Team Green Goes All In On New 250F
Story by Trevor Hunter, Photos by Ryne Swanberg and Trevor Hunter
Kawasaki dropped an all new KX250 for 2025 with an updated motor, housed in a new chassis, and suspended by Showa components. They have adopted a similar chassis (though not the same as the KX450 which is a rarity these days), center port exhaust, downdraft intake tract, new plastics, and ergonomics. The KX250 is now shod with Showa suspension as well. To read all of the new updates to the bike, click HERE.
The power delivery is quite drastic from the previous gen bike. The old motor was a screamer with impressive power on top, but there wasn’t much going on as the RPMs decreased. Kawasaki stated one of their main goals with this bike was to increase low end power, and they did just that. Off the bottom, there is a healthy amount of torque and grunt that doesn’t punish you if you’re in the wrong gear or make a mistake on corner exit – something we couldn’t say on the previous generation bike.
As the RPMs build, it increases into the mid-range and builds into the top end. As you get into the upper echelon of the top end and near the rev limiter, the pulling power decreases and the need to shift is more imminent than in years past. In one way, you can’t be as “lazy” on this bike as you do have to shift before the RPMs get too high, but on the other hand you can be a little lazier and run third gear in some corners and utilize the lower RPMs more effectively.
Our initial thoughts have us feeling like the new KX engine runs very similar to the latest YZ250F engine in terms of power characteristics throughout the rev range. It’s strong down low and builds into the top end, but it isn’t a complete revver like the previous engine.
In our 2024 comparison against the YZ250F last year, we noted how overly stiff the front fork felt on the KX which really held the bike back. Kawasaki went a completely different direction for 2025, leaving KYB and going to the same Showa components seen on the bigger KX450 including 49mm coil-spring forks and a Showa shock out back. In terms of performance, the suspension is much more compliant and comforting than before. While it still is on the stiffer side, it is much more balanced front to rear and works well together. We ran sag at 105mm and we left fork height at stock for the entirety of the day.
Washougal didn’t see very many bumps by the end of our day, but there was some small chatter at times and in areas we know we would’ve struggled with the previous bike, the Showa setup soaked it up and offered more comfort and compliance. Tyler Belknap still felt the need for more comfort and he sped up the rebound three clicks in the fork and opened up the high speed compression ¼ turn in the shock. For him, this alleviated the front end harshness he felt and got more movement out of the fork, while the shock didn’t deflect as much and tracked straighter. I tried his setup and felt the rear end squatted too much under acceleration and the fork was too busy and lost traction in the corners, eventually ending up back at stock clicker settings.
In the handling department, we saw another big change in terms of performance. Last year’s bike was stable, but suffered from a vague front end feel in corners at times. This new gen bike is better on corner entrance and maintains that through the corner. While conditions didn’t allow for it, we still don’t feel it’s the best cornering bike in the class, but it is much improved and has a nice blend of stability and precision to it.
The ODI grips, while not either of our first choices when it comes to grips, are much appreciated over the past stock Kawasaki grips. The front brake remains a Nissin unit and while it felt strong today, we still don’t like the ultra thin lever. We moved the front brake way over on the handlebar so our finger would pull on the tip of the lever where there is the most surface area, but we’d prefer a more normal lever shape.
The ergos feel like a Kawasaki – which is good. The bike is slim between the knees and has a nice rider triangle, which can also be lengthened with different bar mount and foot pegs adjustments available in stock trim.
With all of the changes Kawasaki made for 2025, we feel the bike is a more complete package. The motor is more versatile and better for a vast majority of the consumers buying this bike. It offers much more power down low, while still retaining a fun and lively engine character that appeals to the masses. The suspension is tuned better in stock trim, and the components themselves are of very high quality. Handling wise, there is less polarity as it does everything good, but nothing stands out in a good (or bad) way. Some of the small refinements like a tool-less air filter change, the ODI grips, and Kawasaki Rideology App are a step in the right direction for Team Green riders.
