Renthal old-style (skinny, not fat) bars grace the
steering department and are an old favourite of
mine as I think the new style twin-wall bars are
too rigid. They’re also a decent height and shape.
The Showa SFF-II forks have completely new
valving on the compression, rebound and BCV
shim stacks. The spring is a lighter rate but with
more preload to keep them up in the stroke and
allow greater compliance through the stroke. As
mentioned earlier, the fully-adjustable shock has
had upgrades too and both ends perform well on
the track. I’m a big unit for riding a 250 but the
suspension was excellent, even for me. I actually
found it more bottom-resistant than its big 450
brother at times (ridden on the same day) which
surprised me... but it is still very smooth and fluid
44KIWI RIDER
through the stroke with little or no harsh feedback
to tire the rider. Yep, the suspension action is great.
The brakes are awesome too with the 270mm front
disc, Nissin caliper combination being particularly
good for stopping strength and feel. I’ve also got
no complaints with the 240mm rear disc either,
it has solid stopping power and great feel.
Overall the 2018 Kawasaki KX 250F is a great bike.
It has a remarkable list of championships to its name
from all over the world. Even our own Ben Townley
had an American Supercross title on one. But the
latest updates have ensured that not only is it a
winner at the elite level, it is an excellent all-rounder
too. Perhaps the only thing that the KX is missing
is electric start... I’m sure it will only be a matter of
time before all 250/450 MX bikes have ‘leccy starts.