SHOOTOUT
2013 250 DUAL SPORT SHOOTOUT
HONDA CRF250L VS. KAWASAKI KLX250S VS. YAMAHA WR250R
3
RD
place
KAWASAKI KLX250S
MSRP: $5099
A
fter a brief disappearing act, the
KLX250S returned to Kawasaki's
lineup a couple of years ago with
a whole new attitude. It got a fairly significant upgrade, including 50-state status
(for a while it was not offered in California).
There's only one thing that really sets
the KLX apart from the other two bikes in
this comparison - its fueling system. It's
the only bike of the three that's still carbureted, via an efficient 34mm CVK Keihin carburetor. Yet, despite how well it
works, it's no match for the FI-equipped
Honda and Yamaha on the trail, and
even our less-experienced riders could
tell the difference. Throttle response just
isn't quite as crisp or as instantaneous
as the FI bikes. As we said in our 250F
motocross shootout, as time goes by,
we're just becoming more and more accustomed to FI bikes and less and less
tolerant of carbureted bikes, especially
when it comes to starting.
Even with the magic button, the KLX
is a finicky starter and definitely doesn't
like the mornings. It takes a while - actually a long while - for the KLX to warm
up on cool mornings and even on warm
afternoons. There were even times that
the KLX flat out refused to start, and we
nearly drained the battery trying. And at
that point you are truly hosed since the
KLX has no back-up manual kickstarter
(nor do the other two bikes), which is
kind of a bummer. The KLX comes set
up rather lean right out of the box, making it difficult to light at times.
With both the Yamaha and Honda,
there is no choke to mess with, they
Good suspension and
solid handling highlight
the $5099 Kawasaki
KLX250S.
P60
