First ride: Kawasaki Z250SL LAMS

Kawasaki Australia is fast becoming the go to manufacturer for new riders. Over the past 12 months, it's released more learner-approved motorcycles (LAMS) than anyone else. And now with the new Z250SL, it takes the company's learner fleet to a whopping 10 models.

The Z250SL slots in under the recently released Z300, with the ‘SL’ an acronym for 'Super-Light'. The bike comes straight from Asia where powered two-wheelers of this size are extremely popular, and locally it will be targeted at riders who want a light weight, easy to manage city commuter. Two models will make it into this country — an anti-lock braking version for $5599 and a standard one for $5299.

The engine in the Z250SL shares the same base as Kawasaki’s KLX250 dirt bike, but tweaked for a smoother and more predictable road manner. Claimed peak power is 28hp at 9700rpm from the 249cc liquid-cooled, four-stroke, DOHC single-cylinder, while torque peaks at a modest 22Nm at 8200rpm. That's nearly 10hp less than the Z300, but impressively only 5Nm of torque short of the larger engine.

If you have ever ridden a 250 dirtbike you will know the engine can be quite punchy and lively for its size. The Z250SL’s donk has these attributes, but just on a mellower scale. Twist the throttle and the little engine punches out of the low rev range with a very quick-revving nature, allowing the engine to quickly spin up into the region where most of the power is made.

Acceleration wise it is no superstar, but it will out-accelerate most traffic and continue to a top speed of around 130km/h. Not much happens before 6000rpm, but the power curve is quite smooth and linear. Fuelling is also spot-on through the entire rev range.

Mated to the engine is a close-ratio six-speed box and cable-operated clutch. The gears are well placed for maximum acceleration and never let the revs drop below that harder-hitting top end. The gearbox works flawlessly, but it's a little sloppy for my liking — mind you it never misses a gear, but it does lack directness. The clutch is also slightly grabby, making take-offs eventful, but the test mule had less than 500km on the clock so it may have smoothed out with more miles.

Interestingly the Z250SL makes use of a trellis frame instead of a more traditional twin-spar. This is the second Kawasaki model to employ this design, with the other being the Kawasaki flagship H2 and 300hp-plus H2R. So technically when you are bragging to your mates about your new Z250SL, you could basically say it’s a mini H2R… sort of.

The Z250SL has the same 37mm telescopic fork as the Z300, but has slightly less travel (110mm, down from 120mm). Similarly, travel on the five-way adjustable preload shock is down as well — 116mm compared to 132mm.

Around town the Z250SL is very manageable and confidence-inspiring at slow speeds. Just like on the Z300 as the speeds rise the 37mm fork is thick enough to not suffer from flex and is more than adequate to soak up city potholes at legal speeds. Change of direction is super fast — so fast in fact that this is really the only time you can out-ride the chassis. As the new direction is adopted a slight wallow can come from the front — by no means is it dangerous, but the more solid Z300 doesn’t suffer this.

The 36 degrees of steering angle makes cutting through traffic and negotiating tight city streets a breeze. Coupled with it being 5cm narrower than the Z300, it really is the go-anywhere urban machine.

The Z250SL’s braking package consists of a 290mm disc and a two-piston caliper up front, while the rear makes use of a 220mm disc and a two-piston caliper. This is the same combination used on the 20kg heavier Z300, so it is more than enough to do the job. The front stopper has considerable power, while the rear offers good feel for slow speed manoeuvrability — no qualms from me in the braking department. And with the option of anti-lock braking that is another bonus.

Kawasaki isn't kidding with the SL suffix. At a claimed kerb weight of 148kg (2kg more for the anti-lock braking version) it undercuts the Z300 by a whopping 20kg. This weight advantage is felt as soon as the Z250SL is picked up off its sidestand and is only accentuated as the speed rises.

Weight is a major confidence destroyer when it comes to new riders, so much so that I have seen people give riding away due to one slow-speed drop caused by a heavy motorcycle. If this has been you or you know weight intimidates you there wouldn’t be many riders out there that wouldn’t be on top of a 148kg motorcycle from the outset.

Styling wise there is no mistaking that it comes from the Kawasaki Z family. The minimal fairings are sharp, very angular and aggressive. The side shrouds are quite small which allows you to appreciate the great-looking trellis frame. At 182cm I was slightly cramped on this motorcycle as my knees pressed into the side fairing — at my height or any taller I would be looking at the Z300.

The all-digital LCD instrument console is quite sporty and easy to read. It features a digital bar-graph tachometer, digital speedometer, odometer, trip meter, clock and even a fuel gauge. Like on the Z300 the high-stalk mirrors offer good visibility and the 11-litre tank should be good for well over 250km.

The Z250SL is only available in a candy burnt orange, and it undercuts the Z300 on price by just $400. In my opinion that's little too close to this model. If weight is not really an issue for you, at $400 extra you would choose the Z300 every day of the week. If the Z250SL was say $1000 cheaper potential buyers would not just look at the weight saving, but also the money saved over the Z300.

The Z250SL offers new riders a motorcycle that is at home in the urban environment, is light, looks good and offers everything a larger motorcycle can do, but on a smaller learner-friendly scale. It is a great first-timer's bike, but unfortunately sales may suffer due to the pricing being too close to the Z300. New riders may mistakenly pick the Z300 when the Z250SL may have been more appropriate for their abilities.

Remember bigger is not always better for some new riders.

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 28hp (20.6kW) at 9700rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 22.6Nm at 8200rpm
Economy: 3.8lt/100km (measured)

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed
Final drive: Chain

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame type: Tube diamond
Front suspension: 37mm telescopic fork, 110mm travel
Rear suspension: Uni-Trak with five-way preload adjustment, 116mm travel
Front brakes: 290mm petal disc with twin-piston caliper
Rear brakes: 220mm petal disc with twin-piston caliper
Tyres: Dunlop 100/80-17 front, 130/70-17 rear

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed curb weight: 150kg (148kg non-ABS)
Seat height: 785mm
Wheelbase: 1330mm
Fuel capacity: 11 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $5599 ($5299 non-ABS)
Colours: Candy Burnt Orange
Bike supplied by: Kawasaki Motors Australia, http://www.kawasaki.com.au/
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres