the W 650 with lightweight aluminum parts,” explains Schmitz-Linkweiler. The hands stroke the perfect lacquer finish, enjoy the round shapes, metallic aura, massive cooling fins and the vertical shaft. Only the kick starter is missing. He fell victim to the LSL footrest system, which had been relocated backwards and upwards. Okay, then just press the button. First look for the ignition lock, it is in exile, on the right under the steering head. It is there from the start, the inimitable, typical long-stroke experience. The parallel twin runs smoothly at 600 revs when idling if you push the choke back a little early. Good vibrations are those, of the not the most grueling kind. LSL has increased the displacement from 676 to 733 cm³, the compression increased by planning the cylinders to 9.2 to one. Here, the 75-beet instead of the 72-series pistons run up and down 83 millimeters as usual. It feels great, with an almost therapeutic effect.

Take a seat, enjoy. The handlebar grips are ideally positioned for drivers up to around 1.80 meters tall. The right knee rests on the bevel gear housing of the upright shaft and quickly gets going when it comes to temperature. The rear flats on the wide seat, which is very thick in the pillion part.

Engine, chassis, tires

Artist

Open-hearted technology, from the carburetor to the pinion to the footrest system.

You can start, classically sporty, slightly bent, with a little pull on your backbone. The sound is still subtle when the vehicle is stationary. The ticking of the valves and the grinding of the vertical shaft dominate here. Then it bubbles and thunders great under load. Roaring sixties! The two short Leo Vince bags sound like pithy, dull and full, unfortunately without TuV approval. The main stand falls victim to the large collector between the pots. A unique piece for an individual appearance: the dark, heat-resistant coating on the series manifolds.

It’s amazing how sensitively the traditional twin hangs on the gas. It turns up noticeably more freely than the original. No wonder: connecting rod and crankshaft are finely balanced, new camshaft, flow channels and intake tract optimized. Something goes there, especially when you downshift once, which helps the basically voluminous torque surge over the small dent at 3500 tours. 65 hp get the 199 kilograms going, 50 horses had to pull 215 kilograms as standard. The Clubman is really no longer sluggish. It drives easily and well, sporty and relaxed. It’s fast without tearing your ears off. No misunderstanding: The Clubman has already been on various racetracks and even offers plenty of driving fun there. Boldly moved, the bends touch down on large slopes. Ultimately, a yardstick for the quality of the chassis. You can drive the tires down to the edges, there is none left “Fear strips” stand on the sides.

The Bridgestone BT 012 Supersport have an immense grip, even under adverse conditions. Soon they will be covered with fine rubber sausages and your face will be covered with a smile. The retro racer needs a little pressure to fold it down. Lower gyroscopic forces of the smaller front wheel ?? 18- instead of 19-inch ?? stands opposite the shorter lever arm of the flatter handlebar. So what? Plowing around a little, feeling your way into this extra-vagant motorcycle, it fits. The small steering angle and therefore the large turning circle is unusual. This is due to the new triple clamps and the mighty 43 Ohlins fork. It carries carbon-coated standpipes and is always calm, even withstanding rough blows dry.

Brakes, optics and price

Artist

The bulbous tank was laboriously freed from the screwed knee pads of the W 650 and repainted.

The Clubman feels much more stable than a maudlin serial Kawa. Your beautifully polished Junginger Superbike swing arm is supported on the steel double-loop frame by means of finely appealing Ohlins suspension struts. A new dimension for a classic bike: the heavy braking power. Noble milled Nissin four-piston pliers bite in a double pack on 300-millimeter wave disks, powerful and easy to dose ?? Operated by a radial pump and braided steel brake hoses at the front and rear. Because a disc rotates on the rear wheel instead of the standard drum.

With the Cafe Racer for a coffee break, that means a high level of experience. With this optical oldie, the eye wanders over coherent mini-indicators and the free-form multi-reflector headlights, and gets caught on the beautifully white highlighted tachometer with integrated speedometer. Or on the shiny, polished aluminum of the swingarm and fenders. You need leisure with this motorcycle because you are spoken to everywhere. Having time is the real luxury. “Man, that’s something beautiful”, an elderly gentleman is enthusiastic and stops his car, “You rarely see something like this today.” He is 79 years old and is a trained motor vehicle master. His eyes shine.

She acts as an ambassador from another era, the Clubman. This experience costs at least 10,490 euros. For this purpose, LSL offers a used W 650 in good condition including its conversion for “Base Clubman”. With the same look as you can see in the photos, it lacks the superbike swingarm, the Ohlins fork and the double disc brake (instead: single disc with six-piston saddle). Furthermore, the retrofit exhausts, the engine tuning and the accessory instruments. If you order the whole feel-good program, you get 23,500 euros, including a motorcycle. From a purely rational point of view, that doesn’t make much sense. But that’s not the point, with this lovable spinning mill for priceless moments. The experience value is right anyway.

Conversion info

Base motorcycle: Kawasaki W 650

Year of construction: 1999 to 2002
Mileage: less than 8000 kilometers

Equipment: LSL triple clamps and handlebars, milled lamp holders, clear glass headlights, mini turn signals, CNC rearview mirror, 310 millimeter Galfer brake disc, Nissin six-piston brake caliper, steel braided brake lines, anodized spoke wheels, polished aluminum fenders front and rear, Clubman seat, LSL Footrest system and pillion pegs, Ohlins suspension struts, aluminum chain guard, paint finish anthracite.

Vehicle complete: 10490 euros

Optional:
43-millimeter Ohlins fork (2850 euros); 300 millimeter double disc brake system with milled Nissin four-piston calipers and Brembo radial pump (2450 euros); Junginger aluminum swing arm with 245 millimeter brake disc and aluminum pinion cover (1890 euros); Instruments ?? motoscope classic ?? (540 euros); Stainless steel double silencer system with heat jacket (1790 euros; no TuV!); Engine tuning to approx. 65 hp at 7000 rpm (3400 euros, no TuV!)

Contact: LSL, phone 02151 / 5559-0, www.lsl-motorradtechnik.de

Technical data LSL-Kawasaki Clubman W 740 R

Artist

Old-fashioned look: the W 740 R line follows traditional models.

engine
Air-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, a balance shaft, an overhead camshaft driven by a vertical shaft, four valves per cylinder, constant pressure carburetor, ø 34 mm, secondary air system, 12 V / 12 Ah battery, mechanically operated multi-disc oil bath clutch, five-speed gearbox.

Bore x stroke 75 x 83.0 mm
Displacement 733 cm³
Compression ratio 9.2: 1
Rated output 47.8 kW (65 hp) at 7000 rpm
Max. Torque 73 Nm at 5500 rpm

landing gear
Double loop frame made of steel, telescopic fork, ø 43 mm, adjustable spring base, rebound and compression damping, two-arm swing arm made of aluminum, two spring struts, adjustable spring base, front disc brake, ø 300 mm, double-piston floating caliper, rear disc brake ø 245 mm.

Spoked wheels with aluminum rims 2.50 x 18; 4.25 x 18
Tires 110 / 80-18; 150 / 70-18

Dimensions + weights
Wheelbase 1440 mm, steering head angle 65 degrees, caster 102 mm, spring travel f / r 120/110 mm, weight with a full tank * 199 kg, tank capacity / reserve 15.0 / 3.0 liters.

Color anthracite
Price 23410 euros

Readings
Performance
Top speed * 180 km / h

acceleration
0 100 km / h 4.7 sec
0 ?? 140 km / h 9.1 sec

Draft
60 ?? 100 km / h 5.9 sec
100 ?? 140 km / h 6.5 sec

Speedometer deviation
Effective (display 50/100) 42/85 km / h

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