RIDING IMPRESSION
P76
2014 KAWASAKI KX250F
BY THE CN STAFF
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ADAM CAMPBELL
H
ad Kawasaki simply taken the 2013 Kawasaki
KX250F and slapped some new decals on it and
called it their new 2014 KX250F, we really wouldn't
have blamed them one bit. The bike was that good. After
giving the KX250F a complete overhaul in 2011, followed
by a fairly significant upgrade in 2012 and further improvements last year, Kawasaki realized it had a pretty darn good
all-around package on its hands. And we thought so, too.
It pretty much dominated our 250F motocross shootout
for the 2013 model year because of its fantastic motor,
solid handling and excellent suspension. Okay, so it probably could have turned just a wee bit better, but the 2013
KX250F was in our opinion the crème of the 250F crop
and we would have completely understood if they went the
TRACK
TIME
leave-well-enough-alone route for 2014. And they almost
did just that.
The 2014 KX250F is pretty much the same bike as last
year's but with a few minor changes. The KX250F was already noted for its powerful (especially from bottom to mid)
and useable four-valve, DOHC motor, so the complaint
box was empty at Kawasaki's R&D department, so no real
changes were needed or performed to the KX's motor. But
grumbling from Kawasaki's race team suggested that shifting could be a little better. With that, Kawasaki engineers
went to work on the KX's five-speed transmission, adding
an additional dog (from three to four) and reworking the
grooves on the shift-drum to make everything jive just a
little better and more efficiently when tapping on the lever with your left foot. The result? Kawasaki says smoother
We take a spin on
the 2014 Kawasaki
KX250F with Launch
Control Mode
The 2014 KX250F
might not be
changed a whole
lot but it's still a
ripper.
