Kawasaki Kdx200
Kawasaki KDX200
Girl's bike, budget blaster or the forgotten trail wonder?
IF YOU'VE BEEN LIVING IN A CAVE, THEN YOU PROBABLY. own a Kawasaki KDX200. If you habituate in the real' world you might have forgotten the green machine was with us. The KDX started life as a 175 in 1980, and received its last major upgrade in 1995, when it got a perimeter-style frame and a more KX-like appearance. Like a lot of forgotten yet good-selling bikes, it’s been Bold New Graphics for the KDX200 ever since. But
don’t write off the KDX so quickly. In fact, look at the success of the KTM 200 E/XC, Cycle World's Best Enduro Bike of 2001, and realize that influence came from someplace. The KDX was and still is proof that the 200cc displacement offers the near-perfect blend of weight and power for two-stroke trailbikes. the
little 200 today reveals the evolution of topflight motocrossers and four-stroke trailbikes. The KDX has a dated shifting feel with a longish throw that’s a little looser than most contemporary bikes. Suspension-wise, the shock and especially the fork don’t have the damping consistency that more modem bikes possess. Is this bad? Hell no, we’ve just gotten way too spoiled! Weighing
in at 242 pounds, the KDX still is a relatively lightweight trailbike, especially compared to its mostly fourstroke competition. Remember, if you want more power than you can easily get from the KDX, you’re looking at bikes in the 400cc range. The Kawasaki is also a very easy starter—funny how those two-strokes kick right over, hot or cold. With the stock double-walled pipe and super-restrictive muffler in place, the KDX has one of the most un-two-strokelike powerbands out there. It’s bland with a flat torque curve and not much snap, or noise for that matter. We tested ours like this for a while, and found it completely rideable, although anyone above beginner level was looking for more power. Jeff
Fredette, 20-time ISDE medallist (check out http://justkdx.dirtrider.net) and green-bleeding KDX Guy, suggests riding your KDX stock at first, and then going for a pipe and muffler to get more from the motor. We took his advice, ordering a pipe ($180 from F MF. 3 10 63 1-4363) and ditching the airbox lid. Next, he suggests, going stiffer on the fork springs and maybe doing a bit of re-valving, after which he says the KDX will be race-ready. It’s not a KTM, but as Fredette points out, “It’s much easier to make a KDX a racebike than it is to make the KTM a beginner bike.” And
a lot cheaper, as well. With the engine mods in place, our bike snapped like a ’stroker should and revved out much better, though not quite like an MX bike, as there’s still that wonderful flywheelinduced torque you need to get through the tight twisties and nasties your favorite trail dishes out. Though
the stock fork is sprung soft and valved a tad stiff to compensate, it doesn’t bottom that often. Compared to heavier four-stroke trailbikes, the KDX seems to dance a little. But when it came to flicking the bike in and out of turns, we quickly remembered why we like lightweight two-strokes in the first place. Its perimeter frame is plenty rigid and allows for some first-class precision handling. It can just about handle an MX track, if need be. Coming
stock with handguards, a water-pump protector, an odometer and headand taillights, the KDX200 is trail-ready out of the box. And at $3999, it’s priced way low. Even the looks aren’t that old-fashioned, as the KX ’crosser hasn’t been in for a revamp in a while, either. And there’s nothing like the smell of pre-mix in the morning. That’s something you’ll never forget. Jimmy Lewis
