t might not have been a match made in heaven, but the alliance between
Kawasaki and Suzuki got at least one thing accomplished: It got the two
manufacturers on the 250F boat before it left the dock with just the
Yamaha and Honda on board.
As far as the 250cc four-stroke is concerned, from a manufacturing
point of view, the short-term joint venture between Kawasaki and Suzuki
was a successful one, as the two companies combined efforts and
resources to design and build a bike that went on to win five titles - all on
green bikes - over the pre-agreed two-year marriage. But from a marketing point a view, things didn't go as smoothly. After all, how can two manufacturers take credit for race wins - or for championship titles, for that
matter? So, as you can probably imagine, things got a little "weird"
between the two companies.
But things should start getting back to normal again now that the two
manufacturers are going their own way in '06...well, sort of. While Kawasaki
does have its own KX250F this year ('06), it will still produce the '06 RMZ250 for Suzuki, which we understand will be identical to the 'OS but with
some changes to the motor. CWe expect Suzuki to have its very own 250cc
four-stroke in '07.) So, even though the marriage is over, the two companies
are still talking to each other.
While Suzuki had its design team working on the RM-Z450 the past two
years, the Kawasaki team instead focused its attention on it first purebred
KX250F (and 450, as well), which, for all intents and purposes, has nothing
in common with the previous KX250Fs. Few parts, if any, are interchangeable between the 'OS and '06 KX-Fs.
In designing the new KX2S0F, Kawasaki had three objectives in mind:
to have the most
horsepower in class,
a well-balanced
chassis, and "superior" rear-wheel traction. As a result, the new
KX250F got a complete overhaul, which Includes a
new aluminum frame and a new suspension supplier.
I
26
Finally, aluminum handlebarsl
Other amenities include n_
grips and levers, and
titanium footpegs.
Kawasaki introduced the perimeter s....
frame in 1990; now it's constrvcNd out of
forged, extruded and cast-aluminum parts.
It's said to be about 2.2 pounds lighter than
the old steel frame and was deliberately
made a little wide in the footpeg area 10
that your boots have something to grip, but
is narrow in the midsection. A lot of thought
regarding the challis' design went into
improving rear-wheel traction. "What gaod
is having a lot of power when you're not
putting it all to the ground?" Kawasaki says.
