1997 Kawasaki KX250 review from Australia
"It's a fun, exhilarating ride, every time"
What things have gone wrong with the motorcycle?
The rear shock absorber blew out in 2006 after doing a 12M jump.
The kick starter bolt keeps coming loose, even with a longer bolt, thread glue & heavy spring washer.
The exhaust seals at barrel don't seal for more than 2 rides.
The rear inner tube punctures when pressure is dropped below 16PSI, even with a heavy duty tube.
General comments?
This bike has been a wheel spinning, wheel standing power house from day 1.
Mine has a performance muffler, reeds, piston, & it leaves all standard 250's behind.
It does have a bad habit of stripping tyre tread, even on a hard terrain tyre, in 4 hours of riding time.
These bikes handle well & when set up properly for the rider, & are very reliable when maintained correctly.
Bolts will loosen with age as vibrations increase, but the use of thread glue on threads stops this.
It's a good cross country bike too, when gear ratio is lowered, & handles the extra load of a higher ratio (47 tooth rear), for open track, but does delay power band characteristic.
They are a well engineered bike & they are a pleasure to work on.
Recommended reviews
| An excellent bike that I will never sell |
|
| A very fast MX racer with low quality |
| Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model year | 1997 |
| Year of manufacture | 1997 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2008 |
| Acceleration marks | 10 / 10 |
| Roll-on Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Handling marks | 8 / 10 |
| Braking marks | 6 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 9 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 10 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Previous motorcycle | Yamaha XT600 |
| Date of Entry | 11th April, 2008 |