Mx '99
MX '99
New dirtbikes from Honda, Kawasaki, KTM, Suzuki and Yamaha
JIMMY LEWIS
KTM
380SX
IF YOU'VE EVER WONDERED what it's like to ride a works 250cc motocrosser, step up to KTM's new-for-'9938OSXT the first Open-classer that feels like a 250. Every previ ous-generation big-bore KTMthe 360, 440, even the older 300s-has forced owners to pay for the additional cubes with handling-hindering fly wheel inertia. But the only time you feel the 380's size is when you push down on the kickstarter.
The 380 is so deceivingly fast, it's scary. Its engine revs about as quickly as a quarterliter machine, and top-end pull feels similar-until you pull alongside a 250 and blow its sidepanels off! New for the motor is a decompres sion hole that eases kick starting and reduces overrun on deceleration, plus a four petal reed that smoothes power delivery.
The 380’s light weight also plays a part in this deception. It’s as flickable as any 250, and feels right at home on a supercross track. Aiding the cause is a second-generation, linkageless WP PDS rear shock, which is worlds better than last year’s. The shock’s second piston is now activated ater, after the new, larger bleed hole is closed, and a progressively wound spring lets the rear end bottom only when it’s supposed to. A conventional WP 50mm fork complements the shock, and offers precise steering. You feel more connected to the ground than in the past, even though frame geometry is unchanged.
Refinements to the shifting mechanism make this the most positive-clicking Austrian bike ever, though it still takes some effort. Icing on the cake is the hydraulic clutch, which appears on the ’99 250, 300 and 380cc motors. Every bike should be so equipped-cables are from the Stone Age.
The KTM 380SX is the ultimate Vet-class weapon this side of a Yamaha YZ400F. But if it were ours, we’d peel off the 380 stickers and holeshot every 250 race we entered.
Yamaha
YZ125
Sitting on top, the only way to go is down, right? Not necessarily: Yamaha’s YZ125 has disproved this theory four years running, and the same may be true again next season.
Linear power delivery has long been the YZ’s strong suit, and the ’99 model is faster yet easier to ride, with a torquey feeling throughout the rev range. In fact, it easily pulls a 48-tooth rear sprocket, where last year we were looking for a 50-tooth.
The chassis is so precisely balanced that one test rider said he felt he was riding on rails, a far cry from what really happens
aboard an MX bike. Though the suspension bottomed a bit under our heavier testers, the action was as good as any production bike. Bonus points go to the excellent new Dunlop D739 tires, which pick up where the familiar K695/K490 combo left off.
In the past, we’ve picked the YZ125 as the Best Motocross Bike of the Year, and the ’99 model is in the hunt for top honors again.
Suzuki
RM250
Got a beef with bikes that don’t bite? Then look no farther than the 1999 Suzuki RM250. Suzuki's engineers wanted some “snap” to augment the ’98 RM’s midrange boost, and found it with an altered intake tract, new exhaust valve and new crankshaft with reduced inertia. Somehow, they also found more top-end power and longer overrev, as well as more heat, hence the new, wider, 11-row radiator.
Chassis changes mirror those of the 125. The RM still feels light and short, but the suspension is plusher, thanks to a triple-rate shock spring. Brakes are strong, the seat is wellpadded from front to back, and both clutch pull and shifting
action are silky smooth. Our only complaint is that the newfound power sometimes makes it difficult to hook up.
Still, this is the best RM250 yet. Whether it’s the best 250 of 1999 will have to await a full comparison test.
Suzuki
RM125
It’s difficult to tell if Suzuki made big or small modifications to the 1999 RM 125.
Externally, the yellow bike is largely unchanged. Look closely and you’ll spot the new fork, revised frame and power-jet carburetor, but you won’t see the new crankshaft with increased inertia, the longer connecting rod, the Black-Fluoro-compound-surfaced piston and the increased-capacity clutch with stiffer springs.
Riding the RM 125 reveals that Suzuki has delivered on its claims of increased midrange and top-end performance. A little of the '98 model’s bottom-end power was sacrificed, but 125 racers don’t spend much time at low revs, anyway. As for the handling, the new inverted fork adds precision to an already quick-turning bike. The RM dances a bit more than its classmates, but it’s a long way from nervous. Good stuff.
Kawasaki
KX250
Kawasaki is confident. To throw last year’s best 250cc motocrosser in the dumpster and come out with an all-new bike is a ballsy move.
Sit on the ’99 KX250 and you’re struck by how serious it feels. From the moment you let the clutch out, you notice the motor’s newfound zippiness. Hit a few bumps, and welcome the sensation of lighter weight. The KX is now a hard-core ’crosser with such serious poise, it’s got to be feisty, right?
Think again. Suspension plushness-a quality that has set the KX apart from the competition-is still present, you just don’t feel the bike wallow on smooth tracks like it did before. Take the KX out in the last moto of the day, and it tames rim-bending, curb-shaped bumps like no other MXer. We are fans of progressive springs like those on the KX, and new highand low-speed compression-damping adjustability on the shock ups the tuning ante.
The KX’s motor looks just like the old one, with the exception of a bunch of wires. What do they do? They allow the throttle-position sensor, power-jet carb and 3-D ignition to work together to provide a throaty spread of power, crisper and more responsive than before, yet every bit as friendly. The improvement is most noticeable if you pull out of a turn a gear too tall, or need more upper-midrange revs in a hurry. The clutch pulls as easily as an 80’s.
In terms of handling, the KX’s stability is first-rate, and headshake is non-existent. Our only complaint is that the green bike is a little finicky in turns, not holding its line as well as we’d like. Our testers all found different cures, from simple clicker changes to rotating the handlebar clamps 180 degrees (moving the bars forward 10mm) to sliding the fork stanchions up 5mm in the triple-clamps.
The KX is more than just a dirtbike now, it’s an all-out MX racer. That’s a good thing for the factory race team, which will now have an even better baseline with which to contest the production-based AMA championships. And it’s a good thing for amateur racers, too. For Kawasaki, confidence continues with evolution.
Honda
CR125R
Honda’s goal for the 1999 CR125 was to relocate some of the “expert-level” top-end power down to the “real-riders” rev range. Traditionally, the small CR has been no stranger to low-end and midrange juice, but the ’98 model was lacking in those areas. And while the ’99 CR does have substantially more usable power slung down lower in the power curve-which makes it easier to keep the engine on the pipe-there are other 125s with more meat down there. If you like 125s that sing, however, the CR will not disappoint.
Otherwise, the CR shines everywhere. Handling compares favorably to anything, and suspension is 100 percent capable. Fit and finish are typically excellent; brakes are strong; the clutch is tough; and the transmission’s five ratios are well-spaced. A definite improvement from last year-and not just for Experts only, anymore.
Honda
CR250R
American motocrossers are tough to please. First we want trick, aluminum frames, then we complain that they’re too stiff. Between 1997 and ’98, Honda
plushed-out the CR250, but along with that came excessive suspension bottoming. For ’99, the Red Riders hit on the optimum compromise, matching the ’98’s compliance with the ’97’s bottoming resistance. Ride-height settings now are ultra
critical, though, as straying a few millimeters from the recommended 98102mm of sag will leave you with a jarring ride.
Other notable improvements include power delivery that is now smoother and more friendly, yet sharp as ever-nothing
will pull a CR on top-end. Rubber-mounted handlebar clamps work wonders for rider comfort, as does new seat foam (well, what little there is). A new clutch cable lightens lever pull, and the brakes are superb-standard-issue on all CRs. All told, the ’99 CR250 is more of an Everyman’s Bike, with potential limited only by how far you’re willing to twist your wrist.
Yamaha
YZ250
We were shocked when Yamaha broke news of a redone 250cc motor. After all, the tuning-fork company had been using the same basic cases since the early 1980s. Why change now? Well, it's no secret that the YZ125, with its roadracing-inspired tech nology, was running circles around the eighth-liter class; so why not help out the quarter-liter machine? Believe us, Yamaha did. First off, the overall package is lighter, and feels like it. Add to that the new motor's instantaneous snap, and things are look-
ing good. The power now comes on in direct
proportion to the throttle, not with a delay, as on previous YZ250s. It’s as strong as before, only now it’s punchy, with an underlying torque that magically appears to save your butt in impossible situations. It’s much like the YZ125 we know and love, just in 250cc proportions.
With the new, peppier mill placed lower in the chassis, the YZ250 handles bumps better, rolling over instead of plowing through them. Elevating the front wheel is a crack of throttle away, no clutch work required. Steering is exact and stability is good, too. A balanced suspension package sweetens the ride with a plushness that comes close to bikes with
progressive springs, even though it doesn’t have them. The YZ’s chassis is so good in stock trim that it took less fiddling than all the other ’99 250s for our testers to get up to speed.
But wait, there’s more. The new shifting mechanism, much like the YZ400F’s, may just have made the YZ250 the slickest-shifting MX bike of all. Full-on powershifts are silky-smooth, a far cry from years past. The brakes are easy to control, yet yield serious stopping power. Our only complaint regarding the YZ is that some testers felt the ergonomics were a bit cramped, possibly calling for taller bars and/or an aftermarket top triple-clamp with forward bar mounts.
There is no question that the YZ250 is the most-improved MX bike of 1999. Our initial impression is that it has the potential to work great on a variety of different tracks, and in all types of conditions. The only question left is how it’ll stack up against the competition. We’re guessing quite well. □
