Kawasaki recently invited MD to its Irvine headquarters to take a look at the 2003 KX line. If you are a Kawasaki fan, and you have been waiting patiently for the KX motocrossers to get updated, your ship just came in.
We are going to save several of the details for our ride reviews of these dramatically changed machines, but here are the highlights, as well as several studio photographs, and some photos MD took in a conference room at Kawasaki headquarters.
First of all, the 125 is entirely new from the ground up. Yes, even the engine was designed from scratch. The frame is entirely new. It has new wheels, and several new components, such as new rear brake master cylinder, new rear swingarm, new reed design, new carburetor (Mikuini TMX “Kai” — the bore is tapered from 38mm to 40mm, and features a unique throttle slide shape), the rear hub is new, the ignition is new, the airbox is new (with increased volume and straighter intake tract), and the clutch is new. Believe it or not, this just scratches the surface on the changes to the 125. More details will be provided in MD’s ride review.
Design goals for the KX125 included a more compact chassis, lighter weight and more, broader power. Kawasaki also claims a lower center of gravity for the 2003 KX125. Overall, the KX125 is six pounds lighter, and should feel much smaller, as well. Reversing a trend for modern motocross bikes, the seat height is more than one inch lower. The mid-section of the bike (see picture below of the 250 — sharing the same mid-section) is also much slimmer.
Kawasaki is staying with a six-speed transmission on its KX125, realizing that many customers use the bikes for more than just motocross.
The 250, interestingly enough, has the exact same frame as the 125, with the exception of the engine cradle. The 250 is also physically smaller and slimmer, like the 125. Although the 250’s engine is heavily revised, it is not entirely new. Overall, the 250 loses four pounds, and shares all of the chassis updates with the 125.
Enjoy these photos and stay tuned for ride reviews of these two machines.
