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/128397
Both the Kawasaki's clutch and five-speed transmission took on some durability improvements to keep up with the more powerful engine. Plus, the shift drum cam was modified ta improve shifting feel. The new KX250F gets Showa suspension components, which is a first for Kawasaki KXs. (The '06 KX450F retains Kayaba equipment.) The 250 is fitted with Showa twin-chamber forks. The new engine got the works: new porting, a revised combus~on chamber, new cam profiles, a new cam, a higher 13.5:1 compression ratio, a new piston, stiffer valve springs, a stronger crankshaft, and a more efficient oil pump that increases oil flow by 20 percent. Kawasaki went after more mid- to high-rpm punch. SPECIFICATIONS 2006 Kawasaki KX250F MSRP: $5899 ENGINE: Uquid-cool. four-stroke. single. w/DOHC and four valves DISPLACEMENT: BORE x STROKE: CARBURETlON: 2..9cc 77.0 x 53.6mm Keihin FCR37 w/hot start COMPRESSION RATIO: 13.5: I Digital AC-CDI IGNITlON: TRANSMISSION: 5-speed CLUTCH: Wet. multi-disc FINAL DRIVE: Chain FRAME: .Aluminum perimeter RAKE/TRAlL: 27.7 degrees/".7 in. FRONT SUSPENSION:..showa, "7mm inverted twin-chamber telescope fork w/ 16-way compression and rebound damping Wave rotars trim weight and stay cleaner, not ta men~on look cooler than tradi~onal discs. To shave a few ounces, the hubs now have smaller ribs and the wheels have one less spoke. FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL: 12.4 in. REAR SUSPENSION: ......single-shock. UNI-TRAK linkage w/ 13-way low-speed and 2-turn high-speed compression damping. 17-way rebound damping REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL: 12.2 in. FRONT TIRE: 80/100-21 51M Bridgeslone REAR TIRE: 100/90-19 57M Bridgestone FRONT BRAKE: 5ingle. semi-floating 250mm disc w/dual piston caliper REAR BRAKE: 5ingle. 240mm disc w/single-piston caliper O/A LENGTH: O/A WIDTH: O/A HEIGHT: WHEELBASE: GROUND CLEARANCE: SEAT HEIGHT: CLAIMED DRY WEIGHT: FUEL CAPACITY: 85.0 in. 32.3 in. 50.0 in. 57.8 in. 1 6 in. 37.8 in. 204 Ibs. 1.9 gal. Overheating has been an issue with the previous KX250F, so the new one gets redesigned highercapacity radiators with more tightly packed cores and a new fin design. There's also new cooling holes in the shrouds to improve heat dispersion. Overall, Kawasaki claims that plumbing flows better. New linkages comple· ment the new chassis and Showa shock. The swingarm not only gets the unpointed factary look but tapered spars as well. TRACK TIME Kawasaki gave us a chance to try out the new KX250F at the Castillo Ranch near Santa Barbara. California. and our one-day ride left us quite impressed and wanting more. We'lI get straight to the point - the all-new KX250F is a sweet machine. When you first ride it. you can easily feel the increase of power and the improved handling over the '05. Open up the throttle and you really notice the power increase from midrange on up. It still pulls pretty well down low, but it's on top that you really feel the difference. Just when you think that it's about to sign off, it just keeps revving out a little further and produces even more power. Sometimes you feel yourself squeezing the handlebar a little tighter, which is something you didn't really have to do on earlier 250Fs. Simply put, it has far better over-rev than before and just plain runs very strong. Our bike seemed jetted right on the money. We didn't detect any hesitation or hiccup anywhere throughout the powerband. Hit the throttle in a soft berm and dirt is flying like now. We found the kickstarter to work much better than before, now that it's longer and has a better shape. In the pits. the bike almost always started on the first kick. We did lay it down once on the track. and it took two kicks without having to use the hot-start. The handling department is another improvement over the '05 KX250F. It feels more stable than before and even a little lighter. We found the bike to follow the ruts a little better, making it easier to get in and out of the turns quickly. It takes little effort to get 'er leaned over, and it simply goes where it's pointed. We had no complaints with the suspension, either. The new Showa fork works well, as does the back end. We felt no immediate need to make any clicker changes. though we must admit that the Castillo track wasn't all that rough. That's what happens when a track is beautifully groomed and only a few bikes are on the track. Still. the fork did soak up the big hits and the few bumps that did form throughout the day, and the back end tracked very well. One of the things that impressed us most was the ergos. The bike is supercomfortable. It has a nice. flat and narrow layout. and the Renthal handlebar is a big improvement over the steel bars. And the new levers and grips feel good, too. As you can tell, we were quite impressed with the new Kawasaki and quite simply couldn't find anything really wrong with it. We're anxious to put more time on the bike and compare it to the other 250Fs out there. which we plan on doing in a few weeks in our annual 250F shootout. But for now. the Kawasaki is definitely in the running for best 250F of the year. eN