The A7 Avenger was one of Kawasaki’s earliest models, though upon its release was a pretty advanced and noteworthy machine. The 350 – technically 338cc – was a bored-out version of the marque’s earlier, quarter-liter A1 Samurai. The A1 itself was derived from Kawa’s 650cc W1 model. The A7 would lay the foundation for what would become the S2 Mach II, the first of Kawasaki’s legendary two-stroke triples.
Kawasaki was the last of the big Japanese four to enter the motorcycle market, an effort that began when the Kawasaki Aircraft Company acquired a large share in the Meguro Manufacturing Company. Meguro was one of Japan’s very first motorcycle companies, first opening shop in the 1930’s around the time the industry began to see exponential growth on the island. Following a financial crash in the US, Meguro capitalized on the opportunity to snatch-up drawing, tooling, and other vital production knowledge from Harley-Davidson. This included info on heat treatments, and general intel on large-scale production – an area of expertise the Japanese have since excelled in.
This resulted in the Rikuo brand, with the name supposedly translating directly to “Road King”. Meguro would continue producing motorcycles until WW2 at which point the company began supplying aircraft parts to the military alongside companies like Honda. The Japanese marque would resume production in 1948 following the war, producing a handful of OHV singles in 125, 250, 350, and 500cc displacements. In the 1950’s Meguro started to dabble in racing after it developed the 651cc T1 Senior, a parallel twin directly derived from BSA’s A7 with Meguro’s version of the British twin supposedly being markedly superior to the BSA-made machine.
By 1958 Meguro had developed an array of models which saw poor sales supposedly as a result of being priced much higher than the competition. By 1960 the outfit would enter relations with the Kawasaki Aircraft Company, resulting in Kawasaki-Meguro in 1962. A couple years later Kawasaki would completely absorb Meguro after having learned what it needed to from what was at the time, Japan’s longest running motorcycle company. Kawasaki would then continue the development of the BSA-inspired machine, eventually boring the 500cc engine out to 625cc’s and marketing the model as the “W1” 650.
After the success of the W1, Kawasaki would create a smaller version of the cutting-edge power plant, giving way to the 250cc A1 Samurai in ’66, before releasing the 350cc A7 Avenger the following year. The A7 was basically the same as the 250, only it featured new pistons, piston rings, and a new exhaust system, as well as the race-developed “Injectolube” oiling system. This required the crank and crankcase to be redesigned to accommodate the new oil injection system.
Upon its release in 1967, the A7 Avenger was a pretty advanced machine, boasting an array of features that had previously been reserved for competition machines, taking what the company had learned in its racing efforts to produce the air-cooled, two-stroke, oil-injected, twin-cylinder, rotary-valve engine. Aside from Bridgestone – who was also producing bikes at this point – Kawasaki was the only company offering a rotary-valve twin. The A7 also utilized twin Mikuni carbs which were fixed to the crankcase and enclosed in carb covers.
The 338cc two-stroke twin produced a claimed 42hp at 8,000rpm and boasted a reported top speed of over 100mph, and married to the power plant was a chain-driven five-speed transmission. In total the machine weighed in at just over 350 lbs wet and sat on 18″ wheels front and rear. The hardware on the Avenger consisted of inner-spring telescopic forks up front and traditional dual shocks in back with expanding brake units fore and aft.
This particular 1970 A7 Avenger example has undergone a very thorough restoration and though it doesn’t sport all factory original parts, a generous amount of period-correct updated components can be seen on this example such as 35mm Ceriani GP forks, Koni rear shocks, and Borrani high-shouldered aluminum rims. The engine is said to have received a complete overhaul, in addition to getting an updated electronics system consisting of a combination voltage regulator and rectifier.
Once everything was mechanically sorted, the restoration took aim at cosmetically restoring the A7, powder-coating the frame and replacing the seat-cover prior to a new paint job complete with original decals, and all new chrome throughout. Almost every inch of the bike looks fairly pristine and it’s obvious a lot of work went into the restoration of this Kawasaki.
You can find this restored 1970 Kawasaki 350cc Avenger A7 for sale here on RaceBikeMart.com in Holland with a price of $8,050.