Kawasaki’s KX250F impressed

The grounds-crew on-site kept everything nice and smooth on the track, so we ventured out to find some less ideal conditions. We found plenty of places to ride the new bike and it always proved steady and relatively stable for a race machine. Despite our best efforts, the green-machine never placed a tire wrong. The power delivery will never catch you off guard thanks to the four-stroker’s smooth power-band. We felt no undue spikes, just smooth power from low revs straight up to its power peak. That's not a bad thing in the least, especially when the conditions get loose. We found some very sandy off-road single-track nearby to tackle where we greatly appreciated the thinner center-section and light weight, all of which conspired to keep us on the bike and off the ground. What's more, the clutch proved very smooth and never grabbed throughout our entire torture-test.

Once again, Kawasaki’s KX250F impressed us with its peppy engine, nimble and composed chassis, as well as its versatile ergonomics package. From accelerating to turning to braking, this bike does it all well, plus it’s an easy motorcycle to ride. In fact, there are only two flaws we can find with the new KX - if you can even call them that. First, while we appreciate every aspect of the bike, there’s nothing that stands out in the “wow” factor. If Kawi could just squeeze a bit more engine power up top, or make it even more flickable this could easily be changed. Finally, dirt bike inflation continues with the MSRP increased by $500 to $6999. So does the new KX have what it takes to go against the redesigned 2010 Honda CRF250F and the rest of the class? We think so, and in a few short months we’ll have the definitive answer.

Engine: Liquid-cooled, DOHC, 4-valve, 4-stroke Single
Displacement: 249cc
Bore x Stroke: 77.0 x 53.6mm
Fueling: DFI with 43mm Keihin throttle body and dual injectors
Compression Ratio: 13.5:1
Ignition: Digital CDI
Transmission: 5-speed
Final Drive: Chain
Frame: Aluminum perimeter
Rake/Trail: 28.2 degrees/4.7 in.
Front Suspension: 47mm inverted Showa SFF telescopic fork with spring preload, compression and rebound damping adjustability, 12.4 in. travel
Rear Suspension: Uni-Trak® linkage, Showa shock with low/high-speed compression, rebound and preload adjustment, 12.2 in. travel
Front Tire: 80/100-21
Rear Tire: 100/90-19
Front Brake: Semi-floating 250mm petal disc with 2-piston caliper
Rear Brake: 240mm petal disc with 1-piston caliper
LxWxH: 85.4 x 32.3 x 50.0 in.
Wheelbase: 58.1 in.
Ground Clearance: 13.0 in.
Seat Height: 37.2 in.
Curb Weight: 233.8 lbs. (claimed)
Fuel Capacity: 1.9 gal.
Color: Lime Green