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/585066
2016 KAWASAKI KX250F FIRST RIDE P100 S P E C I F I C A T I O N S 2016 KAWASAKI KX250F ENGINE TYPE:....Liquid-cooled, DOHC, 4-stroke, single ENGINE DISPLACEMENT:......................................249cc BORE STROKE: ..........................................77 x 53.6mm COMPRESSION RATIO: ...........................................13.8:1 FUEL SYSTEM: ...................DFI with 43 mm Keihin throttle body and dual injectors IGNITION: .......................................................Digital DC-CDI STARTING SYSTEM: ................................Manual, kick TRANSMISSION: .............. Five-speed, return shift FINAL DRIVE: ....................................................................Chain FRAME: ...........................Perimeter aluminum frame FRONT SUSPENSION: .............................................48mm inverted Showa SFF Type 2 telescopic fork with 40-way spring preload adjustability and 22-position compression and 20-position rebound damping adjustability REAR SUSPENSION: ........................ Uni-Trak linkage system and Showa shock with 19-position low-speed and 4-turns high-speed compres- sion damping FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: ..................................... 12.4 in. REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: ......................................... 12.2 in. FRONT BRAKE: .....Single semi-floating 270mm Braking petal disc with dual-piston caliper REAR BRAKE: ........Single 240mm Braking petal disc with single-piston caliper FRONT TIRE: ................................................ 80/100-21 in. REAR TIRE: ................................................... 100/90-19 in. RAKE / TRAIL: .......................................... 28.7° / 5.0 in. SEAT HEIGHT: ..............................................................37.2 in. WHEELBASE: ...............................................................58.1 in. FUEL CAPACITY: .................................................... 1.61 gal. CURB WEIGHT: .....................................................233.6 lbs. MSRP: ............................................................................... $7599 The KX250F still has its great engine; it's what made this bike famous. The KX is still very comfort- able at the controls and will fit a wide range of rider sizes and shapes thanks to its multi-ad- justable handlebar clamps and footpeg mounts. Even though they're better than they were a couple of years ago, the grips still leave a lot to be desired. The aluminum handlebars have a nice neutral bend, too. The KX has very good brakes. Going to an oversized front-brake rotor has served the KX250F well. Unfortunately, the KX still comes with white number plates; the AMA wants you to have black backgrounds in the 250 class, so you'll want to get new backers for it, which you'd probably do anyway. Overall, the 2016 Kawasaki is no different than last year's model, which simply means it's a great bike, mostly because of its, well, great motor, great brakes and great ergos. And all of these things make it pretty easy to forget about its average chassis and suspension. CN handling bike, but, again, it's not the best in these areas. Sometimes the KX just doesn't feel as solidly connected to the ground as it should. It can feel a bit nervous at speed and isn't as agile as some of the other bikes in its class, like the YZ250F and Honda CRF250R, for example, nor does it get in and out of the turns quite as easily. It tends to stand up on you in the ruts if you give it a chance, but it will blow up a big, sweeping soft berm with the best of them. Still, there is something about the KX250F that makes you want to ride it hard; it's a bike that likes to be manhandled and told what to do. Spending the time to setting the ride height correctly and figuring out that perfect balancing point, maybe by playing with fork-tube height in the triple clamps, is extremely important with the KX250F. When you get all of the stars lined up just right, the KX works really, really good. It just takes some work getting there, at least that's been our experience with previous late-model KX-Fs.