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5
TH
PLACE
KAWASAKI KX250F
T
he Kawasaki is the
least changed of the six
bikes; in fact, it really
hasn't changed at all, just
some minor visual changes,
the new green (instead of
white) rear fender being the
most notable.
For a long time,
the Kawasaki was the
undisputed king of the
250 class, until the highly
revamped YZ250F came
along in 2014 and reduced
it to prince status. But in
its waning days of being
king, pretty much all of
the other bikes had been
gaining ground on it in both
the engine and chassis
departments. Without it
getting any changes for
2016, some of the majorly
redone bikes—like the KTM
and Husky—have caught
and passed it, including the
further-updated Honda.
The Kawasaki, however, is
still an amazing motorcycle,
it's well-known for its potent
engine and rock-solid
chassis, and nothing has
changed, really, other than
the other bikes getting
even better engines and
suspension.
A powerful engine with a
broad powerband still makes
the Kawasaki a ripper on
the track. It pumps out 38
horsepower at 12,500 rpm,
which is very respectable,
but savvy riders will better
utilize the KX's strong
bottom-end and gutsy
midrange within that wide
spread of power. But if you
like, you can ride it pinned
with a lot of success, too.
For a 250F, the motor is
somewhat explosive, which
makes it a bit of a handful
at times and a little more
difficult to ride smoothly
consistently. This bike is
also loud, loud, loud! You
can also adjust mapping via
Kawasaki's new power tuner,
which is sold separately. But
Kawasaki still offers three
plug-in couplers as standard
equipment.
