Kawasaki Barako II

Kawasaki has focused more on the performance of the Barako II rather than making it more stylish and aesthetically appealing. That said, minor tweaks were done to overhaul the appearance and provide it with an improved sporty look. At the front, a rectangular headlight is placed on the handlebar inside a plastic mask and small turn indicators are placed just below it. Round rear view mirrors sit on the handlebar and the clutch and brake levers are painted in silver colour. The fuel tank features the Barako II logo and right behind the fuel tank is the long dual seat. Covering the exhaust pipe is a silver colour sportier muffler, while the rear features a tail lamp, conventional turn indicators and a metal grab rail with a small carrier. Offered in four colours- black, grey, blue and red, the Barako II looks good enough considering the fact that it is more of a utility vehicle.

Built on an underbone frame, the Barako II comes fitted with a long dual straight seat which provides a comfortable riding experience. The extremely responsive engine along with nimble handling allows the Barako II to ride through traffic conditions as well as smoothly scale uphill roads. Suspension setup comprises of telescopic front forks and unit swing at the rear to handle the bumps on the road.

Kawasaki has updated the engine of the Barako II which is now Euro III compliant, produces more power and is more fuel-efficient. It draws power from a 177 cc, 4-stroke, single-cylinder, air-cooled, SOHC engine that churns a max power of 12.74 hp at 7,500 rpm, which is 15 per cent more than its predecessor and a peak torque of 13.1 Nm at 4,500 rpm. Power is passed on to the wheels through a 4-speed manual gearbox. Kickstarting is much easier on the Barako II now, owing to the Kawasaki Automatic Compression Release System (KARC). As per Kawasaki’s claims, the new engine is 13 per cent more fuel-efficient and can return up to 57 kmpl of fuel economy. It also has a large fuel-tank of 12-litres with in combination with improved fuel-economy means a long run without the need of frequent refilling.

Braking duties are performed by drum brakes at both ends which are attached to 17-inch spoke wheels. Being equipped with a powerful engine, the Barako II is pretty swift, therefore inclusion of a disc brake at least at the front would have been a good idea. Moreover, even as instances of bike theft rise in the Philippines, Kawasaki has not yet decided to equip the Barako II with any additional safety features.