Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

I owned my first motorcycle when I was 10 years old, and in the years since have owned no less than 12 different motorcycles. If there's one thing tha t I've learned, it's that I' d much rather have a good-handling bike than one that is super-fast. The Kawasaki, though, seems to have it all. The power delivery of the Kawasaki is smooth, yet strong, and it's very easy to ride. All in all, everything about the KX250 felt perfect. Excellent pow er, han dling, brakes, ergonomics and suspension combine to make it wha t I conside r the best 250 MXer of 1994. I liked the Honda second -best. What can I say about the CR250 motor ? It's aweso me! No other bike pulls as hard, or as smoothly as the CR To me, everything about the Honda was great excep t the suspension. The bike bottomed easily and the for ks felt ha rsh o n sha r p-e dge d bumps . The Honda also had plenty of headshak e on fast, choppy straights. Scary. Otherwise, the ergonomics, br akes and atten tion to detail were first class. If Honda can dial in their suspension and elimina te their infamous headshake, the CR250would be king. Maybe next year. I was, pe rhaps, the most impressed with the KTM 25OSX. It was easy to ride, and th e motor had great bottom -end power with a decent run of mid-range power. The WP suspension worked well, bu t tended to pack up over mul tiple sharpedged bum p s, bu t I' m su re that' s a p roblem that can be eliminate d wi th some fine-tuning. I would pick the KTM as the most versatile bike of the bunch the do-e verything motorcycle. The Yamaha YZ250 goes plen ty fast and hooks up well, bu t for some reason it still feels slow. Maybe it's because the motor sounds like an old chain saw. The YZ250 handled and jumped well, but both ends tended to botto m too easily. A stiffer set of fork and shock springs would help . Ergonomics on the YZ felt small, and I felt as if I was sitting " in " the bike, rather than "on" it. Overall, I felt that .the YZ250was good , but not grea t. I think tha t the Suzuki RM250 is best suited 'for a fast intermed iate or pro rider. For me, it was the hardest bike of the five to ride. The p ow erband was na rrow and violent, and the bike felt much like a super-fast 125. You have to watch your every mov e on the RM; if you don't, you' ll be on your face. The Suzuki handles fairly well, but I never felt comfortable enough on the bike to reall y pu sh it. The ergonomics are strange; the bars feel too low and the seat feels much too high. I think th at the Suzuki would be good for a certain type of rider, but I just don 't happen to be that type. THE BIG PICTURE As expected, it was impossible for all of our tes t riders to come to a mutual agreem ent on how the bikes rated . With such close competition, picking favorites ultimately came dow n to personal preference. When making yo ur choice, be sure to consi de r things such as which brands are carried by you r favori te bike shop, contingencies awarded at your local track, what bike your friends ride, and of course, whe re yo u can ge t the best deal. Still, we'd no d oub t be accused of coppi ng o ut if we fa ile d to p ick one overall winn er, so we devised a point system and avera ged each of our tester's choices. The Honda came ou t on top, follo we d extreme ly cl os ely by th e Kawaski and the Yam aha, with KTM and Suzuki rounding out the field. a CYCLE NEWS Weekly Nevvs , not m onthly history. ---.......... ... - - - _ . - -_.--- - -.-.. --... - -.. .. L.A. SLEEVE CO. ~ ~ ~ ~ -~ GENUINE RACING PARTS HI·PERFORMANCE PISTONS MXlATV Hig h performa nce race style pistons manufactured from special hi gh-sili con aluminum alloys. . Piston kits supplied with ri ngs, circli ps , wri st pin. For leading makes and models, see your dealer. ....- LOS ANGELES SLEEVE CO., INC. 12051 Rive ra Road, Santa Fe Springs , CA 90670 (310) 945-7578 Dealers call or write for your free catalog and decals 9

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