Kawasaki Z 250

The first thing you will notice would be the headlight. Inspired by the Z800, it looks as if it’s raising its nose in disgust at the slow moving traffic. The design is quintessentially and unmistakably Kawasaki. Same goes for the front heavy stance caused by the tank extensions and the belly cover. The rear is neat and racy. The console has a big analog half circle tachometer along with a digital display that shows everything else – the fuel gauge, trip meter, odometer and the clock. What is missing, however, is a gear indicator, which seems like an oversight on a bike meant for beginners. It uses a steel tube diamond frame chassis and rides on 120 mm Y-spoke alloys on the front and 132 mm ones in the rear. There are 110/70-17M/C 54S tires on the front and 140/70-17M/C 66S tires on the rear. No clip-ons here so the seating position is upright. Tall riders may feel cramped due to rear set foot pegs. The seat height is pretty low at 785 mm aiding handling and raising the confidence of shorter riders. The 1400 mm wheelbase and 26-degree rake angle serve to make the bike agile. The seat, however, may feel inadequate on rough roads. Thankfully, the ground clearance is decent at 145 mm. The fuel tank will also feel satisfactory at 17L.  Build quality is good and it feels like a premium product.

The 37 mm telescopic front forks and the adjustable monoshock in the rear perform well on smooth roads. The rear is stiff for riding on broken potholed roads. The chassis allows for good handling characteristics. It feels confident while swerving and allows lean angles on the 168 kg bike easily. The 35-degree steering angle and the short wheelbase also helps in this. The tires, however, feel restrictive. This bike could definitely use some better aftermarket tires. Thanks to the burgeoning aftermarket scene there is no dearth of such options.

The engine is the biggest draw for the Kawasaki and even today stands out from the crowd. It is a liquid-cooled, fuel injected, DOHC Parallel Twin, displacing 249cc and with 4 valves per cylinder. It produces 32 PS at a mind-numbing 11000 rpm and 21.0 Nm of torque at 10000 rpm. The fuel injection uses a dual throttle valve that not only controls the fuel delivery but also delivers good fuel economy. The engine’s sweet spot lies above 5000 rpm after which the bike really comes into its element. This does mean that the bike will always have to be kept high revving. It delivers the completely opposite kind of performance from the KTM in terms of outright acceleration. It is, however, a refined engine with very few vibrations felt through the handlebars. Transmission is a 6-speed unit. Fuel economy is also great at 30 km/L when driven sensibly.    

There is a single 290 mm petal disc in the front and a 220 mm petal disc in the rear, both using a dual piston caliper setup. Yet again it misses out on ABS which feels like an oversight against the competition. The brakes by themselves, however, feel adequate and provide good feel.