VOL. 55 ISSUE 11 MARCH 20, 2018 P111
K
awasaki lit a fire under
the entry-level, low-cost
250cc dual-sport category
when it announced its first
fuel-injected KLX250 dual-
sport late last year, replacing
the carbureted KLX250S of
the past. It was a move long
overdue when you consider
Yamaha has had a similar
model - the WR250R - with
fuel-injection since 2008.
It wasn't until 2013 that
Honda responded with its
first fuel-injected 250cc dual-
sport, the CRF250L, and now
that Kawasaki has joined
the FI ranks with its 2018
KLX250 (the S designation
disappeared along with the
carburetor), it's time to revisit
these machines.
Cycle News last compared
these models in 2013, and
since then, the CRF250L has,
like the KLX, been updated as
well. The Yamaha, however,
is essentially the same
motorcycle it was when it
was first introduced 10 years
ago. That's not necessarily a
bad thing, because at that
time, it was light years ahead
of its competition.
BY THE CN STAFF
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KIT PALMER
We compare the latest
entry-level 250cc dual-sport
bikes from Japan
