Kawasaki KX250F ridden: Off-road specialist
Kawasaki has brought its motocrossers to India as CBUs and as many people are not aware, allow us to mention that these are not road legal. Team Green is one of the most successful motocross teams and thus the expectations from these bikes are expectedly humongous. We managed to ride both, the entry level 99cc, 2-stroke beginner friendly bike and even the KX250F that comes with a rich championship legacy on a dug-from-nothing track, laid out on the outskirts of Pune. Obviously, to allow the media amateurs to experience the true off-road riding characteristics of the bikes, the track consisted of flat dirt, paved trails and dirt obstacles, including standard quads! Not to our surprise then, 70 per cent of the riders managed to eat the dust on their first attempt itself! Read on to know about our first MX riding experience.
All new?
As we have not ridden the 2016 variants, we cannot really comment on these aspects. Apparently, as per the manufacturer’s claims, the primary objective in the updated bikes has been weight reduction. As Kawasaki claims, the frame, engine, intake, airbox, swingarms, radiators, seat, tank, linkage, shock springs and fuel injectors have been completely revamped. The dual injectors now get eight sprays instead of four, thus optimising fuel delivery which equals to more linear performance on the track. Even the frame is now edgier, having slimmed down by 6mm overall, allowing for reduction in weight and easier maneuverability. The tank’s capacity has gone up slightly but the position is lowered allowing for a much more comfortable riding position. The overall improvmenets have allowed Kawasaki to limit the weight to just 104.3kg, making it lighter than the 2016 variant by 1.5kg. The track times are shed by 1.6seconds, claims the company and if you still want to go faster, you may like to buy the KX FI calibration kit which is sold separately. The console allows you to remap the ECU and even control the fuel injector settings or select one of the preset tunes to suit your riding styles. The flush panels too do not need any equipments to unlatch.
The KX100F on the other hand gets an all new frame and factory graphics. The liquid cooled 99cc 2-stroke unit has been retuned to eke out more power. The mechanicals have been slightly tweaked to give young riders the much need confidence to ride off-road.
Fun to ride?
We managed to get the final slot during the media rides and by then 4 out of 6 riders had tasted the dirt already, so naturally the smart journo from the 7th publication asked for the tiny KX100F to start off with. We had no choice and had to opt for the larger and taller 250. As you get astride, the differences from a regular motorcycle start getting even more prominent. The seat is extremely thin and the chassis too. In fact I was reminded of the basic BSA cycle that I had ridden 20 years back, seeing no instrument panel and no switch gear. The engine kill switch is placed exactly where you would find your sweet sounding ‘bell’. And that’s it. No electric starter means you have to stand on your left foot and if you are not 5feet 9inches and above, you have to really lean as much as 30 degrees and kick the starter. Even the seating position, much more aggressive than upright.
As you open the throttle, you realise that the power build-up is extremely different from that of a road going motorcycle. As suggested by the test rider, I shift the cog to second upon release and the sensation is erm… weird, as the bike slithers down the dirt trail. For the whole of my life I have been used to the rear wheel sliding but riding a MX bike is the closest to riding on moon, if I remember my Physics lessons well. You feel as if the earth has suddenly lost all of its gravitational pull and the magnetic poles are trying to pull you in all directions. Cornering is massive amount of fun if you are someone like me who loves to ‘drift’. Just put your foot down, turn the handle and open the throttle. The universe shall do the rest for you. I am an athletic person and I workout regularly but jumping over quads is one of the fastest way to burn calories, as I discovered. You must not let the fuel tank between your legs slip away from the grip of your knees. On a MX bike, as the pro riders suggested, 20 per cent of the handling is managed by your arms while the rest needs to be powered by your knees and core. Let the bike do what its doing, do not stop the flow, as you steer away and you’ll end up in one piece at the chequered flag. The Showas have 310mm of travel so bottoming down is not a part of the KX’s dictionary unless you are jumping down a well.
And yes, even the 100cc KX100 feels extremely powerful as you are riding on dirt. I could not ride it for more than a lap as I’m dimensionally too large to fit over the seat and even the pegs were too small for my 11 inchers. The 14-yr kid, Yuvraj though was flying at the event on the bike and was able to catch up with the other pro rider at the event, Maninder Singh aka Prince and that proves how capable the tiny KX100F is.
Verdict:
The KXs are not road legal like all the other motocross bikes, so if you are planning to get into motocross at a pro level then it makes sense to get one of the machines as it is not exactly affordable. The KX100F is priced at Rs 4.69 lakh while the KX250F will set you back by Rs 7.14 lakh. If you own a farm, then you can have your share of fun. If not, we suggest you get one.
