the thing that really got the boys
chomping at the bit, was the
mention of traction control
control’. The 250 is lighter, more agile, better
looking and faster than any other quarter litre
enduro bike the company has ever produced.
So with the first cab off the rank, so to speak,
going to Liam Draper, the KR team was quick
to get the FE together and out into enduroland
for a decent evaluation and photo shoot.
The fact that for 2017 the little Husky is completely
new, the thing that really got the boys chomping
at the bit was the mention of traction control on a
racing dirt bike. At first, as usual without listening
to the real facts, I said, “Yea right, every time the
rear wheel spins it’s going to start clicking and
applying the brakes like in my Ranger ute when
driving badly in the wet”. Not even close, I could
barely notice this great new feature working!
Quite frankly you don’t notice anything different
happening on the bike. What becomes obvious,
though, is when the new bike gets better grip
than its predecessor. But I’m getting way ahead of
myself, first let’s take a look at the new package.
ENGINE
A full re-design sees the engine 20mm shorter
and 0.7kg lighter, weighing in at 27.6kg including
the starter motor. The 250 revs to 12,800rpm and
a 6mm shorter stroke enables it to rev more freely,
with a quicker power delivery. The new cylinder
head features lighter cam-shafts to reduce
weight and create less friction. The new crankcase
design moves the clutch shaft higher and further
rearward to accommodate the shorter engine.
Along with the TC mode comes a new 42mm
Keihin throttle body and a re-designed Engine
Management System (EMS). A new header pipe
and shorter muffler allow the engine to produce
more usable power and a new starter motor and
a 1kg lighter Li-ion battery adds to weight savings.
The crank service interval is 135 hours, which
should give some maintenance cost savings.
50KIWI RIDER