Kawasaki is bringing the two stroke back!

StillSmokin
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1/25/2025 3:32pm

A Kawasaki? Hard pass

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Press516
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1/25/2025 3:34pm
bodean123 wrote:

So they announce today they are developing a full size 2T and people are somehow upset about it? 

Only upset about the PR/marketing effort.  Nobody is upset about the new bike.

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StillSmokin
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1/25/2025 3:35pm
crash83 wrote:

RDL is unwatchable this year...terrible.

You werent down with the absolutely cringe worthy Dryft infomercial they did this year?


 

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soggy
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1/25/2025 3:35pm
saskmx wrote:
Can't wait to see it but curious what makes someone buy it over a yz. Is it going to be the first Japanese 2 stroke with...

Can't wait to see it but curious what makes someone buy it over a yz. Is it going to be the first Japanese 2 stroke with fuel injection and estart? If not is the hope that shiny new thing hype / kawasaki loyalists pulls away some yamaha customers? What did the old kx250s do best? If I were spending money for a brand new Japanese 2 stroke I think the logical choice is going to be the yz that at least has 20 years of aftermarket development

Either way glad they're doing it, hope other brands follow and we start to see some more advancements in the 2 stroke offerings

The wet blanket is here. 

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The Shop

Village Idiot
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1/25/2025 3:36pm
crash83 wrote:

RDL is unwatchable this year...terrible.

You werent down with the absolutely cringe worthy Dryft infomercial they did this year?


 

Hey, at least they were inexpensive.

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soggy
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1/25/2025 3:37pm
bodean123 wrote:

So they announce today they are developing a full size 2T and people are somehow upset about it? 

Press516 wrote:

Only upset about the PR/marketing effort.  Nobody is upset about the new bike.

So you mad they announced a new two stroke is coming?  Cause thats all they’d been officially announced. 

Zoom really got everyone mad at kawi for making a new two stroke 😂

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saskmx
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1/25/2025 3:37pm
saskmx wrote:
Can't wait to see it but curious what makes someone buy it over a yz. Is it going to be the first Japanese 2 stroke with...

Can't wait to see it but curious what makes someone buy it over a yz. Is it going to be the first Japanese 2 stroke with fuel injection and estart? If not is the hope that shiny new thing hype / kawasaki loyalists pulls away some yamaha customers? What did the old kx250s do best? If I were spending money for a brand new Japanese 2 stroke I think the logical choice is going to be the yz that at least has 20 years of aftermarket development

Either way glad they're doing it, hope other brands follow and we start to see some more advancements in the 2 stroke offerings

soggy wrote:

The wet blanket is here. 

I tried wording that to make it clear I'm not trying to be a wet blanket. I'm just curious to know if there's something the old kx250s did that make people excited to get this over a yz and speculating over what they're going to do to capture some of the market. I'm glad this is happening even if it's the old kx250 maybe with some modern plastics

500 Mike
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1/25/2025 3:43pm

Reading comprehension is severely lacking by some in this thread…

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soggy
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1/25/2025 3:44pm
saskmx wrote:
I tried wording that to make it clear I'm not trying to be a wet blanket. I'm just curious to know if there's something the old...

I tried wording that to make it clear I'm not trying to be a wet blanket. I'm just curious to know if there's something the old kx250s did that make people excited to get this over a yz and speculating over what they're going to do to capture some of the market. I'm glad this is happening even if it's the old kx250 maybe with some modern plastics

Drawing a comparison to the old kx and its attributes is useless imo. If it turns out to be a warmed over 07 maybe you have a talking point. But for now we should be stoked. 
 

I suspect we are getting an all new motor and probably aluminum chassis. 

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2
1/25/2025 3:48pm

New H2 triple incoming, with even more motor, and even less frame.

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jonesaustin
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1/25/2025 3:53pm Edited Date/Time 1/25/2025 3:54pm

the bodywork needs to be unique to the two stroke and in no way borrowed from its four stroke counterpart. the two stroke motor shape meant chassis’s that made svelt, more radical aesthetics possible and they should take advantage of that.

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saskmx
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1/25/2025 3:54pm
saskmx wrote:
I tried wording that to make it clear I'm not trying to be a wet blanket. I'm just curious to know if there's something the old...

I tried wording that to make it clear I'm not trying to be a wet blanket. I'm just curious to know if there's something the old kx250s did that make people excited to get this over a yz and speculating over what they're going to do to capture some of the market. I'm glad this is happening even if it's the old kx250 maybe with some modern plastics

soggy wrote:
Drawing a comparison to the old kx and its attributes is useless imo. If it turns out to be a warmed over 07 maybe you have...

Drawing a comparison to the old kx and its attributes is useless imo. If it turns out to be a warmed over 07 maybe you have a talking point. But for now we should be stoked. 
 

I suspect we are getting an all new motor and probably aluminum chassis. 

Learn to read dude, I am stoked. Just trying to have a discussion on a forum

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Motoguy89
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1/25/2025 3:55pm

I hope to god it’s a race bike… you dual sport/trail guys can just buy it and down grade the suspension, make it slower, add your light bulbs, fanny packs, kick stand, and 10lbs of skid plates later. 

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SEEMEFIRST
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1/25/2025 3:56pm

New H2 triple incoming, with even more motor, and even less frame.

Sweet!

I always thought the original could have used more flex, and motor.

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soggy
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1/25/2025 3:56pm
saskmx wrote:
I tried wording that to make it clear I'm not trying to be a wet blanket. I'm just curious to know if there's something the old...

I tried wording that to make it clear I'm not trying to be a wet blanket. I'm just curious to know if there's something the old kx250s did that make people excited to get this over a yz and speculating over what they're going to do to capture some of the market. I'm glad this is happening even if it's the old kx250 maybe with some modern plastics

soggy wrote:
Drawing a comparison to the old kx and its attributes is useless imo. If it turns out to be a warmed over 07 maybe you have...

Drawing a comparison to the old kx and its attributes is useless imo. If it turns out to be a warmed over 07 maybe you have a talking point. But for now we should be stoked. 
 

I suspect we are getting an all new motor and probably aluminum chassis. 

saskmx wrote:

Learn to read dude, I am stoked. Just trying to have a discussion on a forum

People will buy it cause it’s new, different and we haven’t seen a new Japanese 2 stroke in 20 years. 

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tahoefd
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1/25/2025 3:57pm

I suspect we are getting an all new motor and probably aluminum chassis. 

+ hopefully direct/fuel injection, e-start, six speed, light weight, 200-250-300cc models, etc.....You know, fill all the boxes like KTM did.

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38special
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1/25/2025 4:01pm

If this is an MX bike, then a 125 would make more sense to me. There are 125-only classes for kids moving up from minis, and this would keep them green until they go to a 250F.

While I love 250 two strokes, a pure MX model would not make much sense.  Unless of course they have a handful of 250's cover XC, enduro, etc.

3
1/25/2025 4:01pm Edited Date/Time 1/25/2025 4:02pm

New H2 triple incoming, with even more motor, and even less frame.

SEEMEFIRST wrote:

Sweet!

I always thought the original could have used more flex, and motor.

Chassis compliance is the theme of the day. They even added those holey rainbow-colored motor mounts that are all the rage!

1/25/2025 4:02pm

Crossing my fingers for a simple 125 like the YZ.  Even if it is closer to the 20 year old technology it will make another great entry level big bike.  We dont really need another expensive 125 like the Austrians.  

7
resetjet
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1/25/2025 4:06pm Edited Date/Time 1/25/2025 4:07pm

Adding a few nails to the ktm coffin?

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SEEMEFIRST
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1/25/2025 4:06pm

New H2 triple incoming, with even more motor, and even less frame.

SEEMEFIRST wrote:

Sweet!

I always thought the original could have used more flex, and motor.

Chassis compliance is the theme of the day. They even added those holey rainbow-colored motor mounts that are all the rage!

They were leaders in "Lane departure technology".

"Son, you were going fast and turning. We'll make sure you straighten up, ditch be damned".

1
Tabarnac
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1/25/2025 4:08pm
saskmx wrote:
Can't wait to see it but curious what makes someone buy it over a yz. Is it going to be the first Japanese 2 stroke with...

Can't wait to see it but curious what makes someone buy it over a yz. Is it going to be the first Japanese 2 stroke with fuel injection and estart? If not is the hope that shiny new thing hype / kawasaki loyalists pulls away some yamaha customers? What did the old kx250s do best? If I were spending money for a brand new Japanese 2 stroke I think the logical choice is going to be the yz that at least has 20 years of aftermarket development

Either way glad they're doing it, hope other brands follow and we start to see some more advancements in the 2 stroke offerings

soggy wrote:

The wet blanket is here. 

saskmx wrote:
I tried wording that to make it clear I'm not trying to be a wet blanket. I'm just curious to know if there's something the old...

I tried wording that to make it clear I'm not trying to be a wet blanket. I'm just curious to know if there's something the old kx250s did that make people excited to get this over a yz and speculating over what they're going to do to capture some of the market. I'm glad this is happening even if it's the old kx250 maybe with some modern plastics

I seriously doubt anything resembling the old KXs

Over 5 years ago, a no-bullshit  friend who was working events on staff  for the MXGP circus told me this "true story". A guy from Kawasaki Japan confided to him during an off-the-record party atmosphere that Kawasaki Japan had at one point considered bringing back the 125-250  KX smokers, more specifically the 125.

They then discovered that all the tooling for producing these bikes had been deemed expendable and sent to the crusher when someone at KHI decided they badly needed the occupied storage space. 

My contact said the Japanese guy that told him this story was dead serious, and still in a state of total disbelief that this had actually happened. And that Kawasaki was at the time serious about butting heads with Yamaha in the showrooms with their own two stroke mx/off-roaders.

 

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JRCII
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1/25/2025 4:12pm

If it is a off-road competition bike then maybe some type of introduction at the first National Enduro on 2/9 or the first GNCC on 2/16. Kawasaki has the Grant and Stew Baylor along with Josh Toth the last eight National Enduro champons on the factory team this year riding both series.                   

Not knowing what is coming but a KX300XC sure would nice!!!

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ky_savage
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1/25/2025 4:12pm
philepe747 wrote:
Crossing my fingers for a simple 125 like the YZ.  Even if it is closer to the 20 year old technology it will make another great...

Crossing my fingers for a simple 125 like the YZ.  Even if it is closer to the 20 year old technology it will make another great entry level big bike.  We dont really need another expensive 125 like the Austrians.  

As long as they don't get it all manufactured in China like so many companies are doing these days.  We don't need it to be that cheap.

web mx
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1/25/2025 4:16pm
StankBooty wrote:

Timestamp at about 1:54:00 during RDL A2 for Kawi smoker topic coming up on the broadcast.

1:38:30 is where jeremy starts and then AC finishes at 1:40:30

TalinH112
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1/25/2025 4:16pm Edited Date/Time 1/25/2025 4:16pm

Seems to me this may have been a project in the works for some time and now is the opportunistic market to launch it. KTM is opening the door due to their financial struggles. 

1/25/2025 4:16pm
38special wrote:
If this is an MX bike, then a 125 would make more sense to me. There are 125-only classes for kids moving up from minis, and...

If this is an MX bike, then a 125 would make more sense to me. There are 125-only classes for kids moving up from minis, and this would keep them green until they go to a 250F.

While I love 250 two strokes, a pure MX model would not make much sense.  Unless of course they have a handful of 250's cover XC, enduro, etc.

I think you are right on about the 125.  My second guess would be the KDX2xx.  A whole line of bikes like KTM has is hard to fathom.  

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1/25/2025 4:23pm Edited Date/Time 1/25/2025 4:26pm
38special wrote:
If this is an MX bike, then a 125 would make more sense to me. There are 125-only classes for kids moving up from minis, and...

If this is an MX bike, then a 125 would make more sense to me. There are 125-only classes for kids moving up from minis, and this would keep them green until they go to a 250F.

While I love 250 two strokes, a pure MX model would not make much sense.  Unless of course they have a handful of 250's cover XC, enduro, etc.

I think you are right on about the 125.  My second guess would be the KDX2xx.  A whole line of bikes like KTM has is hard...

I think you are right on about the 125.  My second guess would be the KDX2xx.  A whole line of bikes like KTM has is hard to fathom.  

It's funny because KTM's line of bikes seems exhaustive -- but they are kind of like the automakers, where it is all on a single chassis platform, and divided amongst a small few engine platforms, that are then segmented by configuration (in probably a few runs). With just a handful of models, Kawi might be making more actual different bikes with full-sized and fully discrete KX, KLX, KLR, etc.

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Andy7
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1/25/2025 4:26pm
saskmx wrote:
I tried wording that to make it clear I'm not trying to be a wet blanket. I'm just curious to know if there's something the old...

I tried wording that to make it clear I'm not trying to be a wet blanket. I'm just curious to know if there's something the old kx250s did that make people excited to get this over a yz and speculating over what they're going to do to capture some of the market. I'm glad this is happening even if it's the old kx250 maybe with some modern plastics

I ride a YZ 250. What would make me buy a KX 250? If it is the new gen KX, with a 2 stroke motor, then it will almost surely be better than a 20 year old bike. Don't get me wrong, I believe that right now the YZ 250 is the best bike ever made, but a modern chasis with a good 2 stroke engine is a dream come true.

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