For years markets in Asia, Africa and South America were robbed of the chance to own the most elite bikes offered by the big manufacturers, with the golden age of superbikes never making it to the majority of these markets. Understandably mad bikers in these countries weren’t happy, but don’t think we didn’t miss out too, with many a gem never sent to Australia, the US or Europe. One such bike is the Kawasaki Ninja R150, an ultra-lightweight two-stroke, in a modern chassis, at a crazy cheap price. Picking up one in poor physical condition, Indonesian outfit Batakastem Workshop knew they could turn it into a fun-filled custom, and Abraham and the crew have turned out this ripper Smoky Sprinter to thrash on the street.
If you’ve never heard of the Ninja R150, don’t worry, there is very little information available on the internet in any language. And to add extra confusion, the bike is also known as the ZX-150RR, KR-150, KRR 150 and Serpico in different markets and was available in a naked and fully faired version. But really, here are the only two stats you need to know, 124kg and 30hp @10,500rpm, that is a simple recipe to put smiles on dials. Understandably, these bikes have a cult following in South East Asia, where they are used as everything from daily commuters to full-on race bikes and even short track drag machines.
And one last surprising fact before we dive into the build, they were still available new from 1992 right up until 2017 for around US$2,000; many moons after most markets had discontinued two-stroke road bikes. Even with a small preview of the finished build on Batakastem’s Instagram page, there has been huge interest and Abraham envisions more builds like it to come in his Tracker-Scrambler Series. “This series is launched for the two-stroke lovers who want something with a different vibe. In Indonesia, it’s quite rare for a two-stroke engine to be the donor bike for a project. The purpose of this build is to have that ‘factory look’, simple, nice ride for stop and go, and less maintenance.”
The crew pulled the bike down until all they had left sitting on the bench was the unique perimeter frame with its twin tube cradle beneath. The chassis provides excellent feedback to the rider and with a boxed section swingarm to match, the foundation for the build was all given a slick new coat of black paint. Wanting to give the bike a light and lean look, the guys decided to build the bodywork from scratch, but rather than use aluminium as they often do, the pursuit of keeping the machine featherweight meant a switch to fibreglass. Starting at the very front of the bike, the guys made a mould from a stock part and shaped an all-new front fender.
Above, a traditional round headlight helps to give the bike a timeless feel, but it’s been wrapped up in its own fibreglass cowl for an ultra-neat look. Sticking with the stock fuel tank made a lot of sense, a perimeter frame is not easy to deal with at the best of times, but to add a little aggression to the bike, the shoulders have been broadened with sculpted side covers that perfectly flow downwards to act as side covers for the bike’s radiator. Strategically meshed vents have been added to allow hot air to escape and then further rearward, more traditional side covers have been added, that perfectly integrate into the frame.
The tailpiece is not dissimilar to that offered on the later model naked versions, only the Batakastem version hugs the subframe more tightly, with sharper lines and some speed holes added for the fun factor. The final piece of glasswork is a clever belly pan design, which helps to frame the motor and break up the sheer size of the exhaust, without covering the best bits. Now all of that fibreglass had to be sanded smooth and prepared for paint, and the colour scheme again achieves a timeless appearance, with white, black and bronze used to full effect to show off the Ninja’s new lines. And then a neat graphics package, with custom badging lets you know this is a one-off creation.
Time for the engine to get some love, and boy is it a beauty, with amazing power for its tiny 148cc capacity and plenty of torque thanks to the patented ‘Super KIPS’, Kawasaki Integrated Power Valve System. The guys ensured the internals were as sweet as a nut and then dressed the engine up with some more of their custom badging in the form of new side covers. A new filter goes on the Mikuni carb, which has had a full rebuild, and then it’s over to the party piece. A full system, featuring a very generous expansion chamber which is all polished up, and a one-off stainless steel Batakastem muffler to really let the two-stroke sing.
The factory mag wheels would never have matched the look, so a switch has been made to spoked items with new more aggressive rubber, measuring 1.85×17 for the front and 2.50×17 on the rear. A host of LED lighting solutions allows the huge factory pieces to be placed in the bin, and the guys even bent up their own set of bars which are fitted with Ariete grips.
A set of neat Domino mirrors screw in and you can see by the truly ’90s switch blocks that Kawasaki was diving into their own parts bin to keep production costs low. Hey, you’ve even got a kickstarter but that’s part of the fun of Smoky Sprinter, it truly embraces all that is good about two-stroke satisfaction and you can see it on show at the upcoming Parjo 11.
