anyone going to test ride one? fuel injected,pro link suspension....

 

This is the most comprehensive post on that bike on this forum. https://www.kawasakiforums.com/forum...ion-klx-38121/

I think the only riding info on this bike at this time has been from international sources on the Thumpers forum of ADV, and they have been very limited at this point.

 

I think it's a sweet bike for the price..........
If it was available a year ago when I got my '09 KLX250S I would of gotten one for sure.

Kawasaki better get moving ASAP.

 

To what ? a heavier bike with less suspension travel, identical engine output to a choked up KLX, with less ground clearance ?

The CRF250 is barely one step above the 230 air cooled bike they offer.

But i guess the draw is the fuel injection ? Have fun throwing another $300-500 at it for a fuel management system if you ever buy an aftermarket exhaust for it so you don't burn the piston out running lean.

No thanks Mr.Disney, i'll pass on this ride.

 

I've owned 40 or so Honda's and have found them to be excellent well made bikes, the KLX is my first kawasaki and it's a fine bike. Nothing at all wrong with a Honda and if I were to buy a new bike anytime soon it would be a Honda again.

 

I'd been ok with just a full size fully suspended crf230L?

 

LOL!...c'mon, RB...let's not let our expectations fall too low there.

Seriously though, the Honda isn't going to be a bad bike, but they lowered the bar compared to a KLX and WRR as far as off road performance goes. It's going to be a reliable, useable bike, but it is going to suffer more than the Yamaha and Kawaski if you try to push the dirt function as far. With the lower travel and heavier weight of the Honda, the off road potential is going to be compromised.

 

To a bike that actually runs out of the box and doesn't require choke enrichment drilling, re jetting, opening the air-box, after-market exhaust, etc........Just to make it idle and run properly and doesn't stumble all over itself.
The Honda is considerably cheaper considering what you need to add to the Kawasaki just to make it do what it should do from the start....start and run without stumbling all over the place.
The suspension? The KLX isn't exactly stellar in that category.

Don't get me wrong......I love my KLX but Kawasaki should be shot for sending this bike out to the general public this way.

Yea, I'll take the FI any day of the week.
I can fire up my Goldwing and fly down the road instantly without one single hesitation or grumble.............ride the highest mountains or the lowest valleys without any performance degradation or MPG changes.
Honda makes the best engines and FI in the business.

btw - Mr. Disney was a genius........I could only wish he was around to design a bike.

 

I think the comment that Honda makes the best engines and FI in the business may be overstating a bit. Do they make good even great stuff in many cases?...yes. Do some/most of the other manufacturers do the same?...yes.

And the people who should be shot for the driveability issues present in many motorcycles, are those responsible for over zealous emission requirements. Honda seems to have put most of their eggs in the engine basket on this new 250 and let the suspension and weight take a hit. Even the suspension shortcoming wouldn't be too bad here if it wasn't a travel issue. You can revalve a KLX and WRR and have some good off road travel...both. You're going to be stuck with the short legs on the Honda under almost any circumstances.

The WRR and KLX have potential to be very competent dirt bikes. This new Honda has some awfully big hurdles to achieve that same potential. And I'm certainly no Honda hater. I've had 7 Hondas and was highly pleased and impressed with 6 of them. And no...I'd never badmouth Walt Disney.

 

I'm pro FI. It makes my performance cars run the way they do, and I love it.
I also own a FI Honda bike, and I have to tell you, it's probably the poorest FI application I've ever seen. It goes in and out of closed loop on a whim, runs stupid rich (10-1 or richer) whenever it feels like it, and runs so rich in the cold weather that although the previous owner did regular maintenance, it had excessive ring wear from the constant rich condition and fuel/oil dilution. It takes a fair bit of fiddling to be workable, and it will never be right. Honda dropped the ball on that one.