RIDING IMPRESSION
P80
2014 KAWASAKI KX250F
ping, and front-end wheelying.
And it works, too, probably more
dramatically on the more powerful 450, but in certain situations it
does help on the 250, too. It can
be very useful when the ground
is hard-packed and dry, or anytime when the ground is slippery
and lacking grip. We must've
tried at least 10 starts on the new
KX with and without the LCM activated and about half the time on
concrete, and the Launch Control certainly makes a difference,
most of the time for the better.
(We practiced all our starts in
second gear, which is usually the
gear of choice for even 250s, unless your local track is Thunder
Valley in Colorado.) With good
traction, we had good success
either with or without the LCM
activated. You can go either way
really; it just depends on the riding surface and how you feel that
day. LCM automatically turns off
and everything goes back to normal as soon as you click into third
gear. Careful, though, the KX can
still wheelie at that point since
there's tons of power on tap in all
gears.
Some changes were made to
the KX's suspension but mostly
up front. In the past, the Showa
SFF forks, as good as they are,
were a bit harsh in the initial part
of the stroke, which is espe-
cially noticeable through braking
bumps with more weight being
transferred to the front wheel.
That's when the bike had a bit of
a nervous and busy feel, so there
were times that the KX just never
really felt as planted as some of
the other bikes on the track. The
new setting, however, gives the
bike a plusher, more confident,
feel as you set up for the turns.
Kawasaki also changed the front
motor mounts – they're now thinner - for rigidity purposes, which
might have helped in giving the
KX that improved feel. But whatever it is, you can now attack the
turns a bit harder than before.
Otherwise, the forks feel pretty
The Showa SFF
fork has been
softened up a bit
thanks to new
valving.
