Relatively, how bad is 2025 kx250?

AssangeMX
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Belmarsh, CA US

Of course it's a great bike, and wow $6999 right now!

I was looking for an austrian 250f, since we are invested into that brand from bolts to wheels ans suspension, no good offers right now in Nor Cal.

Does the kx250 come with hydro clutch and brembo front like the 450? Does the 250 run showas?

Thanks.

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burn1986
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bossier city, LA US
4/20/2025 11:38pm Edited Date/Time 4/20/2025 11:39pm
AssangeMX wrote:
Of course it's a great bike, and wow $6999 right now!I was looking for an austrian 250f, since we are invested into that brand from bolts...

Of course it's a great bike, and wow $6999 right now!

I was looking for an austrian 250f, since we are invested into that brand from bolts to wheels ans suspension, no good offers right now in Nor Cal.

Does the kx250 come with hydro clutch and brembo front like the 450? Does the 250 run showas?

Thanks.

What have you researched so far?

AssangeMX
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4/20/2025 11:44pm Edited Date/Time 4/20/2025 11:45pm
AssangeMX wrote:
Of course it's a great bike, and wow $6999 right now!I was looking for an austrian 250f, since we are invested into that brand from bolts...

Of course it's a great bike, and wow $6999 right now!

I was looking for an austrian 250f, since we are invested into that brand from bolts to wheels ans suspension, no good offers right now in Nor Cal.

Does the kx250 come with hydro clutch and brembo front like the 450? Does the 250 run showas?

Thanks.

burn1986 wrote:

What have you researched so far?

So it doesn't have the brembo, and has hydro clutch. 

Sounrds like a great bike.

Not had a kawi in 30 years

 

1
EAmato88
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4/21/2025 4:35am Edited Date/Time 4/21/2025 4:38am

its 2025. If you buy a blue, red, orange, green, yellow, or white bike, youre buying a good bike. The kawi comes with hydraulic clutch and showas, does not come with brembo but in all reality it doesnt need it. the stock nissin provides strong braking

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1

The Shop

4/21/2025 4:42am

Have you gone to a dealer to look at the bike yet? If so, a good salesman should be asking you the right questions to make you as happy as possible and help you make the right decision. 

Realistically, If I painted those calibers red you prolly wouldnt notice the difference, and after a spring and revalve job, the bike wont be holding you back.

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burn1986
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4/21/2025 8:19am

If you got the money, just buy it

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1
4/21/2025 8:29am

They are a great bike.  Just about any 2018 and newer bike of any brand is really good.  The new 25 chassis is excellent.

1
JLopez149
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Vail, AZ US
4/21/2025 2:28pm

I have been impressed by mine so far. After a filter and exhaust I would say it’s on par with any of the other bikes. After those two mods you will likely still be under the cost of most brands. Chassis is much improved and cornering is great. 

1
OwenJakes
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sebree, KY US
4/21/2025 3:29pm
AssangeMX wrote:
Of course it's a great bike, and wow $6999 right now!I was looking for an austrian 250f, since we are invested into that brand from bolts...

Of course it's a great bike, and wow $6999 right now!

I was looking for an austrian 250f, since we are invested into that brand from bolts to wheels ans suspension, no good offers right now in Nor Cal.

Does the kx250 come with hydro clutch and brembo front like the 450? Does the 250 run showas?

Thanks.

burn1986 wrote:

What have you researched so far?

Nothing clearly lol

7
2
Hammer 663s
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4/21/2025 3:30pm

It's slow. If you are racing limited classes, it's not the bike you want. With mods I'm sure there's lots of power to be untapped. There were precisely Zero 25 KXs on the line at Hangtown for LLAQs IIRC. My 18 YO rode a brand new one and said no thanks. He far preferred the Yamaha, Triumph, and the GG 250f FE he eventually bought. The Kawi and Honda were his last choices due to lack of power.

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mx4all
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4/22/2025 7:55am

Love my kx250 2025. 

The stock airbox sucks but there is other choices as the twin air powerflow and some other that keefer uses. It did add 2.4hp compared to stock. 

Throw a exhaust on it and it rips. I run 12x49 gearing and it is not far of my earlier 350s. 

Ofcourse you have to rev it but that's the fun part with a 250. 

2
mx4all
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4/22/2025 8:00am

Brakes is better than the brembos in my opinion.  And the stock suspension is pretty decent. It is easy to mod it.. my setting feels better than my kyb on my yz450f-24 and my trax and conevalve I had on the my 350 xcf -24.

3
4/22/2025 8:14am

Kx250f Every Fat kids Favorite. 

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25
mike44
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4/22/2025 1:31pm
mx4all wrote:
Love my kx250 2025. The stock airbox sucks but there is other choices as the twin air powerflow and some other that keefer uses. It did add...

Love my kx250 2025. 

The stock airbox sucks but there is other choices as the twin air powerflow and some other that keefer uses. It did add 2.4hp compared to stock. 

Throw a exhaust on it and it rips. I run 12x49 gearing and it is not far of my earlier 350s. 

Ofcourse you have to rev it but that's the fun part with a 250. 

So finally you like it ? initially it seems that you feeled the lack of power ...Does it corner well compare to YZF or CRF ?

mx4all
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4/22/2025 1:45pm
mike44 wrote:

So finally you like it ? initially it seems that you feeled the lack of power ...Does it corner well compare to YZF or CRF ?

Well, going from a 450 to a 250 the 250 will always feel slow. Also I had to learn to be more active and downshift into the corners with the 250. So I guess it is a combo of me getting used to a ride a 250 and the mods I did.

The gearing change did a big difference and also got a different map and exhaust and airbox made huge improvements compared to stock. 

It corners better than the yzf and also got more straight line stability than the yzf. 

It also feels plush into braking bumps compared to my yzf and xcf wich felt pretty harsh in those areas. 

Rode a yz250f and it feelt slower than my kx. 

Haven't rode the new Hondas so I can't comment on that. 

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4/22/2025 1:57pm
mx4all wrote:
Love my kx250 2025. The stock airbox sucks but there is other choices as the twin air powerflow and some other that keefer uses. It did add...

Love my kx250 2025. 

The stock airbox sucks but there is other choices as the twin air powerflow and some other that keefer uses. It did add 2.4hp compared to stock. 

Throw a exhaust on it and it rips. I run 12x49 gearing and it is not far of my earlier 350s. 

Ofcourse you have to rev it but that's the fun part with a 250. 

Nearly 2-1/2 HP gain from the filter/airbox mods? Is there anywhere that shows these gains?

3
YZ125H1
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4/22/2025 3:01pm
Rickyisms wrote:

Nearly 2-1/2 HP gain from the filter/airbox mods? Is there anywhere that shows these gains?

Keefer said airbox mod is ~1.5hp gain. It's in his top 5 mods for 25kx250 video.

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4/22/2025 6:43pm

I've had a 22 KX250, 23 KX450x, 24 KX250x and now a 2025 KX250x

I am enjoying my 2025, love the chassis and overall layout of everything. The X model came with different mapping and was a bit of a dog out of the box, especially if you used the stock "tame" map. I've got the keefer map and a PC slip on and it's made a great difference, very close to on par with my 2024 from last year. 

I have been complaining about the vibration at the handlebars, but no one else seems to have the same issue as me with it. My 24 had no vibes. I just removed all motor mounts and torqued everything to spec etc. to see if that helps. 

One complaint with all four of my Kawi's I've had is the front brake line. Racing hard and long moto's, the brake fades and gets that mush feeling. I had one start to leak in the housing even. Swap that with a Galfer and no issues. This probably wont be an issue for average moto's and riding. 

Bonus fact - Last weekend at a 3 hour Enduro race I sheered my water pump right off the bike and lost all of my coolant (Evans) with 20 minutes of riding left. I shut the bike off in neutral for downhills, coasted with it off as much as possible, but also had too run it to get up some nasty hills and other easy terrain. Let it cool down a couple of times. The bike made it to the finish and sounded normal. Bolting on the new water pump right now and will report back if it runs fine on the first ride. 

 

Screenshot 2025-04-22 184308.png?VersionId=JLsLUQYkmg7hN4ydkIcLScreenshot 2025-04-22 184302
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JLopez149
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Vail, AZ US
4/22/2025 7:05pm
mx4all wrote:
Love my kx250 2025. The stock airbox sucks but there is other choices as the twin air powerflow and some other that keefer uses. It did add...

Love my kx250 2025. 

The stock airbox sucks but there is other choices as the twin air powerflow and some other that keefer uses. It did add 2.4hp compared to stock. 

Throw a exhaust on it and it rips. I run 12x49 gearing and it is not far of my earlier 350s. 

Ofcourse you have to rev it but that's the fun part with a 250. 

Rickyisms wrote:

Nearly 2-1/2 HP gain from the filter/airbox mods? Is there anywhere that shows these gains?

This is the setup I went with. He actually posted dyno results of his air box set up. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFRU4Sjt4P6/?igsh=dGJuZjljN3U1MWF4

3
JLopez149
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4/22/2025 7:11pm
mx4all wrote:
Love my kx250 2025. The stock airbox sucks but there is other choices as the twin air powerflow and some other that keefer uses. It did add...

Love my kx250 2025. 

The stock airbox sucks but there is other choices as the twin air powerflow and some other that keefer uses. It did add 2.4hp compared to stock. 

Throw a exhaust on it and it rips. I run 12x49 gearing and it is not far of my earlier 350s. 

Ofcourse you have to rev it but that's the fun part with a 250. 

mike44 wrote:

So finally you like it ? initially it seems that you feeled the lack of power ...Does it corner well compare to YZF or CRF ?

Ride a buddies 25 CRF250RWE back to back with the Kawi and they are extremely close in corner feel. The KX is still noticeably more planted and stable. I believe in Keefer’s non shootout he ranked the KX as the best cornering bike. 

4
mx4all
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4/23/2025 12:00am
Rickyisms wrote:

Nearly 2-1/2 HP gain from the filter/airbox mods? Is there anywhere that shows these gains?

Check keefers video about it and then go to the dudes Instagram and check the dyno. 2.4hp. Keefer said 1.5 in his video though. 

wrc777
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Fantasy
4/23/2025 5:20am
Rickyisms wrote:

Nearly 2-1/2 HP gain from the filter/airbox mods? Is there anywhere that shows these gains?

mx4all wrote:
Check keefers video about it and then go to the dudes Instagram and check the dyno. 2.4hp. Keefer said 1.5 in his video though. 

Check keefers video about it and then go to the dudes Instagram and check the dyno. 2.4hp. Keefer said 1.5 in his video though. 

To gain the most power from an airbox change you need the mapping updated.

4/23/2025 7:09am
JLopez149 wrote:

This is the setup I went with. He actually posted dyno results of his air box set up. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFRU4Sjt4P6/?igsh=dGJuZjljN3U1MWF4

So is it mapping and airbox mods or just airbox stuff? If it’s just mechanical mods to the airbox that’s impressive, with a Tusk filter to boot!

JLopez149
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4/23/2025 7:16am
JLopez149 wrote:

This is the setup I went with. He actually posted dyno results of his air box set up. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFRU4Sjt4P6/?igsh=dGJuZjljN3U1MWF4

Rickyisms wrote:
So is it mapping and airbox mods or just airbox stuff? If it’s just mechanical mods to the airbox that’s impressive, with a Tusk filter to...

So is it mapping and airbox mods or just airbox stuff? If it’s just mechanical mods to the airbox that’s impressive, with a Tusk filter to boot!

Mine came with a maxima pre oiled filter. Yes, he sends over the mapping updates when you order. It’s through the KX rideoligy app. 

1
Nystrom7
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4/23/2025 11:41am

Not bad at all i tested one a few weeks ago. Completely stock new bik. Ran great and i bet it will be even better without the restrictions in the muffler. But the engine actually felt better then i expected good bottom good on higher rpms aswell.

It handled very well i must.ssy especially cornering.

 

My current bike is a 2024 kx450 with kyb a kit forks for comparison.

mike44
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FR
4/23/2025 1:16pm
mike44 wrote:

So finally you like it ? initially it seems that you feeled the lack of power ...Does it corner well compare to YZF or CRF ?

mx4all wrote:
Well, going from a 450 to a 250 the 250 will always feel slow. Also I had to learn to be more active and downshift into...

Well, going from a 450 to a 250 the 250 will always feel slow. Also I had to learn to be more active and downshift into the corners with the 250. So I guess it is a combo of me getting used to a ride a 250 and the mods I did.

The gearing change did a big difference and also got a different map and exhaust and airbox made huge improvements compared to stock. 

It corners better than the yzf and also got more straight line stability than the yzf. 

It also feels plush into braking bumps compared to my yzf and xcf wich felt pretty harsh in those areas. 

Rode a yz250f and it feelt slower than my kx. 

Haven't rode the new Hondas so I can't comment on that. 

What year is your yzf ?   I am a little bit confused about the cornering of this KX, as some say it is very Honda-like, while others say it is a little bit harder to corner than other 250F

AssangeMX
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Belmarsh, CA US
4/23/2025 5:42pm
mx4all wrote:
Love my kx250 2025. The stock airbox sucks but there is other choices as the twin air powerflow and some other that keefer uses. It did add...

Love my kx250 2025. 

The stock airbox sucks but there is other choices as the twin air powerflow and some other that keefer uses. It did add 2.4hp compared to stock. 

Throw a exhaust on it and it rips. I run 12x49 gearing and it is not far of my earlier 350s. 

Ofcourse you have to rev it but that's the fun part with a 250. 

Rickyisms wrote:

Nearly 2-1/2 HP gain from the filter/airbox mods? Is there anywhere that shows these gains?

JLopez149 wrote:

This is the setup I went with. He actually posted dyno results of his air box set up. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFRU4Sjt4P6/?igsh=dGJuZjljN3U1MWF4

How much $$$ for the airbox and map?

JLopez149
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21
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Location
Vail, AZ US
4/23/2025 8:03pm
Rickyisms wrote:

Nearly 2-1/2 HP gain from the filter/airbox mods? Is there anywhere that shows these gains?

JLopez149 wrote:

This is the setup I went with. He actually posted dyno results of his air box set up. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFRU4Sjt4P6/?igsh=dGJuZjljN3U1MWF4

AssangeMX wrote:

How much $$$ for the airbox and map?

$250

1
mx4all
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4/25/2025 1:55pm
mike44 wrote:
What year is your yzf ?   I am a little bit confused about the cornering of this KX, as some say it is very Honda-like...

What year is your yzf ?   I am a little bit confused about the cornering of this KX, as some say it is very Honda-like, while others say it is a little bit harder to corner than other 250F

2024 yzf

To me the Kawi corners better than ktm and yzf. 

1
wwdiii
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League City, TX US
4/25/2025 5:32pm

Would you guys quit talking up Kx250’s. All I need is another green bike in the garage.  Already have. 24 KX450!

5

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