2005 Kx250

[James980]

the very YZish like motor it should be a really great bike off-road and on the track.

Can you be more specific? That is, what I like best about the YZ engine (an '02, but supposedly they've left that awesome engine pretty much alone since then for obvious reasons), is the off idle power/instantaneous response. It makes for far less clutching than a typical MX two-stroke. Is the '05 KX power delivery similar in those terms? Thanks.

 

[KX02]

Thanks for the link Steve! It sure looks like you can't go wrong with blue, green, or yellow. Tough break Honda nuts! I can't wait to sell my 125 and get a KX250! :aj:

 

[john3_16]

Sounds like the motor got worse.....Wow...I was especially surprized that one tester commented that it had no over rev which is something that the 02' and 03' CR250 have in abundance....

Considering that it is the best handling bike, you'd be be better off buying an 03' or 04' since it has the same chassis and get a port job for $180...Then you'll have the fastest, best handling bike way cheaper than any of the new bikes...With money to spare.

 

[Lissa]

KX's are known for their good low-end and mid-range power delivery. The new engine keeps with those characteristics and then some. It is very YZ like in that respect, I guess the best way to sum it up is a ever so slightly, very, very slightly weaker YZ best explains it for me. The KX's definetly feels piper then the YZ, at least the one I rode did. This can be a very good thing, though! Even though my own personal KX is down on hp as compared to our YZ, the KX is loads easier to ride harder for longer with out tiring out! I can fly into corners on the pipe without ever chopping the throttle on the KX, the power delivery feels that easy to use. The '05 just feels like a stronger, even gruntier' version of my own. Thats why both of our '03 KX250's are the main race bikes in the garage with the YZ as a back-up. The way the KX corners, delivers its power and its suspension make for a really well rounded package IMO. I had my choice, got to ride what the big four had to offer and I found the green machine to be a great mount. But of course it all depends on the rider and their preferences.

 

[holeshot]

The reviews on the '05 KX250 smoker have very good (for the most part). The least flattering review would have to be MXA's, as they claim that the KX doesn't have quite the low end of the RM and especially the YZ.

But when they were choking out compliments for the KX, they did admit that the KX was very fast (mid and top rocket) and was very well suspended. BTW, there's no mention of the test in the index of the Jan issue, so you will stumble across it on page 134 (for you "magazine stand" readers out there).

The TWMX test nearly gushes over the KX, claiming that it has bottom, excellent mid and very good top end. They also state that it has a very smooth, usable powerband.

Is it enough to make me buy another two stroke? Probably not (I think another four is my future).

 

[KX02]

Motorcycle Daily also tested the KX and said it had the best bottom end. Anyway you slice it, I'm sure you can't go wrong with yellow, blue, or green.

 

[Lissa]

ditto!

 

[holeshot]

Motorcycle Daily also tested the KX and said it had the best bottom end. Anyway you slice it, I'm sure you can't go wrong with yellow, blue, or green.

MXA claims that it has no low end, and therefore still plays second fiddle to the RM and YZ. The consistency of the rags testing is something else. :eek:

Guess we'll have to wait for more reports from the real testers (DRN members).

 

[KX02]

MXA claims that it has no low end, and therefore still plays second fiddle to the RM and YZ. The consistency of the rags testing is something else. :eek:

Guess we'll have to wait for more reports from the real testers (DRN members).

That would be the first KX 250 I have ever heard of that did not have at least pretty good low end! But yes, I agree I prefer to hear from people who own one. But I have already heard from a couple of people about that particular bike to no that I plan on buying one. :yeehaw:

 

[AARONA]

05kx

have my 05 in the shop, but we'll have snow on the ground till March....sometimes we get a warm spell and the gravel pits thaw up good enough to ride on. Waiting for spring...
Had an 03 and 04 kx250. Both bikes were great. I thought they were fast, I race moto all summer. (over 120 motos from May-sept) bikes held up great. Didn't change top ends till the season was over. Could have kept on riding on them. But I change filters every moto. Those bikes were supposed to be "slow". I beg to differ. And I got plenty of time on my buddies 03 yz250, 02 rm250, and a 04 crf450. Got many holeshots over them. The 450 was unbelievable though, truth be known. But I can't wait to ride a KX that is supposed to be "fast"..

 

[Britt Boyette]

I like the KX250's alot. Our 04 model is a great bike and I will hang on to it for a while. The 05 models I've heard about are even better which is hard for me to believe but I still want to ride one myself to feel the difference. What I can't understand is why the hell does Kawasaki feel they need to hang on to those cheap steel handelbars? That's my only complaint. Well, that and I like Michelin S/M 12's over the stock Bridgestones M602's too. Minor stuff, ya know.

Britt

 

[KX02]

I'm just glad they ditched the Dunlop 739's! When I switched to Pirelli MT 32's my KX handled much better. The 05 I saw at the dealership had M402's not 602's, I've never ran them, but they looked decent. I'm not sure about the handlebars. How long do you guys usually take to ruin a set of steel bars? I put Renthal's on my bike with the same bend as the factory bars I really like them, they are super flat (not swept back). But even still I dumped my bike with the original bars several times and they are still straight! I saved them for an emergency.

 

[john3_16]

Despite having those steel handle bars Kawasaki has come a long way in the quality department...They finally got rid of that soft rubber transmission oil cap, put on a magnesium ignition cover, and upgraded some of the bolts to a higher grade material....Plus the cylinder has the most intricate design I've ever seen on a motocross bike...

 

[Britt Boyette]

If you leave the bars out on a hot day, they will bend. No, not really. But, it doesn't take much for them to bend. One mild dump will do it.

Britt

 

[AARONA]

and still only one actual rider review???
Much more interested in what people here say about the bikes as opposed to testers in the mags.

 

[john3_16]

and still only one actual rider review???
Much more interested in what people here say about the bikes as opposed to testers in the mags.

It's surprising....The bike is all new and you'd think there would be loads of riding impressions by now.

 

[James980]

Despite having those steel handle bars Kawasaki has come a long way in the quality department...They finally got rid of that soft rubber transmission oil cap, put on a magnesium ignition cover, and upgraded some of the bolts to a higher grade material....Plus the cylinder has the most intricate design I've ever seen on a motocross bike...

Yeah...it's not worth much, but I was looking one over real closely in a shop on Saturday and it *looked* very tightly engineered.

 

[pace]

It's surprising....The bike is all new and you'd think there would be loads of riding impressions by now.

I think part of this is that the magazines drive a mentality of 'you can only win if you're on bike XYZ', which this year happens to be the YZ. And some guys will gravitate to the Yamaha simply because it appears the most changed/cutting-edge of '05. If the KX places high in any of the 250 shootouts, that may also spark some interest, but it has been a somewhat mediocre machine for the past few years (compared to the YZ/RM) so for 2005 it may be unfairly overlooked by some shoppers.

Of course, the bike hasn't been in showrooms very long. And a lot of the disillusioned 4-stroke riders are now starting to take a look at the exciting new '05 two-strokes, so we may see a lot of sales after the winter.

If I was preparing to buy an '05, the KX would certainly be top of my shopping list.

-pace