There’s good plushness
throughout the entire
stroke, and they also
have great bottoming
resistance when hitting
bigger bumps and holes
in the ground
picked up my 2019 KX250 from Kawasaki
NZ back in September 2018. The new bike
looks great with its curved, aerodynamic
guards making it a bike to think twice about
even before you’ve swung a leg over it. This is
what I’ve done to it to make it perfect for the
Cross Country racing I compete in.
ENGINE
The engine is reliable out of the box and has
smooth power throughout the rev range.
There’s a new airbox for 2019, which is green,
that makes for easier servicing. This is because
light reflects off the green so it’s easier to change
the filter and spot dirt in the airbox.
We took the mesh off the air filter cage and
put on an FMF exhaust system, with the blue
anodised titanium muffler, and a stainless
header for more strength. The bike was put
on the dyno by Brett Roberts and the new bits
managed to gain around 2.5hp down low and a
similar amount up top.
When riding the bike I can feel the throttle is
very responsive and doesn’t feel delayed like my
2018 practice KX250 does. There’s plenty of pull
out of corners and it’s smooth power, like I said
earlier, which is very easy to use – and there’s
plenty of go throughout the revs!
CHASSIS
The bike’s geometry is great on an open course
like a motocross track but isn’t as playful when
riding in tighter sections and benefits from
having the forks raised up in the triple clamps
to decrease the trail of the front end and help it
turn more sharply.
The bike is equipped from the factory with the
Showa Type 2 SFF forks which provide a great
feel for the ground, and with only doing external
adjustments we have got them set up nicely.
There’s good plushness throughout the entire
stroke, and they also have great bottoming
resistance when hitting bigger bumps and
holes in the ground. At the rear there is a great-
feeling Showa shock and the spring rate from
the factory is just about right for my weight
making it easy to set the correct sag. Now it’s all
set up I have a bike that handles well and is well
balanced that allows me to push it hard and still
feel comfortable.
KIWI RIDER 37