Another month down with the Kawasaki KX250 in my possession and it’s been a really enjoyable period on the bike. There aren’t any major modifications to report this month, but I’ve continued getting more comfortable with the package and have spent some time making small suspension adjustments, mainly through clicker changes and SAG settings. Overall, I’ve been really impressed with how capable this bike is in completely stock form.
As I mentioned last month, I’ve found the engine to be a very usable package, particularly for the off-road style of riding and racing I’ve been doing lately. The power is smooth, manageable and easy to ride. That said, I still feel that in a pure motocross environment it could use a little more bottom-end punch. I’d be interested to see what gains can be found through ignition mapping or perhaps an aftermarket exhaust system. Before heading down that path though, my next move will be to spend some time playing with the Kawasaki Rideology app, which is one of the standout features of the bike and something I still haven’t fully explored.
The biggest development this month was taking the KX250 to its first race. We headed to an Oyster Bay Motorcycle Club sprint event at the Clarence Motocross Complex in the Blue Mountains. After a huge amount of rain leading into the weekend, the track started out extremely sloppy, but thankfully the sandy soil dried out and improved throughout the day. By the final races it had turned into prime conditions.
I thoroughly enjoyed racing the KX250 through the bush. It’s been a while since I’ve lined up on a 250F and, while I’m certainly older and slower than I used to be and the wrist doesn’t twist quite as easily these days, I still had an absolute blast. The little Kawi did everything I asked of it and never missed a beat.
The suspension remains completely stock and, while it was still a little firm in some of the rougher bush sections, it worked really well once we hit the motocross portions of the course. That’s probably where the bike feels most at home. Unfortunately, there were a few timing issues throughout the day so I’m not entirely sure where I finished, but the important thing was that I felt good, had fun and the bike was flawless from start to finish.
We’ve got a few weeks until the next Oyster Bay club event at Goulburn before turning our attention to the Australian Enduro Championship round at Kempsey in August. That should be a good test for both myself and the bike.
Until then, the focus is on getting myself into a bit better shape, spending more time on the bike and continuing to learn what the KX250 likes. A big thanks again to Kawasaki and everyone involved in making this project happen. It’s been an awesome experience so far and I’m looking forward to seeing where the next few months take us.
