Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

eSHOOT·OUT e Honda CR250/Kawasaki KX250/KTM MX250/Suzuki RM250/Yamaha YZ250 Choosing a clea r-cu t winner o u t of this lot is tough, to say the least. I reall y loved the H onda 's po werful mo tor, ha ndlin g, and exce llent detailin g, but I disli ked its sus pe nsion (mainly the fork ); althoug h it is better than last year's CR. I had a blast roosting o n th e KTM . it was a lot of fu n, but I cou ld n't com e to terms with its twi tch y and unpredictab le front en d. I a lso enjoyed the .Yamaha's powerful moto r, solid hand ling, layou t and, yes, its looks, but I was a littl e disappoint ed with its overa ll too-stiff suspension. I quickl y felt righ t at hom e on th e Suzu ki and liked its quickness in th e turns and stro ng midrange down the straigh ts, but the suspe nsion needed some fine tuning. I guess if I had to p ick just one of the five, ·it wou ld be a toss-up between th e Ka wa sa ki and th e Yamaha , but I would have to lean towards the KX, and for one tie breaking reason - th e fork. It 's been getting real tough these days to find a fork , especially right o ut of the crate. tha t really works, and when 'yo u do, you don 't ignore it. Pl us, everythi ng else o n the KX works well. I'll take it. Paint me green. Kit Palmer I liked all of these bikes, but I also found things to dislike about each one as well. , The Honda CR250 ha s a wonderful motor with the widest and smoothest powerband of th e bunch, but its suspension kept it from being my favorite. The Kawasaki KX250 was the best-su spended at both ends, but although it had good low and midrange power, that power signed off too quickly on top. TheI<.IM MX produced a nice , wide powerband and good suspension, but it also has more headshake than any Honda I've ridden. It also has a clutch pull that would give Mr. Universe arm pump. The Suzuki RM's power is a little narrow, but I like the hard hit in the midrange. T he suspens io n is adequate, but it could use' some work. I've never liked th e feel of past Yamaha YZS, but the '91 YZ no longer feels like a sta tio n wagon. Its powerband is nearl y as wide as the H onda 's, but the YZ also has suspension flaw s plus a very touchy rear brake. My favorite bike was the KTM MX,just because it's different and is such an irnprovement over last year's model. But if I had to buy one, it would be a tough choice between the Kawasaki. Suzuki and Yamaha. The deciding factor would be my dealer and the contingency program. Nate llauba - The Kawasaki does everything well and has the best overall suspension package. The Honda has an awesome motor and good handling. It also has the best brakes. 1£ I had to choose just one of the '91 250cc MXers, I'd put my money down for the KTM. Although it felt a little awkward at first, I soon felt right at 'ho me on the Austrian machine. The motor produces a fun-kind-of-power that makes the KTM MX250 a blast to ride ; it pulls hard th roughout the powerband and has no sudden bursts. I thought th e KTM handled well . too , and I especially liked the way i t j u m pe d. A lo t of th e rider s comp lained abo ut head shake, but in my opin ion the KTM was a dream compared to th e H onda in the front sus pensi o n department. For me, the H onda was frightening to ride ; the front end shook and the rear swap ped from side to side. But the motor is awesome and th e bik e is extremely fast and feels solid. [ love the Kawasaki's fork , the best I've come across - stock or mod: ified. The rear end works great, too. Motor-wise, I like the way it pulls off the bottom and through midrange, but it seems to flatten out on top. " The Suzuki is fast! Maybe too fast , as the power hits hard and abruptly, which tired me Out. The suspension is good, but the bike, as a , whole, handles too quickl y and erratica lly for my tastes . I never felt comforta ble on th e Yamaha YZ; it was too long and low for my riding style. The mo tor is strong, but I don't agree with the rest of the bike. T he handlebars hav e a strange bend, the rear brake is too grabby , and the fork is too harsh. I feel as though I could do well racing most of these bikes. I'm not sure if the KTM is really the best bike or no t, but it sure stri kes a right chord for me. Donn Maeda I Whi ch color do you like? Red, white , green or yellow? That 's propably the easi est way to choose the winner of our 1991 250cc MX Sh oot-Out. All of the machines are ca p a b le of winning and none should be considered a loser in any way, sha pe or form . I do , however, feel that the Yamaha YZ best suited my riding style. It produced good power , handled well and was fairly stable. I wasn't too crazy about the Yamaha 's brakes, though. Too grabby. T he Suzuki RM feels small, but on ly when sitting down. It's lik e the sea t and tank combination sucks the rid er to th e front of the bike. However. the RM produces good midran ge power and the suspension seem s to handle the job well. My main complaint with th e Kawasaki KX wa s that the back end wanted to ska te out from underneath me when braking on a hardpacked track. My o ther complaint was that the seat is too soft for my 6 ISO-pound frame. I did like both the suspension and power that the Kawasaki offers. Both are better than par and are reall yuser friendl y. I think of all the bikes the KTM im pressed me the most. By far it's th e most improved bike over last year's model in every department. For 1991 Honda has built a great package with a good motor, good brakes and comfortable chassis. But nothing abo ut the CR250 gave me a lasting impression, either good or bad. With good suspension added to one of the best engines on the market, the KTM 's the winner in my mind. I wouldn't. however, want to take on the chore of locating any parts for it on the weekend. I think that the Japanese bikes, because of the ' vast dealer networks their manufacturers have established, wou ld make the part-seeking task much easier. But the fact still remains that I was impressed with the Austrian-built KTM. Ken Faught

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