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/128637
As usual. Honda the Cycle News shootout winn er last m odel ye ar com e s out on top in terms of pure power. Honda also ha s a reputation for produc ing highqualitY. long-lasti ng machines. [ljJ@ff@{jJ HONDA CR250R There's a lot to be said for pure horsepower, and that's just what the Honda's motor ''\., is all about. It has gobs of power and is remarkably easy to handle, a co mbination ,. that rarely goes together. From midrange on up, the CR pulls, pulls and pulls, and does so in a smooth and ci vili zed manner. Uke the Suzuki, the Honda also shifts well and has a smooth-operating clutch. The Hon da's motor seems to build up revs slowly fro m way down on the bottom (where you sho uldn't be riding, anyway , right?). But if yo u do make a mi stak e and get bogged down in a soft t um, a quick fan of th e cl utch will get yo u back up to speed right away. Je tting ou r CR was a pain, but once we got th ings sorted ou t, th e bi ke ran well , KAWASAKI KX250 Just plain good bottom end , good midrange and good top end make the Kawasaki's "\ motor one of the bes t and easiest ·to-manage of the gro up, and it has just eno ugh rnld -ranqe hit to k eep things interesting . Our test bik e required on ly minor je tti ng , and no ne of our testers had any co m plaints about the KX's tra nsmission, instead sayi ng it's m uch improved. It 's a bit of a stretch , but t he K X could use a bit m o re over-rev (but what bike , couldn't?) . KTM250SX KT M says they desig ned this m otor from the ground up. strictiy for the 250SX. Th ey .,'\., also said they were searching for more power - well, they found it. And they found a " lot of it, mostly in the low- to- mid rp m range, which is perfect for Supercross (i n fact, clearing jumps wi th short approaches is easy on this bike). As for as pure horsepower, the KTM is now in the same league as the rest. We also liked the smooth pull and action of the hydraulically operated clutch (though some riders felt that it lacked some feel) . Gear ch anges were a bree ze on this bike. In our opinion, the KTM co uld deliver all that power a little more smoothly. It has a significant hit off the bottom. so sloppy throttle work out of the turns can result in a rapidly climbing front wheel. In other words, this motor can bite you if yo u're not paying attention. Faster riders will want more revs on top. SUZUKI RM2 50 Suzuki put all of thei r eggs in the RM's midrange basket. resulting in a bike with ''\., incredible... well . midrange power. And we liked that. We also liked the way that the " midrange power comes on - instantaneously. This bike hits hard, revs out quickly and is just plain fun to ride - exhilarating. The Suzuki also shifts well and has one of the smoothest and lightest-pulling clu tches of the group. Unfortunately, the RM's powerband is a little on the narrow side , so that exhilarating and explosive hit comes at a price, that price bei ng a sometimes difflcult-to-control and less- forgiving motor. So me riders added that they felt the motor could benefit with more over-rev (while others didn't seem to mind the way it is) . Our test bike required some jetting cha nges. YAMAHA YZ250N If there's such thi ng as the perfect 250cc two-stroke m otor, the YZ's is it. It m akes "'\., great powe r across the board - from way down low to way up top - and has a super'. broad and smooth powerband. What else can you ask for? Riders of any skill level will apprecia te the YZ's motor. And to make m att ers even better, its ca rburetor requi res littl e - if any . in the way of jetting cha nges. T ransm ission -wise, th e Yamaha has gone fro m the worst to one of the best. Changing gears is a no-brainer now, and th e clutch has good feel, as well . What took so long for Yama ha to come up wit h the perfect motor? ey e . e n e vv s N O VEM BER 1 . 2000 17