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/127801
1997 Kawasaki KX250 SpecIlIcaIlons LletPrice .. " ... ",,,,,,,,.,,,. ,$5649 Englooe T".. .. '"" ,2-stroke. liquid cooled single with KIPS Bon ll , " " ' , , , , " . ,6604 x 72mm C•• p 1on RIdIo ,.,10,8: 1 (low speedl: 9_0: 1 (high speed) Induction .. ' . A-petal epoxy resin reed vaNe c:.rburetioft .,'.".'.' , ,Keihin PWK38 Ignlllon ."." . " " .Digitai CDI StIlrti"ll . " . " , " '''''''' ,Primary kick Transmlulon ' . , , , , . 's-speed Fra_ type , , , , , , , , .Perimeter. high-tensile steel with boit-on rear sublrame ......lTrail ., .. " .. ,26 degrees/4.3 inches Wh••'b_ 58.1 inches Front Suspension .", ,46mm upside-down cartridge fork with 1S-way compression and 16-way rebound damping - 12,2 inches of wheel travel ....... Suspension, , , . ,Bottom-link Uni-Trak with adjustable preload and 16-way compression and 16-way rebound damping· 13_0 inches of wheel travel Front nra .", ,80/100·21 Bridgestone M77 Rear nre , , , , .- .11 0/90·19 Bridgestone M78 Sed height .. ' , . ' . ' , , , , ,37.6 inches Fuel capacity, ' .. , 2.25 gallons Claimed dry weight, .. "., ,212.7 pounds (Above) A good spread of power lies within the 1997 KX250 motor. Changes to the Intake and exhaust sections of the cylinder and a new pipe were responsible. The swlngarm is massive this year. (Left) The grab holes In the sidepanel are still a nice touch and double as Inlets to the airbox. The silencer endcap is trick and just like the factory guys'. It won't clog with dirt in a crash. (Below) The footpeg brackets got larger and stronger as did the huge cast-steel footpegs. comes smoothly from the bottom and pulls hard up to an impressive top-end hit. On choppy uphills out of comers the bike has the kind of low to mid-range power that allowed the bike to be short shifted. This allowed faster lap times wi th less physical effort. The bike has the kind of smooth yet substantial power that makes a bike feel predictable in flat, slick, rutted or off-camber turns. The motor definitely got better. The suspension on the latest KX250 worked excellently on the tracks we were able to test it on: It was plush and supple on the small obstacles, yet handled the big hits with ease. We never got to ride the bike on a track with supercross type obstacles, but we think the suspension is just fine for outdoorstyle tracks and obstacles - even for our heavier riders. We never got the forks to make a clank like they did last year, and that may be due to the new bottoming cone. The clickers were fine in the standard positions for most situations, and only once did we speed up the rebound on the shock to keep the rear end from packing up out of choppy comers. The handling characteristics on the '97 KX250 are pretty neutral the bike turns well at low or high speeds and never even gave off a hint of headshake. It is stable, solid and loves to be ridden fast. The brakes were good last year and the minor improvements Kawasaki made to the front braking system put it in the same league as any other manufacturer out there. Both the front and rear brakes have good feel and power, and perform flawlessly. We could hard- Iy notice the new bend on the rear brake lever. The 1997 KX250 is comfortable to ride sitting or standing for a wide range of different size riders and the fit and finish are top-notch. It is an excellent bike that was built to win races and please the trail rider at the same time, and with the broad range of power the bike produces, Ty Davis and Jeff Emig should be very happy in 1997. £N