Kwick Kwack - KX250F
By TMX Archives on 26th Nov 09
THE 250cc four-stroke market really is where it's at just at the moment in motocross with all manufacturers pouring development time and energy into their quarter-litre thumpers. The bottom line is, if they want to stay competitive in a red-hot market they simply have too. While the 450s used to rule the roost in the showrooms there's no doubt that 250Fs are first on the list of many potential purchasers. This is really because the current range of 250Fs have such a great spread of power and handle so well that they are the easiest models to ride fast - for virtually anyone!
Kawasaki knows this and Team Green has just weighed-in with its latest KX250F. T+MX tester Johnno White got to blast the 2010 Green Meanie round the Finningley track - and found it even sharper and faster than last year - and he thought that model was good!
SO last month it was the 450 Kawa at Finningley, this month it was time to test its little brother, the 250F at the same track, so off I went down the motorway and on my way down I was thinking (careful Johnno! - Ed) to myself as I hadn't actually read-up on the new 250, so I didn't know whether it was fuel injected or not for 2010!
My logic was, because the 450 lost its carb last year and picked-up efi, it usually follows that the 250 tends to follow suit, other manufacturers like Suzuki and Honda for instance, but when I got to the test track and had a look over the bike I was quite surprised to see that Kawasaki have stuck with a carb for 2010! Nobody seemed to know why either and when I asked, the technical guys just seemed as surprised as us, but to be fair, last year's Kawasaki 250F was probably my favourite 250 so Kawasaki had probably decided to 'not fix what ain't broke' and save the introduction of fuel injection for another time.
SPECIFICATIONS
2010 model Kawasaki KX250F
ENGINE
Type: Liquid-cooled, single cylinder four-stroke with four-valve DOHC
Bore x Stroke: 77.0 x 53.6 mm
Displacement: 249 cc
Compression Ratio: 13.2 : 1
Fuel injection: Keihin FCR-MX37
Ignition: Digital AC-CDI
Starting: Primary kick
Lubrication: Forced lubrication, semi-dry sump
Transmission: 5-speed, return
Final Drive: Chain
Clutch: Wet multi-disc, manual
CHASSIS
Type: Aluminium perimeter frame
SUSPENSION
Front: 47 mm upside-down twin-chamber telescopic fork with16-way compression damping and 6-way rebound damping
Travel: 315 mm
Rear: New Uni-Trak with 13-way (low-speed) & 2-turns or more (high-speed) compression damping and 17-way rebound damping. Fully adjustable spring preload
Travel: 310 mm
TYRES
Front: 80/100-21 51M
Rear: 100/90-19 57M
BRAKES
Front: Single semi-floating 250 mm petal disc and dual-piston caliper
Rear: Single 240 mm petal disc and single-piston caliper
DIMENSIONS
Length: 2,170 mm
Width: 820 mm
Height: 1,270 mm
Wheelbase: 1,470 mm
Ground Clearance: 340 mm
Seat Height: 955 mm
Fuel Capacity: 8 litres
Kerb Mass: 105.1 kg
FOR FULL TEST SEE T+MX NEWS, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2009
Specification:
