Green Dreams!
Published: 21st September 2007
Author: Words by Tony Marshall and Chris Hammal Photos by Jonty Edmunds
Our two Lilliputian testers travel to Tonymoto to sample – or in Tony’s case check out – the 2008 Kawasaki motocross range…
Kawasaki claim that their 2008 KXFs are closer to being factory racers than ever before and if looks are anything to go by then they might just be right. The first thing that screams out about these dirt scoots is the colour – lime green is the go here and these bikes sure do shimmer like kryptonite.
Working hand in hand with the green scheme to keep things looking mean are a black seat cover, colour co-ordinated number plates – black for the 250, white for the 450 – and black rims, hubs and triple clamps. Trick.
Improvements aren’t just limited to the cosmetic side of things either. The 250F gets a good number of tweaks and tickles, some of which are passed down directly from Kawasaki’s GP stars.
With the number of shifter problems Tom Church has had this season it’s little surprise that the KXF’s gear lever has been chopped in for a new ’un. Three degrees higher and hopefully much tougher, the new shifter should help minimise missed shifts and last a little longer than the one found on this year’s bike.
The lower end of the motor has come in for a little work too. Both the right and left side crankcases have increased rigidity which not only increases reliability but also makes for less mechanical loss which means more torque is transmitted to the rear wheel.
A revised silencer helps keep things quiet – that’s 94db quiet. Yeah, it’s slightly bigger and a touch heavier but power loss is promised to be minimised. A new stronger mounting bracket should keep the silencer stuck to your subframe for longer although to be fair we never heard of anyone suffering a breakage here on their ’07 bike.
A small amount of chassis and suspension work completes the package. Aside from the all-new Kashima coating there’s nothing too flamboyant, just plenty of small modifications working together to make the overall package better.
The 450F which has proved to be a solid performer in ’07 is only slightly revised for 2008. Inside the motor a new crank is said to lessen engine vibration and increase grunt at low RPMs while delivering smoother, more linear power through the range. Smoother intake ports increase intake efficiency at all engine speeds.
The five-speed box has also come in for a tweaking with a revised shifter cam shape, smoother track and differing spring rates ensuring the larger KXF’s shifting should be utterly buttery.
Finally chassis tweaks and new suspension clicker and shim settings, the Kashima coating and tighter tolerance engineering should all add up to a much sweeter handling package.
Disappointingly for ’08 the two-strokes are nothing more than re-graphiced ’07s which aside from some small cosmetic changes – the hubs and clamps were coloured brown – are in fact re-graphiced zero-sixers. It’s more a sign of the times rather than laziness on Kawasaki’s behalf although with the amount of two-strokes making it back out onto UK tracks – and not just at the DEP – how long will it be before the manufacturers realise it’s time to stoke up the fire on the oil-burners once more?
With a freshly built track and four bikes ready to rip up I figured it was time to get my arse in gear and check the 2008 Kawasakis out…
There’s only one thing I can say about the KX250F and that’s what a bike! I felt at home on this green machine within a few turns and the more I ride it the more I love it. This bike has it all. It handles well, it’s easy to ride with loads of power – strong power too and I’m talking everywhere.
The track here is pebbly and you have to treat it with respect but the 250F is still a pleasure to ride – just roll the power on and you can find awesome traction thanks to all that controllable power. There are no flat spots or bogging at any time – even when sometimes I’m in a bit too high a gear. Top-end power is impressive although the supercrossy nature of this track means I don’t get to test it all.
The bike handles well. High-speed straight-line stability is excellent and in the tightest of corners this bike behaves well too. The riding position is really comfortable, in my racing days I used to prefer a hard seat but this was not the case on the KXF where I like the soft seat that feels like I’m sitting in it rather than on it. Maybe this is to do with me getting lazier in my old age and I just need to sit down more.
The gearbox doesn’t seem to change as smoothly as I would have expected – especially second to third is not always clean. Coming down the gearbox feels notchy too.
The gearbox on the 450 seems a lot smoother than on the 250F and powershifting comes easy as the gears hook in and out very smoothly.
The torque this motor produces is incredible but I could not get a good feeling for the power delivery. The motor pulls high gears very well and finds lots of traction but I just don’t want to be going that fast – this bike just wants to hook up and go and it gets there fast.
Initially I kept missing my turning points going into the turns. The higher the gear I pull the less engine brake I get and I rely on that to help slow me down and get me into the turn. When I do get it into the turns properly the balance of the bike helps you just flow through them and you rarely find the bike wanting to sit up halfway through.
It’s not just in turns where this bike feels balanced and generally the front and rear suspension works together in a healthy partnership. The front end is stable and makes me feel like I can’t do a thing wrong.
The rear shock feels spot on – it works really well and handles like a dream. Coming into the turns I never felt the rear move sideways or kick me about under braking and the jetting on both bikes is sweet as a nut so no complaints there.
The two-strokes haven’t changed from this year but it’s surprising how different they feel on this track compared to the test last year. The 125 motor runs a bit fluffy off the bottom – a quick change of pilot jet will fix that. But even with the bad jetting the 125 still hits strong coming out of turns and is a lot of fun to ride – I can certainly see why the DEP Challenge is so popular.
The suspension isn’t great and I find the front wanders in turns and even along the straights. The bike isn’t well balanced and feels front heavy, I think this is because the front forks are too soft in the initial part of their stroke making the rear sit high.
The 250 two-stroke suspension is much better – in fact I’d say it’s perfect and when I over-jumped the rear and front forks just soaked up the hard landings. I think that the KX250 is one of the easiest 250 two-strokes to ride on the market and doesn’t deliver silly aggressive power like most – it just has great useable power.
Hammal
Nitrate!
Lil
Chrissy just loves these poppers!
I love this time of year with all the new bikes out looking shiny and sounding sweet. This is when you realise just how hanging your own pride and joy looks...
With all the success that Kawasaki has had with Stewart, Villopoto and Townley winning titles they must be doing something right. I have a few mates that have a fetish for the green machines, they won’t own anything else and I think that if they had to they would choose to take their bike to bed over any woman – freaks! With this in mind I was curious to ride a Kawi for myself to see what I’m missing.
First off I got my little mitts on the 125. Now Kawasaki claim that they haven’t forgotten about the two-stroke range and still feel that there’s a market for them but when you look at them next to the four-poppers you can see where their money has gone.
In my opinion the two-strokes look a little dated which is a shame because when out on the track the 125 feels great. There’s nice smooth power delivery all the way through and there is enough top-end for it to be a competitive bike as long as you are racing other 125s. Obviously you have to be in the right gear and at times give it a bit of clutch work to move it out of corners but that’s something you get right with more saddle time.
The riding position is very comfy – everything feels like it’s in the right place making a bike that gives you confidence. The suspension is on the rigid side over small bumps but still doesn’t step out or dance about. On bigger, harder hitting stuff it soaked everything up well. This is a great 125 – it’s a fun bike to ride and in its own class it’s a great bike.
Keeping with the two-stroke theme next up is the 250 two-stroke. It has the same styling as the 125 and when you sit on it, it feels a lot like it too – which is not a bad thing. The whole range comes with Renthal handlebars – but not Twinwalls like on some other brands which was a little disappointing. On a good note the clutch feels really light and comes with an on-the-fly adjuster.
Out on the track the two-fiddy feels great. The motor is smooth but powerful making the bike very easy to ride. There are no problems with the handling – it doesn’t dance about at all making me feel confident enough to want to ride it even harder. The suspension is better on the 250, maybe because of the slightly heavier bike but it has a more plush feel and doesn’t kick back so hard. Like the 125 this is a great bike for its class – it’s just a shame it’s starting to look a bit dated.
The 250F is one sweet looking bike – you can see where Kawasaki have put all their effort. It looks super tricked up as standard coming with petal shaped brake discs, black rims laced to cool brown factory style hubs, anodised triple clamps, stepped titanium exhaust, works style graphics and the number plates are black which all add up to one awesome looking standard bike.
Out on the track this bike doesn’t disappoint either. It has so plenty of bark and sounds and goes great. For ’08 Kawasaki have found a way to transmit more torque to the rear wheel and this gives you snap off the bottom that then pulls hard until you hit the rev-limiter.
In the corners the bike turns tight and feels balanced. The suspension is good, it tracks in a straight line over braking bumps and while it feels heavier than the 125 you can still throw it around and have fun with it. This is a great bike - it looks great, rides great and I would happily go down to my local dealer and spend my hard-earned cash on one (if the wife would let me).
Like its little brother the 250F, the 450F looks great. Out on the track this is one powerful and fast bike – it’s got so much grunt all you have to do is coast around the corners and nail it to the next and you’ll be putting in good lap times.
It’s not that easy to throw about and feels on the heavy side but it’s still a great bike. It corners well – even in the tight ones – and the suspension is good, it feels like it had a bit more give to it than the 250F soaking up a little more. This is another great bike, it looks great but I personally still prefer the 250F.
specifications
KX125
Capacity: 124cc
Bore and stroke: 54mm x 54.5mm
Transmission: Six-speed
Carburettor: Mikuni TMX38X
Front suspension: Kayaba 48mm USD (300mm travel)
Rear suspension: Kayaba (310mm travel)
Front brake: 250mm disc
Rear brake: 240mm disc
Wheelbase: 1470mm
Seat height: 945mm
Dry weight: 87kg
specifications
KX250
Capacity: 249cc
Bore and stroke: 66.4mm x 72mm
Transmission: Five-speed
Carburettor: Keihin PWK38S
Front suspension: Kayaba USD (300mm travel)
Rear suspension: Kayaba (310mm travel)
Front brake: 250mm disc
Rear brake: 240mm disc
Wheelbase: 1480mm
Seat height: 965mm
Dry weight: 97kg
specifications
KX250F
Capacity: 249cc
Bore and stroke: 77mm x 53.6mm
Transmission: Five-speed
Carburettor: Keihin FCR37
Front suspension: Kayaba USD (315mm travel)
Rear suspension: Kayaba (310mm travel)
Front brake: 250mm disc
Rear brake: 240mm disc
Wheelbase: 1469mm
Seat height: 955mm
Dry weight: 92.5kg
specifications
KX450F
Capacity: 449cc
Bore and stroke: 96mm x 62.1mm
Transmission: Five-speed
Carburettor: Keihin FCR40
Front suspension: Kayaba USD (315mm travel)
Rear suspension: Kayaba (315mm travel)
Front brake: 250mm disc
Rear brake: 240mm disc
Wheelbase: 1485mm
Seat height: 965mm
Dry weight: 99.8kg