VOL. 51 ISSUE 4 JANUARY 28, 2014
P57
COUNTDOWN
2ND PLACE
KAWASAKI KX250F
H
ad it not been for the totally reworked Yamaha, the Kawasaki
would have retained its position
at the top of the CN leaderboard for
a second year in a row. Despite taking on just a few minor changes, the
Kawasaki is still so good that it again
beats out the rejuvenated Honda,
Suzuki and KTM with relative ease,
but just couldn't quite keep the new
Yamaha from pushing it aside.
Yes, the race to the top was
close between the Yamaha and Kawasaki. Our 2014 250F Motocross
comparison basically boiled down
to a two-bike showdown between
the two machines with the YZ winning out.
The Kawasaki is still a fantastic
bike – it does everything well. It
has a motor that certainly barks,
a chassis that performs better and
better the faster and harder you
ride it, and a suspension that can
keep up at an expert-level pace.
Unfortunately for it, so does the Yamaha's motor, chassis and suspen-
sion. Only better.
Many other things stand out with
the KX. We like its multi-position
handlebar mounts, Launch Control Mode, easy-to-use fueling couplers and comfortable ergos (actually, all of the bikes felt quite good
in the cockpit department). There
are many reasons to love the KX,
but there are a few things not to
love about it.
For one, the muffler does a
lousy job keeping the thing quiet
and already sounds blown out the
first time you ride it. It falls a little
short compared to the other bikes
in the turning department and the
grips are crappy, though they are
better than before. Black rims, as
cool and factory looking as they
are – don't stay that way for long,
they scratch easily and lose their
luster in no time.
Still, there is no denying that the
2014 Kawasaki KX250F is a fantastic machine that can win at any
track with little to no tweaking.
