Kinetic K4

A Fitting End

They say that all good things must come to an end and the Kinetic K4 too has seen the last of its days and is now resting in the hands of a few lucky owners spread throughout India. During its regime the Kinetic K4 was a successful device as it was affordable both in primary costs and secondary costs as well its ability to seat two people which bikes of this kind much rarely offered. The Kinetic K4 was a marvel and attribute to Indian home grown engineering and its demise has ended a golden epoch of the Indian automotive history that the annals of history shall document and preserve. Typically the Kinetic K4 category of bikes is better known as mini bikes because of their limited sizing and seating capacity. The Kinetic K4 could be seen roaring through bazaars and streets throughout rural India and throughout slums in the Indian urban landscape. Cities like Mumbai, New Delhi and Calcutta have pretty much their own markets of these small frame bikes and their own modalities but one thing is for certain that the Kinetic K4 is not the king was at least the contender of king for those markets.

Power and Reliability

The Kinetic K4 was powered using a conventional gasoline engine which had a total capacity of some 97.2 cc making it a rather affordable engine. The total power produced by the engine of the Kinetic K4 was a decent 6 bhp at some 7,500 rpm. The maximum torque production of the Kinetic K4 was at best some 0.55 kgm at around 5,500 rpm. The engine’s total compression ratio (it being a gasoline engine) was some 8.9 to 1. The engine was a pure four stroke phenomenon although lubrication was a little hybrid being a mixture of lubricant and petrol. This meant that the engine of the Kinetic K4 used up engine oil just as conveniently as it consumed gasoline making it a low point for otherwise such a successful bike. The bore of the single cylinder engine was some 50 mm while the stroke of the Kinetic K4 ’s engine used to be 49.5 mm. An issue of note here is the balance between the bore and stroke of the engine as it helps to create an engine that is compact and naturally well balanced to take up most jobs with little trouble. Another important thing is that the engines of the Kinetic K4 needed little maintenance in comparison to other engines of similar categories. The reason is again the sizing of the bore and the stroke due to which the piston rings had to travel less with every stroke of the engine making the engine of the Kinetic K4 long lasting. Nifty engineering is what this is all about.

The transmission offered with the Kinetic K4 was a four gear simple touch and shift transmission. The clutch that was employed to help gear shifts was a simple manual operation clutch that can be found on many bikes all around. The final transmission of power from the transmission to the rear wheel was using a regular chain and sprocket arrangement that was and still is a favourite to ensure optimal power movement and performance.

The battery installed on the beautiful and nifty Kinetic K4 was a simple and rather standard 12 V battery with a total storage capacity of 2.5 Ah making it pretty much all you need on something this size. The fuel tank had a complete capacity of holding some 4 litres of gasoline that made the total range a little tipsy because a larger fuel tank could have been installed without much hassle on the Kinetic K4 as the frame was capable enough while the space could have been negotiated.

Preceptor View

As far as a bygone is concerned, the Kinetic K4 was an amazing combination overall which helped to capitulate it to the market front and make it a constant source of succour for the masses who could afford little else but needed convenience too. Even thought the heyday of the Kinetic K4 but its constant presence on Indian roads means that it is still a popular way to get around for many day faring Indians who find it a constant and unbuttered companion even after years of dutiful service.