Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

However, conventional forks do have th eir d rawbacks. Th e main one is th e underhang, where the fork tubes extend below the front a xle . Despite a gullwing shape on the lower triple clamp, the tub es can and will - at one time or another - h ang up in d eep r u ts and d eflect off rocks and roots, qu ite possi. bl y spitt in g yo u over the ba rs in the p roces s. Now that could ca use you to arri ve at the next check a few seconds late. Plus, conventional forks generally weigh more than inverted forks . While the argument is valid as to which design works best for off -road use, this really wasn't the main issue when Kawasaki was deciding which fork to mount on the KDX. Instead, it was the m on ey issue. Kawasaki went with the less-expensive-to-produce conventional design Kayabas . In ou r opinion, it was the righ t choice. The fork - though set up a litt le on (Above) The '95 Kawasaki KDX200 gets a stronger, perimeterframe, just like KXl25 and 250 MXers . Unfortunately, one side effect is that there's les s room for the gas tan k, which has shrunk from 3.2 to 2.9 gallons. (Left ) Kawasaki reverted back to the ' conventi onal" fo rk design on the KDX • It now uses a big 43mm cart ridge Kayaba un it. It works extremely well . the soft side for aggressive rid ing> performs extremely well. The action was sm ooth throughout the stroke, but we did give the KDX back to Kawasaki with so me decent-sized gouges in the bottoms of the fork tub es. A steeper head angle, combined w ith the new frame, a beefier and shorter sw ingarm and a shorter 56.5 inch wheelba se, give s the KDX excellent turning capabiliti es. Alread y a good turner, the ne w KDX carves its way through the trees even qu icker than before. The 198cc, liqui d-cooled, two-stroke engi ne too k o n so me signifi cant changes, m os t no ta bly to the KIPS power-valve. The KIPS is now a guillotine-typ e that replaces the rotary-t yp e KIPS. The new valve is very similar to the one in the KX250, allowing the main exhaust port to be wider at the top . The new valve also con trols the port more accurately and fits the piston better for less gas leakage in the low-speed po sition . Other internal engine changes included a stronger connecting rod, a rebalanced crankshaft to direct vibration awa y from the handlebars, a la rge r clutch, more r ad iator capacity, a stronger water pump seal, and the hollows in the crankshaft flywheel s have ligh tweigh t covers to increase the primary compression ratio. Of course, the exhaust pipe is new, too . A ll thes e ch a nges h a ve, in deed, resulted in more punch from the KDX's engine. It' s not a d ra stic improvemen t over the previous KDX, but there's more pop in every gear, non etheless. Despite the fact there's more power on tap than before, the new KDX is still as simple as ever to operate. The powerband is buttery smooth and is just as forgiving as before. In search of mo re snap, we removed the restrictive airbox cover under the seat but that di d really nothing except to make the bike louder. If anything, the KDX lost a little punch off the bottom, but gained a little in the middle. In box stock cond ition, we'd just as soon leave the cover in place. Even wi th all of the restric tive, horsepower-robbing, a n ti -noise d evi ses in place,the KDX performs qu ite well, and there really isn't any need to immediately overhaul the bike as soon as you get it home. We have no doubt, though, that th e new KDX has plenty of pot ential. You can just tell that there's pl en ty of horsepower in there, jus t waiting to be freed . De spite a ll the ma jor cha n g es perimeter frame, conv en tiona l forks and so u p ed-u p m o tor - our w orst fears didn't become a reali ty - yes ,-the KDX still feels like a KDX, but a better one at that. It has more power from top to bottom, it's better sus pen ded, and the little woods racer turns qu icker than ev er. But what will loyal KDX owners o r prospective buyers think of the taller seat height and smaller gas tank? That's our only question. Only time will tell. There is no doubt in our minds that th e KDX is aimed more towards the se rious off-roader than ever before, which ough t to broaden the KDX 's appeal. Not only should the new KDX maintain its attraction to the not-so-serious off-road"racer or the weekend trail rid er like it has in the past, but should al so now tempt mo re hard -core competitors than before. Another aspect of the KDX that made it so appea ling in the past was its affordable price, bu t in spite of the perimeter frame and all of the other changes, we were pleasan tly surprised to see that the suggeste d reta il p rice of th e KDX200 didn't put a hole in the ceiling. Usu ally you can expect a t least a $100 to $200 price increase every year for any new model, no matter if any cha nges were made or not. The new KDX climbed just $400 to $3999, and when you consider all of the updates, that really isn't too bad, especially when you compare that price with the Kawasaki KLX250 four stroke, which carries a $4699 tag. But you can rest assured that the new and improved Kawasaki KDX200 is still a KDX200. And that is say ing a lot. a While Cycle News be/oes thefor-soing test relir able, it is the opinion of the reoieuxrs only and should not be relied upon in determining the performance or safety of the uehicleis). The reader should make his or her own investi}{ation. ~ 0\ 0\ ...., ~ ...., .... CIl ::s 0.0 ::s -< 31

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