Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

whatev er reason, the company ch ose to update both the fork and the shock, and they have again come up with a very competitive package. Out back, the shoc k piston is taller than before, stiffer valving is used, the linkage has a more progressive rate and the upper and low er shoc k m ounts have been beefed up. Up front, the 43mm Kayaba fork gets tubes that are sa id to be more rigid, and a midspeed co m p ressio n da mping valve has been ad ded at the non-return val ve . In additio n, the o il lock piece has been len gthened lOmm and the taper wa s shortened the same amount, in an effort to prevent bottoming at the end of the compression str oke. We're happy to report that Kawasaki d idn't make a mistake by messin g w ith a good thing. The KX250' s su spe nsion is still great - ma ybe even better than last year. We set the shock sag at 98mm, and gave th e rear end two m ore clicks of rebound compress ion when we noticed a tenden cy for a nose-d own attitu de over ju m ps. We' ve heard th at m an y peop le' a re g iv ing th e fork m o re co m p ression d a m p ing, but we fo u nd th at d oi n g so resu lted in a ha rsh feeling on slap-down land ings. We wer e much happie r w ith the fork 's compression adjuster se t two to th ree clicks out from the stock setti ng , wh ich could hav e something to d o wi th the fact that our test rid ers are fairly light and of ave rage ta lent. Faster and heavier riders may choose more co mp ression, and maybe even stiffer springs. Once we arrived at our choice of se ttings, we we re ecstatic with almost every a s p e ct of th e s uspension ; it literally se e m s to d o noth ing wrong! Whether ham mering throug h wh oo ps, launch ing over long jumps, or sliding through braking bumps, th e suspenders soak u p the ter r ai n a nd d on 't kick or twitch. We rever go t either end to bo ttom harshl y, but a t the sa me time, small, high-speed Kawasaki made several chan ges in the detail department as well, such as lowe ring the handlebar by 7mm, using a new damper material in th e ha ndl ebar clamps, installing a stiffer ch un k o f sea t foam and using different brake pads. We like the bars better, though we'll repl ace them any w ay, and are also fond of th e firm seat. As for the front br ake, it provided plenty of power, but se emed to have a bit too much pla y and a sligh tly spongy feeling. The rear binder featured a good combination of power and feel, Our final assessment of the '95 KX250 is that the changes Kawasaki mad e were largely in the right direction (except for th e $300-higher price tag, which reall y isn' t all that bad , conside ring the higher yen to dollar exchange rate ). If there w as a ch ink in th e g ree n bike' s armor last year, it was the mot or, and that is w he re eng inee rs focused most of their atte ntion. Th e result is an even more competitive bik e - one that craves the glow of the stad ium spotlight. So do we think Kaw asaki (Above) Kawasaki co nce ntrated on the motor lor '95, trying to give the powerba nd more bottom-end hit. They were su ccesslul. (Left) The rea r bra ke ca liper and caliper holder are more rigid than last year . New Iront and rear brake pads are also standard. (Below) The ca rburetor got two new air vent hoses. For riding at or near sea level, we werehappiest with the needle clip raised one notch . 1995 Kawasaki KX250 Engine Displacement Bore x stroke Carburelion Induction Ignition Transmission com press ion hits w ere absorbed smoothly. Kawasaki's suspe ns ion will be tou gh to beat in '95. Th e KX is also spot-on in the handling dep artmen t, as it comers w ell and still retains stabili ty on the straigh ts . That's not to say that headshake won't rear its ugly ... well, head - but it rarely does so in a terrifying ma nner. High-speed choppy sections may emit a bi t of wagging from side to side, but that's usually abo ut the exten t of things. It may be our imaginations, but we think tha t the rigidity of the perimeter frame is both noticeable and beneficial in such situations. And in corners, you can rail the o u tsi de berm o r hug the inside line with equal su ccess. will finally be able to bring the coveted Supercross Championship trophy back to th eir Ir v in e offices in ' 95 ? That's a tou gher ques tio n to ans we r, and to d o so accu ra te ly, one must consider not only the bike, but facto rs such as rid er talen t and lu ck . We 'd sa y th at th e KX250 is capabl e of th e feat, and th a t th e two Mikes are qualified and due for so me good fortune in th e stadi u ms . And w e sure as hell wouldn't bet against Kawasaki defendi ng their outdoor title. f :\ While Cycle News believes the fo regoing test reliable, it is the opinion of the reviewers only and should not be relied upon in determining the perf ormance or safety of the uehiclets) . The reader should make his or her own investigation. Singl~ inder ,liqu id-eooled two-stroke with KIPS power valv e : 249cc 66.4 x 72.0mm KeihinPWK38 Piston reed valve : Digital CD 5-speed Frame High-tensilesteel perimeter frame/bolt-on subframe Rakeltrail 26degreesll09mm Front suspension 43mm, inverted KYB cartridge fori< with 16-waycompression and rebound adjustment Rear suspension Uni-Trak Kayaba single shock with adjus1able preload and 16-way compression and reboun damping adjustmen d t Fronttravel , 12.2 in. Rear travel 13.0 in. Fronttire : 80 /100 x2t , Rear tire 110/90 x 19 Front brake Hydraulicdisc Rear brake . . . . . . • . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Hydraulic disc Seat height 37.6in. Fuel capacity 2.2gal. Wheelbase . : 57.5 in. Claimed dry weight ... . . ... ... . . .. . . ..•.... .• . ... . . . . .. . . . . .•... .. .. . . ... . . . .213100. Suggested retailprice $5249 R ~ a ~ ":t' 0\ 0\ rl -..0 rl l-< Q) E Q) > o z 27

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