Posts
6350
Joined
12/12/2007
Location
Huntington Beach, CA
US
Edited Date/Time
1/4/2018 8:44pm
I apologize if this needs to be starting in a another section of the form but just thought I'd ask what some of your guys's thoughts are if you don't mind please.
Ive got a chance to buy a SUPER low hour 2003 KX250 for a dam good price thats got an FMF Fatty, V-Force reed block, brand new tires, bars, chain and sprockets. The rest of the bike is bone stock just the way I like it....being tall is something to consider and ive read in numerous places that the 06 KX250 chassis was a real mess but had a beast of an engine and my limited knowledge of KX250's from this timeframe is that the 03 had a dufferent frame I just dont know how drastically different and ive always thought the last gen KX 2 strokes were great looking bikes.
Im 6'3 195 and novice/intermediate skill level ...just a little rusty since its been almost 2 years since i last rode but ive been riding my whole life starting at age 5 and im 39 and know itll come back quickly. Ive generally always had a good "feel" for the bikes ive owned/ridden so that i could fugure out what the bike was doing and what needed to be done to fix or adjust it out.
Ive searched all over the Google machine with very few legitimately qualified reviews. Ive never owned or ridden a KX250 2 stroke but have owned and ridden the crap out of every last generation 250 2 stroke long enough to appreciate all of them. Loved the YZ250's engine, by far best handling bike I ever rode was my 2002 CR250, had an 01 and 06 RM250 and they were good bikes that fell in the middle of the CR and YZ. Btw I cant afford a 'GOOD' KTM250sx i.e. a 2012 or newer otherwise this post wouldnt exist.
If anyone can give me their idea on where a 2003 KX250 would rate against these bikes that would be helpful:
2000-2001 CR250
2002-2003 CR250
1999-2001YZ250
2003-2004 YZ250
I realize the KX250 didn't win any shootouts around this time but I can't really get a good feel for how it fared against the bikes above was it way too far off or just a tick off? That's kind of what I'm trying to understand
Ive got a chance to buy a SUPER low hour 2003 KX250 for a dam good price thats got an FMF Fatty, V-Force reed block, brand new tires, bars, chain and sprockets. The rest of the bike is bone stock just the way I like it....being tall is something to consider and ive read in numerous places that the 06 KX250 chassis was a real mess but had a beast of an engine and my limited knowledge of KX250's from this timeframe is that the 03 had a dufferent frame I just dont know how drastically different and ive always thought the last gen KX 2 strokes were great looking bikes.
Im 6'3 195 and novice/intermediate skill level ...just a little rusty since its been almost 2 years since i last rode but ive been riding my whole life starting at age 5 and im 39 and know itll come back quickly. Ive generally always had a good "feel" for the bikes ive owned/ridden so that i could fugure out what the bike was doing and what needed to be done to fix or adjust it out.
Ive searched all over the Google machine with very few legitimately qualified reviews. Ive never owned or ridden a KX250 2 stroke but have owned and ridden the crap out of every last generation 250 2 stroke long enough to appreciate all of them. Loved the YZ250's engine, by far best handling bike I ever rode was my 2002 CR250, had an 01 and 06 RM250 and they were good bikes that fell in the middle of the CR and YZ. Btw I cant afford a 'GOOD' KTM250sx i.e. a 2012 or newer otherwise this post wouldnt exist.
If anyone can give me their idea on where a 2003 KX250 would rate against these bikes that would be helpful:
2000-2001 CR250
2002-2003 CR250
1999-2001YZ250
2003-2004 YZ250
I realize the KX250 didn't win any shootouts around this time but I can't really get a good feel for how it fared against the bikes above was it way too far off or just a tick off? That's kind of what I'm trying to understand
Cr's suspension can be made much better. The kx doesn't have much potential in the suspension depot. No high speed adjustment on the shock that year.
The Shop
****Kawasaki KX250Baseline: The 2003 KX is a brand-new ride and proved to be a great bike in stock form. The power provides torque but lacks that explosive feel. The KX needs more bottom power, a quicker-revving delivery with more punch, and more overrev to bring it up to par with the front-running 250s.DEP pipe and silencer Fit: A / Overall Rating: B+ Comments: The DEP is a good combo that is smooth but snappier compared to the Doma. It builds its power a little faster but not quite as robustly when lined up against the FMF units tested. Bottom is really good, and the power carries on to the top with a usable overrev compared to the stock exhaust.Doma pipe and silencer Fit: A / Overall Rating: B+ Comments: The Doma develops a lot of drive right off idle. The delivery is smooth, and it pulls really well while exiting corners. Once it enters the midrange, the power gains start to level off. Because of its great bottom you can feel the pull on the track. Up top the Doma starts to come alive again and wants to pull further than stock. Overall this is an easy-to-ride combo that works well for off-roaders and motocrossers seeking a smooth tractable delivery.FMF Factory Fatty with Titanium II silencer Fit: A, B- for the Titanium II silencer Overall Rating: A Comments: The Factory Fatty is almost identical to the Fatty, but we did notice the Factory has a snappier throttle response and delivery. One of our three test riders rated this his favorite.FMF Fatty with Titanium II silencer Fit: A, B- for silencer / Overall Rating: A Comments: The silencer lost points due to the fact the bolt holes didn't line up well with the subframe. Powerwise, the Fatty is a winner. Compared to stock the Fatty boasts power gains just off the bottom, pulls stronger in the mid and holds on all the way up into the top-end. Overrev is also improved. For off-road, we could have used a little more bottom.FMF SST with Titanium II silencer Fit: A, B- for silencer Overall Rating: A Comments: The SST delivered the meat of its power from the lower bottom to the lower top. This is an excellent-performing combination that's fast and easy to ride. The rear starts to drive very low in the power range and makes for easy yet quick cornering. The bottom is good enough that it would make a excellent choice for trail riding as well as hard-core motocross. Two testers picked the SST as their exhaust of choice for the KX250.Pro Circuit Works with Factory Sound silencer Fit: A / Overall Rating: B- Comments: The power is very tame and feels as if it lost torque in the process. Testers said the bike was loud and delivered the power flat. It builds some muscle on top, but it takes some clutch to get there. A few riders suggested the flat power may work off-road.
The ‘03 is a great bike, I won a lot of races on won and would not hesitate to own another. PC pullrods are the only handling mod I ever did to my ‘03...
97 & 01 CR250's owned had a rigid chassis / frames, but preferred them over the KX250 models. I'd rate those CR's at the bottom as well.
Its lack of bottom end power required more double clutching coming out of tight corners. But overall that bike was a blast to ride and race.
That’s the ‘03 in my avatar.
The later motor was said to have been inspired by Stew. Whether that's true or not..?
I had an 04 and I loved it. It wasn't underpowered as someone has said above.
I never rode an 05-07 motor so can't comment.
Pit Row
So what I've gathered thus far is that the bike was pretty good, handled well but was down on power, exactly how much of a handicapp would you say it has?
Btw this bike already comes with an FMF Fatty pipe, v-force Reed's for engine upgrades.
Also has an oversized front disc, rad guards, brand new tires, bars, and chain and sprockets.
I will at some point have the cylinder ported after getting some time on the bike I just really want a capable Moto weapon ... specifically a 2 stroke 250.
Remember I'm 6'3 so I'm curious how the bike is for taller riders too.
One thing I will say, since I share space with him during wrenching hours, is that it has some odd mechanical features that make working on it, and parts acquisition a pain in the ass. Pray to God you don't lose a main seal...
I think any good motorcycle can be made to fit your liking.
Post a reply to: How Good Is/Was The 2003 KX250 2-Stroke?