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/127857
grammed to work with the power-jet carburetor . The magneto is new,.. ea tt.lri.ng a f much s m a lle r a n d li ghter rotor for incr eased out pu t to energize the powerjet soleno id a nd provide less flywheel effect. Kawasaki ' s Uni-Trak rear suspens ion was shortened in the shock clevis area by l .5rnlJil to lower the mot orcycle's cen ter of gravity (the travel is not affected), in (Left) The 1998 KX250 is the kin g of exploding berms and can be rid den fast by ri der s of all ab ility leve ls. (Below) The bars were refined for a roomier riding position and the suspension compo nents now use progressively w ou nd sprin gs wit h in whi ch bala nce the bike out and re si st harsh bott oming nicely. an effo rt to enhance cornering. New da mping rates were developed to work with a prog ressively wou nd , triple-rat e s hock spring. The st raight-ra te 4.9 kg /m m spring used in '97 was re p laced with a progressively wound s pri ng tha t s ta rts at an ini ta l rate of 4.8kg /mm to 5.38 to 6.6 at the end of the stroke in an effort to prevent severe bottom ing . The linka ge and swingarm seals were im pro v ed fo r inc reased bea ri ng durability. . O n the front end, Kawa saki rep laced last yea r's straight-ra te .41kg/ m m fork s p ri ngs with progress ivel y wo u n d s pri ngs w ith a rate that s ta r ts a t .41kg / mm and ends up a .50kg /mm at the end of the travel. New valving works wi th the new springs, an d the fork itself is no w held 5mm hi gh er in th e triple clamp, lowering the bike's cente r of gra vi ty to m a tch the lowered r ea r fo r improved turning p recision. The final gea ring was altere d fro m 13/49 to 13 /48 in an effort to kee p the bike hooking up and remai ning managea b le w ith all of th e bo tto m -e n d an d midrange power the bike produces . Like its littl e br ot her , the KX250 received a steel-braided fron t-brake line in an effort to imp ro ve th e br a kin g performa nce, s ince they d on ' t swell und er severe breaking or higher temperatures as standard lines do. Detail cha nges incl ude an inden ted silence r to pre ven t contact with the rear brake caliper; the add ition of a p lastic front-disc cover; and the hand lebars have been raised up and moved forwa rd 3mm to crea te a roomier riding position. All right, all rig ht , we kn ow you' re bored stiff wi th the tech no-ween ie garb, so here 's what yo u've been wai ting for (or the part you skipped down to): The motor did somehow get bette r. The awesome bottom and midran ge power is still there and even improved a little, and the awe-inspirin g t h r o t tl e response h as someho w go tte n better . Wh at' s even more imp ressive is the fact that the bike wiII pull into the upper revs better (no d oubt du e to the p ower- jet ca rb) and Kawasaki still m a naged to im p ro ve th e lower po rtio n of the powerband. It's defini tely not a CR250 on to p, but a CR is nowhere near the KX on the bott om. 'This moto r feels incredible," said Pro tester Tim "Bonk" Sharp, wh o currently rid es a modified '97 CR250. 'The throttle re sp onse ke eps you excited a nd th e smooth power keeps you from using too "'uch energy. I love this motor." "I think any level rider could ben efit from thi s m ot or," sai d Pro tester Don Burke, wh o ha ppens to rid e a mod ified '97 KX25O. "It pulls stronger on top than the '97 wi thout giving up any bottom or mi d range power. It's easy to ride wi th loads of power." The only fault we could find with the m o t o r (a nd th is was o n ly a mong the Pros) was a slight loss of pulling powe r, or "grunt," if you will, in severe highload situa tions like exiting a really soft or loamy comer before a take-off for a dou ble jump. Sometimes it just failed to build revs well in these conditions. T h e s us pension w as uni versall y praised by all of our riders, ran ging from N o vices to Pros . The ini tial action was pl ush, the high-speed stability and con- . .. tro! was g reat, and the bike never bottomed har sh ly. Las t yea r, ma ny rid er s w ent up a ste p on th e front s prings to ba la nce th e bike ou t, but the bike feels like it has a n excellent fron t-to-rea r relationship this year with the progressively wou nd sp rings. The rear end recei ved th e most praise, especially through long series of whoop sections, where it was eas ier on the KX to keep the gas pinned an d the bike tracking straight. Kawasaki recommends 95mm of sag for faster rid ers or jum p-filled tracks and 97mm of sag for slower riders or smoo ther track conditions. All of the riders liked the smooth and consistent actio n th e d utch provided, and concurred that yo u rarely need to abuse th e clutch because of the killer motor . Some were sp lit on th e decision about the KX's ability to shift under full load, though . The riders who owned KXs or YZS had no problem, but CR and RM rid e rs complained about a slight res istance to wide-open shifting, resulting in an extra stab at the shi fter. Perhaps mo re ti me on the tranny will cu re this since our '% comparison bike had no trou bles shifting while wid e open. T he new fro n t b rakes on th e KX received the most praise, probably due to the ad d it io n of th e s teel-brai ded line added this yea r. It wasn 't spo ngy at all, but could still use a little more stopping p o w er with le ss effo r t a t th e le ver, according to our CR riders. Most of our test riders liked the rear brake, but cited the need for quite a bit of pressure for a full lock-up. All ag reed that the rear had excellent modulation, thou gh , and were not touchy or grabby at all. Most testers ag reed that the KX was a rock- solid handler al hig her speeds and felt jus t as good in flat or rutted turns, ' due to the excellent power delivery and bala nced sus pensio n. O n the downside, some rid er s felt tha t th e KX cou ld use some help in light , cu t-and-t hrust co rners , in which it was reluctant to pivot quickly. In an effort to entice potential buyers, Kawasaki is offering a n accessory k it wi th the bike that includes a top-end kit, rear-bra ke pads, an air filter and much more; all at no extra charge. As we said before, we had a hard lime not choosing the KX250 as last year' s shoo tout winner. With the im provements Kawasaki has m ad e to its qua rter-liter mach ine for '98, it looks like it mi gh t n even be a tougher choice this yea r. Specifications List Price . . . . . . . . . . . $5649 D isplacement Engine type _.249cc Uquid-cooted. single-eylinder two -stroke w/K1PS (Kawasa ki Integrated Powe r Valve System) _.. _ _ _ _.. 66 .4 x 72mm . . _. _ Variable 9 .0-10.8 :1 38 mm Keihin P'NK Powe r Je t Bore a: st rok e Compressio n ratio . _ ........ Carburetion _ Ignition , ,., , .. " ., . . , .. , .. ,., Transmission . peeds _.. . .. _ _. . . Fue l cepacity Wheelbes e Seat height Front ti Rear tire While Cycle News believes the foregoing test reliable, it is the opinion of the reviewers only and sllOuld not be relied upon in determining the performance or safetyof the oehi - Front su spension Rear s u s pensio n Front b rake .."'. Rea r brake cle. The reader should make his or her own Claimed dry weight invc.'Stigation. rl l8 1998 Kawasaki KX250 _ ,.,,'. _.. _ . .. . Digital COl _. _ 5 2.2 gal. 58.3 in. 37.4 in. _ _..80/ 100-2 1 Bridg st one M 77 110/90ยท 19 Bridgstone M78 Kayaba 46mm invert ed adjustable fork with 12.2 inches of wheel travel _ , ..Kayaba adjustable shock with 13.0 inches of wheel travel ' D isc . , Disc 214 Ibs . a ~ r-, 0\ 0\ ,..... r--.:,..... ... Q) .!::J a B 0.. Q) (J) 13