It’s been about 10 years since there’s been a quarter-litre bike in the shed. I have spent many a day swinging my leg over one here and there but never had one in my possession for an extended period.
Originally I wasn’t completely sold on the idea of stepping back to the 250 as the years have not been kind to my waistline. After some thought, the idea started to grow on me.
I don’t really fit the bill as a 250 rider, with my race weight at 93kg, but these days the 250s are more than capable of moving someone my size at a brisk pace around a motocross track.
In pro competition I would be too heavy, as most guys racing a 250 at that level are at, or under, 70kg so I would be at a serious disadvantage.
But the name of this long-termer game isn’t to win any championships, it’s about testing the KX250F for what it is and being that I do very little racing these days due to the arrival of my baby girl. What is on my mind is clicking over the hours on this bike, getting comfortable with it and letting you all know its strong points, weak points, how to set one up for racing and exactly how they perform and hold up in the real world.
My first thoughts when getting a few laps under my belt was how slim and light the bike felt. The slim bodywork makes the bike very easy to grip and very easy to move around on. The brakes are really strong with a great solid feel but the standard handlebar and grips are a little disappointing.
They feel uncomfortable and look rather cheap on what is otherwise a top-quality motorcycle. The motor felt a little tight off the bottom at first but has freed up with a few hours use and now feels much stronger.
The top-end hit is solid and, when revved hard, it will continue to pull right through to the limiter. This motor seems to perform best when revving and produces plenty of power. Compared to other bikes, the power is right up there with the strongest but I feel the bike lacks a small amount of torque due to the very tight header pipe and the many baffle plates in the exhaust pipe.
Don’t take this the wrong way, the bike is fast and packs plenty of horsepower. I just believe the engine has even more to give and with an exhaust that allows the mill to breath this engine will be an animal.
The suspension took a few hours to bed in and initially felt rough and stiff but, as it wore-in, the suspension started to move a lot more freely and work properly. As the springs started to bed in I had to start playing with sag and fork heights to get the bike balanced but because the springs are too soft I struggled to find a happy medium. I have a set of stiffer Kawasaki springs on their way to fix this problem, then I will set about tuning the suspension.
One thing I really like about the KX is the adjustable footpegs and handlebar. This makes changing the cockpit to suit the rider very easy. I felt the most comfortable with the footpegs in the lower position and the handlebar in the forward slot, with the clamps turned backwards. This means I still have one more position forward but that felt too far.
My aim for the bike first up is to set up the suspension and fit a handlebar and grips which are more comfortable and in keeping with the quality of the rest of the bike.
Then I will start to click up a few hours and get more comfortable with the KX before deciding if there is anything else I would like to do to improve the bike. Well I’m off for a ride so check back next month to see how I went with the suspension setup.
Technical Editor Mat Boyd
This long term update was published in ADB issue #446 – November 2016