Mitch Payton, the owner of Pro Circuit and the Monster Energy/Pro Circuit/Kawasaki motocross and supercross teams, has another Kawasaki in his stable—the 1971 Kawasaki 75MT Parnelli “Kawasaki” Jones Dyna-Mite.
Vintage dirt bike aficionado will remember that automobile-racing legend Parnelli Jones endorsed the 1971 Kawasaki Dyna-Mite in print ads, and Kawasaki promoted the model as Parnelli “Kawasaki” Jones edition. As Jones was quoted as saying in the ad, “You want a machine that you can have confidence in…a machine that gives you all-around action and total performance. The Dyna-Mite is just such a machine and that’s why I put my name on it.”
After securing a Dyna-Mite, Payton tapped Norm Bigelow to restore the vintage Kawasaki to showroom condition. It is difficult to imagine a better choice, as Bigelow worked in the Kawasaki R&D Racing Department for 30 years, is a member of the Pro Circuit Race Team, and is the curator of the Kawasaki Heritage Hall Corporate Museum. Bigelow does all this, and calls himself “semi-retired.”
Someone remembered the Jones connection to the 1971 Kawasaki Dyna-Mite. The Dyna-Mite’s gas tank and brochure were sent to Jones, who provided his autograph to the historical vehicle and document.
The Dyna-Mite was a family-oriented mini. The fold-down handlebars made it possible to transport the motorcycle in the trunk of a car—leakproof gas and oil tank caps helped, along with it weighing just 121 pounds. The diminutive Kawasaki had full suspension, with external-spring fork legs. A centrifugal clutch made it easy for new riders to get going, and the three-speed transmission gave the street-legal Dyna-Mite a top speed of 40 mph. The 75cc two-stroke motor featured oil-injection, which Kawasaki dubbed Superlube.
Next up on Payton’s to-get list for the 1971 Kawasaki Dyna-Mite is the autographed photo of Jones and his Johnny Lightning car that dealers were handing out to prospective buyers. If you have one, you might let Payton know!
1971 Kawasaki 75MT Parnelli “Kawasaki” Jones Dyna-Mite Photo Gallery
