Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126979
New year, new features By Kit Palmer Photos by Troy Scott A quick gl ance a t Kawasaki 's n ew line of 1988 KX motocrossers, and the KDX200 and 80 Enduros, reveals the usual color and styling changes. But the new models also The motor on the KX500 has been refined to give it a smoother and easier-to-manage powerband. The KX 125 features plenty of changes. mostly to the motor. It has a case-reed induction system and a redesigned power-valve. Kawasaki will again offer two KX80s for 1988. One will have 17- and 14-inch wheels and the other with 19- and 16-inch wheels. offer many no t-so-easy-to-see internal changes, which help to keep things interesting. For 1988 , Kawasaki will offer a KX60, two KXSOs (o ne with 17- and 14-in ch wheels, and the o ther with 19- and 16-inch wh eels ), a KXI 25, 250 and 500. Once aga in , Kawasaki will rely on just one full size enduro mod el - th e KDX200. The co mpany again will offer a KDXSO, and a new KDSO. Most of th e Kawasaki off-road models share th e sam e changes, such as green- paint ed fram es and silvercolored motors. The KXSO-LI and KXSO-NI (b ig wh eel ) have blue side panels. The rest of th e KX line have th e familiar 'green side panels. Probably th e most popular model in the KX line is th e KX125. The 'SS mod el features an almost all-new motor. Only th e transmission was left untouched. The motor sports a redesigned intake system. T he intake cha mber is now directed through the crankcase, which allows for a shorter and straighter intake passage to th e cylinder. This design also eliminates th e need for an air intake port, and ano ther advant age is there is more · roo m to redesign scavenge ports for hopping up. The Kawasaki Integrated Powervalve System (KIPS) ha s received an other fine- too th co mb treatment. T here is now a new cente r powervalve added to th e top portion of th e ma in exha us t po rt. The new valve opens and closes to regulat e the main exha ust port tim in g. Accordi ng -to Kawasak i, this design impro ves midrange to top-end perform an ce. T he carburetor is all new, too . It's no w a Keihin in stead of a Mikuni, and it has wh at Kawasaki calls a crescent -sha ped slide, wh ich a llo ws th e slow speed jet to be placed closer to the main jet. Throttle response is sup po sed to be highl y improved. Keihins ar e now used on all the KX and KDX models. Attached to th e carbure tor is a new a irbox which features a rotary shutter on the sid e of the airbox. The valve is designed to be opened in dry co nditions and clo sed in wet condition s. The Kawasaki KX I25, 250 and 500 models maintain their FAIS (Fresh Air Intake System). The clutch has been beefed up on th e 125 by adding o ne friction and o ne steel pl at e, and th e clutch side cover ca n be removed from th e engine side cov~r. The KXI 25, 250 a nd 500 boast the . sa m e suspension fea tures. T h e Kayaba forks ar e now the cartridge design, similar to those Honda and Suzuki h ave been u sing. At th e bouorn of each fork tube is a 16-way co mpression -da mp ing adj uster. The Un i-T rak rear suspensio n o n th e KXI25 , 250 and 500 is basicall y unchanged. Like th e KX250 a n d 500 , th e KXI25 features a larger fuel capacity, recessed chain adjus ters, a flush fit seat , a detachable aluminu m rear subsection a n d a n elec tro fu si on cylinder. Po rting and a redesigned cylinder head are some of th e changes ma de to the KX250. The bike's cran kshaft also h as la rger counterweights. According to Kawasaki, this gives the 250 better lo w-end to mid-ran ge performance. The clutch has been slightly touched up for better acti on. Some of the changes made to the KX500 include a redesigned cyli nder head an d increased coola n t : flow volume. T he KXSO (bo th the L1 and NI ) feature a new box section al uminum swingarm, a rear disc brake and a new rear shock. The Kayaba shock now features a pi~gyback reservo ir and four-wa y adj us ta ble rebou nd and compression damping. The all-new cyli nder is smaiier a n d lighter for 19S5. It has a n electrofusion-treat ed a lloy castin g for better heat transfer and lubrication , and th e cylinder is rotat ed 100 clockwise to a llow strai g ht in take and exha us t tracks. Like th e bigger KXs, th e KXSO has a Keihin, 2Smm , carbur etor. Other changes include a stra igh tpull throttl e cable, dog-leg levers and folding shift and brak e levers. The KX60 is unchanged for 'SS. Other than styling changes, bo th th e KDX200 and SOrem ain ba sically the sam e. The on ly changes to the KDX200 is th e swap from a Miku n i carb uretor to a Keihin , and th e use of al uminum clu tch p lates. Kawasaki is offering a new mo torcycle to its off-road line up, and th at's the KDSO. It features an ai r-cooled, oil inj ection, two-strok e, mot or with a five-speed tra nsmissio n. T he mo tor is based after the ARSO street bike motor. It has bottom lin k Uni -Trak rear suspension and 27mm te lescopic forks . The fro nt bake is a di sc setup, and the rear is a drum. •